I loved this author’s previous books but this one didn’t feel at the same level for me, I did enjoy it but I didn’t find it as fast paced or engaging as the others

Sadly not as good as the previous books, but I did enjoy it just not as much hence that is why I gave it 3 stars.

I loved the previous books from Hammer and was excited to read this. Unfortunately for me this book wasn't as good as the other two, I felt the plot was a little too predictable and the ending to me was odd. A good read but not as good as his usual books.

For me I'm going to give this one 4 stars!
It amazed me at how well it was written! I felt like I was living the story myself, it really sucked me in!. I really enjoy books where you have to turn into detective mode! This one had me in overdrive, didn't know who to trust and what direction it was going to go.
It was very easy to read and hard to put down! Loved it!

I didn’t realize this was #3 in a series and to be honest I don’t think I suffered much from not reading the others. Though, on the back of this I will be getting the others.

Martin Scarsden is the main character and in this installment he has to face terror in his own home after receiving a call from his girlfriend Mandy screaming, destroying their happy life.

This is clearly a great series and it benefits greatly from the freshness of the Australian location and the likability of the main character.

Recommended, I’m looking forward to more.

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.

A fascinating tale of a disappearance of an ex-journalist’s girlfriend after what seems to be an attack. Highly recommended!

On a bright sunny day in Port Silver, ex-journalist Martin Scarsden misses a call from his girlfriend Mandy. Checking his voicemail later, all he hears is her terrified scream before the phone cuts off.

Back at the house, he finds a policeman unconscious on the floor, and Mandy gone.

So starts a riveting tale of intrigue and danger, as Martin probes the hidden past of the woman he loves. But can he trust her, once her shocking secrets are finally revealed?
A pulse-pounding, absolutely gripping and totally addictive page-turner that will have you racing through the pages and reeling at the twists

Complex, Action Packed…
The third in the Martin Scarsden series and following a, perhaps, slightly slow burn this soon becomes a complex and action packed tale with a convoluted plot, a tension mounting tale of corruption and greed. Central characters have grown and evolved over the series and remain a constant. A fitting addition to the series.

Wow! This book has everything you would like in a thriller. All I can say is, read it and you won't be disappointed. 5* all the way. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Ex journalist, now best selling true crime author, Martin Scarsden and his partner Mandy have been living in his hometown of Port Silver for over a year. The ghosts from his childhood have been exorcised and with Mandy's young son, Liam they have carved out a happily and peacefully life together. All that changes when Mandy disappears  from their clifftop home leaving a familiar but unconscious policeman the only potential witness to what happened.

Arranging for Liam to stay with relatives is the last easy thing Martin does as he is hurtled into Mandy's past at the same time as his mentor and editor from his old newspaper offers him the story of a lifetime. Getting sucked into the details of Mandy's life before he knew her and digesting the hints from Max begin to place him in danger and Martin realises that, for now at least, there are very people he can really trust.

Chris Hammer has once again knocked it out of the park with his third Martin Scarsden novel. The first two were excellent with complex storylines which worked on every level and Trust continues to entertain in the same compelling manner. Martin and Mandy have standalone chapters so some things are seen from more than one point of view but it never gets repetitive.

The two main protagonists are as engaging as always and the cast of characters contain some familiar as well as new faces. All of them fit seamlessly together to enhance a storyline which grabs the reader's attention on the first page and never lets go. It isn't for the faint hearted or blood adverse but it is deliciously brilliant.

I was able to read a copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. Chris Hammer is an expert in his field and all three books are testament to his talent.

Mandalay "Mandy" Blonde is kidnapped from her quiet existence with her son and her boyfriend Martin in Port Silver - being threatened when she wakes up to reveal the location of $10m that she is accused of helping squirrel away five years earlier. What follows is a tale driven entirely by Mandy's past, as the money that disappeared could lead to some very powerful people being exposed.

I was interested in this book from the description, but the novel feels like it was being written as the author was going along. Without spoiling anything, it's very difficult to guess what the conclusion is going to be for any of the characters, and I'm not sure the author entirely knew himself! Every single crime fiction trope you can think of appears, and I don't think it really coherently matches up in the end. I have awarded it two stars, as it is at least readable, but I'm not sure whether it is satisfyingly readable.

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.