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Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan #2
Dead Man's Creek
Old bones sink - but secrets always rise to the surface.
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, her arrival provoking an unwelcome and threatening response from the small-town community. As more bodies are discovered, and she begins to question how well she truly knows those closest to her, Nell realises that finding the truth could prove more difficult - and dangerous - than she'd ever expected.
The nearer Nell comes to uncovering the secrets of the past, the more treacherous her path becomes. Can she survive to root out the truth, and what price will she have to pay for it?
Gripping and atmospheric, Dead Man's Creek is a stunning multi-layered thriller from Chris Hammer, the award-winning author of Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year Scrublands (2019) and Times Crime Book of the Month Opal Country (January 2022).
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, her arrival provoking an unwelcome and threatening response from the small-town community. As more bodies are discovered, and she begins to question how well she truly knows those closest to her, Nell realises that finding the truth could prove more difficult - and dangerous - than she'd ever expected.
The nearer Nell comes to uncovering the secrets of the past, the more treacherous her path becomes. Can she survive to root out the truth, and what price will she have to pay for it?
Gripping and atmospheric, Dead Man's Creek is a stunning multi-layered thriller from Chris Hammer, the award-winning author of Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year Scrublands (2019) and Times Crime Book of the Month Opal Country (January 2022).
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 5, 2022
527 people are currently reading
5117 people want to read
About the author
Chris Hammer
12 books1,446 followersChris Hammer is a leading Australian crime fiction author. His first book, Scrublands, was an instant #1 bestseller upon publication in 2018. It won the prestigious UK Crime Writers' Association John Creasey New Blood Dagger and was shortlisted for awards in Australia and the United States.
Scrublands has been sold into translation in several foreign languages. Chris's follow-up books—Silver (2019), Trust (2020), Treasure & Dirt (2021), The Tilt (2022) and The Seven (2023)—are also bestsellers and all have been shortlisted for major literary prizes. The Valley is his seventh novel.
The Tilt (published as Dead Man's Creek in the UK) was named The Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year for 2023.
Scrublands has been adapted for television, screening globally, and production is underway for a second series based on Silver.
Before turning to fiction, Chris was a journalist for more than thirty years. He has written two non-fiction books The River (2010) and The Coast (2012).
He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Charles Sturt University and a master's degree in international relations from the Australian National University.
Scrublands has been sold into translation in several foreign languages. Chris's follow-up books—Silver (2019), Trust (2020), Treasure & Dirt (2021), The Tilt (2022) and The Seven (2023)—are also bestsellers and all have been shortlisted for major literary prizes. The Valley is his seventh novel.
The Tilt (published as Dead Man's Creek in the UK) was named The Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year for 2023.
Scrublands has been adapted for television, screening globally, and production is underway for a second series based on Silver.
Before turning to fiction, Chris was a journalist for more than thirty years. He has written two non-fiction books The River (2010) and The Coast (2012).
He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Charles Sturt University and a master's degree in international relations from the Australian National University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 833 reviews
August 12, 2022
This is the latest stellar offering from the talented Aussie crime writer, Chris Hammer, and it just might be my favourite to date. Nell Buchanan returns, overjoyed to be promoted to homicide detective, and paired with DS Ivan Lucic as part of a new flexible rural homicide unit based in Dubbo in New South Wales. Regulators are blown up so that the ancient forest is once again flooded by the Murray river. The two travel to Nell's hometown of Tulong, where the long dead murdered body of a man, shot in the head, is discovered in a regulator pool, the killer unlikely to be alive and little chance of identifying him . They meet and work with local cop, the ambitious and able part Aborigine Kevin Mackangara, Lucic leaves Nell in charge of her first cold case, he plays a minor role, supporting her, a complaint is made against her by a local pub landlord, Noel Tankard. He only takes over when it becomes impossible for Nell to lead the increasingly complex investigation when another body is uncovered in the creek.
There are numerous threads that go back and forth in time, there is the statement of Jimmy Waters, who as a child is left in charge of the cattle, taking them into the forest, of a financially struggling farm when his father enlists to fight in WW2, helped only by his Uncle Reggie. In the 1950s, 15 year old schoolgirl, Tess, develops a relationship with charismatic reporter, Tycho Buchanan, he has 2 brothers, Gene and Grainger, his father, Bert running a metal scrapyard. Nell is an unwelcome presence in a town of cookers, twitchers, conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers, preppers, and chancers. There is a recent missing person, Jean-Luc Hoffner, and Nell herself is reluctant to renew contact with her family, feeling that her choice of career and recent promotion will not be appreciated by them. However, as danger swirls ever closer to her in this multi-layered crime narrative, Nell is to find hers is a family of deeply buried secrets, secrets that beginning to surface, along with the dead bodies.
Hammer's storytelling is mesmerising, skilfully plotted, well researched, with the stunning location holding centre stage, the magnificent forests, river and creeks. The various threads of past historical periods that appear to be unconnected, slowly begin to come together artfully, like pieces of a beautiful and complicated puzzle. The author is one of my favourite Aussie crime writers, creating and developing a wide range of disparate characters and plotlines that effortlessly snare the interests of the reader. This is an engaging and immersive crime read that will appeal to fans of Hammer and Aussie crime, and I highly recommend it to all crime and mystery readers looking for the best in crime fiction. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
There are numerous threads that go back and forth in time, there is the statement of Jimmy Waters, who as a child is left in charge of the cattle, taking them into the forest, of a financially struggling farm when his father enlists to fight in WW2, helped only by his Uncle Reggie. In the 1950s, 15 year old schoolgirl, Tess, develops a relationship with charismatic reporter, Tycho Buchanan, he has 2 brothers, Gene and Grainger, his father, Bert running a metal scrapyard. Nell is an unwelcome presence in a town of cookers, twitchers, conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers, preppers, and chancers. There is a recent missing person, Jean-Luc Hoffner, and Nell herself is reluctant to renew contact with her family, feeling that her choice of career and recent promotion will not be appreciated by them. However, as danger swirls ever closer to her in this multi-layered crime narrative, Nell is to find hers is a family of deeply buried secrets, secrets that beginning to surface, along with the dead bodies.
Hammer's storytelling is mesmerising, skilfully plotted, well researched, with the stunning location holding centre stage, the magnificent forests, river and creeks. The various threads of past historical periods that appear to be unconnected, slowly begin to come together artfully, like pieces of a beautiful and complicated puzzle. The author is one of my favourite Aussie crime writers, creating and developing a wide range of disparate characters and plotlines that effortlessly snare the interests of the reader. This is an engaging and immersive crime read that will appeal to fans of Hammer and Aussie crime, and I highly recommend it to all crime and mystery readers looking for the best in crime fiction. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
November 9, 2022
The Tilt is an intricately plotted and exceptional novel. I think Chris Hammer is not only the prime author of Aussie mysteries but ranks with the top thriller writers anywhere. His plots are tightly woven and complex, with well-defined and memorable characters. In Tilt, there are deeply buried secrets involving complicated and tangled family connections and crimes long covered up. Cold case crimes are being investigated in modern times. These crimes still reverberate in the present day.
The setting is along the Murray River, which separates NSW from Victoria State. This is a location I have never seen. The author's descriptions are so vivid and immersive a visual picture was set in my mind. I feel the scenery will become so embedded in my memory, and dreams to become intermingled with places I have actually seen. The literary atmosphere, with descriptions of the river, creeks, forests, and wildlife, does not interfere with the gripping, complicated plot and its people. The story elicited emotional reactions.
I wish to thank the author for including a splendidly illustrated map of the main locations at the book's beginning and a family tree at the end. I was drawn to both while reading.
This is a multi-layered crime novel from three different time periods. The threads are cleverly woven together, revealing hidden family secrets. In 1943, we meet a young boy, Jimmy. He herds cattle near the forests. His father is fighting in New Guinea. Jimmy and a friend plan to gather crawfish (yabbies).
They intend to sell them to raise money for their families at a POW camp in the nearby forest. The prisoners are captured Italian soldiers and are guarded by members of the Australian military. We meet a vile and vicious Aussie officer and guard, and also a soldier wounded in New Guinea who lost an eye along with other injuries. An Italian POW commits an act of heroism. The two guards disappear and are thought to have gone AWOL after stealing army money.
In 1973, we are introduced to Tessie, a fifteen-year-old schoolgirl. She falls deeper into a romantic relationship with Tyco, an older, charismatic, handsome young man. He is an aspiring journalist with two brothers, Gene, who will become a reporter and Grainger, a future dentist. Their father runs a junkyard.
In present-day Dubbo, Detective Nell Buchanan and DS Ivan Lucic are summoned to headquarters. They concluded a successful criminal investigation in the previous book, and Ivan gave her major credit. To Nell, who learns she has been promoted to Homicide Detective, this is the fulfillment of her dreams. Ivan is suspected of leaking information to a Sydney reporter but is considered too valuable and skillful to be fired. He is assigned to head a rural homicide unit based in Dubbo. He considers this a demotion as he longed to return to the Sydney police force.
Nell is to return to her home territory of Tulong near the Murry River, where she grew up. She has family and other relatives still living in the area but feels estranged and distant. Regulators controlling the river's flow have been blown up, and a skeletal body is revealed in the mud. It is revealed to be that of the military officer and guard who went missing in 1943. Nell is disappointed to be assigned to an 80-year-old cold case but is determined to see it through. Another body is uncovered, this one, a person missing since 1973. She works with a local, part-Aboriginal cop, Kevin Mackangara. A man has just gone missing, and a birdwatcher is almost beaten to death in Nell's presence.
Nell knows she must question family members who may have knowledge of past crimes and murders but feels uncomfortable doing so. A nearby campground has a mixed clientele of birdwatchers, conspiracy theorists including QAnon members, potential urban terrorists, anti-vaxxers, and rumours of the presence of the Mafia.
As shocking truths are revealed and the cold cases solved with the various threads brilliantly combined, there are more surprises that Nell and the reader never suspected.
