Silver

‘An almost perfect crime novel, I'd say: intelligent, thought-provoking, great narrative energy, a central character who's imperfect but self-aware, and of course that amazing setting. As you'll have gathered, I loved it.’ Ann Cleeves

'Shimmers with heat from the sun and from the passions that drive a tortured tale of blood and loss.' Val McDermid

‘A heatwave of a novel, scorching and powerful. This extraordinary debut, perfect for readers of the magnificent Jane Harper, seared my eyes and singed my heart. Don't miss it.’ AJ Finn

'Set in the parched Australian landscape, Scrublands is a brilliantly plotted thriller which reveals a town full of brooding secrets. I couldn't put this compelling debut down.' Sarah Ward

‘An epic account of the psychological damage accumulated over many years in a dying agricultural town. Scrublands is that rare combination, a page-turner that stays long in the memory’ Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month

‘Extremely accomplished ... Deliciously noirish ... Set in the blistering heat of a remote Australian town ravaged by drought and threatened by bushfires, this is a complex, meaty, intelligent mystery ... Hammer's writing is so evocative the heat practically rises off the pages of Scrublands’ Alison Flood Guardian 'Best Recent Thrillers

' ‘My pick for debut thriller of the month (and maybe of 2019) ... Beautifully written, this would make a terrific small-screen series’ Washington Post

Well-rounded characters, masterful plotting and real breadth; this is an epic and immersive read (Laura Wilson Guardian)

‘Incendiary . . . A rattling good read, ambitious in scale and scope and delivering right up to the last, powerfully moving page’ Declan Hughes Irish Times

‘Meshes sociological insights, literary stylings, and a multi-layered crime tale into an epic novel that’s simply superb….For me, Hammer brought rural Australia, its towns and people and issues faced, to vivid life with a sweat-inducing authenticity.’ Craig Sisterson