My thanks to Headline Wildfire for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Trust’ by Chris Hammer in exchange for an honest review. As the audiobook edition was available, I accompanied my reading with it.

This is Hammer’s third novel featuring journalist Martin Scarsden. It follows on from the events in ‘Scrublands’ and ‘Silver’, and while some background is provided I would certainly recommend reading the books in order for an appreciation of the characters’ development.

This novel hits the ground running as while out Martin misses a call from his girlfriend, Mandy. When he checks his voicemail all he hears is her terrified scream before the call cuts off.

Racing home he finds an unconscious man on the floor and Mandy gone. The man is Claus Vandenbruk, a policeman who featured in ‘Scrublands’. He was apparently there to inform Mandy that the body of Tarquin Malloy, Mandy’s former fiancé, had been found in the concrete foundation of a demolished building in Sydney. Mandy had believed that after stealing millions from the bank that they both worked for that Tarquin was living the high life overseas. So who incapacitated the detective and took Mandy? And why?

This is just the start of a very twisty tale of intrigue as Martin investigates the past of the woman he loves. I won’t say more in order to avoid spoilers but I was very impressed.

Hammer again delivers a powerful, brilliantly plotted thriller that held my attention from start to finish. It is notable that Hammer references both the Covid-19 pandemic and the Australian wildfires in the narrative.

‘Trust’ and indeed the entire series are excellent examples of Australian noir. Highly recommended.

Trust is the third novel by Chris Hammer to feature the character Martin Scarsden and Mandalay (Mandy) Blonde. Martin is a journalist and former war correspondent for The Herald newspaper in Sydney. After a turbulent few weeks arriving in Port Silver, Martin, Mandy and son Liam, have now settled in the town and are enjoying life in their newly renovated home. Life is good and they appear to have put their troublesome pasts behind them, until the day when Martin receives a some strange phone calls; one from his old boss at the Herald and also a voicemail from a screaming Mandy.

It turns out that Mandy’s past is more complicated than ever expected. Her past and present collide when the body of her ex-fiancé is discovered, and an investigation is opened once again into financial regulation and the theft of millions of dollars. Meanwhile, Martin is looking into the murder of his old boss and trying to convince Mandy to tell him the truth. As the couple struggle to stay ahead of their enemies and to discover the truth, they are also fighting for their future.

There are several storylines running in parallel and Hammer ties each of these together, but it does become confusing in the middle of the novel, trying to understand all of the various strands and how the individual characters connect. He does ensure that there is a rapid pace of movement and that the story does not let up. The reader does not need to have read the previous novels in the series (Scrublands, Silver) and Trust works well as a stand alone thriller. However, I enjoyed following each story and picking up on the subtle hints that indicate the overall arc of the storyline from Scrublands, through to Trust.

An enjoyable read, a murder mystery but for me a very slow burner. I was expecting more tension and suspense. I did finish this book but it was a struggle. It did get better but it just did not grab me. Saying that I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Thanks to Headline and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.
The third in a series of books from Chris Hammer and frankly they just keep getting better with twist after twist.
References are made to previous events in prior books but I do feel that you could potentially read this as a standalone publication.
Hoping for many more to come.

Chris Hammer's first two books in the Martin Scarsden series have been tense, twisty and brilliantly written, so I was really looking forward to reading Trust. However, it fell far short for me. It stretches credulity that between them Martin and Mandy (his girlfriend) have THIS many skeletons in their closets. With both previous books dealing with elements of their pasts and both books also plunging Mandy into traumatic situations, I feel now is the time to rely on Martin's work as an investigative journalist for plots, rather than endlessly recycling the "oh no! Mandy is in peril!" and the "oh gosh! someone from Martin/Mandy's past is a bad 'un!" storylines. While Trust is equally as well written as the previous books, the narrative just didn't hold my attention and I ended up skipping portions so I could get to the end more quickly.

This was my introduction to reading a book by Chris Hammer as I haven't read his previous two novels. But I was absolutely hooked from the get go.
This is the story of Martin Scarsden and his partner Mandalay and the mess that they are involved in that takes them from the safety of their life as Mandalay is kidnapped to the murky backwaters of Sydney.
The book had me captivated. I absolutely loved it.

