There are so many secrets in the Scrublands!

After a priest suddenly shoots down five men in cold blood, a community is left reeling with no explanation as to why he did what he did - especially since he was then fatally shot by the police. A year on, a journalist is sent in to do a follow up piece on how the town is faring. Little does he know that he's about to uncover the truth, which reveals answers nobody could have expected.

Long and slow moving, nevertheless, there's something about "Scrublands" which keeps you turning the pages, as each piece of the truth only leaves more questions. At times repetitive, it's a complex story which keeps you guessing until the final piece of the puzzle fits. Overall, I found this enjoyable, even if it took me a while to get through it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

Set in a small town called riversend, if it hadn't been for the heat indoors and outdoors this summer the heat from the pages would have been enough to warm up any winter's evening. Evocative and thrilling the numerous paths and storylines flow quicker than a dry river in the outback. Really enjoyed the book with very strong character development, the protagonist conflicted between his job and the people he's just met. Great job

The back blurb to this book had me hooked straight away. I wasn't disappointed a well-written and very gripping read with many plots, twists and turns. Great imagery and scenery. Recommended.

Chris Hammer's début novel in Australian noir is a wonderfully riveting and atmospheric crime read. It is set in the remote and isolated town of Riversend.

The storyline was quite complex with multiple threads that included abuse, rape, the drugs trade, biker gangs, fraud, the murders of German backpackers, the intelligence services and shootings. Riversend was truly a place of horror, trauma, secrets, deception and lies. Chris Hammer's characterisation was exemplary with a host of characters that made a real impact, Whilst reading I could almost feel the sweltering heat as a character with a life of its own, so destructive and inescapable and brilliantly depicted. This was a fantastic novel that had me enthralled and looking forward to what the author may write next. Highly recommended. Rating: 5 Stars.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Headline via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

What a read! I could feel the scorching heat of inner Australia as I turned the pages, taste the acrid smoke of bushfires and hear the voices of Scrubland’s characters as if they were next to me. Chris Hammer writes so evocatively, with such an amazing sense of place as journalist Martin Scarsden uncovers more than anticipated for a follow-up story.

Hammer’s characterisation and descriptions are superb and the plot lines elegantly weaved. Highly recommended.

Good Reads:
Mass shootings ,family secrets, biker gangs, troubled teens, bush fires, spies - its all in there.
It's a bit long to be honest.
Not long in I thought I'd guessed the ending - which made me lose interest a bit. Turns out I was nowhere close and would never have worked it out. Lots of twists and turns. So glad I stuck with it.

This story is set in Australia in a town called Riverside. We start with a story of a priest who has murdered some of his congregation. A journalist has travelled to cover the story on the anniversary and he gets sucked in to this back and beyond Australian town and the odd people that live there.

I would compare this writing style to that of Jane Harper, where we feel as though we are right there in the dry, hot desert lands of Oz. You really get a sense that you are in the place you are reading about, which just adds so much atmosphere to the story.

I read this one quite slowly, but not in a bad way. It was one that I enjoyed reading, and wanted to make it last, there were few bits where I wanted to rush ahead in order to see what happened next, but again this wasn't a bad thing.

I would recommend this to any thriller fans, murder mystery fans and general crime fans.

I really enjoyed this book. Set in the south of Australia during a period of drought and intense heat, it tells the story of Martin Scarsden, a journalist, who is sent to the small town of Riversend for the one year anniversary of a mass shooting by the young local priest. He is tasked with writing a story about how the town has coped with the tragic event. He quickly becomes involved in the lives of the locals and wants to find out why the priest committed mass murder, as this has never been established. I loved the characters in this book, and the exciting story kept me hooked right to the end. It's a good, long read. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

A dark and compelling thriller that follows a journalist investigating a multiple murder in a remote Australian town. An impressive debut.

thanks to the publisher and netgally for allowing me to review this book.
A rather drawn out book and with nothing as it seems. A rather sad look at someones life choices...........

Set in a barren small Australian town, a local priest calmly shoots dead 5 of his parishioners before being shot himself. A year on, there are still no answers as to his reasons why. A journalist suffering from PTSD is sent to the town by his editor to take a record of where the town is at one year on, and to try to find the reasons for the incident and help make sense of what happened.

I was really excited to read Scrublands as it sounded just like my type of thriller. However, I found it difficult to connect with the story. It is very slow moving and, dare I say it, too descriptive of every nuance of the town landscape, the economy, its people. I understand that this is part of the story and the lead up to understanding the town, but I found myself skimming paragraph upon paragraph of text all but short of describing the tumbleweed rolling down the street. I'm not a prude but an early introduction to the character Codger Harris was enough to turn my stomach. Unnecessarily and overly descriptive details like that are not for me and it is there that I left the book unfinished.

