Scrublands cover art

Scrublands

The Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year, now a major BBC TV series

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Scrublands

By: Chris Hammer
Narrated by: Rupert Degas
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About this listen

 * * *NOW A MAJOR BBC TV SERIES * * *

THE #1 BESTSELLING AUSTRALIAN CRIME NOVEL
WINNER OF THE CWA JOHN CREASEY DAGGER
SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019

'Shimmers ... a tortured tale of blood and loss' Val McDermid

'Stunning ... Scrublands is that rare combination, a page-turner that stays long in the memory' Sunday Times (Crime Book of the Month)

In an isolated country town ravaged by drought, a charismatic young priest opens fire on his congregation, killing five men before being shot dead himself.

A year later, journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend to write a feature on the anniversary of the tragedy. But the stories he hears from the locals don't fit with the accepted version of events.

Just as Martin believes he is making headway, a shocking discovery rocks the town. The bodies of two backpackers - missing since the time of the massacre - are found in the scrublands. The media descends on Riversend and Martin is the one in the spotlight.

Wrestling with his own demons, Martin finds himself risking everything to uncover a truth that becomes more complex with every twist. But there are powerful forces determined to stop him, and he has no idea how far they will go to make sure the town's secrets stay buried. Crime Thrillers International Mystery & Crime Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Crime Fiction Exciting Scary

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All stars
Most relevant
I really enjoyed this slow burning outback yarn about heat and drought and deception. Beautifully performed too.

Really gripping

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I enjoy crime thrillers and mysteries, but too often the story is marred by the clichés surrounding the "troubled cop" and the repetitive intricacies of the police investigation process.
Telling the story from the viewpoint of a journalist avoids this, and also provides a refreshingly different flavour of soul searching.
It's an interesting mystery (or, more accurately, mysteries) with some good character development, thought provoking moments and excellently narrated.

A "Detective story" without the cliché

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Involving and emotive Australian drama with a host of mysterious characters set in the challenging backdrop of a small scrubland community. Great writing

Brilliant from start to finish

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I would be amazed if this book is not turned into a film or a series on Netflix. A great twisting turning story with a fantastic cast of characters.

Gripping & Original

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This book is very atmospheric and I almost felt like I was in the outback. The narrator was good and it was easy to tell which character was which. It is similar in style to Jane Harper. I will definitely be listening to his next book and I would recommend this audiobook.

Brilliant

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