This is a worthy follow on to Scrublands. The centre of the action has moved to Port Silver, Martin Scarsden’s home town and starts with the murder of one of his school friends. The return ‘home’ lends itself perfectly to flash backs to Martin’s childhood and a better understanding of the man he now is. As with Scrublands there is a lot going on here and it’s no wonder that the books are so long as all the different strands of the story are fully explored and then woven together. I felt that Martin really came to life when he was working on stories and chasing deadlines and I’m sure that was due to the authors experience in that field. I’d be happy to read more with these characters but equally I’m happy wi5 where they have been left at the end of Silver. I’d definitely recommend the reading of Scrublands prior to tackling this book.

If you enjoyed Chris Silver’s first novel, Scrublands, Silver will not let you down. Martin Scarsden returns as a reporter who has just started a new relationship with Mandy Blonde. After returning to his hometown Port Silver, he becomes involved again in a complex criminal investigation.

Full of twists and turns, this novel will keep you guessing until the end, and like Scrublands the descriptions of the surrounding environments make you feel like you are really there.

My thanks to Headline Wildfire for a digital edition via NetGalley of Chris Hammer’s ‘Silver’ in exchange for an honest review.

I was blown away by his first novel, ‘Scrublands’, when I read and reviewed it for the publisher last December and very excited to learn of this sequel that continues Martin Scarsden’s story following the events in Riversend.

Here Martin returns to his childhood home,
Port Silver, and stumbles into another complex situation involving a shocking murder. I don’t want to say anything much about the plot in order to avoid accidental spoilers but I will say that it takes off right from the moment Martin steps through the front door!

I had been very impressed by ‘Scrublands’ and was stunned by how brilliant ‘Silver’ was. Another example of Aussie Noir at it’s finest. I found Hammer’s writing style very engaging and felt that he handled its complex storylines and the large cast of characters well.

Again, as with ‘Scrublands’, he utilises the Australian landscape so well alongside his human characters. Here rather than the Outback, it is the coastal areas, woods, and swamplands that feature. It’s no surprise that he has written two works of nonfiction about Australia’s seascape, rivers, and ecosystems. I hope to read these at some point.

I would award it more than 5 stars if I could. Certainly a fine sequel to ‘Scrublands’ and likely to gain him even more accolades. I can hardly wait for news of his future projects.

This is Chris Hammer's follow up to his stellar award winning Aussie crime fiction debut, Scrublands, and it confirms his talent as the location shifts to Port Silver in New South Wales, a coastal town, the town the now ex-journalist Martin Scarsden grew up in and couldn't leave fast enough after his traumatic childhood, at 8 years old he lost his mother and his sisters in a nightmare accident. He has never looked back, burying his memories and past deep inside him. After an emotional desert when it came to his personal life, he has surprisingly found a partner and family in the shape of Mandalay (Mandy) Blonde and her son, 10 month old Liam. After writing his true crime book, Martin is heading back to his childhood home, Mandy has inherited a house familiar to him, offering Mandy and him the opportunity to start anew. Arriving home, Martin finds himself faced with the horrifying sight of a murdered man, with Mandy's hands covered in blood.

The victim turns out to be Martin's best friend as a child, Jasper Speight, a real estate agent, and the police are focusing on their prime suspect, Mandy. Convinced of Mandy's innocence, Martin delves below the surface of Port Silver, a town and community he knows although much has changed. He can no longer shut down the past as he acquaints himself with the large and blended family of his Uncle Vern, a man he was ashamed of and unforgivably ignored through the years. Port Silver has become moderately affluent, having lost its cheese factory and fishing industry, it has become a tourist destination, with surfers, a retreat with a Indian Swami, flooded with backpackers looking to work on farms and acquire the relevant visas. Martin uncovers a town riddled with drugs, sex, celebrity, religion, development speculation and ambitions attracting big time money, corruption, greed, and murder. A tragic event ensures that Port Silver has the national and international media descending in a mad scramble to the town, and signals Martin's explosive return as a front line journalist.

Hammer immerses the reader in the beautiful coastal region, his rich descriptions vividly and atmospherically evoking Port Silver and its surrounding area. This novel explores Martin's personal history, a past that had made him the man he was, avoiding emotional entanglements, until he met Mandy and is offered the prospect of a future that he never thought would be his. However, their relationship is not one he can take for granted, with many factors that threaten to derail it, such as their lack of communication and trust on key issues, and Martin's unrelenting focus and ambition in following and leading the biggest story in the country. I was particularly taken with the beginnings of his reconnection with his Uncle Vern's large and sprawling family, and the revelations of what really happened in his troubled past. This is a truly riveting and compulsive Aussie crime read, a worthy sequel to Scrublands, it has me hugely anticipating the next in the series. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Headline for an ARC.

