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A review by bookoffimreading
Scrublands by Chris Hammer
4.0
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.