The setting is along the Murray River, which separates NSW from Victoria State. This is a location I have never seen. The author's descriptions are so vivid and immersive a visual picture was set in my mind. I feel the scenery will become so embedded in my memory, and dreams to become intermingled with places I have actually seen. The literary atmosphere, with descriptions of the river, creeks, forests, and wildlife, does not interfere with the gripping, complicated plot and its people. The story elicited emotional reactions.
I wish to thank the author for including a splendidly illustrated map of the main locations at the book's beginning and a family tree at the end. I was drawn to both while reading.
This is a multi-layered crime novel from three different time periods. The threads are cleverly woven together, revealing hidden family secrets. In 1943, we meet a young boy, Jimmy. He herds cattle near the forests. His father is fighting in New Guinea. Jimmy and a friend plan to gather crawfish (yabbies).
They intend to sell them to raise money for their families at a POW camp in the nearby forest. The prisoners are captured Italian soldiers and are guarded by members of the Australian military. We meet a vile and vicious Aussie officer and guard, and also a soldier wounded in New Guinea who lost an eye along with other injuries. An Italian POW commits an act of heroism. The two guards disappear and are thought to have gone AWOL after stealing army money.
In 1973, we are introduced to Tessie, a fifteen-year-old schoolgirl. She falls deeper into a romantic relationship with Tyco, an older, charismatic, handsome young man. He is an aspiring journalist with two brothers, Gene, who will become a reporter and Grainger, a future dentist. Their father runs a junkyard.
In present-day Dubbo, Detective Nell Buchanan and DS Ivan Lucic are summoned to headquarters. They concluded a successful criminal investigation in the previous book, and Ivan gave her major credit. To Nell, who learns she has been promoted to Homicide Detective, this is the fulfillment of her dreams. Ivan is suspected of leaking information to a Sydney reporter but is considered too valuable and skillful to be fired. He is assigned to head a rural homicide unit based in Dubbo. He considers this a demotion as he longed to return to the Sydney police force.
Nell is to return to her home territory of Tulong near the Murry River, where she grew up. She has family and other relatives still living in the area but feels estranged and distant. Regulators controlling the river's flow have been blown up, and a skeletal body is revealed in the mud. It is revealed to be that of the military officer and guard who went missing in 1943. Nell is disappointed to be assigned to an 80-year-old cold case but is determined to see it through. Another body is uncovered, this one, a person missing since 1973. She works with a local, part-Aboriginal cop, Kevin Mackangara. A man has just gone missing, and a birdwatcher is almost beaten to death in Nell's presence.
Nell knows she must question family members who may have knowledge of past crimes and murders but feels uncomfortable doing so. A nearby campground has a mixed clientele of birdwatchers, conspiracy theorists including QAnon members, potential urban terrorists, anti-vaxxers, and rumours of the presence of the Mafia.
As shocking truths are revealed and the cold cases solved with the various threads brilliantly combined, there are more surprises that Nell and the reader never suspected.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2022
EXCERPT: Rural Homicide. A huge career leap. And Dubbo is so much bigger than her previous posting in Bourke, with a cinema, a library, a base hospital, air and rail links through to Sydney. Positively cosmopolitan. And now she's not just a detective, but a homicide detective. The crėme de la crème. But she's learnt not to let her eagerness show, knowing how it rankles with Ivan. He believes he's been sidelined, warehoused, demoted in all but rank. For him, Dubbo is to be endured, survived.
Nell eats her roll, looking past Ivan. The streetscape seems vaguely familiar, the outer reaches of her childhood. But all the towns out here look the same: roads that are too wide, trees that are too far apart, air that is too dry.
She's heading home. Her family is there, unaware of her imminent arrival, but she feels them waiting just the same. She's not sure how she feels about that. She knows she should have called ahead, but in the rush to get going she didn't have the chance. That's what she tells herself. Ivan had only called her this morning, first thing, and she'd rushed to pack. And she doesn't want to call from the car, not with him listening. Better to separate the personal from the professional.
ABOUT 'THE TILT': 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 home town, 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 Nell starts to join the pieces together, she begins to question how well she truly knows those closest to her. Could her own family be implicated in the crimes?
The nearer Nell comes to uncovering the secrets of the past, the more dangerous the present becomes for her, as she battles shadowy assailants and sinister forces. Can she survive this harrowing investigation and what price will she have to pay for the truth?
MY THOUGHTS: Geologic tilting, also known as tectonic tilting, occurs when the earth's surface layers begin to tilt or slant irregularly.
The Tilt is a complex multigenerational story set over three time periods: the 1940s, the 1970s and the present day. The storyline gradually unfolds when newly promoted Nell Buchanan and her boss Ivan Lucic are called in to investigate the discovery of a skeleton when a water regulator is sabotaged. Neither Nell nor Ivan have high hopes of solving this historic case, but then a second and more recent body is discovered close by.
Hammer interweaves environment issues with great dexterity into the body of this thriller set on the shores of the once great Murray River. The action takes place variously in an Italian POW camp, a car dismantling yard, and a small town currently inhabited by Twitchers, crazy right wingers and Neo-Nazis.
Nell's investigation stirs up old family feuds and rearranges a family tree. Parts of this investigation are very personal to Nell's own family.
Although this is a complex storyline, it is a compelling read. I did feel that the terrorist thread was probably a step too far. The plot would have been perfectly fine without it.
I must be getting used to narrator, Dorje Swallow, as I found his narration much smoother than previously.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.2
#TheTilt #WaitomoDistrictLibrary
I: @thehammernow @wfhowes
T: @hammerNow @WFHowes
#audiobook #australianfiction #contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #murdermystery #smalltownfiction #thriller
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.
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.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
Nell eats her roll, looking past Ivan. The streetscape seems vaguely familiar, the outer reaches of her childhood. But all the towns out here look the same: roads that are too wide, trees that are too far apart, air that is too dry.
She's heading home. Her family is there, unaware of her imminent arrival, but she feels them waiting just the same. She's not sure how she feels about that. She knows she should have called ahead, but in the rush to get going she didn't have the chance. That's what she tells herself. Ivan had only called her this morning, first thing, and she'd rushed to pack. And she doesn't want to call from the car, not with him listening. Better to separate the personal from the professional.
ABOUT 'THE TILT': 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 home town, 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 Nell starts to join the pieces together, she begins to question how well she truly knows those closest to her. Could her own family be implicated in the crimes?
The nearer Nell comes to uncovering the secrets of the past, the more dangerous the present becomes for her, as she battles shadowy assailants and sinister forces. Can she survive this harrowing investigation and what price will she have to pay for the truth?
MY THOUGHTS: Geologic tilting, also known as tectonic tilting, occurs when the earth's surface layers begin to tilt or slant irregularly.
The Tilt is a complex multigenerational story set over three time periods: the 1940s, the 1970s and the present day. The storyline gradually unfolds when newly promoted Nell Buchanan and her boss Ivan Lucic are called in to investigate the discovery of a skeleton when a water regulator is sabotaged. Neither Nell nor Ivan have high hopes of solving this historic case, but then a second and more recent body is discovered close by.
Hammer interweaves environment issues with great dexterity into the body of this thriller set on the shores of the once great Murray River. The action takes place variously in an Italian POW camp, a car dismantling yard, and a small town currently inhabited by Twitchers, crazy right wingers and Neo-Nazis.
Nell's investigation stirs up old family feuds and rearranges a family tree. Parts of this investigation are very personal to Nell's own family.
Although this is a complex storyline, it is a compelling read. I did feel that the terrorist thread was probably a step too far. The plot would have been perfectly fine without it.
I must be getting used to narrator, Dorje Swallow, as I found his narration much smoother than previously.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.2
#TheTilt #WaitomoDistrictLibrary
I: @thehammernow @wfhowes
T: @hammerNow @WFHowes
#audiobook #australianfiction #contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #murdermystery #smalltownfiction #thriller
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.
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.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
August 11, 2022
4+
Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan #2
Location;- River Murray, the border between New South Wales and Victoria. There’s gunfire and a man is running pell mell through the forest desperately trying to evade it and a woman who blows a regulator which controls the flow of the river releasing water into the dry river beds and beyond. Thus starts the latest novel from Chris Hammer and it’s a fascinating read. Nell Buchanan is a newly promoted homicide detective while Ivan Lucic is a Detective Sergeant and he is to head up a rural flying squad based in Dubbo. Nell is reluctantly heading Tulong, near her home in Boonlea to discover why there is a skeleton in the now empty regulator and in addition, there is a missing man. The ensuing investigation shines a spotlight not just on Nell but into areas where she possibly wishes it wouldn’t.
This is my first Chris Hammer novel and definitely won’t be my last as I’ve just got one word to sum up his writing abilities and that is talent. For a start, he absolutely transports me to Australia (I wish) as it oozes Aussie atmosphere, there are some superbly evocative descriptions of the locations especially the river and the surrounding forest but also the wildlife. In a country where the most exciting thing to cross the road is either a pheasant, a hedgehog or the occasional fox or deer that stand more chance of survival than the first two, I revel in what car headlights reveal to Nell!!!
The storytelling is vivid, colourful and immersive where the past catches up with the present and how the author makes it all connect is so clever. It’s an addictive read as it twists and turns its complex way, peeling back the multiple layers so we peak and then fully confront the unpredictable truth. It flows so well with the points of view seamlessly melding into a cohesive whole, filling gaps in knowledge and revealing some ‘sharks’ along the way.
Whilst there are a lot of characters I never feel out of my depth as it’s inevitable in a plot of this magnitude. All characters are very well portrayed, some are colourful, most are very likeable and honourable and a few are downright odious True to life then!
