Aussie crime noir at its best

 

 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑  Another brilliant puzzler by Chris Hammer, Australian crime writer extraordinaire. I feel bereft now that I have finished and would happily give it another star, if permitted. In Dead Man's Creek we are back with freshly promoted homicide detective Nell Buchanan (previously met in Opal Country), as she heads to her childhood home town to investigate a cold case, after skeletal remains are uncovered. Three timelines tell the story as we split between WWII, the 70s and current day. Of all Chris Hammer's novels, I found this the most personal and touching. Because it was Nell's story or the history, I cannot say. But, I felt I walked away with a great deal more knowledge of Australia's involvement in the war and the heavy toll it took on that country. Welcomed knowledge as I grew up with war tales told from the American perspective and now, as an adult, I know much more of British involvement, as well. Expertly handled, here, as it enriched the story immeasurably.

I don't want to reference the plot at all as the story has so many interconnected moving parts. Suffice it to say, it's a corker! As per usual, I skipped the map and family trees, as they are hard to read on a kindle, making more work for myself. I had to invest a fair amount of grey matter to keep the characters straight, and often flipped back to double check facts in the text as I went. Would have been easier if I relied on the family tree but glad I didn't as a few surprises surfaced that caught me unaware.

There is superb action in this novel. More than a couple extremely tense moments giving me sweaty palms worrying over these characters I've grow to care about.

A new Chris Hammer novel is always greeted with glee, for me, as I know I am in for a rich novel full to bursting with complexity. That's what sets this talented writer apart – layer upon layer of history, secrets and murder. It's like peeling back the layers of an onion. It takes a good few layers to reach the core and even then there are more layers to be found. Terrific execution in Dead Man's Creek, as I would expect nothing less, and a greater respect for Nell and Ivan as they carry on with their own story apart from Martin. Sorry, Martin, I'm sure we will circle back to you in due course.