{"id":82585,"date":"2018-08-23T15:25:36","date_gmt":"2018-08-23T04:25:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.booktopia.com.au\/?p=82585"},"modified":"2018-08-23T15:30:28","modified_gmt":"2018-08-23T04:30:28","slug":"scrublands-chris-hammer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/2018\/08\/23\/scrublands-chris-hammer\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Buzz: Scrublands by Chris Hammer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"scrublands\"<\/a>There is a very good reason people are calling Scrublands<\/em><\/a> the \u2018thriller of the year\u2019. This impressive debut from journalist Chris Hammer is a powerful and compulsively readable Australian crime novel.<\/p>\n

Set in a fictional Riverina town called Riversend, the story follows journalist Martin Scarsden as he attempts to write an article about a shocking event that took place in the town a year earlier. Stricken by drought and still reeling in the wake of tragedy, the atmosphere in Riversend in stiflingly tense.<\/p>\n

As he investigates, Martin begins to suspect\u00a0that the truth behind the shooting may be more complicated than anyone realises. After\u00a0the bodies of two missing backpackers are discovered, suddenly Riversend becomes the centre of a media storm\u00a0as everyone scrambles to uncover the truth.<\/p>\n

Hammer paints a vivid portrait of a dry and isolated country town shrouded in secrets and suffocating in grief. The first in what promises to be a thoroughly gripping series, this is the perfect read for fans of The Dry<\/em><\/a> and The Nowhere Child<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Since publication on the 25th of July this year, Scrublands<\/em><\/a> has rocketed to the top of bestseller lists for Fiction and Crime Fiction. Plus, according to\u00a0an interview\u00a0on ABC radio, it is currently the most reserved book in\u00a0libraries across Australia!<\/p>\n

Chris Hammer has\u00a0been\u00a0featured in articles and news stories from a range of television networks and publications including ABC and Channel 10.<\/p>\n