Overall I thoroughly enjoy this compelling and well written book and look forward to the next instalment.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Headline/Wildfire for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan #2
Location;- River Murray, the border between New South Wales and Victoria. There’s gunfire and a man is running pell mell through the forest desperately trying to evade it and a woman who blows a regulator which controls the flow of the river releasing water into the dry river beds and beyond. Thus starts the latest novel from Chris Hammer and it’s a fascinating read. Nell Buchanan is a newly promoted homicide detective while Ivan Lucic is a Detective Sergeant and he is to head up a rural flying squad based in Dubbo. Nell is reluctantly heading Tulong, near her home in Boonlea to discover why there is a skeleton in the now empty regulator and in addition, there is a missing man. The ensuing investigation shines a spotlight not just on Nell but into areas where she possibly wishes it wouldn’t.
This is my first Chris Hammer novel and definitely won’t be my last as I’ve just got one word to sum up his writing abilities and that is talent. For a start, he absolutely transports me to Australia (I wish) as it oozes Aussie atmosphere, there are some superbly evocative descriptions of the locations especially the river and the surrounding forest but also the wildlife. In a country where the most exciting thing to cross the road is either a pheasant, a hedgehog or the occasional fox or deer that stand more chance of survival than the first two, I revel in what car headlights reveal to Nell!!!
The storytelling is vivid, colourful and immersive where the past catches up with the present and how the author makes it all connect is so clever. It’s an addictive read as it twists and turns its complex way, peeling back the multiple layers so we peak and then fully confront the unpredictable truth. It flows so well with the points of view seamlessly melding into a cohesive whole, filling gaps in knowledge and revealing some ‘sharks’ along the way.
Whilst there are a lot of characters I never feel out of my depth as it’s inevitable in a plot of this magnitude. All characters are very well portrayed, some are colourful, most are very likeable and honourable and a few are downright odious True to life then!
Overall I thoroughly enjoy this compelling and well written book and look forward to the next instalment.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Headline/Wildfire for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
January 9, 2024
5★
“1973 - he was smoking Dunhills now, a step up from Peter Stuyvesant, a mile above the Winnie Blues favoured by the kids at school. A man of the world. James Bond in a blue Datsun 1600. ‘Let’s get cracking.’ He started the engine, gave it the obligatory rev, then made a U-turn, heading north.”
1973 is one of the timelines in this complex and excellent story of discovering and identifying historic murder victims. The other main timeline is the present, with many scenes and references to before and after World War 2.
Nell Buchanan, now a homicide detective constable, had been sent from her station in Dubbo NSW to the small town of Tulong, near where two of her grandparents live. She and Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic have driven there without a lot of small talk. She’s done all the driving, and it’s a good introduction to her place in this story.
They worked together successfully at Finnegan’s Gap, where they cleared up another complicated set of murders, old and new, which is where she earned her new ranking. This is a completely separate story, with any references to their past work well explained, so you don’t need to have read it.
They pull into town, the motel’s full of twitchers – lots of birds in the recently flooded areas – so they manage to get a couple of rooms in the pub. Nothing flash, as the barman says – bathrooms at the end of the hall. They order and eat their dinner.
“It’s only when they’ve finished and returned to the bar, propped on stools for a nightcap, that the conviviality vanishes. The publican brings out the register for them to sign for their rooms, an old-fashioned book, pen and ink. Ivan signs in first, then Nell. The barman reads the names. And freezes.
‘Narelle Buchanan?’
‘Correct.’
His blue-pebble eyes are peering at her. The shape of his mouth is camouflaged by his beard, but there is no mistaking the belligerence in his voice. ‘Tell me you’re not related to that old bitch in the junkyard.’
‘My grandmother,’ says Nell. ‘We’re not close.’
But if she was hoping that might lessen his hostility, it doesn’t work. He looks at her with disgust. ‘F*ck me. The Buchanans. You’re one of them.’ He’s almost spitting his words now. ‘Wouldn’t have let you stay if I’d known.’ ”
Welcome back. This is a novel full of bitter memories, revenge, misplaced suspicions and misplaced trust. The family entanglements make the author’s family tree a very handy addition at the end, but I didn’t look until I’d finished, as I was pretty sure (and I was right) that it would have spoiled some of the surprising reveals along the way. I will mention only that Nell was adopted as a baby and is curious to know more about her background.
Also welcome is his map at the very beginning. It’s nice to get a feel for the place. I’ve always enjoyed Hammer’s style. As an old journo who’s been around the world reporting on and describing events to readers who will never go to these places, he sets a scene with the best of them. Here, Nell is driving down a barely discernible bush track, looking for a gate, and stops to check her map.
“She gets out, is amazed by the sound. The forest is alive with a natural music. There is a dull roar, a humming, loud and all around her. Bees, she realises, revelling in the wet spring, the blooming flowers, their buzzing overlaid with squawking wattlebirds, chirruping bowerbirds, and the twittering of finches and wrens. She can see tiny birds, darting this way and that. A wallaby, small and dark, fur puffed up, different from the sleek grey of the kangaroos, watches her approaching and then bounds off into the scrub, as if to warn the natural world of her approach. She eases forward, around a slight bend, and it’s there, the gate, a remnant from way back before the national parks. She gets out, is amazed by the sound. The forest is alive with a natural music. There is a dull roar, a humming, loud and all around her. Bees, she realises, revelling in the wet spring, the blooming flowers, their buzzing overlaid with squawking wattlebirds, chirruping bowerbirds, and the twittering of finches and wrens. She can see tiny birds, darting this way and that. A wallaby, small and dark, fur puffed up, different from the sleek grey of the kangaroos, watches her approaching and then bounds off into the scrub, as if to warn the natural world of her approach.”
Each plot point leads to a different part of the story where the characters who were born and raised in this area have grown up, crossed paths, gone to war together, been involved in drugs, booze, newspapers, Mafia connections, and today – cookers and preppers and … – I think it’s all here. Sometimes they’re on the same side, sometimes enemies. Family feuds have escalated on a deadly scale.
Hammer’s characters cross over from one book to another, but you can enjoy the stories as standalones if that’s what’s available. I listened to a lot on audio (which is good), but I was glad to have the text to refer to, to remind myself who was who in what era. The audio just stops - no family tree. I'd be interested to know if publishers offer any extra information with audio files, like the sleeve notes on LPs and inserts in CDs, back in the day.
Now I have to find The Seven to catch up!
“1973 - he was smoking Dunhills now, a step up from Peter Stuyvesant, a mile above the Winnie Blues favoured by the kids at school. A man of the world. James Bond in a blue Datsun 1600. ‘Let’s get cracking.’ He started the engine, gave it the obligatory rev, then made a U-turn, heading north.”
1973 is one of the timelines in this complex and excellent story of discovering and identifying historic murder victims. The other main timeline is the present, with many scenes and references to before and after World War 2.
Nell Buchanan, now a homicide detective constable, had been sent from her station in Dubbo NSW to the small town of Tulong, near where two of her grandparents live. She and Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic have driven there without a lot of small talk. She’s done all the driving, and it’s a good introduction to her place in this story.
They worked together successfully at Finnegan’s Gap, where they cleared up another complicated set of murders, old and new, which is where she earned her new ranking. This is a completely separate story, with any references to their past work well explained, so you don’t need to have read it.
They pull into town, the motel’s full of twitchers – lots of birds in the recently flooded areas – so they manage to get a couple of rooms in the pub. Nothing flash, as the barman says – bathrooms at the end of the hall. They order and eat their dinner.
“It’s only when they’ve finished and returned to the bar, propped on stools for a nightcap, that the conviviality vanishes. The publican brings out the register for them to sign for their rooms, an old-fashioned book, pen and ink. Ivan signs in first, then Nell. The barman reads the names. And freezes.
‘Narelle Buchanan?’
‘Correct.’
His blue-pebble eyes are peering at her. The shape of his mouth is camouflaged by his beard, but there is no mistaking the belligerence in his voice. ‘Tell me you’re not related to that old bitch in the junkyard.’
‘My grandmother,’ says Nell. ‘We’re not close.’
But if she was hoping that might lessen his hostility, it doesn’t work. He looks at her with disgust. ‘F*ck me. The Buchanans. You’re one of them.’ He’s almost spitting his words now. ‘Wouldn’t have let you stay if I’d known.’ ”
Welcome back. This is a novel full of bitter memories, revenge, misplaced suspicions and misplaced trust. The family entanglements make the author’s family tree a very handy addition at the end, but I didn’t look until I’d finished, as I was pretty sure (and I was right) that it would have spoiled some of the surprising reveals along the way. I will mention only that Nell was adopted as a baby and is curious to know more about her background.
Also welcome is his map at the very beginning. It’s nice to get a feel for the place. I’ve always enjoyed Hammer’s style. As an old journo who’s been around the world reporting on and describing events to readers who will never go to these places, he sets a scene with the best of them. Here, Nell is driving down a barely discernible bush track, looking for a gate, and stops to check her map.
“She gets out, is amazed by the sound. The forest is alive with a natural music. There is a dull roar, a humming, loud and all around her. Bees, she realises, revelling in the wet spring, the blooming flowers, their buzzing overlaid with squawking wattlebirds, chirruping bowerbirds, and the twittering of finches and wrens. She can see tiny birds, darting this way and that. A wallaby, small and dark, fur puffed up, different from the sleek grey of the kangaroos, watches her approaching and then bounds off into the scrub, as if to warn the natural world of her approach. She eases forward, around a slight bend, and it’s there, the gate, a remnant from way back before the national parks. She gets out, is amazed by the sound. The forest is alive with a natural music. There is a dull roar, a humming, loud and all around her. Bees, she realises, revelling in the wet spring, the blooming flowers, their buzzing overlaid with squawking wattlebirds, chirruping bowerbirds, and the twittering of finches and wrens. She can see tiny birds, darting this way and that. A wallaby, small and dark, fur puffed up, different from the sleek grey of the kangaroos, watches her approaching and then bounds off into the scrub, as if to warn the natural world of her approach.”
Each plot point leads to a different part of the story where the characters who were born and raised in this area have grown up, crossed paths, gone to war together, been involved in drugs, booze, newspapers, Mafia connections, and today – cookers and preppers and … – I think it’s all here. Sometimes they’re on the same side, sometimes enemies. Family feuds have escalated on a deadly scale.
