Thank you for the ARC.
Another great read read from Chris Hammer. Good plot, good characters.
I look forward to reading more.
.

Another phenomenal read from Chris Hammer. The intricate plot, well drawn characters and evocative locations are now all a standard for his writing. I can't wait to read more.

I am a huge fan of Chris Hammer and I was delighted to get the opportunity to read his newest book Dead Man’s Creek. This was one of the most gripping and thrilling books I have read in a long time. I read it over the course of a day as I simply couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to read more from the author in the future.

Dead Mans Creek aka Tilt by Chris Hammer is so stupidly marvelous I don't know where to begin. The way the story blends and twists and never rests is masterful. The way Hammer invokes the feeling of temperature, and the Aussie bush is extraordinary. There can't be an Australian who doesn't recognise. I mean, "...dispensing heat like malice and dust like disease." Hammer is a master of his craft and an automatic read.

Dead Man's Creek is a good thriller from start to finish. Filled with twists and a captivating plot, keeps you hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is fast-paced. I loved the outback setting. The story alternates between present day and previous generations.

I hadn't read anything by this author before but had heard good things so I was excited to try this one.

This is a complex crime drama and the second in the series which I wish I had known as I feel reading the first would have added to my understanding of the characters. That being said it can easily be read as a stand alone and I enjoyed the slow unravel and the eerie small town setting.

I do think there were a lot of Australian references that I either had to look up to make sense of or that went over my head but overall I enjoyed this and would read more by this author.

A gripping mystery from Aussie writer Hammer. Set in the outback, newly promoted homicide detective Nell Buchanan returns to her hometown for her first investigation. A cold case for a decades old murder, when a skeleton is found in a muddy creek. But as more bodies are uncovered, Nell cannot rule anyone out.

Dead Man's Creek is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out Dead Man's Creek asap.

8/10

A new to me author in a setting that I don't often read about but mixing in the mystery and crime that I do enjoy made for an entertaining read. Little did I know that this was the second book to follow Nell Buchanan but I never felt lost having not read the first one. There were nods to previous events but never enough to derail the plot progression of this one.

The story is based in small town Australia with current mysterious needing to be unearthed along with decades old mysteries that all seem to weave together to make an gripping tale. There were plenty of characters to get to know and every now and then I would be scratching my head as to the link but never for too long as the writing made me keep going at it. The flow of the narrative strands is done excellently and all of them have meaning and purpose resulting in a very good novel.

The first but not my last I will read by this author for sure.

Detective Nell Buchanan, having been promoted, based in Dubbo in New South Wales, is back in her old home town, Tulong. A skeleton has been discovered and Nell is assigned to the case.

The tale is told over timelines from the 1940s, 1970s and the present day, and is narrated by a variety of different characters, many of whom have links to Nell and her family. A very well constructed story that was engrossing, immersive and enjoyable. Extremely highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel, at my request, from Headline/ Wildfire via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Another brilliant read from Chris Hammer. I have read all his books and loved them all.
This one was a little different being told in multiple timelines and following the personal and family life of Nell our detective.
What I love most about Hammer's writing side from the gritty Aussie feel is his ability to 'show not tell' - just when things start to get complicated or more characters are introduced, just when you think "woooow this is getting tanged, and I'm losing sight of who is who" Hammer manages to clear it up without you even realizing. I have complete trust that the author could help me understand the most convoluted plots.
But that aside, once again another brilliant book and Chris Hammer is still an auto-buy author for me.

It took a while to get into this as there are so many characters and plots. I got to halfway and things started falling place. It’s a very clever storyline and I liked the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Headline for ARC.

Newly promoted detective Nell Buchanan is back in her old home town, investigating the discovery of skeletonise remains in an old dam regulator. She's been assigned to a team led by Ivan Lucic who is absent for a lot of the novel. I don't want to give too much plot detail, because it's so multilayered.
Hammer is just terrific, a master at writing small town Australia and generational small town secrets, and Nell is an interesting, complex character. This manages to be a tense thriller with political undertones and a family saga, without either strand feeling forced. It weaves three timelines seamlessly, and I was unable to put it down.
This is the second novel to feature Buchanan and Lucic, but it stands on its own.

Summary: Another slow burning, intricate thriller from Chris Hammer.
Dead Man's Creek is the second novel in the Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan series but does work effectively as a standalone novel.
Nell has received her promotion to the role of Homicide detective and is continuing to work with Ivan. As a result of a recent explosion at a regulator - presumed to be the work of an environmental group - a skeleton has been discovered and Nell is assigned to the case. For Nell, there are two issues: 1) this is a cold case and 2) the location is close to her hometown and she may-well know some of the suspects. They certainly know her family.
This is a multilayered story that is told from the perspective of three main eras, 1940s (referred to the experiences of the family in WWI era Australia), 1970s and the present day, which each timeline reflected a different series of events which will become interconnected and are connected to Nell.
Hammer has a gift for creating an intelligent story with an intricate plotline and is the perfect example of the Australian noir genre.

This is the first novel that I have read by this author, and is his second book about Detective Narelle (Nell) Buchanan and her colleague Ivan Lucic. I haven't read the first in the series, but didn't struggle with this at all, so would say it is fine to read as a stand-alone!