I enjoyed "Trust" as a read, I am an absolute fan of Chris Silver's writing and of the character he created, Martin Scarsden and both of those elements are here in their usually glorious way.

However if I'm being honest I was not that enamoured of the story this time around. I didn't binge read it in the way i did Scrublands and Silver, I never got above mildly interested in what was going on although the writing meant I looked forward to going back to it.

I think it's the girlfriend. This is the third book and the third time, or I suppose second technically, where something is happening with her that drives the narrative. I kind of felt "been there done that " about it so for me the read lacked tension. Also I don't really like her that much.

Overall though still a very good book from an author who I expect to follow throughout his sure to be long career.

Headline.
Chris Hammer goes from strength to strength. He provides great descriptions of Australia be it small town, city or beside the sea. You can feel the dust on your skin and the heat and humidity. Good characters whose relationship with each other (and the reader) has built over the series. Coupled with dangerous situations which have been plausibly created this all combined to a tense and enjoyable read. Thanks to Headline and Netgalley gor this free ARC in return for an honest opinion.

Aussie Chris Hammer shifts location to Sydney for the third in his series featuring journalist and true crime writer, Martin Scarsden, now in a long term relationship that has worked out well for him with single mother, Mandalay 'Mandy' Blonde and her toddler, Liam, in Port Silver. This is a riveting, fast paced, adrenaline fuelled thrill ride and where the character names, bad guys and violence had echoes of the golden age of classic black and white Hollywood noir and gangster movies. It all begins with Mandy's abduction which sees her recognising that her past has come back to haunt her, a past that she has never confided in Martin about, a past that she is going to have address to reclaim her future, and which raises issues of trust for her, she had been unfortunate in the men she had chosen previously, has she finally struck lucky in Martin? That he loves her is not in question as he races to Sydney in the hope of finding her there, learning she had once been engaged to Tarquin Molloy, assumed to have stolen millions from Molllison's Investment Bank, then abandoned Mandy, and apparently gone on to live the good life.

However, the remarkably well preserved body of Tarquin is discovered in the foundations of a high rise building, showing signs of being badly beaten up and then shot, it emerges he was an undercover cop who might have had a different agenda beyond stealing money at Mollinson's. Martin is being asked to join his old editor, mentor and friend, Max Fuller, on a below the radar investigation, and it appears it has some connection to Molloy. Before he can talk to Max, his body is found in a compromising position with Elizabeth Torbett, a supreme court judge, looking like a murder-suicide. A grief stricken Martin wants to know what got Max killed, and nothing is going to stop him. Mandy looks to lay the past to rest for good as she tries to find out who Tarquin was and what happened to him. In a narrative that sees Martin and Mandy join forces, they uncover The Mess, an exclusive secret dining club for the rich, powerful and the criminal, formed after WW2, are in the gravest of danger and caught up in horrifying blood baths.

This is an atmospheric and compulsive thriller, packed with suspense and tension, that I feel Hammer wrote a little tongue in cheek, I can imagine that he had a great deal of fun in plotting and writing it. I think this latest outing for Scarsden might well be the best one yet, you get a great sense of location of a post-lockdown Sydney and there is a terrific cast of characters, featuring the good, the bad and the downright ugly. Martin and Mandy get help from a young IT expert Yev as they find their phones compromised, and face mafia guys, stone cold professional killers, corruption and more. A wonderfully entertaining Aussie thriller that had me avidly turning the pages to see where all the action and drama were heading. I think many crime and thriller readers will love this. Many thanks to Headline for an ARC.

A couple of years ago, Chris Hammer introduced us to ex-war correspondent Martin Scarsden, in his first book Scrublands. Still earning his living as a journalist, but now reporting on events on the home front, he’d travelled from his home in Sydney to a small town in Eastern New South Wales to research a piece he intended to write on a mass shooting carried out by a young priest some twelve months earlier. There he met and fell in love with the beautiful Mandalay Blonde who ran the local bookstore come coffee shop. It was a brilliantly tense novel with a great setting, interesting characters a twisty, complex plot. In Silver, the second book in this series, we learned a good deal about Martin’s early life as he returned to his home town, a place he’d left under something of a cloud years ago. I wasn’t quite so taken with this one but I still liked relationship between the characters and the setting enough to want to continue following this pair in their further adventures, even if I had some doubts about Scarsden.

