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Old bones sink – but secrets always rise to the surface.
‘Utterly brilliant, a darkly simmering mystery – an Australian Where The Crawdads Sing.’ – Dervla McTiernan, bestselling author of The Ruin
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).
Praise for Chris Hammer:
‘Classic Hammer. A crime novel that will stay with me for a long time.’ Ann Cleeves
‘This novel is Hammer’s best work yet.’ The Times
‘A complex, twisty thriller, with nuanced characters and a winding plot all set in the oppressive Australian heat.’ Lisa Hall
‘This slice of Australian noir sparkles like an opal in the blistering sun.’ Lisa Gray
‘Opal Country is a top-notch Aussie Noir with real heat coming off the pages.’ Christopher Fowler
‘Hammer is a great writer – a leader in Australian noir’ Michael Connelly
‘Shimmers . . . A tortured tale of blood and loss’ Val McDermid
‘Stunning – a page-turner which stays long in the memory’ Sunday Times
‘Utterly brilliant, a darkly simmering mystery – an Australian Where The Crawdads Sing.’ – Dervla McTiernan, bestselling author of The Ruin
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).
Praise for Chris Hammer:
‘Classic Hammer. A crime novel that will stay with me for a long time.’ Ann Cleeves
‘This novel is Hammer’s best work yet.’ The Times
‘A complex, twisty thriller, with nuanced characters and a winding plot all set in the oppressive Australian heat.’ Lisa Hall
‘This slice of Australian noir sparkles like an opal in the blistering sun.’ Lisa Gray
‘Opal Country is a top-notch Aussie Noir with real heat coming off the pages.’ Christopher Fowler
‘Hammer is a great writer – a leader in Australian noir’ Michael Connelly
‘Shimmers . . . A tortured tale of blood and loss’ Val McDermid
‘Stunning – a page-turner which stays long in the memory’ Sunday Times
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Reviews
Classic Hammer, with the heat and the small town obsession with secrecy and past grievances. A crime novel that will stay with me for a long time.
A complex, twisty thriller, with nuanced characters and a winding plot all set in the oppressive Australian heat.
A clever and compelling small town mystery, with an evocative setting and a brilliant cast of characters. This slice of Australian noir sparkles like an opal in the blistering sun.
Opal Country is a top-notch Aussie Noir with real heat coming off the pages.
A brilliantly atmospheric mystery.
This novel - tighter, tougher, tenser - is Hammer's best work yet.
Chris Hammer is regarded as one of Australia's best new noir crime writers, and this immersive and lyrically written thriller copper-fastens this well-deserved reputation.
Gold standard Outback noir [...] Chris Hammer's best writing to date.
Nobody does Australian outback crime better. Hammer nails it again.
Opal Country is richly rewarding. Hammer is quite brilliant.
A fast-paced and thrilling read.
Keeps you stuck to the story like an Outback miner's shirt to his back
A sharp thriller
A master of the crime genre
Utterly brilliant, a darkly simmering mystery - an Australian Where The Crawdads Sing.
Timely and timeless, Dead Man's Creek is some of the finest crime fiction out there. Chris Hammer just gets better.