In the present day, Nell has recently been promoted to the role of Homicide detective and is really enthusiastic to get stuck in to her first case. She doesn't have to wait long. A body has been found at a nearby river.

Unfortunately for Nell, the body is a victim of murder that was been committed a long time ago, and so begins the cold case investigation..

At first she wonders why they are involved, but having grown up in the area, she is better placed than anyone to know the nuances of its people, history and secrets, and is able to shed light on things that with someone else investigating may have otherwise stayed hidden.

Dead Man's Creek is told from the perspective of three main eras, 1940s, 1970s and the present day, and is narrated by a variety of characters, most of whom have links to Nell and her family.

It is probably safe to say that Nell's personal/family life is not perfect (lets be honest, whos is?), but she is determined to show that she is deserving of her promotion and despite her initial reluctance for the case, is determined to get some answers.

It isn't long before another body is discovered, and it is yet another cold case of someone who was murdered years ago. Does Nell really know the area at all?

The puzzle pieces of the local area and it's history begin to fit neatly into place as the novel progresses. It can be a little confusing at times as there is so much going on, but it is a novel that I enjoyed and I wouldn't hesitate to try this author again.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the copy of #DeadMan’sCreek by #ChrisHammer
I know I will probably me in a minority but I found this book confusing with to many timelines and far too many people and relationships.
The descriptions of the landscape were overlong.
Not one for me. Didn’t finish it.

What fantastic book this had me wondering what was going to happen when I was laid in bed at night wondering how I’d sleep with this book on my mind!.

I’m not sure if this is a debut or not but I’ll be looking up the author for other books for sure,

Dead Man’s Creek is the second book to feature Narelle (Nell) Buchanan and Ivan Lucic, following on from Opal Country, but can easily be read as a stand-alone. Nell takes front and centre stage in this story which turns very personal for her.

Newly promoted to Detective, Nell is miffed when her first assignment turns out to be a historic case in the backwater of New South Wales in what used to be her home. It feels to her like she is being palmed off with an easy case for a rookie detective and she’s not happy.

Environmental activists have been active in the area and after one has blown up a regulator on the Murray River, deep in a foresting area, skeletal remains are discovered. The remains are more than 80 years old and so Lucic lets Nell get on with it. Nell is hardly started on the identification of the skeletal remains when a second body is discovered; and intriguingly this one is also old, just not as old as the first one…

Dead Man’s Creek spans more than half a century, with much of this story harking back to two distinct time periods; World War 11 and the 1970’s and Nell will have to mine her family’s knowledge in order to see how the threads of the past connect through to the present.

I love the epic sweep of this book and the way in which he uses the geography of the area to create a magnificent backdrop to his murder mysteries. This story is set along the Murray River and we learn about the impact of Worlds War 11 on the area and how Italian POWs were treated after being shipped in from to work at a prison camp. Hammer beautifully explores the impact of the war on those left at home, as well as on these POWs.

Chris Hammer takes us back in time and traces the history of a number of people who will turn out to be important to Nell and her family history. You get a sense of the vastness of the terrain and yet also the feel of a small town where everyone knows everyone else, the past is alive for most of them and secrets are kept close.

We hear about Tessa’s 70’s romance with the attractive young would be journalist, Tycho and the time they spent with great music on tape and the scent of young love in the air. But Tess’s life takes a turn for the worse when Tycho goes missing. Then there’s 90 year old Jimmy Waters with a story to tell. He grew up a bush cattle herder after his dad was sent to New Guinea in the Second World War.

But this novel is not all historical, though the root of these puzzles lies in the past; Dead Man’s Creek is also a compelling story of political terrorism today.

Nell has to gather all of these fragments of different information from across the decades, at the same time as she sees the information she is uncovering impacting on her family. How she manages to reconcile this with her role as a homicide detective is such a delicate balance and she proves she has the mettle to navigate this delicate territory as well as the courage to face armed and brutal gangsters.

Verdict: Chris Hammer’s novel is a beautifully layered, wonderfully described novel where the picture builds like a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle. The plotting is exceptional. He has a great knack for surprising you with things that seemed unimportant but suddenly come into focus as other pieces of information slot into place. His sense of place is remarkable and his characters authentic. I loved it.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Dead Man's Creek but that has in no way influenced my review.

I am a huge fan of Australian crime fiction and Chris Hammer has rapidly become a favourite author of mine. So when I heard a new book was on the horizon I, of course, jumped at the chance to read it. Something you can always guarantee with a book by this author is that the story will be intelligent, beautifully plotted and gripping to the end, the setting will be vivid and by the conclusion you will believe the characters are living, breathing people. What more could a reader ask for?

Newly promoted homicide detective Nell Buchanan returns with senior Detective Ivan Lucic to her hometown to investigate what appears to be a cold case. Nell finds it difficult to understand the rationale for their involvement in Tulong. They are homicide detectives after all and the bones that have been unearthed appear to be decades old. It's hardly the exciting first case she was hoping for! However, Nell's connection to the area and her knowledge of those that live there means she's able to access information that otherwise wouldn't be so forthcoming. As Nell digs into what happened to the body buried under the dam in the Murray River, startling new information comes to light about the past and present, putting Nell in increasing danger. Because for Nell Buchanan, this investigation is very close to home...

