The River

Science & Math

Hammer, Chris

Earth Sciences

Melbourne University

In the vein of The Dry and Before the Fall, a town's dark secrets come to light in the aftermath of a young priest's unthinkable last act in this arresting and searing debut thriller.\nIn Riversend, an isolated rural community afflicted by an endless drought, a young priest does the unthinkable, killing five parishioners before being taken down himself.\nA year later, accompanied by his own demons from war-time reporting, journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend. His assignment is simple: describe how the townspeople are coping as the anniversary of their tragedy approaches. But as Martin meets the locals and hears their version of events, he begins to realize that the accepted wisdom--that the priest was a pedophile whose imminent exposure was the catalyst for the shooting, a theory established through an award-winning investigation by Martin's own newspaper--may be wrong.\nJust as Martin believes he's making headway, a new development rocks the town. The bodies of two German backpackers--missing since the time of the church shootings--are discovered in a dam in the scrublands, deserted backwoods marked by forest fires. As the media flocks to the scene, Martin finds himself thrown into a whole new mystery.\nWhat was the real reason behind the priest's shooting spree? And how does it connect to the backpacker murders, if at all? Martin struggles to uncover the town's dark secrets, putting his job, his mental state, and his life at risk as more and more strange happenings escalate around him.\nFor fans of James Lee Burke, Jane Harper, and Robert Crais, Scrublands is a compelling and original crime novel that marks Chris Hammer as a stunning new voice in the genre. A compulsively readable thriller of the highest order, Scrublands never loosens its grip, from its opening scene to the very last page.

Scrublands: A Novel

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Thrillers & Suspense

Thorndike Press Large Print

Scrublands

Scrublands EXPORT

Wildfire

'Shimmers ... a tortured tale of blood and loss' Val McDermid 'Stunning ... Scrublands is that rare combination, a page-turner that stays long in the memory' Sunday Times (Crime Book of the Month) The #1 Bestselling Australian crime novel, perfect for fans of Peter May and Jane Harper In an isolated country town ravaged by drought, a charismatic young priest opens fire on his congregation, killing five men before being shot dead himself. A year later, journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend to write a feature on the anniversary of the tragedy. But the stories he hears from the locals don't fit with the accepted version of events. Just as Martin believes he is making headway, a shocking discovery rocks the town. The bodies of two backpackers - missing since the time of the massacre - are found in the scrublands. The media descends on Riversend and Martin is the one in the spotlight. Wrestling with his own demons, Martin finds himself risking everything to uncover a truth that becomes more complex with every twist. But there are powerful forces determined to stop him, and he has no idea how far they will go to make sure the town's secrets stay buried.

Mystery

Hachette

Silver EXPORT

AN ENTHRALLING AND PROPULSIVE NEW THRILLER FROM THE ACCLAIMED AND BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SCRUBLANDS\n'Compelling, original and brilliantly executed - an excellent thriller from a new master of Australian noir' CHARLES CUMMING\n'Dark, twisty and atmospheric, with writing so real you can almost feel the blistering heat of the Australian summer' LISA HALL\n*\nA HOMECOMING MARRED BY BLOOD 
Journalist Martin Scarsden returns to Port Silver to make a fresh start with his partner Mandy. But he arrives to find his childhood friend murdered - and Mandy is the prime suspect. Desperate to clear her name, Martin goes searching for the truth.\nA TERRIBLE CRIME 
The media descends on Port Silver, compelled by a story that has it all: sex, drugs, celebrity, and religion. Martin is chasing the biggest scoop of his career, and the most personal.\nA PAST HE CAN'T ESCAPE 
As Martin draws closer to a killer, the secrets of his traumatic childhood come to the surface, and he must decide what is more important - the story or his family...\n*\nPraise for SCRUBLANDS:\n'Shimmers . . . A tortured tale of blood and loss' VAL MCDERMID\n'Stunning . . . That rare combination, a page-turner that stays long in the memory' SUNDAY TIMES (CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH)\n'An almost perfect crime novel ... Intelligent, thought-provoking, great 
narrative energy' ANN CLEEVES

