Chris Hammer

Scrublands is a crime drama set in a fictional Riverina town back in 2009, at the height of the millennial drought.

Scrublands

Martin Scarsden returns in the sequel to the bestselling Scrublands.

Silver

Trust

The Unmissable New Thriller from the Award-Winning Author of Scrublands

Opal Country

Treasure & Dirt

The latest stunning thriller from the bestselling author of Scrublands and Treasure & Dirt. 'Chris Hammer is in the platinum class of Australian Detective writers. He is an undeniable master of the carefully layered novel, which unfolds remorselessly to reveal the perpetrators of murder on the arid frontier.' - The Weekend Australian on Treasure & Dirt A man runs for his life in a forest. A woman plans sabotage. A body is unearthed. Newly-minted homicide detective Nell Buchanan returns to her home town, annoyed at being assigned a decades-old murder - a 'file and forget'. But this is no ordinary cold case, as the discovery of more bodies triggers a chain of escalating events in the present day. As Nell starts to join the pieces together, she begins to question how well she truly knows those closest to her. Could her own family be implicated in the crimes? The nearer Nell comes to uncovering the secrets of the past, the more dangerous the present becomes for her, as she battles shadowy assailants and sinister forces. Can she survive this harrowing investigation and what price will she have to pay for the truth? Gripping and atmospheric, The Tilt is a stunning multi-layered novel by the acclaimed and award-winning author of the international bestsellers Scrublands, Silver, Trust and Treasure & Dirt. Praise for The Tilt'Chris Hammer at the height of his powers ... absolutely not to be missed!' Hayley Scrivenor, author of Dirt Town 'A darkly simmering mystery, gorgeously told ... Utterly brilliant.' Dervla McTiernan, author of The Ruin and The Murder Rule 'Ominous, pacy and intricately plotted. The Tilt hits the ground running and never lets up. Hammer's best yet!' Emma Viskic, author of Those Who Perish 'It would be unfair to say Chris Hammer is at the top of the crime writing game. Chris Hammer IS the game. Full Tilt may be a better title, given the speed with which readers will devour Chris Hammer's exceptional novel.' Benjamin Stevenson, author of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone 'Like everything Chris Hammer writes, The Tilt is a rich, complex thriller, packed with detail and intrigue. There's a reason why this guy is on my auto-read list!' Christian White, author of The Nowhere Child 'Chris has an another absolute cracker on his hands here. Chris is without a doubt one of the best active Australian crime writers, and a new book from him is always an unmissable event. I'm glad I started reading it on my day off, because it's one of those stories you don't want to put down once you've started. The way he weaves three different timelines without ever losing focus, and creates such a broad cast of compelling and emotionally complex characters is truly impressive.' Shelley Burr, author of Wake Praise for Chris Hammer 'Chris Hammer is a great writer ... a leader in Australian noir.' - Michael Connelly 'If you haven't read Hammer before, this is the perfect time to experience one of the best writers Australia has to offer. Rife with intrigue, murder, and small-town secrets, Treasure and Dirt is a spectacular thriller that delivers some unforgettable characters with twists and turns you won't see coming. Hammer has raised the bar for Australian crime, and this is a must-read.' - Better Reading 'Chris Hammer has excelled himself with Trust...a thriller strong on character development, social insights, ethical issues and dramatic action.' - The Weekend Australian 'The best Australian crime novel since Peter Temple's The Broken Shore.' The Times on Silver 'Shimmers with heat from the sun and from the passions that drive a tortured tale of blood and loss.' - Val McDermid on Scrublands

The Tilt

Old bones sink - but secrets always rise to the surface. 'A commanding, consuming and outright thrilling mystery. Chris Hammer's first-class series goes from strength to strength.' - Chris Whitaker, bestselling author of We Begin at the End 'Utterly brilliant, a darkly simmering mystery.' - Dervla McTiernan, bestselling author of The Ruin 'Chris Hammer is at the height of his power here. Dead Man's Creek is a superb piece of storytelling' - William Shaw, bestselling author of the DS Alexandra Cupidi series Newly-minted homicide detective Nell Buchanan returns to her hometown, annoyed at being assigned a decades-old murder - a 'file and forget'. But this is no ordinary cold case, her arrival provoking an unwelcome and threatening response from the small-town community. As more bodies are discovered, and she begins to question how well she truly knows those closest to her, Nell realises that finding the truth could prove more difficult - and dangerous - than she'd ever expected. The nearer Nell comes to uncovering the secrets of the past, the more treacherous her path becomes. Can she survive to root out the truth, and what price will she have to pay for it? Gripping and atmospheric, Dead Man's Creek is a stunning multi-layered thriller from Chris Hammer, the award-winning author of Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year Scrublands (2019) and Times Crime Book of the Month Opal Country (January 2022). Praise for Chris Hammer: 'Classic Hammer. A crime novel that will stay with me for a long time.' Ann Cleeves 'This novel is Hammer's best work yet.' The Times 'This may well be Hammer's best work yet. Atmospheric and thrilling. I was gripped.' Victoria Selman 'A vivid and gripping thriller' Gytha Lodge 'A complex, twisty thriller, with nuanced characters and a winding plot all set in the oppressive Australian heat.' Lisa Hall 'This slice of Australian noir sparkles like an opal in the blistering sun.' Lisa Gray 'Opal Country is a top-notch Aussie Noir with real heat coming off the pages.' Christopher Fowler 'Hammer is a great writer - a leader in Australian noir' Michael Connelly 'Shimmers . . . A tortured tale of blood and loss' Val McDermid 'Stunning - a page-turner which stays long in the memory' Sunday Times