Hammer’s characters cross over from one book to another, but you can enjoy the stories as standalones if that’s what’s available. I listened to a lot on audio (which is good), but I was glad to have the text to refer to, to remind myself who was who in what era. The audio just stops - no family tree. I'd be interested to know if publishers offer any extra information with audio files, like the sleeve notes on LPs and inserts in CDs, back in the day.
Now I have to find The Seven to catch up!
May 1, 2024
I do love Aussie novels. Things down under are the same and yet they’re not: we share the same language but their vernacular includes many unfamiliar words and phrases; they seem to live outdoors more than in the confines of a house, and of course the country is huge, with wild and unpopulated areas. So, in many ways it’s so very different from home. Hammer uses all of these elements in his novels, each set in an obscure and somewhat isolated spot in New South Wales. This tale unfolds in and around a fictional town close to the very real Barmah-Millewa Forest, situated on the border with the state of Victoria.
The Murray River runs through this land, which comprises the largest red gum (the colloquial name for a type of very hard Eucalyptus tree) forest in the world. Much of the background to the place and the people featured here stem from a time the author spent a week in this place some years ago, an experience he documented in his non-fiction book The River: A Journey through the Murray-Darling. It’s sparsely populated and wild and at one time (back in the 1940’s) housed Italian prisoners of war. The author uses elements of the geography and history of this area to weave this magical multi-layered, multi-generational tale.
Nell Buchanan, who we met in Hammer’s last book Opal Country has been promoted to Homicide Detective and has been posted to this remote part of the state to partner up with Ivan Lucic (another name that’ll be familiar to readers of the author’s earlier books). The first case she’s asked to investigate is that of human remains found close to a small dam on the Murray River, the remains turning out to have been there for many years. So a stone cold case with no leads, hardly the exciting first case she’d hoped for. But a small consolation – or perhaps not, judging by her initial reaction – is that this is the precise area where she was brought up and in which the vast majority of her family still live.
As the investigation proceeds and more facts regarding the remains become known, we also start to learn more about Nell’s family, particularly her mother and her grandfather, whose own stories are told in separate alternating chapters. Nell will get around to visiting her family in due course, and strands will start to form an overall picture, but it’ll take some time. In the meantime, we’re left to sift through what feels like a fascinating but impenetrable series of discoveries and accounts of past events.
I learned a good deal in this book about how Australians were impacted by the World Wars, particularly WWII. Call me naive if you want but though I knew of the sacrifice made by many of its citizens who fought oversees, I really hadn’t understood the extent to which the war actually touched the island of Australia itself. I was also intrigued by the picture painted of life in this place with its vulnerable ecosystem; this remote community where everybody knows everybody and many can track their family histories back through generations who have continued to live in the same place. So I was both entertained and enlightened. What more can you ask for?
This is a five-star read for me. I loved everything about it, and I was sad to reach the end of the story. One small word of warning for future readers though: there’s a family tree detailed at the start of the book (at least this is true for the pre-publication version I read) which though it helps to keep track of the names featured in the story it gives a small piece of the mystery away. My advice is to avoid this and take notes if you need to along the way.
My sincere thanks to Headline for providing an e-copy of this book via Netgalley, in return for an honest review.
The Murray River runs through this land, which comprises the largest red gum (the colloquial name for a type of very hard Eucalyptus tree) forest in the world. Much of the background to the place and the people featured here stem from a time the author spent a week in this place some years ago, an experience he documented in his non-fiction book The River: A Journey through the Murray-Darling. It’s sparsely populated and wild and at one time (back in the 1940’s) housed Italian prisoners of war. The author uses elements of the geography and history of this area to weave this magical multi-layered, multi-generational tale.
Nell Buchanan, who we met in Hammer’s last book Opal Country has been promoted to Homicide Detective and has been posted to this remote part of the state to partner up with Ivan Lucic (another name that’ll be familiar to readers of the author’s earlier books). The first case she’s asked to investigate is that of human remains found close to a small dam on the Murray River, the remains turning out to have been there for many years. So a stone cold case with no leads, hardly the exciting first case she’d hoped for. But a small consolation – or perhaps not, judging by her initial reaction – is that this is the precise area where she was brought up and in which the vast majority of her family still live.
As the investigation proceeds and more facts regarding the remains become known, we also start to learn more about Nell’s family, particularly her mother and her grandfather, whose own stories are told in separate alternating chapters. Nell will get around to visiting her family in due course, and strands will start to form an overall picture, but it’ll take some time. In the meantime, we’re left to sift through what feels like a fascinating but impenetrable series of discoveries and accounts of past events.
I learned a good deal in this book about how Australians were impacted by the World Wars, particularly WWII. Call me naive if you want but though I knew of the sacrifice made by many of its citizens who fought oversees, I really hadn’t understood the extent to which the war actually touched the island of Australia itself. I was also intrigued by the picture painted of life in this place with its vulnerable ecosystem; this remote community where everybody knows everybody and many can track their family histories back through generations who have continued to live in the same place. So I was both entertained and enlightened. What more can you ask for?
This is a five-star read for me. I loved everything about it, and I was sad to reach the end of the story. One small word of warning for future readers though: there’s a family tree detailed at the start of the book (at least this is true for the pre-publication version I read) which though it helps to keep track of the names featured in the story it gives a small piece of the mystery away. My advice is to avoid this and take notes if you need to along the way.
My sincere thanks to Headline for providing an e-copy of this book via Netgalley, in return for an honest review.
October 7, 2022
Chris Hammer, take a bow. This is why I love Australian crime fiction so much. This book is incredible, it really is. I do not know where to even begin describing this book. The minute it landed on my doorstep, I started. Chris Hammer is one of my favourite Australian crime writers, and I am in awe of how he manages to write. Once again with The Tilt, we have vivid descriptions of the landscape, and it plays such a massive part of this story. Australia is a country like no other. Our climate and our terrain are unforgiving and is perfect for this genre. So many places to hide a body!
I am not going to say very much at all about the plot, as the less you know the better. The Tilt will continue to surprise you, until the very end. All you need to know is that Nell Buchanan, a newly promoted to homicide detective, is heading back to her hometown after many years of being away, when a body has been discovered. The regulator has been blown up and bones, thought to be decades old are found. She is teaming up with her partner, Ivan Lucic. Dark secrets of the past start to come to light, and Nell finds that her family maybe at the centre of it all.
There are multiple timelines running through this book, and it isn't clear in the beginning how they are related. Never fear, it will all make sense, and you will have many ah ha moments as the story comes to is dramatic conclusion. The setting on the borders on NSW and Victoria in all threads are intense and Hammer's writing is so atmospheric. I felt like I was in Tulong, working the case alongside the detectives.
There is so much more to this story, but you will need to read The Tilt to find out. I cannot recommend this book, and all of his books more. Published in Australia on October 5th, add it to your TBR now.
Massive massive thanks to Allend and Unwin for my advanced copy. An absolute pleasure to read. All the stars.
I am not going to say very much at all about the plot, as the less you know the better. The Tilt will continue to surprise you, until the very end. All you need to know is that Nell Buchanan, a newly promoted to homicide detective, is heading back to her hometown after many years of being away, when a body has been discovered. The regulator has been blown up and bones, thought to be decades old are found. She is teaming up with her partner, Ivan Lucic. Dark secrets of the past start to come to light, and Nell finds that her family maybe at the centre of it all.
There are multiple timelines running through this book, and it isn't clear in the beginning how they are related. Never fear, it will all make sense, and you will have many ah ha moments as the story comes to is dramatic conclusion. The setting on the borders on NSW and Victoria in all threads are intense and Hammer's writing is so atmospheric. I felt like I was in Tulong, working the case alongside the detectives.
There is so much more to this story, but you will need to read The Tilt to find out. I cannot recommend this book, and all of his books more. Published in Australia on October 5th, add it to your TBR now.
Massive massive thanks to Allend and Unwin for my advanced copy. An absolute pleasure to read. All the stars.
August 7, 2023
It has taken me much too long to have finally read a book by this author, and what a writer he is. Recommended highly by my father who loves good quality Aussie fiction, I knew I needed to get to it. I found the audio, grabbed the physical book to assist with the map which he mentioned as a must, and off I went.
He was a dead set cunt.
Chris Hammer writes with amazing Australianness. Rich with a good sense of time – amazing descriptions of a multigenerational tale. Pop culture of the times, from war times to the 70’s to current, a sense of place, whether it be the bush, the pub, the local cop shop. The imagery and storytelling were so real, the Australian outback being the star of the show.
From young impressionable teens, to hardened old men, to criminals, to leering teachers, corrupt cops, free thinking hippies, neo-Nazis, undercover operatives, and indigenous police. The voices of these characters are amazing and real, intricate veins and muscles and tendons linked together to form a tale joining all the generations we meet along the way.
The plotline is complex, with the hard work taken to keep up rewarded at the end. All the distinct voices of each character felt so real, the familial bonds and secrets all so emotive, cumulating to a palpable conclusion. So many people harbouring secrets with many reasons, and I loved the goodies v. baddies concept here, as there were many grey areas leaving Nell to distance herself many times as this is all to do with her own family.
I don’t love reading books out of order, in fact this may be a first, but I’m happy to say the read for me was fine as a stand alone and I really felt I was there with Detective Nell Buchanan and her partner, Ivan. I will add this to my list of series to read and look forward to getting to know Nell some more. I feel this story was very plot focused and would love to know more about Nell, the woman.
I listened to the audio format via Libby and my local library; an easier undertaking as it's a big one. Deftly narrated by Dorje Swallow. Thanks Dad!
He was a dead set cunt.
Chris Hammer writes with amazing Australianness. Rich with a good sense of time – amazing descriptions of a multigenerational tale. Pop culture of the times, from war times to the 70’s to current, a sense of place, whether it be the bush, the pub, the local cop shop. The imagery and storytelling were so real, the Australian outback being the star of the show.
