Cover the Bones by Chris Hammer – Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan #3
NO ONE IS EVER INNOCENT IN PARADISE.
A small town.
A closely guarded secret, stretching back decades.
And blood in the water.
A body has washed up in an irrigation canal, the artery running through Yuwonderie, a man-made paradise on the border of the Outback. Stabbed through the heart, electrocuted and dumped under cover of night, there is no doubt that detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are dealing with a vicious homicide.
The victim is Athol Hasluck, member of one of the seven dynasties who have controlled every slice of bountiful land in this modern-day Eden for generations.
But this is not an isolated incident. Someone is targeting the landed aristocracy of this quiet paradise in the desert. Secrets stretching back decades are rising to the surface at last – but the question remains, who stands to gain most from their demise?
Can Ivan and Nell track down a killer before the guilt at the heart of these seven families takes the entire town down with it?
My Review
The story takes place over three timelines. In the present, Detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are investigating a brutal homicide, in which the victim was tortured before being killed. His body was dumped in a canal on the land owned by Otto Titchfield, one of the ‘Seven’.
This is where it gets complicated. The Seven are the families that own and control all the land around the small town of Yuwonderie, a man-made paradise bordering on the Outback. They also control the water through an irrigation system and this has made them even richer. I’m not going to try and explain any of this because I didn’t fully understand it.
In 1994, we meet the younger versions of the Seven, all of whom were friends at school and university. Otto is there, plus Athol Hasluck, the victim of the modern murder. Technically he is not one of the Seven, being the younger son, so didn’t inherit. Then we have Davis Heartwood, who stands out as being much nicer than the others. He actually doesn’t want to inherit and decides to follow his dreams after university. Running a farm is not his ambition, so he throws the cat amongst the pigeons (apologies to my fellow pigeons) and hands over his inheritance to his older sister Krystal, which drives the patriarchs mad as the knock-on effect could be catastrophic for some.
But probably my favourite timeline takes place during the first world war, and is told totally through the letters written by Bessie to her mum. They are heartbreaking. Bessie is of Aboriginal descent, but to everyone’s surprise can read and write better than her employer. She falls in love with a neighbour, but he goes off to war before they can seal their pact and let’s just say she is treated badly by those who want her land.
The Seven (apart from Davis) are greedy and selfish and we cannot even be sure they are acting within the law. But is it enough to murder one of their own? Or are there other factors at play?
Cover The Bones is long and complicated, but I absolutely loved it. And there were certainly some surprises at the end.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
About the Author
Chris Hammer was a journalist for more than thirty years, dividing his career between covering Australian federal politics and international affairs. For many years he was a roving foreign correspondent for SBS TV’s flagship current affairs program Dateline. He has reported from more than 30 countries on six continents. In Canberra, roles included chief political correspondent for The Bulletin, current affairs correspondent for SBS TV and a senior political journalist for The Age.
His first book, The River, published in 2010 to critical acclaim, was the recipient of the ACT Book of the Year Award and was shortlisted for the Walkley Book Award and the Manning Clark House National Cultural Award.
Chris has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Charles Sturt University and a master’s degree in international relations from the Australian National University. He lives in Canberra with his wife, Dr Tomoko Akami. The couple have two children.