The exceptional new thriller from the master of Australian crime

Dead Man's Creek

An unputdownable standalone thriller from the bestselling author of Scrublands. In the desolate outback town of Finnigans Gap, police struggle to maintain law and order. Thieves pillage opal mines, religious fanatics recruit vulnerable young people and billionaires do as they please. Then an opal miner is found crucified and left to rot down his mine. Nothing about the miner's death is straightforward, not even who found the body. Sydney homicide detective Ivan Lucic is sent to investigate, assisted by inexperienced young investigator Nell Buchanan. But Finnigans Gap has already ended one police career and damaged others, and soon both officers face damning allegations and internal investigations. Have Ivan and Nell been set up and, if so, by whom? As time runs out, their only chance at redemption is to find the killer. But the more secrets they uncover, the more harrowing the mystery becomes, as events from years ago take on a startling new significance. For in Finnigans Gap, opals, bodies and secrets don't stay buried forever. A superb standalone thriller from the acclaimed and award-winning author of the international bestsellers Scrublands, Silver and Trust.

Treasure and Dirt

In this searing, “indisputable page-turner” (Associated Press), a town’s dark secrets come to light in the aftermath of a young priest’s unthinkable last act—in the vein of The Dry and Where the Crawdads Sing. In Riversend, an isolated Australian community afflicted by an endless drought, a young priest does the unthinkable: he kills five parishioners before being taken down himself. A year later, journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend. His assignment: to report how the townspeople are coping as the anniversary of the tragedy approaches. But as Martin meets the locals and hears their version of events, he begins to realize that the accepted explanation—a theory established through an award-winning investigation by Martin’s own newspaper—may be wrong. Just as Martin believes he’s making headway, a shocking new crime rocks the town. As the national media flocks to the scene, Martin finds himself thrown into a whole new mystery. What was the real reason behind the priest’s shooting spree? And how does it connect to other deaths in the district, if at all? Martin struggles to uncover the town’s dark secrets, putting his job, his mental state, and his very life at risk. For fans of James Lee Burke, Jane Harper, and Robert Crais, Scrublands is “a gritty debut...sensitively rendered” (The New York Times Book Review) that marks Chris Hammer as a stunning new voice in crime fiction.

The Unmissable New Thriller from the Award-winning Author of Scrublands

The coast and its people help define our identity. Most Australians live in suburbia, but our hearts are elsewhere. From the winner of the ACT Book of the Year Award for his first book, The River, comes this celebration of the Australian seascape, from its natural grandeur to the quirky individualism of those who live beside it. The Coast is also the heartfelt and pertinent story of the issues facing our coast today and the resilience of communities at a turning point. Chris Hammer travels the length of the east coast of Australia on a journey of discovery and reflection, from the Torres Strait to Tasmania; from an island whose beach has been lost forever to the humbling optimism of the survivors of Cyclone Yasi; from the showy beaches of Sydney to a beautiful village that endures despite the loss of its fishing fleet. The Coast is a relevant, satisfying and highly readable book, imbued with a sense of optimism and humour. Even as new economic imperatives emerge and the shift in our climate becomes apparent, we can revel in the heritage and character of our shores, reminding us why the coast is so important to all of us. This updated edition features a new introduction from Chris Hammer.

A Journey Along Australia's Eastern Shores

The Coast

In the desolate outback town of Finnigans Gap, police struggle to maintain law and order. Thieves pillage opal mines, religious fanatics recruit vulnerable young people and billionaires do as they please. Then an opal miner is found crucified and left to rot down his mine. Nothing about the miner's death is straightforward, not even who found the body. Sydney homicide detective Ivan Lucic is sent to investigate, assisted by inexperienced young investigator Nell Buchanan. But Finnigans Gap has already ended one police career and damaged others, and soon both officers face damning allegations and internal investigations. Have Ivan and Nell been set up and, if so, by whom? As time runs out, their only chance at redemption is to find the killer. But the more secrets they uncover, the more harrowing the mystery becomes, as events from years ago take on a startling new significance. For in Finnigans Gap, opals, bodies and secrets don't stay buried for ever. A superb standalone thriller from the acclaimed and award-winning author of the international bestsellers Scrublands, Silver and Trust.

