Dead Man's Creek: The Times Crime Book of the Year 2023
About this ebook
Hidden for decades, can this small town face the secrets that will surface?
**THE TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR**
**SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH**
Young detective Nell Buchanan uncovers a deadly, decades-old mystery at the heart of her rural hometown in this stunning thriller from award-winning author Chris Hammer.
'A commanding, consuming and outright thrilling mystery. Chris Hammer's first-class series goes from strength to strength.' - Chris Whitaker
'Utterly brilliant, a darkly simmering mystery.' - Dervla McTiernan
'Chris Hammer is at the height of his power here. Dead Man's Creek is a superb piece of storytelling' - William Shaw
'I doubt I'll read a better novel this year.' - The Times
Newly-minted homicide detective Nell Buchanan returns to her hometown, annoyed at being assigned a decades-old murder - a 'file and forget'.
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.
The nearer Nell comes to uncovering the secrets of the past, the more treacherous her path becomes. Can she survive to root out the truth, and what price will she have to pay for it?
Gripping and atmospheric, Dead Man's Creek is a stunning multi-layered thriller from Chris Hammer, the award-winning author of Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year Scrublands (2019) and Times Crime Book of the Month Opal Country (January 2022).
Praise for Chris Hammer:
'Classic Hammer. A crime novel that will stay with me for a long time.' Ann Cleeves
'Chris Hammer is one of the leading proponents of Outback Noir and Dead Man's Creek is another stellar offering. A big, meaty, complex crime story.' Vaseem Khan
'This may well be Hammer's best work yet. Atmospheric and thrilling. I was gripped.' Victoria Selman
'A complex, twisty thriller, with nuanced characters and a winding plot all set in the oppressive Australian heat.' Lisa Hall
'This slice of Australian noir sparkles like an opal in the blistering sun.' Lisa Gray
'Opal Country is a top-notch Aussie Noir with real heat coming off the pages.' Christopher Fowler
'Hammer is a great writer - a leader in Australian noir' Michael Connelly
'Shimmers . . . A tortured tale of blood and loss' Val McDermid
'Stunning - a page-turner which stays long in the memory' Sunday Times
Ratings and reviews
About the author
Chris Hammer was a journalist for more than thirty years, dividing his career between covering Australian federal politics and international affairs. For many years he was a roving foreign correspondent for SBS TV's flagship current affairs program Dateline. He has reported from more than thirty countries on six continents. Chris's non-fiction book, The River, published in 2010 to critical acclaim, was the recipient of the ACT Book of the Year Award and was shortlisted for the Walkley Book Award. Scrublands, his first novel, was published in 2018 and won the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Award, as well as being shortlisted for Best Debut Fiction at the Indie Book Awards, and Best General Fiction at the ABIA Awards. It has also been longlisted for the Ned Kelly Best Crime Novel of the Year. Scrublands was released as a TV series in 2023, distributed in the UK by BBC Four. Chris has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Charles Sturt University and a master's degree in international relations from the Australian National University. He lives in Canberra with his wife, Dr Tomoko Akami. The couple have two children.
