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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars. This was a harrowing and atmospheric depiction of a town ravaged by drought and trauma. While it took a while to draw me in, by the 30% mark I was hooked on the mystery and couldn’t wait to find out who had a piece of the pie! The reveal and resolution were satisfying, and I like when mysteries are this complex and involve as many players as this one did.
Unfortunately by the end I was struggling a little to keep track of all the moving parts, and it felt a bit too long.
I also struggled with a few of the characters. Mandalay and Fran were irritating as hell and Martin was lowkey terrible at his job, and when I dislike the main leads in a story it makes it hard to like the book overall. If you think Mikael Blomkvist is a bit of a twat in Stieg Larsson’s books, you’ll think Martin Scarsden is a bit of a knob too.
Unfortunately by the end I was struggling a little to keep track of all the moving parts, and it felt a bit too long.
I also struggled with a few of the characters. Mandalay and Fran were irritating as hell and Martin was lowkey terrible at his job, and when I dislike the main leads in a story it makes it hard to like the book overall. If you think Mikael Blomkvist is a bit of a twat in Stieg Larsson’s books, you’ll think Martin Scarsden is a bit of a knob too.
I would have liked this better without the Stuff I really liked - ideas about journalistic ethics when reporting on tragedies, the picture of the small town community, and the pressures of the drought on a rural community. The denouement is a bit... slightly ludicrous, but not too over the top.
Spoiler
incredibly annoying romance subplot - our journalist narrator bangs on tediously about the bookshop owner's incredible beauty, ends up in bed with her, treats her like his in-town girlfriend, and then worries about her future because he intends to leave - mate, she's not an idiot, you are a journalist in town on an assignment, of course you're going to leave. She never said she wanted to be rescued.
I thought this was a great Australian crime novel which I’ve now learned is a genre known as outback noir or bush noir. I loved the setting and the Australian lingo, but I think I have a soft spot for Australian drama after being brought up watching Home & Away and Neighbours!
The setting is incredibly atmospheric. The weather is stifling hot and the town is suffering from drought and bush fires. The town and it’s people are struggling following the horrific crime committed by the priest. Many have moved away and shops and businesses are closing and it is described as a ‘town of death’
Martin scarsden arrives at Riversend to write an article on the one year anniversary since the shootings, but he actually goes beyond his journalistic duties and plays a huge part in solving the mystery surrounding the event. I loved Martin’s character, he is laid back and personable but also a complicated character who is struggling to move on from a traumatic event from his past.
In fact all of the characters in this book are fantastic. They are so original, quirky, contradictory and flawed and I really enjoyed getting to know them all.
Chris hammer is a great storyteller and his writing just flowed so beautifully and drew me in right from the first chapter. There is a great pace to the story and considering it is a multi-layered mystery I found it easy to follow, whilst still being completely unpredictable.
I really would recommend this book and I can’t wait to read the sequel 'Silver' to find out what Martin gets up to next.
The setting is incredibly atmospheric. The weather is stifling hot and the town is suffering from drought and bush fires. The town and it’s people are struggling following the horrific crime committed by the priest. Many have moved away and shops and businesses are closing and it is described as a ‘town of death’
Martin scarsden arrives at Riversend to write an article on the one year anniversary since the shootings, but he actually goes beyond his journalistic duties and plays a huge part in solving the mystery surrounding the event. I loved Martin’s character, he is laid back and personable but also a complicated character who is struggling to move on from a traumatic event from his past.
In fact all of the characters in this book are fantastic. They are so original, quirky, contradictory and flawed and I really enjoyed getting to know them all.
Chris hammer is a great storyteller and his writing just flowed so beautifully and drew me in right from the first chapter. There is a great pace to the story and considering it is a multi-layered mystery I found it easy to follow, whilst still being completely unpredictable.
I really would recommend this book and I can’t wait to read the sequel 'Silver' to find out what Martin gets up to next.
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This book is a MUST read. The best crime mystery book I have read to date. The twists and turns that you are taken on all through makes it almost impossible to put the book down. What a cracker!!
I was totally engrossed by this well-written, pacy page turner.
However, it does require significant suspension of disbelief, if you are to come to terms with a tiny country town of less than 800 souls being such a total hot-bed of extreme crime. There were also one or two threads that could have been more tidily tied up.
However, all in all, it looks like we have another great Australian murder mystery writer to enjoy!
However, it does require significant suspension of disbelief, if you are to come to terms with a tiny country town of less than 800 souls being such a total hot-bed of extreme crime. There were also one or two threads that could have been more tidily tied up.
However, all in all, it looks like we have another great Australian murder mystery writer to enjoy!
Boken öppnar med att beskriva värmen. Den där om gör att du inte kan öppna bilhandtag utan handskar. Jag är generellt sett inget fan av ingående miljöbeskrivningar (för otålig!), men Hammer tar mig med in i bilden. Dels för att det är en omgivning jag redan har varma (sic!) känslor för, och dels för att han skriver jäkligt bra. Det sistnämnda tar det ett tag innan jag erkänner. Bokens upplägg och omgivning är till en början så lik Jane Harpers "The Dry" att jag är inställd på att läsa en sämre kopia; sådana där som brukar dyka upp när någon slår igenom med nåt. Men Hammer skriver betydligt bättre - trots att Harper inte skriver dåligt. När jag - i en Times recension - får veta att han är mångårig journalist förklarar det en del - både stilsäkerheten och hur väl han beskriver sin huvudpersons bransch och roll, som reportern som kommer till den traumatiserade staden på Australiens torra vidder. Historien är en deckare, så den passar inte alla - men den innehåller galet många delar, som Hammer väver ihop förvånansvärt väl. Han lyckas nog få med de flesta av Australiens kända problem: torka, bränder, självmord på grund av ekonomisk undergång, pedofilringar, veteraner lämnade till sitt öde, machomän på landsbygden. Och allt är - som man säger - inte som det verkar vara.
Det är förmodligen något fel på mig som, medan allt det hemska pågår, fortfarande älskar känslan av landet. Det kan också göra att jag är partisk. Men jag gillade verkligen den här boken.
Det är förmodligen något fel på mig som, medan allt det hemska pågår, fortfarande älskar känslan av landet. Det kan också göra att jag är partisk. Men jag gillade verkligen den här boken.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes