Chris Hammer

A man runs for his life in a forest. A woman plans sabotage. A body is unearthed. Newly-minted homicide detective Nell Buchanan returns to her hometown, annoyed at being assigned a decades-old murder—a 'file and forget'. But this is no ordinary cold case, as the discovery of more bodies triggers a chain of escalating events in the present day. As...

MARTIN SCARSDEN IS ON THE RUN. WILL THE DESERT SAVE HIM - OR BURY HIM? The sound hits them, a shock wave ... glass smashing ... Somewhere a woman screams. A second explosion, and Martin looks towards the hall, what's left of it, flames roaring and smoke pouring skywards. Someone is targeting Martin Scarsden. They bomb his book launch and...

NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES Winner of the 2019 CWA Dagger New Blood Award for Best First Crime Novel In an isolated country town brought to its knees by endless drought, a charismatic and dedicated young priest calmly opens fire on his congregation, killing five parishioners before being shot dead himself. A year later, troubled journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in...

"Chris Hammer is a great writer - a leader in Australian noir." - Michael Connelly "I think this is even better than the first." - Ann Cleeves "The best Australian crime novel since Peter Temple's The Broken Shore." - The Times For half a lifetime, journalist Martin Scarsden has run from his past. But now there is no escaping. He'd...

The Seven by Chris Hammer is a gripping thriller that plunges you into the dark and secretive world of Yuwonderie, a district dominated by seven founding families. For a century, these families have ruled with an iron fist, amassing wealth and power while keeping their secrets deeply buried. But the unbridled control of The Seven faces a shocking upheaval when...

"This thrill ride of a story is everything we have come to expect and more." Better Reading Martin Scarsden's new life seems perfect, right up until the moment it's shattered by a voicemail: a single scream, abruptly cut off, from his partner Mandalay Blonde. Racing home, he finds an unconscious man sprawled on the floor and Mandy gone. Someone has...

In the desolate outback town of Finnigans Gap, police struggle to maintain law and order. Thieves pillage opal mines, religious fanatics recruit vulnerable young people, and billionaires do as they please. Then an opal miner is found crucified and left to rot down his mine. Nothing about the miner's death is straightforward, not even who found the body. Sydney homicide...

WINNER, CWA Dagger New Blood Award for Best First Crime Novel SHORTLISTED, Best Debut Fiction, Indie Book Awards SHORTLISTED, Best First Mystery or Crime Novel - Barry Awards FOUR PART TV SERIES In an isolated country town brought to its knees by endless drought, a charismatic and dedicated young priest calmly opens fire on his congregation, killing five parishioners before...

Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic are back, and Nell is thrown into her most emotionally fraught investigation yet. A controversial entrepreneur is murdered in a remote mountain valley, but this is no ordinary case. Ivan and Nell are soon contending with cowboy lawyers, conmen, bullion thieves, and grave robbers. But it's when Nell discovers the victim is a close blood...

Yuwonderie's seven founding families have lorded it over their district for a century, growing ever more rich and powerful. But now—in startling circumstances—one of their own is found dead in a ditch, and homicide detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are sent to investigate. Could the murder be connected to the execution of the victim's friend thirty years ago—another member...

Australia's major river system is collapsing. Parts of it are dying; parts of it are already dead. Australia's most significant river no longer reaches the sea. I look out into the dim autumn light and wonder once again how it has come to this... Join award-winning author Chris Hammer on a journey through Australia's largest river system, the Murray-Darling Basin....

Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic are back—and Nell is thrown into her most emotionally fraught homicide yet. A controversial entrepreneur is murdered in a remote mountain valley, but this is no ordinary case when Nell discovers that the victim is a close blood relative. The investigation delves into Nell's own family to uncover a mystery years in the making. What...

NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES 'Chris Hammer is a great writer - a leader in Australian noir.' - Michael Connelly 'I think this is even better than the first.' - Ann Cleeves 'The best Australian crime novel since Peter Temple's The Broken Shore.' - The Times For half a lifetime, journalist Martin Scarsden has run from his past. But now...

The coast and its people help define our identity. Most Australians live in suburbia, but our hearts are elsewhere.From the winner of the ACT Book of the Year Award for his first book, The River, comes this celebration of the Australian seascape, from its natural grandeur to the quirky individualism of those who live beside it. The Coast is also...

Master crime writer Chris Hammer returns with his first standalone blockbuster thriller. ‘If there is enough money involved, truth becomes a tradeable commodity. Like gold, it is malleable; it can be melted down and recast without losing its value.’ Travis Somerland is a man accustomed to danger – but nothing can prepare him for the peril, the intrigue or the...

SOON TO BE A MAJOR ABC TV SERIES In the desolate outback town of Finnigans Gap, an opal miner is found crucified and left to rot down his mine. Nothing about the miner's death—or the town—is straightforward. Sydney homicide Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic is sent to investigate, assisted by the enthusiastic but inexperienced Detective Constable Nell Buchanan. But Finnigans Gap...