The second book featuring Martin the disgraced journalist.. He has finished a book about murder and joins his partner and her son Liam in his hometown of Silver where sad he has inherited property. On arrival he finds his best boyhood friend Jasper murdered and Mandy in the frame for it. A complex storyline involving drugs, murder , rape and sex as Martin tried to exonerate his girlfriend and is peppered with the unscrupulous traits of the press. Additionally the early life of Martin unfolds giving insight into his character
It is a lengthy read and though I did enjoy the read I found the early stages slow but it gaine momentum half way through

I loved Hammer's debut novel, Scrublands, so requesting this follow up was a no brainer for me. Silver is set a few months after Scrublands in journalist Martin Scarsden's hometown, Port Silver, where he has moved back to to be with his partner, Mandalay Blonde and her son Liam. However bad luck seems to follow Mandy and Martin, and a murder takes place in Mandy's new apartment just days after they arrive. The police suspect Mandy of being involved, and Martin's investigations bring up a whole host of shady local characters, extending the possible culprit to include several people in the small seaside town.

My rating for this is more of a 3.5 rounded up - I didn't enjoy this quite as much as Scrublands, and while it's still a strong mystery/thriller novel Silver took quite a while to get going, and I felt in the dark about how all the plot points were going together until quite close to the end. Hammer somehow pulled it off though, and I'd recommend this for fans of more character driven, slow-burn mysteries.

This is the second Martin Scarsden story. I thoroughly enjoyed the first one and this is at least as good. It's a view of Australia hung on a murder mystery. I find it fascinating. I've never thought of visiting Australia, but these books have made me think seriously about it. Chris Hammer is a wonderful descriptive writer. I can picture the scenes, feel the sand and so on.

Loved it.

I read an advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

Chris Hammer laid down a terrific marker with his debut SCRUBLANDS, a searing rural noir that shared the drought-stricken small-town Australian setting of Jane Harper's THE DRY (while in a different state), while being a very different - and equally exquisite novel.

In SILVER he shows no second-novel wobbles, picking up where he left off with another multi-layered mystery that takes readers deep into setting and character. This time it's the seaside hometown of Martin Scarsden, a place he's returning to after many, many years away. Hammer adroitly deals with the ways hometowns change over the years, evolving with economic development or decline. Scarsden is confronted with people who knew him years ago, and the various impressions they've held - sometimes different to what he perceived himself - along with new locals who could be friends or foe.

Overall, this is a really terrific tale. The mystery is satisfying, the character development of the main character and others is absorbing, there's a great sense of place and some of the issues bubbling away there. It all comes together a little hurriedly at the end, after a long build up, but I'll certainly be racing to grab the third Chris Hammer tale - the first two are both winners.

After reading Scrublands earlier this year I was pleased to get this book, the second one with Martin Scarsdale the disgraced journalist, Having moved away from the isolation of the outback, he moved to Sydney where he wrote a true crime book chronicling what happened in Scrubland. The book had been a success.

He has now moved back to his hometown of Port Silver (a made up place) on the coast. Martin was looking forward to starting his new life with his girlfriend Mandalay Blonde (Mandy). Martin hasn’t been back to his hometown in years, things had changed. Mandy had inherited a house there, which they were going to move into as a family. However, as Martin arrives at the property Mandy has rented whilst awaiting the keys to their new home, he finds her sitting on the floor, covered in blood and looking at a dead body. Martin soon recognised who the body was, an old school friend. Mandy finds herself as the prime suspect in his murder.

Whilst he isn’t currently working as a journalist, a friend of his mother has asked him if he would help find the person who killed her son. So not only is Martin doing that, but he is also trying to clear Mandy. The press are in town, we see some of the characters from Scrublands. Martin is caught in the middle. Could the cases be related?

Within this story you get to learn more about Martin, being in his home town there are people that know him, and knew him growing up. Martin himself is quite secretive about us past. As we learn things about him it explains quite a bit.

The story is very slow for the first 100-150 pages, which can be a little off putting, as you find your mind wandering and lose focus on the story. This is a long book with over 550 pages. Once the characters are introduced the story begins to pick up in pace. The investigation is done over 8 days, the towns residents pointing fingers at each other regarding the dead body. Martin is poking his nose in lots of places, the police don’t like him snooping round, as it’s their investigation. But he is a journalist and one thing they know how to do is snoop.

Whilst I enjoyed this book, I struggled with the slow start, the length, despite the pace picking up there were times when it dipped again. Having said that there are some good characters in the story. The side plots worked well and the ending, well that’s up to readers to find out.

I would like to thank #netgalley and # Wildfirepublishers for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with Martin again and join him in investigating a complex crime and also exploring his past.
It is a very long book however, and I did feel the story could've been told just as well more concisely and, despite its length, I felt while I know more about Martin the other characters, particularly Mandy remain fairly 2 dimensional

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book

I absolutely adored Scrublands so as well as being excited to read this next one, I was also a little nervous about whether it would live up to its predecessor... and it absolutely did.