From young impressionable teens, to hardened old men, to criminals, to leering teachers, corrupt cops, free thinking hippies, neo-Nazis, undercover operatives, and indigenous police. The voices of these characters are amazing and real, intricate veins and muscles and tendons linked together to form a tale joining all the generations we meet along the way.
The plotline is complex, with the hard work taken to keep up rewarded at the end. All the distinct voices of each character felt so real, the familial bonds and secrets all so emotive, cumulating to a palpable conclusion. So many people harbouring secrets with many reasons, and I loved the goodies v. baddies concept here, as there were many grey areas leaving Nell to distance herself many times as this is all to do with her own family.
I don’t love reading books out of order, in fact this may be a first, but I’m happy to say the read for me was fine as a stand alone and I really felt I was there with Detective Nell Buchanan and her partner, Ivan. I will add this to my list of series to read and look forward to getting to know Nell some more. I feel this story was very plot focused and would love to know more about Nell, the woman.
I listened to the audio format via Libby and my local library; an easier undertaking as it's a big one. Deftly narrated by Dorje Swallow. Thanks Dad!
March 30, 2024
This second book in the series continues with Nell Buchanan being recently promoted to Homicide Detective.
She’s dispatched to her childhood stomping grounds after a skeleton is discovered. A supposed quick wrap up becomes more complicated as the story unfolds which includes her family history.
I loved the atmospheric and slightly melancholy tone of this book. Beautiful descriptions and a rich history had me invested in a lengthier book than I’d normally read.
Although a tad long, I still highly recommend this and will be looking for the third book.
I’d love to mention our late friend Pat, a prolific GoodReads reviewer and an avid supporter of Australian authors. I thought of her often while reading since she also resided in NSW. She is greatly missed by many.
She’s dispatched to her childhood stomping grounds after a skeleton is discovered. A supposed quick wrap up becomes more complicated as the story unfolds which includes her family history.
I loved the atmospheric and slightly melancholy tone of this book. Beautiful descriptions and a rich history had me invested in a lengthier book than I’d normally read.
Although a tad long, I still highly recommend this and will be looking for the third book.
I’d love to mention our late friend Pat, a prolific GoodReads reviewer and an avid supporter of Australian authors. I thought of her often while reading since she also resided in NSW. She is greatly missed by many.
August 27, 2023
This is my second Chris Hammer book and I loved it, it was fabulous catching up with Ivan and Nell again as they are called out to investigate the discovery of a skeleton found at the sight of the blown up regulator on The Murray River, they are on the New South Wales border and it is Nell’s hometown.
Nell is thrilled with her promotion to homicide and happy to be working with Ivan, the skeleton has been in the water for around fifty years, defiantly been murdered but finding the killer is not going to be easy even if they can discover the identity, but Nell does her job and soon they know who the murder victim is but the killer is sure to be long gone now, so Ivan goes back to Sydney leaving Nell to tie things up and send the case to cold cases, but when another skeleton is found Nell starts to uncover things that may implicate her family.
Nell is uncovering secrets from her family’s past the more she digs the deeper it goes, add to that the fact that there is something else going on in the town and forest that puts her in real danger, will she uncover the truth about the past and how her family is implicated? And will she uncover what is happening now before her and anymore lose their lives?
This is such fabulous crime story, it was hard to put down, gripping, enthralling and had me hooked from page one, told over three different time lines 1940’s, 1970’s and now with a fabulous setting and strong characters, I do highly recommend this one, it is one not to be missed.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review.
Nell is thrilled with her promotion to homicide and happy to be working with Ivan, the skeleton has been in the water for around fifty years, defiantly been murdered but finding the killer is not going to be easy even if they can discover the identity, but Nell does her job and soon they know who the murder victim is but the killer is sure to be long gone now, so Ivan goes back to Sydney leaving Nell to tie things up and send the case to cold cases, but when another skeleton is found Nell starts to uncover things that may implicate her family.
Nell is uncovering secrets from her family’s past the more she digs the deeper it goes, add to that the fact that there is something else going on in the town and forest that puts her in real danger, will she uncover the truth about the past and how her family is implicated? And will she uncover what is happening now before her and anymore lose their lives?
This is such fabulous crime story, it was hard to put down, gripping, enthralling and had me hooked from page one, told over three different time lines 1940’s, 1970’s and now with a fabulous setting and strong characters, I do highly recommend this one, it is one not to be missed.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review.
October 25, 2022
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The Tilt is another atmospheric and well crafted novel by Australian author Chris Hammer.
Set on the NSW/Victorian border Hammer’s descriptions of the area, the forests, creeks, isolation and tranquillity are beautifully written, immersing the reader in the setting.
Tulong may be a small town where everyone knows each other but small town secrets can be buried for decades.
The story takes off at a fast pace as a man is being pursued through the forest and a woman plans to sabotage a dam. These two mysteries are at the back of your mind throughout the book.
Recently promoted to Homicide, Nell Buchanan is given a cold case when a skeleton is unearthed near her old home town. With long held feuds and family secrets this case could be closer to home than Nell could ever have imagined!
The story is told through multiple narrative styles; Jimmy Waters statement running from his childhood in the 40’s to the 70’s, Tess Waters in 1973 and the present day investigation by Nell. I enjoyed each era of the story; Jimmy’s childhood attending the cattle and supporting his family while his father was at war and Tessa’s story in 1973 was so quintessentially 70’s, the cars, the music, the language. It was all so spot on!
The mysteries build throughout with a few unexpected twists to round off an excellent read.
The Tilt is the second Nell Buchanan novel however reads well as a standalone.
*I received my copy from the publisher
The Tilt is another atmospheric and well crafted novel by Australian author Chris Hammer.
Set on the NSW/Victorian border Hammer’s descriptions of the area, the forests, creeks, isolation and tranquillity are beautifully written, immersing the reader in the setting.
Tulong may be a small town where everyone knows each other but small town secrets can be buried for decades.
The story takes off at a fast pace as a man is being pursued through the forest and a woman plans to sabotage a dam. These two mysteries are at the back of your mind throughout the book.
Recently promoted to Homicide, Nell Buchanan is given a cold case when a skeleton is unearthed near her old home town. With long held feuds and family secrets this case could be closer to home than Nell could ever have imagined!
The story is told through multiple narrative styles; Jimmy Waters statement running from his childhood in the 40’s to the 70’s, Tess Waters in 1973 and the present day investigation by Nell. I enjoyed each era of the story; Jimmy’s childhood attending the cattle and supporting his family while his father was at war and Tessa’s story in 1973 was so quintessentially 70’s, the cars, the music, the language. It was all so spot on!
The mysteries build throughout with a few unexpected twists to round off an excellent read.
The Tilt is the second Nell Buchanan novel however reads well as a standalone.
*I received my copy from the publisher
November 11, 2022
The Tilt combines the intrigue of a decades old murder with the turmoil of a fractious family history and throws in unexpected danger coming from politically motivated radical groups encumbered within the boundaries of a small community on the New South Wales - Victoria border.
Having recently been promoted to the ranks of homicide detectives, Constable Nell Buchanen is back on the job beside Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic. The pair, who featured prominently in Treasure & Dirt are heading to the border town of Tulong which also happens to be Nell’s home town. An old skeleton has been discovered after a water regulator on the Murray River was destroyed releasing enough water to uncover the decades-old bones.
It quickly becomes obvious that Nell is going to have to separate the professional aspects from the personal in this case. Her family is entrenched in the town and anything that took place years before is going to inevitably touch her in some way. I definitely felt the “brace yourself” moment as she drove into town.
As well as the present day narrative that follows Nell’s investigation, we are treated to a couple of storylines from the past. Jimmy Waters retells the story of the summer of 1943 while we also follow the events in 15 year old Tessa Waters’ life in 1973.
In each case, the sense of each time period feels as though it is captured perfectly. Through Jimmy’s younger eyes we get a sense of the true hardship that families back home in Australia were going through during the war as he tried to carry on the work of his absent father. Equally, the seemingly endless days of summer in the 70’s are brought to life in vivid detail.
Each of the three storylines make up crucial parts of the mysteries contained within the town and its surroundings. The process of skipping from one timeline to the other works very effectively and has the effect of speeding the story along rather than slowing it down.
Although the case begins with the appearance of being the coldest of cold cases, it turns out that there is far more at play here. One murder, as is so often the case, is intertwined with other crimes and as the divergent tales draw together, we find ourselves suddenly facing a far more complex story.
By introducing and developing a rich cast of characters, Hammer adds a delicate poignancy to the narrative. At story’s end you realise you’ve just covered 80 years of a family’s life, gotten to know some of the most intimate secrets of some of them to the point where they have become more than merely names on a page. I was fully engaged in the fate of each of them.
The story is wonderfully plotted and proves devious as it grows in complexity. I enjoyed the way the many secrets and crimes are inexorably uncovered to provide numerous surprises that sent me reeling towards the story’s ending. It thought The Tilt was a completely absorbing Australian crime novel.
Having recently been promoted to the ranks of homicide detectives, Constable Nell Buchanen is back on the job beside Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic. The pair, who featured prominently in Treasure & Dirt are heading to the border town of Tulong which also happens to be Nell’s home town. An old skeleton has been discovered after a water regulator on the Murray River was destroyed releasing enough water to uncover the decades-old bones.
It quickly becomes obvious that Nell is going to have to separate the professional aspects from the personal in this case. Her family is entrenched in the town and anything that took place years before is going to inevitably touch her in some way. I definitely felt the “brace yourself” moment as she drove into town.
As well as the present day narrative that follows Nell’s investigation, we are treated to a couple of storylines from the past. Jimmy Waters retells the story of the summer of 1943 while we also follow the events in 15 year old Tessa Waters’ life in 1973.
In each case, the sense of each time period feels as though it is captured perfectly. Through Jimmy’s younger eyes we get a sense of the true hardship that families back home in Australia were going through during the war as he tried to carry on the work of his absent father. Equally, the seemingly endless days of summer in the 70’s are brought to life in vivid detail.
Each of the three storylines make up crucial parts of the mysteries contained within the town and its surroundings. The process of skipping from one timeline to the other works very effectively and has the effect of speeding the story along rather than slowing it down.
