Police Officers Ivan and Nell return in 'The Broken River' by Chris Hammer.

Wolfgang Burnside is found dead in the river. He was a man who wanted change and development in a Valley many retreated to because things stay the same. His wife is committed to continuing his legacy, but people who have lived In the areas around Saltwater for a long time have other ideas. At the centre of things is the gold mine that closed in the 1930's. People are convinced that it might still harbour some gold.

Told from many different perspectives, and spanning different time points - the 1990's and the present day, this novel focuses on greed and the lengths people will go to to satiate it. It also further develops Nell's backstory.

Hammer is very good at incorporating the Australian landscape into his novels in a really interesting way. The focus in this one was less on Nell and Ivan (although as I say Nell's backstory is more developed), but the use of the multiple perspectives and timelines worked really well and led to a satisfying conclusion. I would happily recommend this book and feel it adds to the growing genre of Australian crime fiction.

In 1988 a bullion heist takes place but the robbers are double crossed and when they meet there is a shoot out and two robbers escape with some of the haul.

In present day, Ivan and Nell are sent to the Valley to investigate the murder of a local entrepreneur, Wolfgang Burnside.

In 1990, two years after the heist, a local woman has returned to the valley with a new husband, who is keen to open the families goldmine, previously closed in the 1920s.

Two years later, both the woman and her husband are dead, the mine is closed and a woman with a loose connection to them has inherited.

In the present, Nell is close to finding out more about her heritage and who her father is. Her and Ivan are keeping the investigation details a closely guarded secret as feral Phelan seems to have a interest in them being there.

The story flits between the 1990s and the present day. For the reader knowing the past makes the present make sense.
A good engrossing story which had me totally captivated.

This is the first book I have read by Chris Hammer, although I saw the TV dramatisation of "Scrublands". "The Broken River" is a complex crime drama which takes place across 36 years in a remote valley in New South Wales. The novel is full of complex and varied characters, and it is not just the criminals who don't tell the truth. The various commercial activities in The Valley include a gold mine, logging and fruit growing. As a small community it is difficult to keep secrets, but some of the characters manage to with ease.

This is a book which keeps the reader guessing, and turning the pages. Definitely an author to read more of.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Valley also titled The Broken River in the UK, is the fourth book in the brilliant Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan series.
In short, detectives Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan are called out to investigate the suspicious death of a local entrepreneur in a remote valley in New South Wales. As the investigation proceeds it soon reveals the murky secrets lurking in the depths of this valley, secrets worth more than their weight in gold!
Chris Hammer is one of my go-to authors, he consistently conjures up clever, intricate mysteries which are masterfully plotted & written.
The Broken River starts with a bang & a storyline that sweeps you along through the many twists & turns putting the spotlight on greed and the push & pull of politics, I absolutely loved it.
Big thanks to Chris Hammer, Wildfire and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest instalment in the Lucic & Buchanan series by Chris Hammer.
I love the visual that the author creates, and the personal connection of our detective to the storyline was a fantastic twist.
Long may this series continue! An easy five stars.

I've really enjoyed the previous books by Chris Hammer, and this one started really well pulling the reader in with a dramatic opening and establishing a real sense of place - and then we got to the first twist, which I found so contrived and unbelievable that, although I tried for a few more chapters, it made me give up on the rest of the book.
Thank you to netgalley and headline for an advance copy of this book

I very much enjoyed this fourth book in the Lucic and Buchanan series. Ivan and Nell are now well established, both as colleagues and friends. An interesting setting in which Hammer vividly describes the Australian outback and even drew me in to the detail of mining and logging.

The criminal and personal mysteries in this book were well plotted, playing out across two timelines. The characters were nuanced and interesting, and I was hard pressed to work out who was a baddie. There were a couple of times where I thought there was a plot error but, of course, they were just Hammer’s red herrings.

I smiled to myself when Martin Scarsden put in a late appearance!

