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Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan #3
The Seven
The latest stunning thriller from the bestselling author of Scrublands and The Tilt. Chris Hammer's books have now sold 500,000 copies in ANZ!
Yuwonderie's seven founding families have lorded it over their district for a century, growing ever more rich and powerful.
But now—in startling circumstances—one of their own is found dead in a ditch and homicide detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are sent to investigate.
Could the murder be connected to the execution of the victim's friend thirty years ago—another member of The Seven—or even the long-forgotten story of a servant girl on the brink of the Great War?
What are the secrets The Seven are so desperate to keep hidden?
With the killer still on the loose, and events spiralling out of control, the closer Ivan and Nell get to discovering the truth, the more dangerous their investigation becomes. Can they crack the case before more people die?
The Seven is a compelling thriller filled with intrigue, emotional depth and an evocative sense of place—where nothing is ever quite what it seems. Chris Hammer, the acclaimed and bestselling author of the international bestsellers Scrublands, Treasure & Dirt and The Tilt can take his place among the world's finest crime writers.
Praise for Chris Hammer:
'Hammer has confirmed and underline his reputation as numbering among the very best novelists in detective fiction.' The Sydney Morning Herald
'Chris Hammer at the height of his powers … absolutely not to be missed!' Hayley Scrivenor, author of Dirt Town on The Tilt
'A darkly simmering mystery, gorgeously told … Utterly brilliant.' Dervla McTiernan, author of The Ruin and The Murder Rule
'It would be unfair to say Chris Hammer is at the top of the crime writing game. Chris Hammer IS the game. Full Tilt may be a better title, given the speed with which readers will devour Chris Hammer's exceptional novel.' Benjamin Stevenson, author of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
'Like everything Chris Hammer writes, The Tilt is a rich, complex thriller, packed with detail and intrigue. There's a reason why this guy is on my auto-read list!' Christian White, author of The Nowhere Child
'Chris Hammer is a great writer … a leader in Australian noir.' Michael Connelly
'If you haven't read Hammer before, this is the perfect time to experience one of the best writers Australia has to offer. Rife with intrigue, murder, and small-town secrets, Treasure and Dirt is a spectacular thriller that delivers some unforgettable characters with twists and turns you won't see coming. Hammer has raised the bar for Australian crime, and this is a must-read.' Better Reading
'Chris Hammer has excelled himself with Trust…a thriller strong on character development, social insights, ethical issues and dramatic action.' The Weekend Australian
'The best Australian crime novel since Peter Temple's The Broken Shore.' The Times on Silver
'Shimmers with heat from the sun and from the passions that drive a tortured tale of blood and loss.' Val McDermid on Scrublands
Yuwonderie's seven founding families have lorded it over their district for a century, growing ever more rich and powerful.
But now—in startling circumstances—one of their own is found dead in a ditch and homicide detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are sent to investigate.
Could the murder be connected to the execution of the victim's friend thirty years ago—another member of The Seven—or even the long-forgotten story of a servant girl on the brink of the Great War?
What are the secrets The Seven are so desperate to keep hidden?
With the killer still on the loose, and events spiralling out of control, the closer Ivan and Nell get to discovering the truth, the more dangerous their investigation becomes. Can they crack the case before more people die?
The Seven is a compelling thriller filled with intrigue, emotional depth and an evocative sense of place—where nothing is ever quite what it seems. Chris Hammer, the acclaimed and bestselling author of the international bestsellers Scrublands, Treasure & Dirt and The Tilt can take his place among the world's finest crime writers.