Dead Man's Creek is a riveting and intricate crime novel that's both beautifully plotted and totally immersive. The reader can't help but be pulled into the book by the author's skilful storytelling and once you're in, there's no way you're going to want to leave. Everything about Dead Man's Creek is pitched perfectly. The characters are multi-layered and fascinating from start to finish. Over the course of the two books featuring Nell Buchanan I have really warmed to her character. As said in my opening paragraph, these characters - and Nell in particular - feel very real to me. The reader really gets to know the bones of her in this novel as the story is set both in the past and the present, revolving to a large degree around the Waters/Buchanan family. Because of this there are a quite a few supporting characters to get your head around and relationships to remember. But I found I was soon able to bring to mind the relationship between characters and a brief backstory. But Nell ultimately shines through with her dogged determination to get the case solved and uncover any previous wrongdoing. No matter what the cost...

The story is set in both the past and the present and I really appreciated the information the author provides about Australia's part in the Second World War. It was fascinating to read about the impact of conflict on the country, something I'm ashamed to say I know nothing about. The book is well paced and draws the reader in, keeping you glued to the pages (all 469 of them!). If the thought of a longer novel is something you find daunting then believe me when I say it's well worth investing in Dead Man's Creek. It's a compelling, tense and immersive read which flew by in the blink of eye.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Dead Man's Creek is a superb follow up to Opal County, Nell and Ivan Lucic's first adventure. Dead Man's Creek stands perfectly well on its own so there's no need to read Opal Country first but I heartily recommend both books. Why not pick up both and really get to know Ivan and Nell? Add in the Martin Scarsden series too which starts with Scrublands. I am always impressed with how incredibly vivid the author's settings are. They're a living, breathing part of the storyline alongside the very lifelike characters.  Chris Hammer is a favourite author of mine for good reason. A superb sense of place, totally believable characters and a plot that won't let you go until you've read the final word. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free ARC of Dead Man's Creek. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The partnership of detectives Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic, first seen in Opal Country (which is, like Dead Man's Creek, part of a tapestry of stories featuring Buchanan, Lucic and journalist Martin Scarsden) returns here. but this book is really Nell's.

Called in to investigate the discovery of a skeleton when a river dam is destroyed by environmentalists, the two seem to be wasting their time on ancient history, on the coldest of cases. Can there be some ulterior motive for Ivan's interest? If there is, it doesn't last long as he leaves Nell to sort things out and disappears back to the city.

She's not so bothered. Tulong is her hometown, and while sh'e not exactly on good terms with her family - her mother didn't want her facing the dangers of police work - it's familiar ground and she's running the show. Yes, there may be problems with the conspiracy-theory touting "cookers" living out in the forest, but Nell can handle herself, can't she?

But then another body turns up, and this one is less straightforward...

Interleaved with the present day story are the accounts of a young boy living in the forest during the Second World War, while his father is away fighting, and of a young woman living in Tulong in the mid 70s. These very different accounts showcase Hammer's ability to inhabit character - both the lonely, frightened but self-sufficient boy and the young woman on the threshold of life and freedom, experiencing love and lust for the first time.

But behind these two another, vaster character looms - the Barmah-Millewa forest, a vast tract of land occupied by the mighty redeem trees, drawing its sustenance from the Murray River. The first is home to all sorts of renegades and escapees: wartime deserters, dropouts and hippies, criminals, and even more sinister elements as well as abundant plant and bird life. A sad aspect of the story its its consumption by settlers for wood and charcoal, and their choking off the precious waters, leaving the trees dried out and dying. (I cheered on the destruction of the "regulator", which keeps the river water from the forest).

The forest is, though, still alive, vital and active in this story, not just a location for events but a determinant of them - as ever with Hammer's books, Alksander Potočnik's map helps one to follow what's going on. Hammer's descriptions of a child's time in the forest, or of Nell exploring the flooded wonderland in search of a rumoured shack on an island, really evoke the glory and mystery of a primeval landscape.

There's a lot packed into Dead Man's Creek, the three narratives evolving slowly and satisfyingly before the mystery is even stated. Nell is able to go about her job - at least to begin with - fairly slowly and steadily, untangling wartime records, accounts from local papers and forensic evidence. Meantime, the detail and atmosphere build, the hints of small town enmities and generational feuds which inevitably touch on her own family and background, raising ethical questions of how closely she should actually be involve din the investigation.

That aspect - and the menace of Internal Affairs - is thought more distant than in some of Hammer's other books. Other threats abound though, with a birdwatcher having recently vanished (oddly, nobody seems very bothered by that) and Nell's landlord taking against her because of her family.

A gloriously evocative story as well as a knife-sharp crime novel, Dead Man's Creek shows Hammer's writing at its excellent best, delivering a truly empathic account of some very hard lives as well as tension, mystery and a message about our relationship with and stewardship of the land.

STRONGLY recommended.