In this latest book the couple are still based in the small NSW town of Port Silver, featured in book two, but events quickly remove us from this setting and immerse us into a mystery of murder, financial impropriety and an exploration of Mandalay’s former life. Early on few characters from previous books make a re-appearance and this briefly provides a settling sense of continuity even if this turns out to be simply a ruse - this definitely isn’t going to be a comfortable sit back and soak it up ride. Martin is soon headed back to Sydney looking for Mandalay, she’s been violently abducted and his instincts tell him that this is where he should begin his search for her. From this point the action is ever moving, ever evolving and as new players enter the story many have a tendency to be offbeat and unsettling. It’s not clear where this is all going but a number of events, all in themselves serious and unexplained, might be linked.

It’s a high velocity tale, complex and sometimes confusing but never dull. Though it’s the story of Martin and Mandalay running through this series that really grabs me: they’re very different characters, each somewhat swallowed up the past and yet their relationship is believable, if never quite fully balanced. I like, too, the Aussie setting for these books, with its own vernacular and fantastically dramatic backdrops. If I have a criticism it’s that the denouement feels somewhat over-engineered and, for me, it rather stretches credibility. But I’m happy to set that aside, the ending is seldom the most important part of a book for me – and definitely not if the journey is as good as this one was.

Martin misses a call from his girlfriend only to find a voicemail later of a terrified scream. He returns to their house to find her missing and a policeman unconscious on the floor. From there a fast paced story emerges as Martin starts to learn about his girlfriend’s past as the body of a man she used to be engaged to is found brutally murdered.

I was so excited to read this one after having recently finished Silver the second book in the series. And I wasn’t disappointed. This book follows on from the second one with Martin and Mandalay but the story couldn’t be more different. It is primarily set in the City this time so it has a completely different vibe with a different kind of intensity and pace. In fact I think this book is just that little bit darker and grittier than the last one but with the same great use of language that really makes you feel part of the action. It was good to get get to know more about Mandalay this time and her backstory. It was also great to be back following Martin as he hunts the truth down with the help of Mandalay. This book is another fast paced addictive read and I loved it.

The third of Australian journalist Hammer’s crime novels featuring journalist Martin Scarsdale and his girlfriend Mandy who certainly attracts more than her fair share of trouble. Although the first is still my favourite if only because it contains a cringeworthy scene which will stay with me for a very long time, this was still thoroughly enjoyable. This time Mandy has been kidnapped and the two are quickly caught up in the violent world of Sydney’s rich and powerful desperate to hide their involvement in a very shady bank and willing to sacrifice anyone who gets in their way. Excellent fast-paced thriller with believable characters and vivid locational descriptions, I could almost believe I was there in Sydney with them.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline for a review copy of Trust, the third novel to feature journalist Marin Scarsden and his partner Mandalay Blonde.

Martin gets a voicemail and hears Mandy screaming. He rushes back to the house and finds an unconscious policeman and Mandy gone. He rushes to Sydney to find her and ends up on a collision course with her past as a man she was engaged to years ago has turned up, not abroad with stolen money as she thought but dead for five years.

I thoroughly enjoyed Trust which is a twisted, complex tale of greed and corruption. It is told from Martin and Mandy’s points of view as he chases the story and she chases her past, re-examining what she thought she knew and evaluating what she is now learning against what she thought she knew. It’s compelling reading but you need your wits about you to keep up as it’s complicated with every character having their own angle. No wonder the novel is called Trust as nobody can be trusted.

I read the novel in one sitting, unable to put it down. I found the gradual unraveling of all the angles mesmerising. Every time I thought I had a handle on events there was another twist and more possibilities. The twists come thick and fast so there’s no reader complacency or much time to breathe. It’s an amazing feat of planning and plot control. I wish I’d taken more time over the novel but I was greedy to know what was coming next so it was as fast as I could turn the pages.