Niggles: the relationship between Martin and Mandy (would she really have stuck around when he is so selfish???), Mandy as suspect (didn't really ever buy that), a little too much of 'being in the right place at the right time'.

Highlights: the exploration of Martin's 'back story'; the twisty-turning plot where I felt constantly wrong-footed, the vivid depiction of small town coastal Australia, how Martin's profession as a journalist enables him to look at things in a fresh way.

So, while it wasn't completely perfect I was nevertheless fully immersed and gripped throughout and I am still hopeful someone will pick up the TV rights...it has the makings of a TV drama all over it!

I’m kicking myself for not reading book one Scrublands as this was a great read but I’ll definitely be going back and reading it.

Martin and his girlfriend move to Port Silver, Martins hometown with the hope of a new start. While everything goes downhill for them we get to hear about Martins childhood as well. Martin is gonna need his journalistic talents to find out what’s going on (I’m wary about spoilers).

This is a big book and I’m glad it is. I didn’t think it dragged on which I usually do with big novels. An excellent read that has me wanting to read Scrublands.

If you had spent a year in the drought ravaged town of Riversend reporting on the aftermath of a mass shooting and the repercussions spiralling out from it you would be justified in hoping for some downtime. For journalist Martin Scarsden returning to a town he vowed he'd left behind for good is difficult enough, but when his girlfriend becomes the main suspect in a murder case the chances of any relaxation happening anytime soon are disappearing rapidly!

Martin has been holed up in Sydney writing a book about his experiences and so arrives a few weeks later than Mandy and her son Liam finding, to his horror, the body of his childhood best friend lying in a pool of blood in the living area of their newly rented accommodation. Having never imagined he would return to his hometown of Port Silver, where Mandy has inherited a large house, Martin begins trying to clear her name as he is bombarded with the repressed memories of a childhood beset by tragedy and secrets.

This is the second Martin Scarsden book by Chris Hammer and, after the brilliance of the first, I wondered how this would match up. I needn't have worried; this is absolutely first class and a worthy continuation of Martin and Mandy's life together.

As in the previous book there are many strands to this story and although initially the murder is the main focus Martin finds the pull of the past almost too strong and is unable to prevent himself from reassembling his childhood memories with the benefit of hindsight and the  experiences of adulthood. Add to this the other storylines interwoven throughout, the excellent characterisation of protagonists old and new and, once again, the author has smashed it.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it as highly as possible; it really is a first class read.

I really loved Scrublands when I read it a while ago so I was very excited to get my hands on this, the next in series. Martin and Mandy are both quite complex characters with interesting backstories so if you do get chance, please read the first in series before diving into this book. There is a bit of catch-up herein but it really only serves as a memory jogger rather than a full explanation of what happened before.
So, Martin has reluctantly agreed to move back to his hometown where, coincidentally, his new partner Mandy Blonde has inherited a house. He has stayed away initially to finish his book while Mandy sets up. But their reunion is not as expected as Martin walks into the house they are renting only to find one of his childhood friends dead on the floor and Mandy on the sofa covered in blood. And so begins a rather convoluted tale which envelops pretty much the whole town's population. A tale that makes Martin choose between his hankering to report what is going on with his desire to clear Mandy of the crime. With the rest of the press hot on his heels, he faces a race against time in his struggle to do both.
As with Scrublands, this is a rather convoluted plot where the setting is instrumental in what is happening. I can't really go into detail as I might spoil things. As well as that, we get to know more about the enigmatic Martin as we delve into his past as he reconnects with his hometown and the people he left behind. The reasons for his leaving are best left for the reader to discover as the author intends so I won't go into detail here, suffice to say, it's not a happy story. Couple all that with some really great descriptive passages about the outback town of Riversend and it's quite a slow burning book. Many things bubble under throughout the narrative but it is really worth persisting as it all comes together very nicely at the end.
I described Martin as enigmatic. He definitely was in Scrublands but here we do get to know a lot more about the man behind the page. We meet his old friends and relatives and what happened in his past. I connected well to him in Scrublands even with his complexities therein. Here, as I got to know him better, that connection was strongly reinforced and I really look forward to reconnecting with him once again in future books.
A thoroughly gripping read that left me wholly satisfied at its conclusion. A series that I thoroughly recommend. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The peerless Chris Hammer recaptures the magic of his previous outing, Scrublands, in this intricate thriller full of Aussie charm. Having loved Scrublands, it was a joy to catch up with Martin and Mandy as they relocate to Port Silver, Martin's childhood home town. But, as you would expect, there is quite a lot happening in the shadows, both present day and in the past, with personal demons for Martin to dispatch if he is to find a peaceful life with Mandy.