Silver (A Martin Scarsden Thriller)

Literature & Fiction

Genre Fiction

The stunning new novel from the No.1 international bestselling author of Scrublands and 'master of Australian noir' Chris Hammer.\nOn a bright sunny day in Port Silver, ex-journalist Martin Scarsden misses a call from his girlfriend Mandy. Checking his voicemail later, all he hears is her terrified scream before the phone cuts off.\nBack at the house, he finds a policeman unconscious on the floor, and Mandy gone.\nSo starts a twisting tale of intrigue and danger, as Martin probes the past of the woman he loves, a woman who has buried her former life deep.\nAnd for the first time, Mandy finds denial impossible, now the body of a man has been discovered - a man to whom she was engaged to marry. It's time to face her demons once and for all; it's time she learned how to trust.\nSet in a Sydney riven with corruption and nepotism, privilege and power, TRUST is the third riveting novel from award-winning and internationally acclaimed writer Chris Hammer.\nPraise for Chris Hammer:\n'The best Australian crime novel for years' The Times\n'Hammer is a great writer - a leader in Australian noir' Michael Connelly\n'Stunning - a page-turner which stays long in the memory' Sunday Times\n'Intelligent, thought-provoking - an almost-perfect crime novel' Ann Cleeves

Trust (A Martin Scarsden Thriller)

The stunning new novel from the No.1 international bestselling author of Scrublands and 'master of Australian noir' Chris Hammer.\nOn a bright sunny day in Port Silver, ex-journalist Martin Scarsden misses a call from his girlfriend Mandy. Checking his voicemail later, all he hears is her terrified scream before the phone cuts off.\nBack at the house, he finds a policeman unconscious on the floor, and Mandy gone.\nSo starts a riveting tale of intrigue and danger, as Martin probes the hidden past of the woman he loves. But can he trust her, once her shocking secrets are finally revealed?\nPraise for Chris Hammer\n'The best Australian crime novel for years' The Times\n'Shimmers . . . A d tale of blood and loss' Val McDermid\n'Intelligent, thought-provoking - an almost-perfect crime novel' Ann Cleeves\n'Hammer is a great writer - a leader in Australian noir' Michael Connelly\n'Stunning - a page-turner which stays long in the memory' Sunday Times\n'Hammer's writing is so evocative the heat practically rises off the pages' Guardian\n'A dark and brilliant thriller' Mail On Sunday

Trust

Opal Country

**THE TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH**\nIn the outback, nothing stays buried forever...\n'Classic Hammer. A crime novel that will stay with me for a long time.' Ann Cleeves\n'This novel is Hammer's best work yet.' The Times\n'A complex, twisty thriller, with nuanced characters and a winding plot all set in the oppressive Australian heat.' Lisa Hall\n'This slice of Australian noir sparkles like an opal in the blistering sun.' Lisa Gray\n'Opal Country is a top-notch Aussie Noir with real heat coming off the pages.' Christopher Fowler\nOpals...\nIn the desolate outback town of Finnigans Gap, police struggle to maintain law and order. Thieves pillage opal mines, religious fanatics recruit vulnerable youngsters and billionaires do as they please.\nBodies...\nThen an opal miner is found crucified and left to rot down his mine. Nothing about the miner's death is straight-forward, not even who found the body. Homicide detective Ivan Lucic is sent to investigate, assisted by inexperienced young investigator Nell Buchanan.\nBut 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?\nSecrets...\nAs time runs out, their only chance at redemption is to find the killer. But the more they uncover, the more harrowing the mystery becomes, and a past long forgotten is thrown into scorching sunlight.\nBecause in Finnigans Gap, nothing stays buried for ever.\nPraise for Chris Hammer:\n'Hammer is a great writer - a leader in Australian noir' Michael Connelly\n'Shimmers . . . A tortured tale of blood and loss' Val McDermid\n'Stunning - a page-turner which stays long in the memory' Sunday Times

Opal Country: The stunning page turner from the award-winning author of Scrublands

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