Reviews

Dead Man's Creek by Chris Hammer

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wendy_books's review against another edition

5.0

This is the second book in the Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan series but can be read as a standalone, I have not read the first one but after reading Dead Mans Creek I will defiantly be downloading it pronto..
I read this book in two sittings and didn’t want it to end, this is a brilliantly constructed crime story that seamlessly goes from past to present drawing you in with each chapter. Chris Hammers description of the landscape is so beautiful and atmospheric I really felt like I was watching a film. The characters are really well crafted and extremely relatable.
I defiantly recommend reading this book if I could give it more than 5 stars then I would.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Dead Mans Creek by Chris Hammer in return for my honest review.

damppebbles's review against another edition

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5.0

All my reviews can be found at https://damppebbles.com/

I am a huge fan of Australian crime fiction and Chris Hammer has rapidly become a favourite author of mine. So when I heard a new book was on the horizon I, of course, jumped at the chance to read it. Something you can always guarantee with a book by this author is that the story will be intelligent, beautifully plotted and gripping to the end, the setting will be vivid and by the conclusion you will believe the characters are living, breathing people. What more could a reader ask for?

Newly promoted homicide detective Nell Buchanan returns with senior Detective Ivan Lucic to her hometown to investigate what appears to be a cold case. Nell finds it difficult to understand the rationale for their involvement in Tulong. They are homicide detectives after all and the bones that have been unearthed appear to be decades old. It’s hardly the exciting first case she was hoping for! However, Nell’s connection to the area and her knowledge of those that live there means she’s able to access information that otherwise wouldn’t be so forthcoming. As Nell digs into what happened to the body buried under the dam in the Murray River, startling new information comes to light about the past and present, putting Nell in increasing danger. Because for Nell Buchanan, this investigation is very close to home…

Dead Man’s Creek is a riveting and intricate crime novel that’s both beautifully plotted and totally immersive. The reader can’t help but be pulled into the book by the author’s skilful storytelling and once you’re in, there’s no way you’re going to want to leave. Everything about Dead Man’s Creek is pitched perfectly. The characters are multi-layered and fascinating from start to finish. Over the course of the two books featuring Nell Buchanan I have really warmed to her character. As said in my opening paragraph, these characters – and Nell in particular – feel very real to me. The reader really gets to know the bones of her in this novel as the story is set both in the past and the present, revolving to a large degree around the Waters/Buchanan family. Because of this there are a quite a few supporting characters to get your head around and relationships to remember. But I found I was soon able to bring to mind the relationship between characters and a brief backstory. But Nell ultimately shines through with her dogged determination to get the case solved and uncover any previous wrongdoing. No matter what the cost…

The story is set in both the past and the present and I really appreciated the information the author provides about Australia’s part in the Second World War. It was fascinating to read about the impact of conflict on the country, something I’m ashamed to say I know nothing about. The book is well paced and draws the reader in, keeping you glued to the pages (all 469 of them!). If the thought of a longer novel is something you find daunting then believe me when I say it’s well worth investing in Dead Man’s Creek. It’s a compelling, tense and immersive read which flew by in the blink of eye.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Dead Man’s Creek is a superb follow up to Opal County, Nell and Ivan Lucic’s first adventure. Dead Man’s Creek stands perfectly well on its own so there’s no need to read Opal Country first but I heartily recommend both books. Why not pick up both and really get to know Ivan and Nell? Add in the Martin Scarsden series too which starts with Scrublands. I am always impressed with how incredibly vivid the author’s settings are. They’re a living, breathing part of the storyline alongside the very lifelike characters. Chris Hammer is a favourite author of mine for good reason. A superb sense of place, totally believable characters and a plot that won’t let you go until you’ve read the final word. Highly recommended.

brownflopsy's review against another edition

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5.0

Newly promoted Detective Nell Buchanan is sent to her hometown of Tulong, after the skeleton of a long-dead man is found in unusual circumstances. Her brilliant, but unpredictable, boss Ivan Lucic, remains behind in Dubbo, as a cold case is unlikely to prove the challenge of their tricky investigation among the opal mines of Finnegan's Gap... but appearances can be deceptive.

Small towns can be dangerous places, and Nell has reasons to be reluctant to return home to confront the distance between her and her family - reasons which she has no choice but to examine when more bodies are found that could be connected to her own past.

Opal Country, Chris Hammer's excellent spin-off from his Martin Scarsden series, brought Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic together, and their successful pairing in Finnegan's Gap has earned Nell a promotion and a place on Lucic's team. However, there is little to celebrate when she finds herself at the centre of a near impossible search for the perpetrators of crimes that go way back into the history of her home town, especially when she is hampered by a lack of evidence, the presence of some very dangerous characters, and her own connection to the people and place.

The story unfurls layer by beautifully contrived layer, playing out in the present through Nell's eyes, and the past through the voice of her mother Tessa in the 1970s; broken up with intriguing extracts from the statement of Nell's grandfather James Waters, which guide you to the truth about what happened in Tulong, beginning with his boyhood in World War II. The way the separate threads play out, and eventually collide in the present, is an absolute masterclass in storytelling. I was held spellbound from the intriguing prologue, right through to the astonishing revelations at the climax of this book, and I loved every brilliant second.

This is very much Nell's show, with everything I love about twisty small town dynamics, and the way history can shape families and communities. Lucic remains almost entirely in the background, until all the dirty little secrets and lies that have been consigned to the depths, in more ways than one, are laid bare, and her family's connection to some very uncomfortable history is exposed. And what a lot of history there is to delve into! There is so much here about the bygone times of New South Wales, especially around World War II and the impact of the Vietnam War, which I found fascinating. I learned so much that I did know know about the home front in Australia during those periods, and went down many a rabbit hole in the process, which I always love doing.

But Hammer does not confine himself to history in this novel. There is plenty to get your teeth into about gritty contemporary issues too, and the way in which the disaffected can be subverted into becoming embroiled in a cause, for good or bad, is used with great effect.

This is my favourite Hammer yet. It makes for a story that is the very best of Outback Noir in every way, shape, and form. Dead Man's Creek earns a place on my books of 2023 pile, and I cannot wait to see where Hammer takes this series next!