Member Reviews
I will not be reviewing this book as I did not enjoy Scrublands. I wish the author all the best though.
I enjoyed it but not as much as Scrublands.
This one seemed too long and needed far more suspension of belief than his other books.
Trust by Chris Hammer
I've gotten to 30% and this book isn't doing it for me unfortunately, just not following where its going
I love Australian fiction and this was a new author for me and I’ve also never read any Australian crime novels so another first ! I can see why this author is loved as the characters are well developed and there’s a great atmospheric feel to the book , I loved the Sydney setting .
I read this without having read the previous two novels and even though it does work as a stand alone I think I would have got more from it if I had read the others , oh well I will just have to read in reverse! Overall a good solid read .
A good read and well written but it was the third in a series and referred back to the previous books which I hadn't read - hence the 3 stars.
Trust by Chris hammer
Pud date jan 7 2021
I love this book such a amazing story with characters I loved trying to find the clues. I didn’t know who was The killer I loved the characters and learning about them it’s such a griping read I enjoyed. I felt sorry for Mandy she had difficult times to deal and I fought Martin was great in the story I didn’t expect the out come.
A good read , however, it was book 3 in a series and it did refer back to things that had happened in the past that I probably would’ve understood better if I’d read the others in the series
In Trust, Australian author Chris Hammer's third instalment in his gritty hard-hitting crime series featuring ex-journalist and true crime writer Martin Scarsden the action moves to Sydney. Martin is in a long term relationship with single mother, Mandalay (Mandy) Blonde and her toddler, Liam, and they have a house in the seaside town of Port Silver, his hometown.
In this instalment, Mandy is abducted, her past coming back to haunt her, the details of which she never revealed to Martin. He is out building sandcastles on the beach with Liam when his phone rings. Ignoring it, he picks up a voicemail later and hears Mandy screaming. Rushing home he finds Mandy gone, but an intruder wearing a suit is lying face down on the living room floor. He recognises the intruder as a man named Claus Vandenbruk and ascertains that Mandy had links to people and events in Sydney so he sets off in search of Mandy...
Chris Hammer's novel of Australian noir is a wonderfully riveting and atmospheric crime read. The story-line is complex with exemplary characterisation including a host of characters that made a real impact. As Martin investigates Mandy's abduction, he learns a great deal about her and the mystery man in her life. For her part, Mandy must figure out who she should trust, be it the police, Martin, or anyone. I love that this story is intrinsically connected with Mandy's past, and she is right there amongst the action all the way through. Meanwhile, Martin is poised between the thrill of the main story and his personal relationships. I also like the way in which the author transported me into the heart of Sydney with his rich descriptions and vivid and atmospheric portrayals of corruption, violence, scandal, secret clubs, and murder.
This is quite a long novel at nearly five hundred pages which seems daunting, however, no word is wasted and the first-class writing meant I never lost interest. Gripping throughout, I adored Trust and I’m already looking forward to Chris Hammer's next offering.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel, at my request, from Headline/ Wildfire via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
This book has been completely and utterly impossible to put down. I have been completely gripped, suspicious of all the characters involved and completely unable to predict where this book was going. This is well-written, completely addictive and all round a wonderful gem. I absolutely recommend this book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The third book by Chris Hammer that I have read and devoured. The main characters, Martin Scarsden and Mandalay Blonde (what a name), are properly developed, rounded and flawed and the plot is fast, furious and intriguing. I am not usually great with complex plotlines but somehow I can follow Hammer's tales and even read the violent passages as they are well written. This book deals with corruption in the very heart of Australian establishment and hierarchy and it takes a while to work out the good guys. A welll-written thriller that will keep you gripped.
Please see LoveReading.co.uk for the full review. The hardback of Trust was chosen as a LoveReading Book of the Month and a LoveReading Star Book.
Chris Hammer-what a guy, and what another great read. Hammer sucked me in with the Outback setting of his first book, then the port town of his second book and now with his big city politics and twisted officials.
Once again our main character and his long term girl friend are sucked into a corrupt situation that needs righting. Together they get wrapped up in coverups, murder , theft and secret societies. Another brilliant book from this author with brilliant characters that I have become so attached to.