I can hardly wait to review this book and give it a resounding five stars and that is a score I award rarely. I just simply can not fault it. The story is exciting and full of thrills. The characters are beautifully written. The style is engaging and interesting and the descriptive passages make it crystal clear to the point of being excruciatingly vivid in parts and that is no criticism.
If anyone says they guessed the ending I would call them a liar. More please... and soon.

Scrublands is a lengthy and complex thriller set in the Australian outback. Martin Scarsden - a washed-out journalist suffering from PTSD - is sent to write a piece about Riversend, a small, dying town suffering in the relentless heat and drought. It is almost one year since a notorious incident in which a priest shot dead a group of men outside his church. Martin soon finds that the locals have other stories to tell, and some speak highly of the priest, even those affected by the tragedy..

The book is extremely evocative and atmospheric, being set during a severe drought which threatens life, livestock and livelihoods. Our journalist soon becomes part of the story because just as he gets a feel for the town, another two bodies are found in the nearby Scrublands. Are they related to the previous year's killings, and if so, how? Martin must use all his professional skills to investigate, even as a horde of media and television personalities descend to cover the breaking news. Accusations are made and reputations earned or broken as rumours are reported in a story which grips the nation.

The main strength of this book is surely the characterisation. Martin is clearly conflicted between delivering a 'scoop' and his incipient loyalty to his new friends and acquaintances, something he's never experienced before. He comes across a cast of colourful and fascinating townsfolk, all with their own opinions, relationships and insights which he must unravel to get to the truth. At times, the antics of the media are hilarious, with Martin being portrayed as both national hero and pariah.

My only slight criticism of this book is that all female characters were either victims or sidekicks; there were no strong or independent women and one policeman described domestic violence as endemic, which is sad. However, the book is an excellent, thoughtful and wonderfully descriptive example of Australian fiction. Highly recommended.

I really enjoy books set in places like Australia, there just aren't enough on the market. Scrublands is an excellent crime thriller, set during a drought in a fictional Australian town. You can really feel the heat and desperation coming off the pages, even during March in England, and the setting plays a tremendous part in the tension laced through this book.

I really enjoyed this one, though I felt it went on for just a bit longer than necessary. It hooked me in, despite some slower parts, the eends were all tied up nicely, and I could see more books featuring Martin Scarsden in the future, if the author decided to bring him back.

I requested this one because the cover and description reminded me of Jane Harper's novel The Dry which I read and loved a couple of years ago. I'm happy to report that this was as good a mystery/thriller as The Dry was, if not better!

Chris Hammer's novel follows journalist Martin Scarsden as he travels to a remote village in rural Australia to write a piece about the aftermath of a brutal mass murder the previous year where a priest shot dead five local men before turning the gun on himself. Martin's research leads him to believe that all is not as was reported in an article by his colleague, and he uncovers many secrets during his time in the small town. The bodies of two backpackers are found while Martin is there, which takes his article in a different direction.

Although this was quite lengthy the pace didn't let up for the entire book. While there were quite a few threads to the story and a number of minor characters it was easy to keep up with what was happening, and the reader is left guessing until the end. I often find thrillers to be a bit cliched but I really didn't experience that with Scrublands. This really is a well crafted mystery novel, and I would definitely read more of Chris Hammer's books in the future.

A page turning and enjoyable read and a different type of crime novel. I found the characters really well drawn and I loved the Australian small town setting. This would make a great Netflix series or film. Would definitely recommend it.

This packs a punch. You can taste the Australian drought, feel the sweltering heat and the rising tensions. The opening scene is genius and will grip you from the start. It is quite complex and there are many strands and characters but it is a great read, thoroughly recommend.

A year on from the Riversend killings and it’s due a follow-up story by a traumatized journalist anxious to put his past nightmare in Gaza behind him. Riversend, a small town brought to its knees by drought and tragedy becomes a veritable oasis for the weary reader of crime fiction. This is no mirage of a watering hole dear reader, no, it’s a brilliantly crafted novel with characters and settings that sear themselves in your imagination. I don’t think I have read anything so original in a long time. Maybe I should give more of a synopsis but I’m sure there are many available, no, I would encourage you to read it instead. However jaded you may feel for the genre, read Scrublands and find out for yourself how good it is.

A dead river. A dying town. A killer's secrets...

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 was a great book. Very atmospheric which made you feel as if you were in the scorched Australian outback.

There are definitely going to be comparisons made to Jane Harper's 'The Dry', which I also loved, but there's more than enough room for both authors.

I've only deducted a star because I found it quite hard going at times due to the length of the book, but this really was a great, well plotted mystery.

A really intriguing and clever thriller set in Australia's outback. I was worried at first that it might be too similar to The Dry but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. I thought the end had a few too many twists and turns to be entirely believable but I enjoyed it all the same.