The Devil's Edge

Bullets Over Easy

The stunning new thriller from Chris Hammer, the award-winning author of Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year Scrublands (2019) and Times Crime Book of the Month Opal Country (January 2022). Praise for Chris Hammer: 'My favourite Australian detective is Nell Buchanan.' - Ann Cleeves 'Chris Hammer's first-class series goes from strength to strength.' - Chris Whitaker 'Hammer is a great writer - a leader in Australian noir' Michael Connelly 'Shimmers . . . A tortured tale of blood and loss' Val McDermid 'Stunning - a page-turner which stays long in the memory' Sunday Times 'Utterly brilliant, a darkly simmering mystery.' - Dervla McTiernan 'Chris Hammer is at the height of his power here.' - William Shaw 'This novel is Hammer's best work yet.' The Times 'This may well be Hammer's best work yet. Atmospheric and thrilling. I was gripped.' Victoria Selman 'A vivid and gripping thriller' Gytha Lodge 'A complex, twisty thriller, with nuanced characters and a winding plot all set in the oppressive Australian heat.' Lisa Hall 'This slice of Australian noir sparkles like an opal in the blistering sun.' Lisa Gray 'Top-notch Aussie Noir with real heat coming off the pages.' Christopher Fowler

Untitled Nell Buchanan Thriller

Treasure and Dirt (dys).

Martin Scarsden returns in the sequel to the bestselling Scrublands. For half a lifetime, journalist Martin Scarsden has run from his past. But now there is no escaping. He'd vowed never to return to his hometown, Port Silver, and its traumatic memories. But now his new partner, Mandy Blonde, has inherited an old house in the seaside town and Martin knows their chance of a new life together won't come again. Martin arrives to find his best friend from school days has been brutally murdered, and Mandy is the chief suspect. With the police curiously reluctant to pursue other suspects, Martin goes searching for the killer. And finds the past waiting for him. He's making little progress when a terrible new crime starts to reveal the truth. The media descend on Port Silver, attracted by a story that has it all: sex, drugs, celebrity and religion. Once again, Martin finds himself in the front line of reporting. Yet the demands of deadlines and his desire to clear Mandy are not enough: the past is ever present.

An unputdownable standalone thriller from the bestselling author of Scrublands.

Riversend er en tørkerammet småby under Australias brennende sol. En ung og populær prest står plutselig på kirketrappen og skyter med iskald presisjon ned fem mennesker fra menigheten før han selv blir skutt av en lokal politibetjent. Ingen skjønner hvorfor. Ett år etterpå kommer journalisten Martin Scarsden for å skrive en reportasje om hvordan den døende byen har taklet tragedien. Han oppdager at den offisielle forklaringen om at presten var pedofil, kanskje ikke stemmer. Mange mennesker har mye å skjule – og så dukker det opp flere lik. Det viser seg å være to tyske ryggsekkturister som har vært savnet siden et par dager før kirkemassakren. Byen blir senter i en mediestorm, og Martin er i senter for oppmerksomheten. Både karrieren og livet hans settes på spill. Hva har egentlig foregått i Riversend? Lag på lag avdekker Scarsden hemmeligheter som har preget innbyggerne i årevis, hemmeligheter som de ikke ønsker at noen skal rote i. Han har alle odds mot seg i småbyen som mistror alle fremmede og journalister mest av alle. CHRIS HAMMER har jobbet som journalist i mer enn 30 år. Han har rapportert fra over 30 land på 6 kontinenter. Hammer er også forfatter av to sakprosabøker som har blitt svært godt mottatt, blant annet The River som fikk prisen ACT Book of the Year for 2011. Denne omhandler forfatterens reiser gjennom den australske ødemarken i 2008 og 2009, under den verste tørkeperioden i Australias historie. I løpet av denne reisen møtte han mennesker som ga ham den innsiktet og informasjonen han trengte, for å bli inspirert til å skrive Scrublands som ble hans første skjønnlitterære bok. Chris Hammer bor i Canberra sammen med sin kone Dr. Tomoko Akami og deres to barn. Krattlandet er Hammers første bok på norsk, og oppfølgeren utkommer høsten 2020.

Krattlandet

The latest stunning thriller from the bestselling author of Scrublands and Treasure & Dirt. 'Chris Hammer is in the platinum class of Australian Detective writers. He is an undeniable master of the carefully layered novel, which unfolds remorselessly to reveal the perpetrators of murder on the arid frontier.' - The Weekend Australian on Treasure & Dirt.

Chris Hammer

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