A must read for fans of Jane Harper.
Regular readers will know that I am a huge fan of Australian fiction and have read and loved both of Chris Hammer’s previous offerings; Scrublands and Silver, so I was super excited to read Trust the latest in the Martin Scarsden series of books.
Martin is a journalist who has found fame as a true crime writer. Spending most of his life bouncing from place to place reporting on war zones and crimes, he has returned to his childhood town, Port Silver where he has settled with his girlfriend Mandalay (Mandy) Blonde. First introduced in Scrublands she has always been a character I have been interested in, she seemed to have some kind of history or secret which we didn’t know about and I have been hoping that Hammer would explore her background, and in Trust that is precisely what he does.
The book opens with Mandy being abducted and being spirited away to Sydney with Martin in hot pursuit. The mysterious past which has been alluded to in previous books has caught up with Mandy and well and truly interrupted her present. Years earlier she had been in a relationship with a man who was last seen making off with millions of dollars from the bank they both worked for. It was assumed that he had escaped to a tax haven and was living the life of luxury but it seems that he didn’t get very far because his body has found encased in cement. It appears that he didn’t escape after all, but who killed him and why? And where is the money? And what exactly does Mandy have to do with it all?
This is high-stakes immensely readable thriller which kept me turning the pages. There are secrets and lies and layers of deception not only from Mandy but from prominent Sydney figures too who seem to lurk on the periphery. I love a book like this, it has good solid plotting and great writing with twists and a few red herrings to boot. Although this could be read as standalone I was pleased I had read the other books first as I knew the characters well. I could understood the doubts that Martin had about Mandy as more and more of her past was revealed, just like I could understand why Mandy wasn’t sure if she could fully trust Martin with the secrets of her past.
The previous two books have taken place in small towns and Trust takes us to Sydney but this isn’t the Sydney that I imagine. In my head it is an eternally sunny, glamorous and cheerful place but in this book, which is set in winter, it is a cool and rainy place which feels dark and dangerous. It is also set in a post-pandemic world which I found a little discombobulating. The references to shops that had closed as a result of Coronavirus and lives that were affected by it felt a little too close to the bone and didn’t quite provide the escapism I was craving. It did add to the overarching sense of doom and darkness of the city though and felt almost post-apocalyptic in tone at times – both good things.
Trust is a cracking read from an author well in his stride. I love Martin and Mandy and especially loved this complex yet riveting book about secrets and deception. If you haven’t read a book by Chris Hammer before, then lucky you because you have three great books awaiting you.
This is the third title to feature Martin Scarsdale and his partner Mandalay Blonde, although it can easily be read as a stand-alone.
The story starts when Martin arrives home to find Mandalay missing and an unconscious man in their home. Martin's search for Mandalay takes him to Sydney, where secrets from her past and those around her begin to unravel at an alarming rate.
This is a fast-paced thriller, with excellent characters and storyline. I’d recommend this title to anyone who enjoys this genre and I look forward to reading more about Martin and Mandalay’s adventures in the future.
Many thanks to Headline and NetGalley UK for the review copy.
Yes, that's right. Another 5 star rating for Chris Hammer. I cannot help it, this Aussie drama-thriller series has me completely hooked. I read Scrublands and Silver, the two books previous, but find Trust to be even better. There are so many layers in these books, lots of moving parts, but such solid stories to sink your teeth into.
What's to love? The characters. Martin Scarsden and Mandy Blonde are grounded and as close to real people as you will find in novels. Martin is a journalist, and certainly has the strengths and weaknesses of journalist (i.e. drive to scoop rivals no matter the cost?!) but is a standup gent. I genuinely like him. Mandy's past is the focus of much of the drama in this third installment and it is a delight to watch her go. We learn more of her background and enjoy seeing her in action. She's no slouch and it is terrific to see her flex her muscle as this Mandy-based story.
The location still features highly here. We are in Sydney throughout and it is a pivotal element as we follow these two digging up intelligence in a city setting rather than out in the sticks. We bounce around quite a lot following leads of, possibly, intertwined story lines. It gets rather dicey, at times, with a number of close shaves but an utterly mind blowing ride. You will love it!
