![Shoot Through](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552611866l/44432983._SX98_.jpg)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the third Stella Hardy novel, and it was just as good as the previous one, “Too Easy”. Stella is a flawed but likeable heroine, and she gets herself into a lot of trouble.
This one begins with a trip to Athol Goldwater jail to visit her brother, Ben, in order to get his signature on some legal papers involving the family farm. Her visit is interrupted by the sounds of alarms and sirens, and she discovers that a prisoner has died in a metalworking accident.
Once back at her job at WORMS (Western and Outer Region Migrant Service), she is told she has been nominated to join a prison inspection group, and will be working with Marcus Pugh, the minister for justice (and someone Stella dislikes, to put it mildly). Marcus has heard rumours of someone at the jail being involved in a “side-line pecuniary activity” and he wants Stella to see what she can find out. The prisoner, Joe Phelan’s, death adds an extra complication to “Puke’s” problem!
Meanwhile, Mrs Phelan, Joe’s mother, asks for Stella’s help in finding out what happened to her son. As an extra “incentive”, Mrs Phelan has enlisted Percy Brash, a murderous thug who also just happens to know all about Stella’s illicitly acquired stash of cash (stolen from a couple of dead drug dealers).
All is not well in other areas of Stella’s life, either. She suspects her lover, Brophy, is once again using heroin. Her sister, Kylie, is having an affair with Stella’s arch nemesis, Shane Farquhar. And Ben’s pregnant girlfriend, Loretta, (together with Nigel, her Alaskan Malamute) have turned up and taken over her small flat.
There are a couple of murders, some hacking, a jail break, a missing prize bull, cattle duffing, and Stella is in the thick of it all. And she learns from her friend, Phuong, that the police are closing in on the stolen drug money.
The situation looks desperate for our heroine — but in the end, things are resolved in a very satisfying way. As the back cover blurb says: “It’s Stella’s last hurrah, and she’s going out with a bang.”
This is a fast paced, gritty but humorous read. Stella is a heroine you can really root for, and I thoroughly enjoyed this final adventure.
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