I didn’t realise this was a book series but it didn’t seem to matter that I hadn’t read the previous books as I was able to dive straight in!
A slow burn, thrilling and perfectly executed!
Will definitely now look into the others in the series!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC

Enjoyable Australian mystery, told through the current police investigation and also the ‘contemporary’ telling of events back in the 90s that inform the latest murder. It’s a strong set up, and the easy camaraderie of the two leads is enjoyable (perhaps less family backstory next time though!). A slightly irritating “how have they ignored that wildly obvious clue” early in the book was successfully overcome - I shouldn’t have doubted.

More please :)

I thoroughly enjoyed this next instalment in the Lucic and Buchanan series. Ivan and Nell continue to work so well together and this book continues the deep dive into Nell’s origins as well as solving murders, old and new. Greed as ever provides a motive while the outback lends an intriguing setting. This is a steady series, nothing outlandish, just a good old read. Thank you to Netgalley for the advance reader copy, I’ll be back for the next one.

This vivid and richly told tale had me feeling as though I was trekking for gold in the Aussie climes.
It has drama, tension and I was hooked from the start
I must admit I am not usually drawn to this kind of read but it was worth my time and I loved it..
I am now going to read the rest of the series..

Aussie-noir at its finest, this book was fantastic despite not having read any of the previous books in this series, Chris Hammer writes about Australia so vividly you actually feel like you are there. The mystery at the heart of this book was superbly plotted and intelligently thought out as it plays out across two interconnected timelines. Great characterisation. The POV shifts to another character from the past halfway through which I found a bit disconcerting having become so invested in the first POV and it took me a while to get back into the story again but despite this I was hugely satisfied with how the stories played out. I will definitely be tracking down the prior books in this series. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

The Valley, in New South Wales is remote and no longer prosperous, but it is still a place where everyone knows everyone else, or is it? When the body of a local entrepreneur and only son of a local ex-police officer is found on the banks of the Broken River, Detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are sent from Dubbo to investigate. It isn’t long before they discover the victim had shown an interest in The Valley's abandoned gold mine which has historical been linked to more than one unexplained death.

Having only recently learned she is adopted, Nell is stunned to learn she has a personal link to The Valley, its residents, and their current case! As the past begins to merge with the present, can her and Ivan's determination to discover who killed their victim help solve mysteries from decades earlier, and show a way forward which closes a tragic chapter in the life of the Valley and it's inhabitants?

Chris Hammer's amazing storytelling abilities continue to go from strength to strength and once again his dual timeline draws the reader in, linking clues, personalities, and reasoning, which takes the entire novel to unravel and solve. The secondary storyline is equally if not more compulsive and I thoroughly enjoyed Nell's determination to discover everything related to her own situation and the case itself.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Headline/Wildfire, but the opinions expressed are my own. I loved this, and highly recommend it. Easy 5 stars.

The Prologue starts with a successful heist in 1988 which ends with murder among the perpetrators as someone is a traitor.
Part 1 then moves to 2024 and Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic being called in to investigate a murder - not on their patch - and no explanation. The rest of the book moves between 2024 and 1990. The plot is complex and tense. The characters are well portrayed and the area where most of the action takes place is well described.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Chris Hammer/Headline for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

A most gripping thriller set in Australia and deliciously described by Chris Hammer. It's like being there. At the heart of the story lurks greed. Whether by stealing, logging or mining. Initially we read of a money and bullion heist. Then we are investigating a murder in a small town but the investigation soon opens new angles and historical aspects especially to do with an old mine. Frankly I found it fascinating, how relationships lead to outcomes yet to be discovered, as layer upon layer is revealed.
It has to be a five star review from me.

This is a brilliant and intelligent read. It’s very well written as it tells two stories in the past and present which ultimately come together as both mysteries are solved. The characters as always are well rounded and fleshed out as you get to know their stories which both seem very believable. The location is also a big part of the story creating atmosphere and the perfect backdrop to a story about hardship and wealth.

