Dead Man's Creek: A darkly atmospheric, simmering crime thriller spanning generations (Detective Nell Buchanan)

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As well as the present day narrative that follows Nell’s investigation, we are treated to a couple of storylines from the past. Jimmy Waters retells the story of the summer of 1943 while we also follow the events in 15 year old Tessa Waters’ life in 1973.

This is a multi-layered crime novel from three different time periods. The threads are cleverly woven together, revealing hidden family secrets. In 1943, we meet a young boy, Jimmy. He herds cattle near the forests. His father is fighting in New Guinea. Jimmy and a friend plan to gather crawfish (yabbies). Chris Hammer is at the height of his power here. Dead Man’s Creek is a superb piece of storytelling’– William Shaw The opening chapter of The Tilt by Chris Hammer is prefaced by a map and a family tree. Now, I know many people LOVE a good map but I'm spatially challenged so tend to avoid them at all costs. And the family tree had me worried that there were so many players we'd need help remembering who was who. But thankfully it's not the case at all. Instead it gives us context and a reminder how complex lives can be in small communities. Home isn't a place Nell Buchanan visits if she can possibly avoid it. She has little choice however, as she's been sent to Boonlea for work, to investigate after a body, or what's left of it, is discovered after an explosion demolishes a river regulator. With partner DS Ivan Lucic she begins the task assigned but is dismayed to discover the case, her first as a homicide detective, is likely to be nothing more than the identification of a decades old victim where any suspects are long since deceased themselves.

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A commanding, consuming and outright thrilling mystery. Chris Hammer’s first-class series goes from strength to strength.’– Chris Whitaker, bestselling author of We Begin at the End Chris Hammer is at the height of his power here. Dead Man's Creek is a superb piece of storytelling' - William Shaw The story features newly promoted homicide detective Nell Buchanan as our main character and detective sergeant Ivan Lucic . They’re sent to Nell’s hometown Tulong to investigate a cold case upon the discovery of a skeleton at the bottom of the regulator.

Utterly brilliant, a darkly simmering mystery .' - Dervla McTiernan, bestselling author of The RuinMY THOUGHTS: Geologic tilting, also known as tectonic tilting, occurs when the earth's surface layers begin to tilt or slant irregularly. But this is no ordinary cold case, her arrival provoking an unwelcome and threatening response from the small-town community. As more bodies are discovered, and she begins to question how well she truly knows those closest to her, Nell realises that finding the truth could prove more difficult - and dangerous - than she'd ever expected. Whilst there are many characters, they are well developed, the plot is cleverly complex yet easy to follow. There’s mystery, surprising twists and an excellent conclusion. Hammer interweaves environment issues with great dexterity into the body of this thriller set on the shores of the once great Murray River. The action takes place variously in an Italian POW camp, a car dismantling yard, and a small town currently inhabited by Twitchers, crazy right wingers and Neo-Nazis. A commanding, consuming and outright thrilling mystery. Chris Hammer's first-class series goes from strength to strength.' - Chris Whitaker, bestselling author of We Begin at the End