Praise for Chris Hammer:
'Hammer has confirmed and underline his reputation as numbering among the very best novelists in detective fiction.' The Sydney Morning Herald
'Chris Hammer at the height of his powers … absolutely not to be missed!' Hayley Scrivenor, author of Dirt Town on The Tilt
'A darkly simmering mystery, gorgeously told … Utterly brilliant.' Dervla McTiernan, author of The Ruin and The Murder Rule
'It would be unfair to say Chris Hammer is at the top of the crime writing game. Chris Hammer IS the game. Full Tilt may be a better title, given the speed with which readers will devour Chris Hammer's exceptional novel.' Benjamin Stevenson, author of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
'Like everything Chris Hammer writes, The Tilt is a rich, complex thriller, packed with detail and intrigue. There's a reason why this guy is on my auto-read list!' Christian White, author of The Nowhere Child
'Chris Hammer is a great writer … a leader in Australian noir.' Michael Connelly
'If you haven't read Hammer before, this is the perfect time to experience one of the best writers Australia has to offer. Rife with intrigue, murder, and small-town secrets, Treasure and Dirt is a spectacular thriller that delivers some unforgettable characters with twists and turns you won't see coming. Hammer has raised the bar for Australian crime, and this is a must-read.' Better Reading
'Chris Hammer has excelled himself with Trust…a thriller strong on character development, social insights, ethical issues and dramatic action.' The Weekend Australian
'The best Australian crime novel since Peter Temple's The Broken Shore.' The Times on Silver
'Shimmers with heat from the sun and from the passions that drive a tortured tale of blood and loss.' Val McDermid on Scrublands
512 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 3, 2023
565 people are currently reading
4123 people want to read
About the author
Chris Hammer
11 books1,422 followersChris Hammer is a leading Australian crime fiction author. His first book, Scrublands, was an instant #1 bestseller upon publication in 2018. It won the prestigious UK Crime Writers' Association John Creasey New Blood Dagger and was shortlisted for awards in Australia and the United States.
Scrublands has been sold into translation in several foreign languages. Chris's follow-up books—Silver (2019), Trust (2020), Treasure & Dirt (2021), The Tilt (2022) and The Seven (2023)—are also bestsellers and all have been shortlisted for major literary prizes. The Valley is his seventh novel.
The Tilt (published as Dead Man's Creek in the UK) was named The Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year for 2023.
Scrublands has been adapted for television, screening globally, and production is underway for a second series based on Silver.
Before turning to fiction, Chris was a journalist for more than thirty years. He has written two non-fiction books The River (2010) and The Coast (2012).
He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Charles Sturt University and a master's degree in international relations from the Australian National University.
Scrublands has been sold into translation in several foreign languages. Chris's follow-up books—Silver (2019), Trust (2020), Treasure & Dirt (2021), The Tilt (2022) and The Seven (2023)—are also bestsellers and all have been shortlisted for major literary prizes. The Valley is his seventh novel.
The Tilt (published as Dead Man's Creek in the UK) was named The Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year for 2023.
Scrublands has been adapted for television, screening globally, and production is underway for a second series based on Silver.
Before turning to fiction, Chris was a journalist for more than thirty years. He has written two non-fiction books The River (2010) and The Coast (2012).
He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Charles Sturt University and a master's degree in international relations from the Australian National University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 673 reviews
October 6, 2023
EXCERPT: . . . when the sun was down and the lights were on, the smoke from mosquito coils wafting and the mood genial, a satisfied languor upon them, Clemence Heartwood asked his erstwhile heir a final question. 'This honours thesis - what's your subject?'
'The founding of Yuwonderie. How the Seven built the scheme.'
'Oh my,' said his grandfather. 'That should stir the pot.'
'How do you mean?' asked Krystal.
'The Seven, my dear. We do take ourselves ever so seriously. Who know what skeletons our budding historian might find?' The old man raised a speculative eyebrow. 'And in whose cupboards he might find them?'
ABOUT 'THE SEVEN': Yuwonderie's seven founding families have lorded it over their district for a century, growing ever more rich and powerful.
But now—in startling circumstances—one of their own is found dead in a ditch and homicide detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are sent to investigate.
Could the murder be connected to the execution of the victim's friend thirty years ago—another member of The Seven—or even the long-forgotten story of a servant girl on the brink of the Great War?
What are the secrets The Seven are so desperate to keep hidden?
With the killer still on the loose, and events spiralling out of control, the closer Ivan and Nell get to discovering the truth, the more dangerous their investigation becomes. Can they crack the case before more people die?
MY THOUGHTS: I have enjoyed every book I have read by Chris Hammer, but with The Seven he had me enthralled and captivated. If I wasn't reading The Seven, I was thinking about it.
With each book he writes, Chris Hammer addresses an environmental issue. This time it's water, more precious than gold in the Australian outback, and the source of the wealth and power of The Seven.