The brilliance of Hammer's novels lies in the onion-peel level of intrigue. There's not just one mystery to solve but quite a few. The depth of characters and potential crimes is always more than meets the eye. So whilst you are liking a certain character for one crime or slight, there is more to it than you suspect. It's excellent writing, if not a bit confusing at times. Lots of moving pieces to keep track of but a joy to behold how it all fits together. Not one bit of a cookie cutter thriller, this kind of story tears up the rule book.

As a character, I felt engaged with Martin, the quick thinking journalist who has the uncanny knack to be in the right place at the right time in regards to murder and nefarious activities. Silver may have an edge over Scrublands, but just slightly, as the story takes us down a path more personal for Martin. I honestly loved it and cannot wait for the next novel. Silver is an excellent book that is sure to keep the reader on the hook.

The follow-up to Chris Hammer's debut, Scrublands, finds protagonist Martin Scarsden once more embroiled in a complicated mystery which has its roots in the past. Returning to his childhood hometown, Scarsden stumbles upon the scene of a murder: his childhood best friend, brutally stabbed to death, in the house rented by his partner (first introduced in Scrublands) Mandy. With Mandy under suspicion, Martin finds himself torn between loyalties to old friends, his new commitment to Mandy and her son, and his desire to return to his journalism career. Like Scrublands, Silver is atmospheric and strong on characterisation, with the reader drawn into sympathising with even the minor characters. However, my one bugbear with the books is that it's difficult to understand just what Mandy (and plenty of other female characters) see in the grizzled, middle aged journalist, and there seems to be more than a hint of wish fulfilment to Hammer's creation of a character, uncannily similar to himself, who has beautiful women in their early 20s throwing themselves at him.

Slightly over written but beautiful and often measured at times, this is a rich story that keeps twisting and turning. A major journalist works to clear his wife of murder but in the proces, his past in the home town she's brought him to, crops up and his own tragic loss as a child here becomes clear. It's not what he thought. Complex plot lines and wonderfully drawn characters abound. Highly recommended.

Really good thriller packed full of action and suspense. I really liked the first book and this one is just as good. There is depth to the characters which brings them to life and kept me reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline for an advance copy of Silver, the second novel to feature Australian journalist Martin Scarsden.

Martin is moving back to his hometown of Port Silver to move in with his partner Mandalay Blonde who has inherited a house there. When he gets there he finds his childhood friend, Jasper, stabbed to death and a blood covered Mandalay cowering in the corner. Soon Mandy becomes the prime suspect and Martin has to fight to prove her innocence against a backdrop of malfeasance and intrusive memories of his troubled childhood.

I thoroughly enjoyed Silver which is another dense, complicated and absorbing read. Scrublands was one of my top reads in 2018 so I was keen to get my hands on this, the sequel. It doesn’t disappoint with its vivid descriptions of rural Australia and although Port Silver is a coastal town, so wet rather than dry, the problems are the same, lack of investment and employment and the attendant opportunities for graft. Mr Hammer does an excellent job of setting the scene and creating the atmosphere with not only location descriptions but depicting his characters as products of it.

The plotting is complex with several strands, not just Jasper’s murder, but another horrific crime that brings the national press to Port Silver and a cold case. It might be slightly over the top in places but it had me hanging on to every word and I have a great appreciation for Mr Hammer’s ability to weave all these strands together in a credible, understandable manner. At the same time he gradually teases out Martin’s traumatic childhood, both in present day memories and flashbacks to events from that time. This is extremely interesting as a character study and as a way of showing how events can have several interpretations depending on context and the lens they are seen through.

Martin Scarsden is a bit of an odd bod in crime fiction terms. Despite the novel being told in the third person it is an incredibly personal narrative with few aspects of his character left unexamined. He finds it hard to open up to people and cuts a solitary figure but there are signs of an effort to change in this novel although not before it causes problems in his relationship with Mandy. He walked away from Port Silver at eighteen and never looked back, cutting off all contact. The reasons for this become clear over the course of the novel, but, even so, I found it callous.

No novel with a journalist as the protagonist would be complete without a press scrum and the pressure for exclusives. I know nothing about this world but I found the obvious adrenaline rush and backstabbing described to be credible and got caught up in the excitement of it all.

Silver is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

A wonderful sequel to Scrubland featuring several of the same characters in a new murder mystery. A small Australian seaport is the setting this time with the main character a once top journalist returning to his home town. His past is skilfully interweaved with the present and the investigation into a.once close friends murder with initially his girlfriend the main suspect. Lot's of red herrings keep the action rolling along with a super cast of characters even including an Indian Swami who naturally is a suspect but becomes a victim in one of the many plot twists. A splendid read and hopefully there may be more to come from these characters. Excellent!