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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Opal Country (published in some jurisdictions as Treasure and Dirt) is another fantastic book by Chris Hammer.
An Opal miner is found dead in his mine by ratters (people who break into mines and try to plunder them). Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic is despatched from Sydney to the tiny outback town of Finnegan’s Gap to investigate. He expects to be partnered by his senior officer but politics are at play meaning that Lucic has to rely on the local police to help him solve the case.
Chris Hammer brings us another atmospheric and cleverly crafted thriller. The heat is stifling, the characters all well penned and the plot whizzes along. I absolutely loved it. This is a stand-alone but has nods to Chris Hammer’s previous thriller which centre on the journalist Martin Scarsden. A strong 4.5* and Chris Hammer continues to be on my must read/must pre-order list.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin, Headline, Wildfire and Netgalley for an ARC. The same review has been posted against Treasure and Dirt.
An Opal miner is found dead in his mine by ratters (people who break into mines and try to plunder them). Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic is despatched from Sydney to the tiny outback town of Finnegan’s Gap to investigate. He expects to be partnered by his senior officer but politics are at play meaning that Lucic has to rely on the local police to help him solve the case.
Chris Hammer brings us another atmospheric and cleverly crafted thriller. The heat is stifling, the characters all well penned and the plot whizzes along. I absolutely loved it. This is a stand-alone but has nods to Chris Hammer’s previous thriller which centre on the journalist Martin Scarsden. A strong 4.5* and Chris Hammer continues to be on my must read/must pre-order list.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin, Headline, Wildfire and Netgalley for an ARC. The same review has been posted against Treasure and Dirt.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Good complex mystery, bit clunky in places.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Starting off, it sounds like a run of the mill crime, dead body - who did it - the end. But it was so much more than that. This is the 1st Chris Hammer book I've read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story and characters became more complex and there were many more elements to keep track off, all intertwining at the end. Glad I read this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Car accident, Alcohol
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Treasure & Dirt is the newest release from Chris Hammer and is his first standalone book after releasing three books in the Martin Scarsden series. I’ve read and enjoyed all of his books but in Treasure & Dirt we make a welcome return to the raw outback feel of the first book Scrublands.
Straight away you are thrown into a vivid and atmospheric drawing of the Australian landscape. This time over western NSW in a small plane looking out over the land now less affected by drought. The descriptions of the landscape are strong and really set the scene. You can tell that Hammer will again nail the sense of place. The water over the land eventually dries up and as we arrive in the fictional mining town of Finnigan's Gap the heat and dust of the far north west of the state becomes apparent.
Here we meet homicide detective Ivan Lucic who has been sent from Sydney to investigate the death of an opal miner who has been found crucified down his mine. Inexperienced detective Nell Buchanan has been sent from nearby Bourke to assist him. Of course nothing is straightforward and soon there are allegations of possible misconduct and both Ivan and Nell must redeem themselves by finding the killer.
I found the book a massive page-turner. I forgot to start cooking dinner because I was furiously turning the pages on the final chapters! The twists and turns were interesting and engaging and I couldn’t pick the outcomes. I also really loved the characterisation of Ivan and Nell and was pleased to hear from Chis Hammer at his online book launch that more books featuring the pair are possible. A nice touch was the nod to the Scarsden series with Ivan having played a small role and references to the crimes of the third book but I have to say that it was so refreshing to have a new set of characters to get to know.
Overall this is a great example of the Australian outback noir genre which I would definitely recommend. Congratulations @thehammernow I can’t wait to read more about Ivan and Nell!
Thank you so much to @allenandunwin for my #gifted copy of this book. Treasure and Dirt is out now.
Straight away you are thrown into a vivid and atmospheric drawing of the Australian landscape. This time over western NSW in a small plane looking out over the land now less affected by drought. The descriptions of the landscape are strong and really set the scene. You can tell that Hammer will again nail the sense of place. The water over the land eventually dries up and as we arrive in the fictional mining town of Finnigan's Gap the heat and dust of the far north west of the state becomes apparent.
Here we meet homicide detective Ivan Lucic who has been sent from Sydney to investigate the death of an opal miner who has been found crucified down his mine. Inexperienced detective Nell Buchanan has been sent from nearby Bourke to assist him. Of course nothing is straightforward and soon there are allegations of possible misconduct and both Ivan and Nell must redeem themselves by finding the killer.
I found the book a massive page-turner. I forgot to start cooking dinner because I was furiously turning the pages on the final chapters! The twists and turns were interesting and engaging and I couldn’t pick the outcomes. I also really loved the characterisation of Ivan and Nell and was pleased to hear from Chis Hammer at his online book launch that more books featuring the pair are possible. A nice touch was the nod to the Scarsden series with Ivan having played a small role and references to the crimes of the third book but I have to say that it was so refreshing to have a new set of characters to get to know.
Overall this is a great example of the Australian outback noir genre which I would definitely recommend. Congratulations @thehammernow I can’t wait to read more about Ivan and Nell!
Thank you so much to @allenandunwin for my #gifted copy of this book. Treasure and Dirt is out now.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story starts slowly. At around a third of the way through, the pace of the plot picks up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Death of parent
5 Stars.
"In Finnegan's Gap, opals, bodies and secrets don't stay buried forever."
I just want to start by saying that I've never read a Chris Hammer book that I didn't like, and this was no exception. When Ivan Lucic is sent to the rural opal mining town of Finnegan's Gap to investigate a homicide case, he knows that there's more going on than meets the eye. Firstly, because his boss, Morris Montifore is kept back in Sydney, pending investigation, and secondly, because everywhere he turns, the case just keeps getting more and more complicated.
Far out, I loved this. Hammer's writing is so evocative, I could feel the heat of the Finnegan's Gap in my bones. I had really disliked Lucic in the earlier novels but I really enjoyed getting to know him as a character, and I wish I could be friends with Nell! Somehow this novel felt less complicated than Hammer's other novels, and yet still had enough twists and turns that it wasn't at all boring. I absolutely recommend this, it's definitely one of the best novels I've read in 2021!
"In Finnegan's Gap, opals, bodies and secrets don't stay buried forever."
I just want to start by saying that I've never read a Chris Hammer book that I didn't like, and this was no exception. When Ivan Lucic is sent to the rural opal mining town of Finnegan's Gap to investigate a homicide case, he knows that there's more going on than meets the eye. Firstly, because his boss, Morris Montifore is kept back in Sydney, pending investigation, and secondly, because everywhere he turns, the case just keeps getting more and more complicated.
Far out, I loved this. Hammer's writing is so evocative, I could feel the heat of the Finnegan's Gap in my bones. I had really disliked Lucic in the earlier novels but I really enjoyed getting to know him as a character, and I wish I could be friends with Nell! Somehow this novel felt less complicated than Hammer's other novels, and yet still had enough twists and turns that it wasn't at all boring. I absolutely recommend this, it's definitely one of the best novels I've read in 2021!