Trust is one of the best novels I have read this year so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

Somewhere between 3-3.5

Having enjoyed the previous two novels in this series - Scrublands and Silver - requesting this was a no-brainer. Hammer's writing and complex but accessible plots have engaged me previously, and this new book is a similar set-up: a multi-layered story beginning with the purported theft of millions of dollars by Martin Scarsden's partner Mandy's ex, Tarquin Molloy, from when she worked at a bank in Sydney.

Quite a lot happens across the course of the book, with sections being relatively high-octane, but everything took a little bit too long to come together for me in this novel. I personally like mystery/thrillers where just enough is given away for the reader to work out what happened and start drawing their own conclusions, but I felt wholly in the dark until right at the end of Trust as to how the various leads and people interlinked and weaved together.

Despite my reservations I'd wager that if you liked Hammer's other books then you'll find something to enjoy here.

I really enjoyed reading Chris Hammer’s books Scrublands and Silver and I was delighted to get a copy of the follow up story Trust.
It was great to revisit the characters of Martin Scarsden and Mandalay Blonde in another fast paced story of action, adventure and mystery.
I can’t wait for the next book from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

spoiler alert ** 3.5 stars


Mandy really is a magnet for trouble. Her bad taste in men seems to have never ending repercussions.

This time we go five years back in her past,and discover who she was then,and how she got caught up in a huge fraud,that's coming back to haunt her,and leave a string of bodies behind in present day.
Luckily Martin is there to investigate,and uncover the lies,and the secret clubs...
It's a busy book.

A fab third installment,that left me wondering where can we go next with these guys?

Trust is the third outing for investigative reporter Martin Scarsden and his partner Mandy Blonde. Following on from the excellent Scrublands and Silver, I was hugely looking forward to this book. It lived up to those expectations.

The plotting is smart and pacey. It’s full of twists and turns which keep you guessing. But, yet again it’s the characters and the incredible descriptions of place which really set Chris Hammer apart from other authors. We’ve had arid outback, sleepy coastal town and now we are in the big city. Throughout I felt like I was walking the streets of Sydney, while desperate to unlock what had happened. We have a historical murder, undercover operations and corruption right to the heart of the establishment. Heart-stopping and wholly believable. It is a true page turner.

Fingers crossed for a 4th instalment.

Thanks to Netgalley and Allen and Unwin (Headline/Wildfire) for an advanced copy.

Chris Hammer returns with the third instalment in the Martin Scarsden series and treats us to the best Australian Noir in years. It isn't strictly necessary to have read the preceding two books before diving into Trust as the story is self-contained; that said, the previous two are also well worth your time. He violated her past and haunts her present. Now he's threatening their future. She breathes deeply, trying to quell the rising sense of panic. A detective came to her home, drugged her and kidnapped her. She tries to make sense of it, to imagine alternatives, but only one conclusion is possible: it's her past come to claim her. Martin Scarsden's new life seems perfect, right up until the moment it's shattered by a voicemail: a single scream, abruptly cut off, from his partner Mandaly Blonde. Racing home, he finds an unconscious man sprawled on the floor and Mandy gone. Someone has abducted her. But who, and why?

So starts a twisting tale of intrigue and danger, as Martin probes the past of the woman he loves, a woman who has buried her former life so deep she has never mentioned it. And for the first time, Mandy finds denial impossible, now the body of a mystery man has been discovered, a man whose name she doesn't know, a man she was engaged to marry when he died. It's time to face her demons once and for all; it's time she learned how to trust. This is an exceptional and totally riveting read with twists aplenty, which managed to blindside me from the get-go. Hammer writes in such a fluid manner that it's easy to become completely immersed in his world, and not only is it superbly plotted but the characters are engaging, vivid and relatable too. The social commentary on the corruption present in the highest positions in Sydney society and the involvement of the mafia fascinated me and the two intersecting storylines were both equally as captivating as each other.

The author expertly and with beautiful attention to detail crafts a compelling and wholly gripping plot. An entertaining, well-written tale full of gruesome murders, kidnappings and secrets upon secrets upon secrets. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Wildfire for an ARC.