This is the third outing for Australian former investigative journalist and true crime author Martin Scarsden, and for me, the best so far. He is now enjoying a quieter life in Port Silver with his girlfriend, who bears the rather noirishly femme fatale name of Mandalay Blonde, and her baby son. Unfortunately, Mandy’s past again returns to haunt her when the body of her former fiance is found buried in the foundations of an excavated building. He had been thought to have fled abroad with millions after defrauding the bank where they both worked, and Mandy had been cleared of involvement, but as in the other books she is a trouble magnet, and the secrets and lies that are revealed by the discovery of the body will put lives in danger and threaten everything that she and Martin have built together. The plot twists and the extent of the conspiracy is revealed slowly in a complex and satisfying unravelling. The characters of Martin and Mandy are further developed and we find out more about their earlier lives and the factors affecting who they are now, and both they and the other characters are realistically and believably portrayed in a gripping and involving read. I look forward to reading future books in the series, but hope Hammer cuts poor Mandy a break and that she will not always implicated in future murders!
I have loved the other books in the series but this seemed very similar to them despite it being set in Sydney and away from Port Silver. The big city did nothing for the storyline in my mind which I was expecting. The characters didn't seem any more developed and seemed to be going through the motions. I 'll still read the next book from this author however as I think this was just a lull in what will be a good series.
This is the third in the series and, although the main story is self contained, to get the very best from Martin Scarsden as a character, background and development, please do read books 1 & 2 first - they are both very decent reads so...
Martin is on the beach with Liam when he ignores his phone. When he eventually listen to his voicemail all he hears is Mandy screaming. When he reaches the house they share he is shocked to find a man knocked out on the floor, Mandy missing; her phone and wallet left behind. Someone has taken her. But who, and why? Then, his ex-editor and mentor, Max, calls him about a story but is murdered before they can meet. And so begins a rather convoluted tale - starting in Mandy's past but opened up today by the discovery of the body of someone who most thought had disappeared with stolen money. Even though too close to home for comfort, Martin's investigative journalist senses are set off and he starts to slowly peel back the layers. With intrigue and danger around every corner and not knowing who to trust, can Martin expose the truth and lay some ghosts to rest?
Oooo - this was a doozy of a plot. Intricate and convoluted in all the right places for maximum impact. It's a wee bit on the slow side initially but, once it really starts to get going, you'll realise the need for that slowness - to build up the layers of intrigue that the latter stages of the book peel back to expose the truth of the past that has come back to haunt Mandy.
Unlike most books these days that have completely ignored the pandemic that has pretty much wiped out 2020, this book refers to it occasionally in passing - masks, lockdown, sanitiser - nothing major and nothing to do with what is actually going on, just an acknowledgement that it happened which is something I applaud the author for both tackling and getting right.
Characterisation is so much fun in this book as we have a rather eclectic mix of them. I especially warmed to Yev and his sister in their joint IT/Scarvery shop and really hope it's not the last we see of them. As already mentioned, plotting is tight and intricate and extremely well executed. There's is so much going on, so many balls to keep in the air that, at the end of the book, when I turned the final page, I sat back and applauded the author for a job well done.
All in all, a cracking addition to a now very well established series. Roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
I am a huge fan of this series (I am dying for it to be made into a TV series!) but this one didn't quite hit the mark in the same way that the others had. Don't get me wrong, it was still a great page turner and I enjoyed finding out more about Mandy but I found it all a bit implausible....I'll still be keen to grab the next one though!
True is the third book from Chris Hammer featuring ex journalist Martin Scarsden. After finding his girlfriend Mandalay missing and an unconscious man on the floor of his home, Scarsden delves into Mandy’s past to discover what is going on.
It’s difficult to provide a detailed plot synopsis without also giving away spoilers, but the novel takes the reader on a journey full of twists and turns.
I do enjoy Australian fiction but feel Chris Hammer doesn’t compare to some of his contemporaries such as Jane Harper. This book can be enjoyed as a stand alone novel but the first two books are well worth reading too.