Another brilliantly complex novel from Chris Hammer

 

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑  Yes, that's right. Another 5 star rating for Chris Hammer. I cannot help it, this Aussie drama-thriller series has me completely hooked. I read Scrublands and Silver, the two books previous, but find Trust to be even better. There are so many layers in these books, lots of moving parts, but such solid stories to sink your teeth into.

What's to love? The characters. Martin Scarsden and Mandy Blonde are grounded and as close to real people as you will find in novels. Martin is a journalist, and certainly has the strengths and weaknesses of journalist (i.e. drive to scoop rivals no matter the cost?!) but is a standup gent. I genuinely like him. Mandy's past is the focus of much of the drama in this third installment and it is a delight to watch her go. We learn more of her background and enjoy seeing her in action. She's no slouch and it is terrific to see her flex her muscle as this Mandy-based story.

The location still features highly here. We are in Sydney throughout and it is a pivotal element as we follow these two digging up intelligence in a city setting rather than out in the sticks. We bounce around quite a lot following leads of, possibly, intertwined story lines. It gets rather dicey, at times, with a number of close shaves but an utterly mind blowing ride. You will love it!