Although the case begins with the appearance of being the coldest of cold cases, it turns out that there is far more at play here. One murder, as is so often the case, is intertwined with other crimes and as the divergent tales draw together, we find ourselves suddenly facing a far more complex story.
By introducing and developing a rich cast of characters, Hammer adds a delicate poignancy to the narrative. At story’s end you realise you’ve just covered 80 years of a family’s life, gotten to know some of the most intimate secrets of some of them to the point where they have become more than merely names on a page. I was fully engaged in the fate of each of them.
The story is wonderfully plotted and proves devious as it grows in complexity. I enjoyed the way the many secrets and crimes are inexorably uncovered to provide numerous surprises that sent me reeling towards the story’s ending. It thought The Tilt was a completely absorbing Australian crime novel.
June 8, 2023
3.5★ While I enjoyed reading this latest offering from Chris Hammer, I didn't think it was quite as strong as his previous novels. For me, there was just a bit too much going on in this story. I think it's the first time he's tackled multiple timelines in this way, and that created a bit of clutter for me (I really did not enjoy reading the so-called 'statement' from James Waters - perhaps it would have worked better if I'd known up-front it was a recording of an oral statement, because I just kept thinking how inauthentic it sounded). However, what I loved about it was that DC Nell Buchanan took centre-stage, and not just in her role as detective, but also as a key figure in the events. I also loved learning a bit more about the Murray River communities (second time I have read here in recent months).
Now established as the regional NSW Homicide squad operating out of Dubbo, Ivan and Nell have been drawn south to the border towns when a human skeleton is found by a construction crew repairing one of the regulators on the Murray River. Ivan's not happy because it's almost certainly a cold case - i.e. not homicide -and Nell is anxious because this is where she grew up and where many of her family members still live. Things go pretty much as expected and Ivan returns to Dubbo, leaving Nell to wrap things up and take a day or two to visit with her folks. Then another body is found not too far from the first one...
Chris Hammer paints a vivid picture of the Riverina, and has been able to put his research from earlier non-fiction (The River) to work for him in establishing the setting for The Tilt. He's also done a great job in bringing the character of Nell (and a few of her family members) to life. Not so much Ivan this time. If I had to pinpoint where this book fell short for me, it would be trying too hard to make all those connections back to the characters and events of the earlier books. Normally I love that sort of thing, but here it felt a little exhausting.
Having said that, I'm still a firm fan and will be there, waiting for Hammer's next book.
Now established as the regional NSW Homicide squad operating out of Dubbo, Ivan and Nell have been drawn south to the border towns when a human skeleton is found by a construction crew repairing one of the regulators on the Murray River. Ivan's not happy because it's almost certainly a cold case - i.e. not homicide -and Nell is anxious because this is where she grew up and where many of her family members still live. Things go pretty much as expected and Ivan returns to Dubbo, leaving Nell to wrap things up and take a day or two to visit with her folks. Then another body is found not too far from the first one...
Chris Hammer paints a vivid picture of the Riverina, and has been able to put his research from earlier non-fiction (The River) to work for him in establishing the setting for The Tilt. He's also done a great job in bringing the character of Nell (and a few of her family members) to life. Not so much Ivan this time. If I had to pinpoint where this book fell short for me, it would be trying too hard to make all those connections back to the characters and events of the earlier books. Normally I love that sort of thing, but here it felt a little exhausting.
Having said that, I'm still a firm fan and will be there, waiting for Hammer's next book.
February 26, 2023
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The Tilt by Chris Hammer. (2022).
(Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan; #2)
Newly-minted homicide detective Nell returns to her home town, annoyed at being assigned a decades-old murder. But this is no ordinary cold case as the discovery of more bodies triggers a chain of escalating events in the present day. As Nell starts to join the pieces together, she begins to question how well she knows those closest to her. Could her own family be implicated? Uncovering the secrets of the past is making the present dangerous. Can she survive the harrowing investigation and what price will she have to pay for the truth?
I have read all of this author's previous novels and thoroughly enjoyed them and this one is no exception; another great read. Those that have read 'Treasure & Dirt' will immediately recognise the likeable Nell, who is the lead character in this novel. Stunning descriptions of the landscape really make the atmosphere of the narrative, readers will be able to easily imagine the setting. With a dual timeline, I was utterly immersed in both time periods and totally invested in attempting to work out just how everyone and everything was connected.
Overall: as with all of this author's books, I highly recommend this novel for any reader who enjoys Australian crime thrillers.
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The Tilt by Chris Hammer. (2022).
(Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan; #2)
Newly-minted homicide detective Nell returns to her home town, annoyed at being assigned a decades-old murder. But this is no ordinary cold case as the discovery of more bodies triggers a chain of escalating events in the present day. As Nell starts to join the pieces together, she begins to question how well she knows those closest to her. Could her own family be implicated? Uncovering the secrets of the past is making the present dangerous. Can she survive the harrowing investigation and what price will she have to pay for the truth?
I have read all of this author's previous novels and thoroughly enjoyed them and this one is no exception; another great read. Those that have read 'Treasure & Dirt' will immediately recognise the likeable Nell, who is the lead character in this novel. Stunning descriptions of the landscape really make the atmosphere of the narrative, readers will be able to easily imagine the setting. With a dual timeline, I was utterly immersed in both time periods and totally invested in attempting to work out just how everyone and everything was connected.
Overall: as with all of this author's books, I highly recommend this novel for any reader who enjoys Australian crime thrillers.
January 1, 2023
3.5 from me. Good story, great setting, but a few too many interwoven characters that weren’t as fully mapped out as I was hoping, and ended in me just feeling confused about who is who.
August 1, 2022
Another fantastic novel from the uber talented Cheis Hammer, the second book to feature Ivan and Nell investigating murder in small town Australia. This one hits close to home for Nell and is hugely compelling throughout.
Dead Man's Creek is a story steeped in history and present day echos, it is beautifully written and incredibly addictive.
The setting pops the characters are full of mystery and depth, overall a fantastic read. Thumbs up
Dead Man's Creek is a story steeped in history and present day echos, it is beautifully written and incredibly addictive.
The setting pops the characters are full of mystery and depth, overall a fantastic read. Thumbs up
February 23, 2023
After the discovery of a decades-old skeleton in the Murray River, Nell Buchanan is assigned the case in her home town of Tulong in southern New South Wales just north of the border with Victoria. She is surprised and annoyed that she, a homicide detective, is put on what is obviously a very cold case.
Soon, however, another skeleton is discovered not far from the first, and Nell comes to realise that the discoveries could be linked to the ancient history of her own family. It would appear that those closest to her have been keeping some deadly secrets. Some chapters are told as flashbacks: from the early 1940s as told by Nell’s grandfather James and from the mid 1970s by her mother Tessa.
The descriptions of small town life on the Murray River are brilliantly evocative and, as well as delving into the tragic mysteries of the past, the novel highlights the concerns of the present, especially the rise of right-wing political extremism and the ecological devastation the river and surrounding forests. As the story unravels, Nell has to face up to some devastating truths, not just about her family history but also about her personal identity.
This is crime writing of the highest order which works on many levels. I’ve enjoyed all the previous Chris Hammer novels I’ve read and this is, possibly, the best so far.
Soon, however, another skeleton is discovered not far from the first, and Nell comes to realise that the discoveries could be linked to the ancient history of her own family. It would appear that those closest to her have been keeping some deadly secrets. Some chapters are told as flashbacks: from the early 1940s as told by Nell’s grandfather James and from the mid 1970s by her mother Tessa.
The descriptions of small town life on the Murray River are brilliantly evocative and, as well as delving into the tragic mysteries of the past, the novel highlights the concerns of the present, especially the rise of right-wing political extremism and the ecological devastation the river and surrounding forests. As the story unravels, Nell has to face up to some devastating truths, not just about her family history but also about her personal identity.
This is crime writing of the highest order which works on many levels. I’ve enjoyed all the previous Chris Hammer novels I’ve read and this is, possibly, the best so far.
October 20, 2022
⭐️5 Stars⭐️
The Tilt is Chris Hammer’s best yet, and I can honestly say the writing is incredible. This is prime Aussie crime fiction, the way the Australian landscapes are described throughout the book is mesmerising, it blew me away. The plot is multi-layered, skilfully plotted and just utterly immersive.
The story features newly promoted homicide detective Nell Buchanan as our main character and detective sergeant Ivan Lucic . They’re sent to Nell’s hometown Tulong to investigate a cold case upon the discovery of a skeleton at the bottom of the regulator.
A regulator controls the flow of the river, it’s like a small dam at the mouth of a creek. The regulator has been blown up by an unknown party allowing the ancient red gum forest to be flooded by the Murray River.
As the case escalates with the discovery of more bodies Nell finds there’s a shocking link to her family’s past and present.
Whilst there are many characters, they are well developed, the plot is cleverly complex yet easy to follow. There’s mystery, surprising twists and an excellent conclusion.
A totally cracking and atmospheric read. If you have never read Chris Hammer before get onboard for an exceptional read!
Publication Date 05 October 2022
Publisher Allen & Unwin
Much gratitude to Allen & Unwin Australia for sending me a copy of the book
The Tilt is Chris Hammer’s best yet, and I can honestly say the writing is incredible. This is prime Aussie crime fiction, the way the Australian landscapes are described throughout the book is mesmerising, it blew me away. The plot is multi-layered, skilfully plotted and just utterly immersive.
The story features newly promoted homicide detective Nell Buchanan as our main character and detective sergeant Ivan Lucic . They’re sent to Nell’s hometown Tulong to investigate a cold case upon the discovery of a skeleton at the bottom of the regulator.
A regulator controls the flow of the river, it’s like a small dam at the mouth of a creek. The regulator has been blown up by an unknown party allowing the ancient red gum forest to be flooded by the Murray River.
As the case escalates with the discovery of more bodies Nell finds there’s a shocking link to her family’s past and present.
