Scrublands

I've discovered that the library at my dad's aged care home contains almost a full shelf of Chris Hammer novels! So I started out with the first book, Scrublands, where it all began.

In some ways, Scrublands bears the hallmarks of a first novel -- there is almost too much going on, as if Hammer wanted to cram in every fiction idea he ever had. In the first hundred pages we have a mass shooting, a kidnapping in Gaza, a fatal car crash and a bushfire -- and that's just the start of the action. Martin Scarsdale, a journalist battling PTSD, is an attractive protagonist, though for someone who characterises himself as a detached observer, he doesn't hold back on getting involved in the dramas of the damaged little outback town of Riversend. Mandalay Blonde unfortunately has the name of a Bond girl, but she's also an attractive (maybe too attractive) love interest for Martin.

There is a lot going on in Scrublands and over nearly 500 pages, Hammer doesn't hold back. In contrast, The Seven had a more measured pace and arguably more depth to the story. Hammer seems to have calmed down a bit between book one and book ten (I think). I'm interested to check out the mini-series and see how closely it hews to the novel.