She moves through the night, the forest dark, the trees gathered and whispering support. She passes through them, relying as much on memory as the shielded light from her torch. Her mind is alive, her senses alert. A brief hesitation, then the decision to take a shortcut, leaving the ridge and cutting across a small lagoon, now empty, following a wallaby path. Above the trees the sky is dark, clouds skimming low and quick, as if infused with her urgency. An owl swoops, a flash of white against the grey-black, and is gone, She stops, turns off the torch, feels the blackness move in, enfold her. Comfort her. She breates it in, the smell of it, the odour of this world. She can feel its desire, its thirst, the longing for water. She closes her eyes, then opens the again...
***
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?
***
Dead Man's Creek, which has also been published under the name, The Tilt, is the second book in the Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan series. As much as I like to read a series in order, this worked perfectly well as a standalone novel.
Set in Tulong, Australia this novel is richly atmospheric and the author describes the environment of rural Tulong perfectly. It is every bit as important as the characterisation and is integral to the book.
There are multiple threads running throughout this book. Dotted throughout is the continuing police statement of James Waters. It is not evident at the beginning how this will tie in with the rest of the book but it does all fall nicely into place.
Running alongside this we witness events from the perspective of Tessa in the 1950's. Tessa is the mother of the main character, Nell, who has returned to her home town as part of an investigation. The majority of the story is told from Nell's point of view and she is an excellent, likeable and well rounded character
In the front of the book, the author has helpfully provided a map of Tulong, along with the family tree which links all of these characters together, and which I found enormously helpful.
The author has a real gift for storytelling, and this book had me gripped throughout. He has skilfully woven the various threads together and produced a well plotted and cohesive novel.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written crime thriller.
ISBN: 978 1472295668
Publisher: Wildfire
Formats: e-book, audio and hardback
No. of Pages: 496 (hardback)
About the Author:
Chris Hammer is a leading Australian crime fiction novelist, author of the internationally bestselling Martin Scarsden series: Scrublands, Silver and Trust.
Now Chris has started a new series, beginning with Treasure & Dirt (Australia & New Zealand) / Opal Country (UK & international) and followed in 2022/23 by The Tilt/Dead Man’s Creek.
Scrublands was an instant bestseller upon publication in 2018, topping the Australian fiction charts.
It was shortlisted for major writing awards in Australia, the UK and the United States. In the UK it was named the Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Year 2019 and won the prestigious UK Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award.
Scrublands, Silver and Trust all feature troubled journalist Martin Scarsden and his partner Mandalay Blonde, while Treasure & Dirt follows homicide detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan.
All of Chris’s books have atmospheric Australian settings, a range of colourful characters, intricate plots, descriptive language and emotional depth.
Before turning to fiction, Chris was a journalist for more than thirty years. He reported from more than 30 countries on six continents for SBS TV. In Canberra, roles included chief political correspondent for The Bulletin, senior writer for The Age and Online Political Editor for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Chris has written two non-fiction books The River (2010) – winner of the ACT Book of the Year – and The Coast (2012), published by Melbourne University Press.
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. He lives in Canberra, Australia.
(author photo and bio info courtesy of the author's own website)
(ARC courtesy of the publisher)
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