Whilst there are many characters, they are well developed, the plot is cleverly complex yet easy to follow. There’s mystery, surprising twists and an excellent conclusion.
A totally cracking and atmospheric read. If you have never read Chris Hammer before get onboard for an exceptional read!
Publication Date 05 October 2022
Publisher Allen & Unwin
Much gratitude to Allen & Unwin Australia for sending me a copy of the book
Read
May 2, 2023Did not finish. Used audio.
January 1, 2025
Terrific thriller from Chris Hammer, one of the best Australianwriters in the genre.
The environment of the small towns along the River Murray, joining the great red-gum Barmah Forest, is brilliantly drawn, and the many characters are all alive.
The story takes place in three time periods, with complex twists and turns, very complicated family relationships but Hammer keeps it all going at just the right pace.
For those who need a surprise twist at the end, you have one here.
The environment of the small towns along the River Murray, joining the great red-gum Barmah Forest, is brilliantly drawn, and the many characters are all alive.
The story takes place in three time periods, with complex twists and turns, very complicated family relationships but Hammer keeps it all going at just the right pace.
For those who need a surprise twist at the end, you have one here.
October 18, 2022
PERFECT. Perfect,intricate plot,great characters,emotion,spanning more than 70 years.
So many awful books getting rave reviews,and this jewel,and author,are underrated.
So many awful books getting rave reviews,and this jewel,and author,are underrated.
September 21, 2023
The Tilt (aka Deadman’s Creek) is the second book in the Ivan Lulic and Nell Buchanan series by award-winning Australian journalist and author, Chris Hammer. The audio version is narrated by Dorje Swallow. Detective Constable Narelle Buchanan sees her inclusion in the Rural Homicide team with DS Ivan Lulic as a promotion, although the remains they’ve been sent to investigate in Tulong on the Murray River turns out to be eighty years dead, so really not their remit. Ivan sees the team as more of a demotion, which is perhaps why he leaves Nell to tidy up the details and close the case.
The skeletal remains surfaced when the Regulator on the Murray River was blown up (probably environmentalists), giving them a clue about the era; missing persons lists, compiled by the local cop, Kevin Nackangara, and dental records confirm the identity of the shooting victim: an Arny Major, Gerard Stannard, stationed at the nearby POW camp during WW2.
Nell still has family in nearby Boonlea, so there’s pressure to visit. Her uncle, Tycho Buchanan, and maternal ancestor of Nell’s were also on the list of missing persons, so it’s a mixed blessing to be able to confirm that it’s neither of these. But Department of Defence records add some intrigue: another soldier, and the not-inconsiderable sum of four hundred pounds also went AWOL at the time. Accessing more information requires calls to the War Memorial and the National Archives.
Her uncle Gene writes an inflammatory article implicating a former (crooked) cop from nearby Hatheson in Stannard’s murder, while Nell’s mother makes an enigmatic observation that has her wondering at her own family’s involvement. An altercation with a publican who takes offence sees Professional Standards questioning Nell use of her martial arts skills And then, another body turns up…
In 1973, fifteen-year-old Tessa Waters is thrilled to have attracted the eye of Tycho, the eldest of the musical Buchanan brothers, who has a cool car and a job as a reporter for the Western Explorer. He’s writing stories about a new winery, about the Mafia in Griffith, about the forest dwellers who have withdrawn from society, and about sly groggers in the forest. They are heavily involved by the time he mysteriously goes missing.
Jimmy Waters has been given the responsibility of taking the cows into the forest to scavenge whatever feed they can He’s only eleven-year-old, but it’s 1942, the drought has left the pastures dry, the regulator is closed and his father’s gone to war. It’s by the river he meets Bucky, and they become instant friends. Bucky entices him into the money-making scheme of catching yabbies to sell to the chef at the Army Officers’ camp, which is how, eventually, he encounters the awful Major Stannard, and a particularly brave Italian POW.
Hammer uses several narrators to tell the story, as well as a police statement, emails and archival reports, and he throws in a bit of misdirection and a few red herrings to keep the reader guessing right up to the final reveals. There’s a very handy map at the front, and a family tree after the final page, which shouldn’t be accessed by readers wishing to avoid spoilers. Excellent Australian rural crime fiction.
The skeletal remains surfaced when the Regulator on the Murray River was blown up (probably environmentalists), giving them a clue about the era; missing persons lists, compiled by the local cop, Kevin Nackangara, and dental records confirm the identity of the shooting victim: an Arny Major, Gerard Stannard, stationed at the nearby POW camp during WW2.
Nell still has family in nearby Boonlea, so there’s pressure to visit. Her uncle, Tycho Buchanan, and maternal ancestor of Nell’s were also on the list of missing persons, so it’s a mixed blessing to be able to confirm that it’s neither of these. But Department of Defence records add some intrigue: another soldier, and the not-inconsiderable sum of four hundred pounds also went AWOL at the time. Accessing more information requires calls to the War Memorial and the National Archives.
Her uncle Gene writes an inflammatory article implicating a former (crooked) cop from nearby Hatheson in Stannard’s murder, while Nell’s mother makes an enigmatic observation that has her wondering at her own family’s involvement. An altercation with a publican who takes offence sees Professional Standards questioning Nell use of her martial arts skills And then, another body turns up…
In 1973, fifteen-year-old Tessa Waters is thrilled to have attracted the eye of Tycho, the eldest of the musical Buchanan brothers, who has a cool car and a job as a reporter for the Western Explorer. He’s writing stories about a new winery, about the Mafia in Griffith, about the forest dwellers who have withdrawn from society, and about sly groggers in the forest. They are heavily involved by the time he mysteriously goes missing.
Jimmy Waters has been given the responsibility of taking the cows into the forest to scavenge whatever feed they can He’s only eleven-year-old, but it’s 1942, the drought has left the pastures dry, the regulator is closed and his father’s gone to war. It’s by the river he meets Bucky, and they become instant friends. Bucky entices him into the money-making scheme of catching yabbies to sell to the chef at the Army Officers’ camp, which is how, eventually, he encounters the awful Major Stannard, and a particularly brave Italian POW.
Hammer uses several narrators to tell the story, as well as a police statement, emails and archival reports, and he throws in a bit of misdirection and a few red herrings to keep the reader guessing right up to the final reveals. There’s a very handy map at the front, and a family tree after the final page, which shouldn’t be accessed by readers wishing to avoid spoilers. Excellent Australian rural crime fiction.
October 11, 2022
The Tilt is the second stunning crime fiction novel from bestselling author Chris Hammer to feature Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic and Detective Constable Nell (Narelle) Buchanan, who were introduced in Treasure and Dirt (Opal Country).
“A skeleton in the bottom of the regulator. All this time. I couldn’t believe it when I read about it. A skeleton. Who could have known that?”
Following their successful resolution of their case in Finnegan’s Gap, Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic and Detective Constable Nell (Narelle) Buchanan have been partnered to form a rural homicide flying squad. Though they are to be based in Dubbo, Lucic and Buchanan are required to respond to any case in regional or remote NSW the brass deem appropriate. Their first assigned case coincidentally sends them to Nell’s hometown near the Victorian border along the Murray River, where the skeleton of a homicide victim has been unearthed after a river regulator was blown up.
Ivan takes a step back in The Tilt, leaving Nell to take the lead in what becomes a very personal investigation after a second skeleton is found. Old grudges are revived and dark secrets are exposed revealing tales of theft, assault, corruption, love, loss, betrayal and revenge. Weaving through the narrative of Nell’s present day investigation is the transcript of a statement made to the police by an elderly man, and the account of a romance between a teenage girl and a young charismatic journalist in the 1970’s. As the novel unfolds the links between the seemingly disparate threads grow clearer, in what is an impressive and compelling feat of plotting.
While I missed Ivan’s presence, I enjoyed gaining more insight into Nell’s character. She’s not entirely comfortable with being back in her hometown, convinced her family, especially her mother, doesn’t support her career choice. Things only grow more complicated for Nell when her investigation seems to indicate the involvement of members of her family.
Readers familiar with Hammer’s Martin Scarsden series will recognise one of the characters who makes an appearance in the novel, playing the part of a ‘twitcher’, he’s keeping an eye on the growing camp of ‘cookers’ nearby. Hammer also introduces another character in The Tilt Senior Constable Kevin Mackangara, the lone residential officer in Tulong, who it seems will join Ivan and Nell in future books.
Though the investigation plays out over only a week, the story spans decades. Hammer touches on historical events of note such as the diversion of the Murray River, and the POW labour camps established during WWII.
With its gripping, multi-layered mysteries, vivid characters and atmospheric setting, The Tilt is an immersive read, I highly recommend.
“A skeleton in the bottom of the regulator. All this time. I couldn’t believe it when I read about it. A skeleton. Who could have known that?”
Following their successful resolution of their case in Finnegan’s Gap, Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic and Detective Constable Nell (Narelle) Buchanan have been partnered to form a rural homicide flying squad. Though they are to be based in Dubbo, Lucic and Buchanan are required to respond to any case in regional or remote NSW the brass deem appropriate. Their first assigned case coincidentally sends them to Nell’s hometown near the Victorian border along the Murray River, where the skeleton of a homicide victim has been unearthed after a river regulator was blown up.
Ivan takes a step back in The Tilt, leaving Nell to take the lead in what becomes a very personal investigation after a second skeleton is found. Old grudges are revived and dark secrets are exposed revealing tales of theft, assault, corruption, love, loss, betrayal and revenge. Weaving through the narrative of Nell’s present day investigation is the transcript of a statement made to the police by an elderly man, and the account of a romance between a teenage girl and a young charismatic journalist in the 1970’s. As the novel unfolds the links between the seemingly disparate threads grow clearer, in what is an impressive and compelling feat of plotting.
While I missed Ivan’s presence, I enjoyed gaining more insight into Nell’s character. She’s not entirely comfortable with being back in her hometown, convinced her family, especially her mother, doesn’t support her career choice. Things only grow more complicated for Nell when her investigation seems to indicate the involvement of members of her family.
