PRAISE FOR
SILVER
‘Chris Hammer is a great writer—a leader in Australian noir.’ Michael Connelly
‘A terrific story … an excellent sequel; the best Australian crime novel since Peter Temple’s The Broken Shore.’ The Times
‘Elegantly executed on all fronts, Silver has a beautifully realised sense of place … There’s a lot going on in Port Silver, but it’s well worth a visit.’ Sydney Morning Herald/The Age
‘The immediacy of the writing makes for heightened tension, and the book is as heavy on the detail as it is on conveying Scarsden’s emotional state. Silver is a dramatic blood-pumper of a book for lovers of Sarah Bailey and Dave Warner.’ Books + Publishing
‘Hammer has shown in Silver that Scrublands was no fluke. He has taken what he learnt in that novel and built on it to create a deeper, richer experience. He has delivered a real sense of place and uses the crime genre to explore some very real current social issues and character types.’ PS News
‘A taut and relentless thriller—just jump into the rapids and hold on.’ Readings
‘The action unfolds at the same breathless pace as it did in Scrublands … Hammer’s prose brings the coastal setting vividly to life. An engrossing read, perfect for the summer holidays.’ The Advertiser
‘An enthralling, atmospheric thriller that fans of Aussie crime won’t be able to put down.’ New Idea
‘Fast paced, enthralling, enjoyable, utterly engaging and very easy to relate to, Silver has confirmed Hammer’s place in the list of people who really can write a seriously good story.’ Blue Wolf Reviews
PRAISE FOR
SCRUBLANDS
‘Hammer has travelled back roads and inland waterways. His depictions are unsentimental, without false cheer, but never dismissive. He is nonetheless assaying a part of Australia that is dying, slowly and fatalistically. Thus threnody blends with crime drama in one of the finest novels of the year.’ Peter Pierce, The Australian
‘Vivid and mesmerising … Stunning … Scrublands is that rare combination, a page-turner that stays long in the memory.’ Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month
‘So does Scrublands earn its Thriller of the Year tag? Absolutely. Is it my favourite book of the year so far? Well, it’s only June but since you’re asking, at this very moment, yes it is … Deliberately paced and wound tight, this book will keep you awake until you’ve finished the final page. And maybe even after that. It’s relentless, it’s compulsive, it’s a book you simply can’t put down.’ Written by Sime
‘Brilliant and unsettling, Scrublands stands at the junction of Snowtown and Wake in Fright, that place where Australia’s mirage of bush tranquillity evaporated into our hidden fears.’ Paul Daley, journalist and author of Challenge
‘A superbly drawn, utterly compelling evocation of a small town riven by a shocking crime.’ Mark Brandi, author of Wimmera
‘A clever, intricate mystery … a complex, compelling story deeply rooted in its small-town setting. Highly recommended.’ Dervla McTiernan, author of The Rúin
‘Scrublands kidnapped me for 48 hours. I was hopelessly lost in the scorching Australian landscape, disoriented but completely immersed in the town and people of Riversend, as the heat crackled off the pages. I was devastated when it was time to go back to the real world. This book is a force of nature. A must-read for all crime fiction fans.’ Sarah Bailey, author of The Dark Lake and Into the Night
‘A brilliant read. A thriller that crackles and sweats and a powerful portrait of a small town on the edge.’ Michael Brissenden, journalist and author of The List
‘Stellar … Richly descriptive writing coupled with deeply developed characters, relentless pacing, and a bombshell-laden plot make this whodunit virtually impossible to put down.’ Publishers Weekly, starred review
‘Hammer’s portrait of a dying, drought-struck town numbed by a priest’s unimaginable act of violence will capture you from the first explosive page and refuse to let go until the last. His remarkable writing takes you inside lives twisted by secrets festering beneath the melting heat of the inland, the scrub beyond waiting to burst into flame. Scrublands is the read of the year. Unforgettable.’ Tony Wright, The Age / Sydney Morning Herald
‘Immersive and convincing … This will be the novel that all crime fiction fans will want … a terrific read that has “bestseller” written all over it.’ Australian Crime Fiction
‘Debut thriller of the month (and maybe of 2019) … Beautifully written.’ Washington Post
‘Chris Hammer’s powerful debut Scrublands establishes his place among the handful of thriller writers who understand the importance of setting as character, deftly weaving the story of a landscape burned dry and a town whose residents are barely hanging on with a complicated mystery that could only happen in this place in exactly the way Hammer tells it. Fresh and hypnotic, complex and layered, Scrublands’ gorgeous prose swept me up and carried me toward a conclusion that was both surprising and inevitable. I loved every word. Highly recommended.’ Karen Dionne, international bestselling author of The Marsh King’s Daughter
‘… desolate, dangerous, and combustible. A complex novel powered by a cast of characters with motives and loyalties as ever-shifting as the dry riverbed beneath them, Hammer’s story catches fire from the first page.’ J. Todd Scott, author of High White Sun
‘Impressive prose and brilliant plotting … a remarkable study of human fallibility, guilt, remorse, hope and redemption. The descriptions of landscape are often evocative and Winton-like, with the parched country-town setting reminiscent of Jane Harper’s The Dry … It is hard to imagine Scrublands not being loved by all crime/mystery fans. FIVE STARS.’ Scott Whitmont, Books + Publishing
‘There is a very good reason people are calling Scrublands the “thriller of the year”. This impressive debut is a powerful and compulsively readable Australian crime novel.’ Booktopia
‘As one bookseller commented, Scrublands is another sign we are in a Golden Age of Australian crime. Reading it is a pulsating, intense experience, not to be missed.’ Better Reading
‘Much like the bushfire that flares up in the mulga, Scrublands quickly builds in intensity, until it’s charging along with multiple storylines, unanswered questions and uncovered truths. It is a
