This book is a bit of a slow burner but still a very good read. it is a well plotted and complicated read, with interesting characterisation. it does hook you in and is a worthwhile read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

An excellent crime novel, with an atmospheric setting in small-town Australia. The protagonist is a journalist, rather than a police detective, and the author's own experience in this world means we get an authentic perspective onto how the press works.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I was hoping for something like Jane Harper here - I loved the Dry. In the end, I found this quite a forgettable book and I didn't like any of the characters.
It is part of a series and I ... don't think I'll be reading more of it.

The blurb for this book gave me strong Jane Harper vibes and I was hoping to find another series to love as much as Jane's Aaron Falk novels. Sadly, Scrublands didn't entice me quite as much. Whilst I found the small Australian town setting interesting and premise intriguing, I didn't especially enjoy the style. That isn't to say the book isn't well written - it definitely is - but it just didn't work for me. I found the pacing a little slow in places and I struggled to connect with the main character. In the end, this was a DNF for me, although I'm sure lots of other readers would enjoy it as, from what I read, it's got a great sense of place and some good twists and turns.

This book has sat on my shelf within Netgalley waiting for me to read for an incredibly long time. I tried a couple of times, but couldn't seem to get into it. I don't know why, but I decided to give it one last attempt and I'm so glad that I did. The story is of a journalist chasing the story of a small town who had multiple killings and still a year on, no one knew why.

The story develops and unfolds, the scene setting and characters descriptions are amazing. Whilst I couldn't relate to them, I've never been to Australia. I was encapsulated. I was invested in the discovery and really wanted to know what had happened. It's going to make an incredible film one day if it isn't already.

I've never read anything by this author but I would definitely again. A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book for an honest review. I loved it!

My thanks to the Publishers via NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I have to confess that this book has been sat on my Kindle for just over 3 years. I am a book addict and need to learn to control my habit, as books sit on my TBR for far too long.

This is an unusual concept as usually in these sorts of books the action centres around the police and the detective trying to solve the crimes. In this series we are introduced to Martin Scarsden, he is a journalist with problems of his own. This is not unusual at all that the main character has problems of his own. As Martin's work life and personal life, begin to become interlinked as his need to find out the truth as to what has happened in Riversend takes on a new meaning for him. What lies at the back of his mind that is urging him ever onwards and to what ends will others go to in order for the buried truth that surrounds the town to remain hidden from the world?

This was an interesting read and I am keen to read more in the series. At times I did find that I was getting a little lost among the story, perhaps this is because it did seem to ramble on at times. It was well written, but possibly could have done to be a little less rambling!

This is Chris Hammers debut novel. Set in Australia, it is a compelling, multi-layered book, that immediately reminded ded me in some ways of Jane Harper and The Dry . A complex thriller that had me riveted to its pages and I couldn’t put it down.
Set in a remote, dying town, Riversend, in New South Wales, and in its harsh surrounding scrublands, I was transported by the scorching heat and tension in this story.
This atmospheric story has fascinating and
very believable characters that I felt like I could get to know, Chris Hammer has definitely got the balance to create a thriller that has you hanging on every page!
A wonderfully immersive read for me, I am on to the next book soon.

“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.”
This is another crime book where actually the location is as much a character as anyone else in the book. Riversend is haunted by what happened there 12 months earlier and the residents are slowly trying to pull themselves together and move on. They might not be so happy to find a journalist amongst them trying to dig up the past. Fortunately (or not) for Martin, when the bodies of two backpackers are discovered, he’s the only journo on hand to dig deep into finding out the truth. Are the cases linked though and who in Riversend has a secret they want to keep buried?

This is a brilliant and well written story. Plenty of suspense with a narrative that draws the reader in.
Definitely in the "difficult to put down" category

I am so disappointed that I didn't love this book, but I found it dragging and I didnt want to pick it up once I'd put it down. I'm sure this will be the perfect read for so many other people but unfortunately it really wasn't the one for me.

