Scrublands

* * *NOW A MAJOR BBC TV SERIES * * *
THE #1 BESTSELLING AUSTRALIAN CRIME NOVEL
WINNER OF THE CWA JOHN CREASEY DAGGER
SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019
'Shimmers ... a tortured tale of blood and loss' Val McDermid 'Stunning ... Scrublands is that rare combination, a page-turner that stays long in the memory' Sunday Times (Crime Book of the Month) In an isolated country town ravaged by drought, a charismatic young priest opens fire on his congregation, killing five men before being shot dead himself. A year later, journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend to write a feature on the anniversary of the tragedy. But the stories he hears from the locals don't fit with the accepted version of events. Just as Martin believes he is making headway, a shocking discovery rocks the town. The bodies of two backpackers - missing since the time of the massacre - are found in the scrublands. The media descends on Riversend and Martin is the one in the spotlight. Wrestling with his own demons, Martin finds himself risking everything to uncover a truth that becomes more complex with every twist. But there are powerful forces determined to stop him, and he has no idea how far they will go to make sure the town's secrets stay buried.

Chris Hammer is a leading Australian crime fiction novelist, author of the internationally bestselling Martin Scarsden series: Scrublands, Silver, Trust and Legacy. Scrublands was shortlisted for major writing awards in Australia, the UK and the United States. In the UK it was named the Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Year 2019 and won the prestigious UK Crime Writers' Association John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award. Scrublands was adapted for TV, airing on BBC4 in the UK. Silver aired on BBC2 in 2025. Chris also writes the award-winning series featuring homicide detectives Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic: Opal Country, Dead Man's Creek, Cover the Bones and The Broken River. Before turning to fiction, Chris was a journalist for more than thirty years. He reported from more than thirty countries on six continents. Chris has also written two non-fiction books, The River, winner of the ACT Book of the Year, and The Coast, published by Melbourne University Press. Chris lives in Canberra, Australia.