Told over three timelines, the early 1900s, the 1990s and the current time, Hammer lays out the history of these powerful families, how their lives intertwine, and shows us the lengths they are prepared to go to to keep their power and increase their wealth. There are, of course, a few bodies along the way, more than one skeleton in the cupboard, missing people, and a major scam worth millions.
Hammer has a wonderful sense of place. He has a feel for the small Australian town and the country that oozes from the page. Initially I wanted to go and live in Yuwonderie because it is the antithesis of most small outback towns - it is planned, clean and appears perfect. But by the end of the book I had changed my mind. All the bad stuff was still there, just well hidden.
The characters are richly depicted, relatable and seemed to jump off the page into the room with me. Other than Ivan and Nell, it's almost impossible to pick a favourite - perhaps old Clemence Heartwood and his grandson Davis, who are both men with heart and principle.
The Seven is a book with a mystery at its heart, but it is full of intrigue, secrets and murder. It is an enthralling crime thriller with memorable characters, multiple twists and turns, and an outcome I didn't see coming.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
#TheSeven #NetGalley #Allen&Unwin
THE AUTHOR: Chris Hammer was a journalist for more than thirty years, dividing his career between covering Australian federal politics and international affairs. For many years he was a roving foreign correspondent for SBS TV's flagship current affairs program Dateline. He has reported from more than 30 countries on six continents. In Canberra, roles included chief political correspondent for The Bulletin, current affairs correspondent for SBS TV and a senior political journalist for The Age.
Chris has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Charles Sturt University and a master's degree in international relations from the Australian National University. He lives in Canberra with his wife, Dr Tomoko Akami. The couple have two children.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Allen & Unwin via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Seven by Chris Hammer for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
'The founding of Yuwonderie. How the Seven built the scheme.'
'Oh my,' said his grandfather. 'That should stir the pot.'
'How do you mean?' asked Krystal.
'The Seven, my dear. We do take ourselves ever so seriously. Who know what skeletons our budding historian might find?' The old man raised a speculative eyebrow. 'And in whose cupboards he might find them?'
ABOUT 'THE SEVEN': Yuwonderie's seven founding families have lorded it over their district for a century, growing ever more rich and powerful.
But now—in startling circumstances—one of their own is found dead in a ditch and homicide detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are sent to investigate.
Could the murder be connected to the execution of the victim's friend thirty years ago—another member of The Seven—or even the long-forgotten story of a servant girl on the brink of the Great War?
What are the secrets The Seven are so desperate to keep hidden?
With the killer still on the loose, and events spiralling out of control, the closer Ivan and Nell get to discovering the truth, the more dangerous their investigation becomes. Can they crack the case before more people die?
MY THOUGHTS: I have enjoyed every book I have read by Chris Hammer, but with The Seven he had me enthralled and captivated. If I wasn't reading The Seven, I was thinking about it.
With each book he writes, Chris Hammer addresses an environmental issue. This time it's water, more precious than gold in the Australian outback, and the source of the wealth and power of The Seven.
Told over three timelines, the early 1900s, the 1990s and the current time, Hammer lays out the history of these powerful families, how their lives intertwine, and shows us the lengths they are prepared to go to to keep their power and increase their wealth. There are, of course, a few bodies along the way, more than one skeleton in the cupboard, missing people, and a major scam worth millions.
Hammer has a wonderful sense of place. He has a feel for the small Australian town and the country that oozes from the page. Initially I wanted to go and live in Yuwonderie because it is the antithesis of most small outback towns - it is planned, clean and appears perfect. But by the end of the book I had changed my mind. All the bad stuff was still there, just well hidden.
The characters are richly depicted, relatable and seemed to jump off the page into the room with me. Other than Ivan and Nell, it's almost impossible to pick a favourite - perhaps old Clemence Heartwood and his grandson Davis, who are both men with heart and principle.
The Seven is a book with a mystery at its heart, but it is full of intrigue, secrets and murder. It is an enthralling crime thriller with memorable characters, multiple twists and turns, and an outcome I didn't see coming.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
#TheSeven #NetGalley #Allen&Unwin
THE AUTHOR: Chris Hammer was a journalist for more than thirty years, dividing his career between covering Australian federal politics and international affairs. For many years he was a roving foreign correspondent for SBS TV's flagship current affairs program Dateline. He has reported from more than 30 countries on six continents. In Canberra, roles included chief political correspondent for The Bulletin, current affairs correspondent for SBS TV and a senior political journalist for The Age.