This book has two titles; retailers list: “The Broken River”, Goodreads lists: “The Valley”. Ask Amazon for the latter and you’ll get the former.
Detective Senior Constable Nell Buchanan has a murder to investigate, but soon she’ll have a lot more to worry about; such as who is her father? Nell and her partner, Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic have been ordered, by the Head of Homicide, to investigate a murder which has happened outside of their area. This suggests to them that there is a bigger picture; that local police might be, and that a political aspect is going to get in the way. The victim was a rich entrepreneur, shaking up the placid world within “The Valley” with his expansive plans, including backing a challenge to the local political status quo. It becomes clear that there are two main activities that might be involved, the status of the commercially valuable local forest land, bordering, as it does, a National Park, and the old Gryphon goldmine. The mine is long closed after a flood but suspicions about its actual status, i.e. could it be productive with modern technology, persist, even though the owners have been either dead or missing for nearly thirty years. The murder investigation quickly stirs up a lot of memories, a lot of possible earlier crimes, and a lot of secrets. One of these concerns Nell’s paternity, because DNA results from the murder victim suggest that he is her half-brother.
Nell and Ivan are now in their 4th iteration (there’s a problem with the publication data – there appear to be two different titles for this book) and readers will already know that she is an adopted ‘orphan’, mother dead father unknown. Usually I would say that this episode in a series works as a standalone, but I don’t need to say that here, because this whole story relies on background information that does not exist in the earlier books. The plot swings back and forward between 1988 (when a robbery took place) and 2024 (when the murder occurs), using multiple viewpoints, and it has at least four subplots, which do eventually resolve but will challenge the reader all the way. And along the way you will learn quite a lot about goldmining. It is, perhaps, a bit longer than it needs to be, but it’s not a struggle and it is an entertaining puzzle, so let’s not quibble about a fraction of a star.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

This is the fourth book in this series.
Detectives Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic are investigating a the death of a man on the riverbank near a disused gold mine.
A thriller set in two timelines with some twist and turns and some great characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

4-5 stars

Detective Senior Nell Buchanan and DS Ivan Lucic #4, their 3 year partnership is now easy and convivial.

It all starts with a bank heist in 1988 but, in 2024 Buchanan and Lucic are dispatched to the valley to investigate a body partially submerged in Broken River. Who has murdered entrepreneur Wolfgang Burnside? It seems the victim has ruffled many a feather in this sleepy Valley Corner of New South Wales but who has resented him enough to take his life? As the team investigate this, it becomes very close to home for Nell.
To get to the destination of truth, the storyline slips seamlessly back-and-forth in time with the end result of intrigue in spades.

This is a really good and well written series with central protagonists who are interesting and likeable personalities. I enjoy how there’s warmth and understanding between Nell and Ivan in this one as Lucic has definitely mellowed. All the characters are well portrayed, both in the earlier and later timelines.

The storyline is intelligently plotted and has complex multiple layers to it and delves into some fascinating and pertinent areas. It’s very well constructed and as the connections start to click into place, so the initial puzzles and questions begin to have answers. There are many moments of tension and some dangerous scenarios as it becomes increasingly an action packed, never a dull moment thriller. Some scenes have me on the edge of my seat and I gasp in shock at a couple. It’s a compelling, immersive read which is hard to put down.

Finally, I have to mention how Australia comes to life in this talented writers hands. There are some outstanding and rich descriptions of the valley which really comes to life. This is a strong feature of all Chris Hammer‘s books.

Overall, this is another cracking read from an author at the top of his game.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Headline/Wildfire for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Summary: Another slow burning, intricate thriller, with personal ties for Nell in the latest epic from Chris Hammer.
Alternatively known as The Broken River or The Valley (depending on your region), this is the fourth novel in the Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan series. As with the previous three novels, The Broken River does work effectively as a standalone novel, but I would recommend that you read the series for the pure enjoyment of Hammer's work.

By now, Nell and Luca have been working together for a number of years and have a well-established working relationship and friendship.

Add in past resentments, secrets, business interests and you have a complicated mix which Hammer deftly weaves into a fascinating case that leaves the reader curious for more.


This is a multilayered story that is told from the perspective of two timelines; the present with Lucic and Nell investigation the suspicious death of a local business man and 1994, when the actions of some newcomers to the town would have decades long consequences.
As the storyline progresses, the connections are slowly revealed and once again, we discover a connection to Nell which I particularly enjoyed.
Hammer has a gift for creating an intelligent story with an intricate plotline and is the perfect example of the Australian noir genre.
The publication of a new book by Chris Hammer is always a case for celebration and 'The Broken River is no different.