I really enjoy Chris Hammer novels, which surprised me. I have that pesky Cultural Cringe factor around Aussie books in general, and I feel like Hammer specifically just throws every single thing he thinks of into each book. At a certain point, all 273.802 plot threads being miraculously interconnected starts to beggar belief, you know?
So this new one, being described as his “most ambitious yet” was a bit concerning – what was he going to do, have Scarsden find evidence that put Trump away while saving Ukraine (all from Australia)?
If you’re unfamiliar with Chris Hammer, his first three books (Scrublands, Sliver and Trust) feature journalist Martin Scarsden, solving murders and exposing corruption. Every story seems to escalate the magnificence of his investigative skills, and the plots just start to need one thread removed to avoid overloading the tapestry. This is clearly going to vary person to person – and I say this is someone who squeals at the book store when she finds a new Hammer, and buys it immediately.
His more recent books (Treasure and Dirt; The Tilt) feature a detective tangentially connected to Scarsden, Ivan Lucic, and Nell Buchanan – an outback copper paying her dues, hoping to one day join homicide. In my opinion, it’s a change for the better, and where I’d suggest a newcomer to Hammer start reading.
The Tilt is set in Nell’s hometown on the Murray river in NSW, meaning she not only has to navigate an investigation, but also deal with interpersonal conflicts going back to her childhood. After an environmentalist blows up a dam/retaining wall and floods the surrounding forest, a decades-old skeleton is discovered. Nell’s a bit shirty about being left behind to try and reconcile a cold case, but when another body is discovered, events hit a little closer to home.
The story alternates between WW2 Australia, Nell in the present day, and the 1970s. This is well paced, entertaining storytelling set in vividly realised countryside (I was actually reminded of Trent Dalton’s All Our Shimmering Skies in places)(which you should also read).