Chris has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Charles Sturt University and a master's degree in international relations from the Australian National University. He lives in Canberra with his wife, Dr Tomoko Akami. The couple have two children.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Allen & Unwin via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Seven by Chris Hammer for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
February 24, 2024
4.5~5★
“ ‘The Titchfields are old money. Here for generations. One of the Seven.’
‘The Seven?’ asks Ivan.
‘Toffs, or so they see themselves.’ There is a hint of resentment in McTosh’s voice, some remnant of the working-class Celt. ‘The original landholders, from back before the irrigation scheme was put in a hundred years ago. Made them rich. The bunyip aristocracy.’
‘Millionaires, then?’
‘Certainly. Many times over.’”
I imagine there’d be more than a hint of resentment in many people’s opinions of landholders who got rich from an irrigation scheme which trades water and water rights.
This is another comprehensive Chris Hammer story that covers a period from before World War One to the present day, following characters and stories from three eras. The first is around WWI, the second is around the mid-1990s and later, and the third is the present day.
Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic and Detective Constable Nell Buchanan have been called from Dubbo, north of the fictional town and district of Yuwonderie, NSW, to investigate the discovery of a body found in one of the canals on the Titchfields’ property.
Kids were water-skiing and one nearly ran over the ‘bag’ in the water, so they start with the skier.
“‘Benedict Bright. Everyone calls me Eggs.’
Ivan can’t help smiling. ‘They used to call me Lucky. Lucky Lucic.’
‘Were you?’
‘Not very’.”
The less said about Ivan’s ‘luck’, the better, because he has been (or is still) addicted to gambling.
Eggs is as helpful as he can be, which isn’t much,
The names of the various families – not just seven, as it happens – are brought up as are the connections between them all. Davis Heartstone is a main character as a young man in his twenties in the middle era, in 1994.
He and his older sister and grandfather, Clemence, live in the homestead which, unusually, is not inside the irrigation zone but on the other side of the higher country in the dryland area.
The others of the Seven have built their mansions on their irrigated holdings, but Clemence seems more down-to-earth, as do Davis and Krystal.
In fact, Davis is considering continuing his studies at Oxford to study the Yuwonderie Irrigation Scheme and give up his rights as heir to Krystal, who has a much keener interest in farming than he. (He would still receive an allowance, as she would have, so he’d hardly be broke.)
That suggestion stirs people up but it’s hard to know if it has any relevance to Ivan and Nell’s investigation today.
The current murder victim (but wait, there will be more) was a second son of one of the Seven families (not an heir), and has been an accountant in town, doing well, ostensibly, but somewhere along the line he seems to have come unstuck, as his activities are looking suspicious.
Meanwhile, Hammer goes to the story of young Bessie, who has been hired in 1913 by the Heartstone family as a maid, and she writes to her mother about the house and the people. They are putting on a dinner for visitors, and Bessie is excited, looking out for a horse and carriage, to see what rich people look like.
“Instead, it was the neighbours, two rough-hewed men, Noel and Jack Marney, who arrived not by carriage but on horseback. Noel is the larger of the brothers as well as the elder. He carries himself with assurance, as if he is well glued to the earth, bringing its gravity within him. Jack is lighter on his feet, more quick-witted, constantly on the move, a smile on his lips and a glint in his eyes.”
His brother is not the only person Jack smiles at, and when Bessie blushes, she writes to her mother “For once I was glad of my complexion, lest he see my blush.”
Bessie has a mixed-race, dark-skinned mother and a white father, and she, herself, is lighter than her mother. There seems to be no doubt that she is recognised by everyone as Aboriginal, so it’s accepted that her place will be as a servant. Interestingly, though, she was educated well by her mother and can read, write, and do mathematics with the best of them.
I became very fond of the people in Bessie’s era and in Davis’s as well, the older stories, which is always a little sad because I realise that is all in the past.
Remember this is Chris Hammer, and he never stops with one mysterious death but always adds another one or two, plus some current day thriller action that keeps me worried for Ivan and Nell and the others whom they have befriended during the investigation.
