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 is a leading Australian crime fiction novelist, author of the internationally bestselling Martin Scarsden series: Scrublands, Silver, Trust and now 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 and aired on BBC 4 in the UK in November 2023. A second series based on Silver will air later this year. 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 30 countries on six continents for SBS TV. In Canberra, roles included chief political correspondent for The Bulletin, senior writer for The Age and Online Political Editor for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. Chris has written two non-fiction books The River (2010) - winner of the ACT Book of the Year - and The Coast (2012), published by Melbourne University Press. The River has just been republished in a special new edition (2025). Chris lives in Canberra, Australia.