Readers familiar with Hammer’s Martin Scarsden series will recognise one of the characters who makes an appearance in the novel, playing the part of a ‘twitcher’, he’s keeping an eye on the growing camp of ‘cookers’ nearby. Hammer also introduces another character in The Tilt Senior Constable Kevin Mackangara, the lone residential officer in Tulong, who it seems will join Ivan and Nell in future books.
Though the investigation plays out over only a week, the story spans decades. Hammer touches on historical events of note such as the diversion of the Murray River, and the POW labour camps established during WWII.
With its gripping, multi-layered mysteries, vivid characters and atmospheric setting, The Tilt is an immersive read, I highly recommend.
November 27, 2022
This was my favourite Chris Hammer book so far. It was a good move to give journalist Martin Scarsden a rest and base this book around Homicide Detective Nell Buchanan. The story flips between different time periods and each of them are equally engrossing with well drawn characters and a fabulous setting, the world’s largest river red gum forest, the Barmah-Millewa Forest, on the Murray River. The plot is layered and becomes personal for Nell as strands of her family are drawn into different investigations brought on by discoveries in the drained bed of a river regulator. Although I enjoy reading Aussie crime fiction I don’t usually put it in the 5 star category but I’m making an exception for this one.
April 17, 2023
Is ‘blah’ too short of a review? It started strong, but became so unbelievable and far fetched i lost interest. Really great beginning and potential. Too much confusion around family tree. Absolute conflict of interest, but this was brushed over, let alone the amount of crime/murders in one small town over decades. Too unrealistic and far fetched.
November 1, 2022
A great sense of place but this murder mystery set in three time frames was spoilt for me by the multiple narrators and the tendency to fall into extensive passages of exposition especially towards the end when the author was drawing together the complex storyline.
November 20, 2022
5 Stars… I think this is Chris Hammer’s best so far. Can’t wait to see what the next book brings 😁 highly recommended
July 28, 2022
Home isn't a place Nell Buchanan visits if she can possibly avoid it. She has little choice however, as she's been sent to Boonlea for work, to investigate after a body, or what's left of it, is discovered after an explosion demolishes a river regulator. With partner DS Ivan Lucic she begins the task assigned but is dismayed to discover the case, her first as a homicide detective, is likely to be nothing more than the identification of a decades old victim where any suspects are long since deceased themselves.
Unfortunately the long dead stranger isn't the only secret unearthed by the explosion and when a second body is discovered a whole new raft of discoveries look set to rock the foundations of everything Nell thought she knew about Boonlea and its inhabitants. With familiar names and faces everywhere she finds loyalty is a dangerous commodity and that, in the end, even what you thought was indisputable and strong is rooted in sand.
Chris Hammer is, for me, the epitome of a thoughtful, measured author. No word, description, or conversation, is excessive or unnecessary. Seen through three first person timelines, the story unfolds effortlessly and even though it is a complex tale is never confusing. Nell's timeline shows how she and Ivan are still exploring their strained working relationship, and although neither of them want to be in her home town there are positives for both as the case progresses to an eminently satisfying conclusion.
I loved this book, and didn't want it to finish but with so many facets to the story I will definitely read it again. 5 stars don't do this justice as it hit every single spot for me and is easily one of my top reads of 2022. I hope Nell and Ivan will return at least once more as I'm sure Lucic too has a story to tell.
I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. If excellent crime writing is what you're looking for this is absolutely the book for you. Highly recommended.
Unfortunately the long dead stranger isn't the only secret unearthed by the explosion and when a second body is discovered a whole new raft of discoveries look set to rock the foundations of everything Nell thought she knew about Boonlea and its inhabitants. With familiar names and faces everywhere she finds loyalty is a dangerous commodity and that, in the end, even what you thought was indisputable and strong is rooted in sand.
Chris Hammer is, for me, the epitome of a thoughtful, measured author. No word, description, or conversation, is excessive or unnecessary. Seen through three first person timelines, the story unfolds effortlessly and even though it is a complex tale is never confusing. Nell's timeline shows how she and Ivan are still exploring their strained working relationship, and although neither of them want to be in her home town there are positives for both as the case progresses to an eminently satisfying conclusion.
I loved this book, and didn't want it to finish but with so many facets to the story I will definitely read it again. 5 stars don't do this justice as it hit every single spot for me and is easily one of my top reads of 2022. I hope Nell and Ivan will return at least once more as I'm sure Lucic too has a story to tell.
I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. If excellent crime writing is what you're looking for this is absolutely the book for you. Highly recommended.
December 16, 2022
This is my fifth Chris Hammer book. I am not a huge fan of his writing and I think there are number of Australian authors in the outback/bush crime genre who write better. Nevertheless, I like to support Australian authors and I like to make a personal judgement. I think that too often reviews of Australian authors in Australian publications are too soft. I guess the audience for these reviews are not looking for critical analysis of the themes, setting, characters and writing style.
Reviews on Goodreads are fairly unanimous that this is a good read. I will leave it to those reviews to give a fuller outline of the story.
This is Hammer's best. He lived in the area the text is set and has applied that knowledge and his research to create a most valid and real setting. After reading “The Tilt” I have decided I must visit this area of the Murray and see how regulators operate and see the great Red River Gum Forest. I have read Margaret Simmons “Cry Me a River: The Tragedy of the Murray Basin.” (Quarterly Essay #77) so have some idea of the challenges environmentalists have had saving water for places like the forest.
At this stage I would recommend a visit to Hammer’s web page:
https://chrishammerauthor.com
Hammer has undoubtedly done much planning before authoring this story. There are three time periods, the early 1940s during World War 2, when Italian POWs from the north Africa campaign were brought back to Australia and a young boy develops a friendship with them. (Tom Keneally’s “Shame and the Captives” deals with a similar story.) The second period is the early 1970s where a sixteen-year girl is friends with three brothers and finally today, where homicide detective Nell Buchanan is investigating the discovery of the remains of a body.
Hammer successful jumps from time period to time period. He has again done the research to give authenticity to his writing. From my clear knowledge of the 1970s he is accurate in his description of the arts and culture at that time. The music, musicians, films and politics are all accurately placed in the story. Having been born in 1960 he would have been 12 years when this part of the story is set, again he must have relied on extensive research. The authenticity of the story impressed me.
I have my doubts about the opening pages. To me they do not set the right tone to the rest of the story. The reader is told who the two characters are during the story.
Hammer’s writing has stepped up a level from his previous books. His descriptions do capture that part of Australia and the people who inhabit it. There are some memorable phrases, one I like is where he described a character as “a poor man’s Chopper Read.”
I would recommend this book but would also advise readers to pay close attention to all the characters who are mentioned in the first half of the book and who return in different guises as the story concludes as it can become confusing as to who is now who. It reminded me of Tolstoy and other great Russian writers where I had to take notes about the different characters to keep track of the story. There are certainly twists and turns, even tilts, as the story resolves itself. There are similarities to the ending in Treasure and Dirt. This one is more detailed and conclusive.
Tessa as a teenager was my favourite character. I have seen many young women like Tessa grow to be a much more limited person in their older years.
In previous reviews of Hammer's books I have been critical of the lack of Aboriginal characters in his stories, especially considering they're often set where there is a high Aboriginal population. His Aboriginal police officer in Tilt is an excellent depiction.
The end gives a nod to feminism and environmentalism, and as I was finishing this book the Murray was in flood and changes are being proposed to the water usage and typically the irrigators are crying tears.
Reviews on Goodreads are fairly unanimous that this is a good read. I will leave it to those reviews to give a fuller outline of the story.
This is Hammer's best. He lived in the area the text is set and has applied that knowledge and his research to create a most valid and real setting. After reading “The Tilt” I have decided I must visit this area of the Murray and see how regulators operate and see the great Red River Gum Forest. I have read Margaret Simmons “Cry Me a River: The Tragedy of the Murray Basin.” (Quarterly Essay #77) so have some idea of the challenges environmentalists have had saving water for places like the forest.
At this stage I would recommend a visit to Hammer’s web page:
https://chrishammerauthor.com
Hammer has undoubtedly done much planning before authoring this story. There are three time periods, the early 1940s during World War 2, when Italian POWs from the north Africa campaign were brought back to Australia and a young boy develops a friendship with them. (Tom Keneally’s “Shame and the Captives” deals with a similar story.) The second period is the early 1970s where a sixteen-year girl is friends with three brothers and finally today, where homicide detective Nell Buchanan is investigating the discovery of the remains of a body.
Hammer successful jumps from time period to time period. He has again done the research to give authenticity to his writing. From my clear knowledge of the 1970s he is accurate in his description of the arts and culture at that time. The music, musicians, films and politics are all accurately placed in the story. Having been born in 1960 he would have been 12 years when this part of the story is set, again he must have relied on extensive research. The authenticity of the story impressed me.
I have my doubts about the opening pages. To me they do not set the right tone to the rest of the story. The reader is told who the two characters are during the story.
Hammer’s writing has stepped up a level from his previous books. His descriptions do capture that part of Australia and the people who inhabit it. There are some memorable phrases, one I like is where he described a character as “a poor man’s Chopper Read.”
I would recommend this book but would also advise readers to pay close attention to all the characters who are mentioned in the first half of the book and who return in different guises as the story concludes as it can become confusing as to who is now who. It reminded me of Tolstoy and other great Russian writers where I had to take notes about the different characters to keep track of the story. There are certainly twists and turns, even tilts, as the story resolves itself. There are similarities to the ending in Treasure and Dirt. This one is more detailed and conclusive.
Tessa as a teenager was my favourite character. I have seen many young women like Tessa grow to be a much more limited person in their older years.
In previous reviews of Hammer's books I have been critical of the lack of Aboriginal characters in his stories, especially considering they're often set where there is a high Aboriginal population. His Aboriginal police officer in Tilt is an excellent depiction.
The end gives a nod to feminism and environmentalism, and as I was finishing this book the Murray was in flood and changes are being proposed to the water usage and typically the irrigators are crying tears.
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