The book is set in Australia and the descriptions of the Australian landscape is done well, makes you feel that you are there yourself. The book was well written and recommended.

Every Australian knows a small town like Riversend. Sitting in the middle of nowhere, a main road full of mainly closed shops, blistering heat & blue skies that have forgotten about clouds, never mind rain.
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Scrublands tells the story of Martin Scarsden, a journalist with his own backstory & of a murder the year previous that binds the inhabitants in ways no one quite understands.
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I have had an ARC copy of this book in my TBR list for a while. In part I forgot about it & in part, I have a fairly bad case of cultural cringe for Aussie literature. Being in the UK & missing home, writers like Hammer & Jane Harper are transporting me home.
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I'm excited for the next book by either of these two authors but I'm not going to rush & read them all in a row but I'll be back for more very soon.

I am in charge of the senior library and work with a group of Reading Ambassadors from 16-18 to ensure that our boarding school library is modernised and meets the need of both our senior students and staff. It has been great to have the chance to talk about these books with our seniors and discuss what they want and need on their shelves. I was drawn to his book because I thought it would be something different from the usual school library fare and draw the students in with a tempting storyline and lots to discuss.
This book was a really enjoyable read with strong characters and a real sense of time and place. I enjoyed the ways that it maintained a cracking pace that kept me turning its pages and ensured that I had much to discuss with them after finishing. It was not only a lively and enjoyable novel but had lots of contemporary themes for our book group to pick up and spend hours discussing too.
I think it's important to choose books that interest as well as challenge our students and I can see this book being very popular with students and staff alike; this will be an excellent purchase as it has everything that we look for in a great read - a tempting premise, fantastic characters and a plot that keeps you gripped until you close its final page.

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. I have wanted to read Scrublands for months but never seemed to have the time. After seeing the author appear at a crime festival last year and listening to a few online interviews during the lockdown I decided that now was the time. It was well worth the wait and nothing like I expected. I was totally unprepared for how many different threads there were and it is down to the author’s expertise that they all worked, were all believable and were all connected by the end.

Riversend is the type of town that is down on its luck. Little business is open, the hot weather is relentless and it’s inhabitants are struggling to move on from the tragic events of the previous year. Martin is there to see how they are coping but he soon realises that they are not. And their torment is far from over.

I have to admit that I do struggle with journalism in fiction, it is too easy to see only the worst side of the profession. The ones who would do anything for their story. They do feature in this novel, but Martin isn’t one of them. He does want his story but also has a conscience and knows that he what he wants to write can hurt many people.

Whilst the investigation is fascinating I also liked reading about the attempts to hold back a bush fire. Nothing you see on the news can prepare you for what this must be like to live through. The ferocity, the heat and the claustrophobic atmosphere that is created very quickly.

I am aware that this book has been adapted for TV, it’s one that I would definitely watch. Meanwhile bring on Silver, book two in the trilogy

Unfortunately I read this book a while ago and seem to have missed it when writing reviews. - sadly I cant remember enough detail to give a full review.
However, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC :-)

I love a small-town mystery and I'd never read one set in the Australian outback before. I was transported to this bare, dry landscape and I could almost feel the heat seeping through the pages. Scrublands is full of shady suspicious characters and there was so much to piece together. The truth appears to be very complex and I had a great time playing detective. A fantastic long summer holiday read!

Not sure how I felt about this book. Although I usually love a good crime thriller I didn’t feel this was it for me. It was a bit confusing in my opinion.

This is one of those books with a story, which if you thought things were bad they just might get even worse. Martin Scarsden is in a small outback town to report on the anniversary of a mass killing, but whilst having to battle the heat and drought he also has to contend with the fact there is more to this than just a mass killing. Using his talent for journalism Martin unpicks the history of the killing and find more about life in an unforgiving outback town. The author paints a very real picture of hardship inescapable if living in the outback - drought, heat, dust, heat and yet more heat.

It took me a while to get into it but I was swept along once I did. It's hugely atmospheric and you can almost feel the small-town vibe and the intense heat through the writing.