If I have a complaint, it’s that as details are revealed over the years, I’m guessing and un-guessing and re-guessing what’s happened to the point that I begin to confuse myself. Hammer didn’t do that – I did.
For readers like me, he always writes a clear, understandable and interesting explanation of what happened, and in the author’s notes refers to the real events that inspired the story. I appreciate his journalist’s attention to these details.
It’s a terrific read – long but interesting – and the audio is enjoyable, too. It can easily be enjoyed as a standalone, but I recommend the previous two books in this series as well.
“ ‘The Titchfields are old money. Here for generations. One of the Seven.’
‘The Seven?’ asks Ivan.
‘Toffs, or so they see themselves.’ There is a hint of resentment in McTosh’s voice, some remnant of the working-class Celt. ‘The original landholders, from back before the irrigation scheme was put in a hundred years ago. Made them rich. The bunyip aristocracy.’
‘Millionaires, then?’
‘Certainly. Many times over.’”
I imagine there’d be more than a hint of resentment in many people’s opinions of landholders who got rich from an irrigation scheme which trades water and water rights.
This is another comprehensive Chris Hammer story that covers a period from before World War One to the present day, following characters and stories from three eras. The first is around WWI, the second is around the mid-1990s and later, and the third is the present day.
Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic and Detective Constable Nell Buchanan have been called from Dubbo, north of the fictional town and district of Yuwonderie, NSW, to investigate the discovery of a body found in one of the canals on the Titchfields’ property.
Kids were water-skiing and one nearly ran over the ‘bag’ in the water, so they start with the skier.
“‘Benedict Bright. Everyone calls me Eggs.’
Ivan can’t help smiling. ‘They used to call me Lucky. Lucky Lucic.’
‘Were you?’
‘Not very’.”
The less said about Ivan’s ‘luck’, the better, because he has been (or is still) addicted to gambling.
Eggs is as helpful as he can be, which isn’t much,
The names of the various families – not just seven, as it happens – are brought up as are the connections between them all. Davis Heartstone is a main character as a young man in his twenties in the middle era, in 1994.
He and his older sister and grandfather, Clemence, live in the homestead which, unusually, is not inside the irrigation zone but on the other side of the higher country in the dryland area.
The others of the Seven have built their mansions on their irrigated holdings, but Clemence seems more down-to-earth, as do Davis and Krystal.
In fact, Davis is considering continuing his studies at Oxford to study the Yuwonderie Irrigation Scheme and give up his rights as heir to Krystal, who has a much keener interest in farming than he. (He would still receive an allowance, as she would have, so he’d hardly be broke.)
That suggestion stirs people up but it’s hard to know if it has any relevance to Ivan and Nell’s investigation today.
The current murder victim (but wait, there will be more) was a second son of one of the Seven families (not an heir), and has been an accountant in town, doing well, ostensibly, but somewhere along the line he seems to have come unstuck, as his activities are looking suspicious.
Meanwhile, Hammer goes to the story of young Bessie, who has been hired in 1913 by the Heartstone family as a maid, and she writes to her mother about the house and the people. They are putting on a dinner for visitors, and Bessie is excited, looking out for a horse and carriage, to see what rich people look like.
“Instead, it was the neighbours, two rough-hewed men, Noel and Jack Marney, who arrived not by carriage but on horseback. Noel is the larger of the brothers as well as the elder. He carries himself with assurance, as if he is well glued to the earth, bringing its gravity within him. Jack is lighter on his feet, more quick-witted, constantly on the move, a smile on his lips and a glint in his eyes.”
His brother is not the only person Jack smiles at, and when Bessie blushes, she writes to her mother “For once I was glad of my complexion, lest he see my blush.”
Bessie has a mixed-race, dark-skinned mother and a white father, and she, herself, is lighter than her mother. There seems to be no doubt that she is recognised by everyone as Aboriginal, so it’s accepted that her place will be as a servant. Interestingly, though, she was educated well by her mother and can read, write, and do mathematics with the best of them.
I became very fond of the people in Bessie’s era and in Davis’s as well, the older stories, which is always a little sad because I realise that is all in the past.
Remember this is Chris Hammer, and he never stops with one mysterious death but always adds another one or two, plus some current day thriller action that keeps me worried for Ivan and Nell and the others whom they have befriended during the investigation.
If I have a complaint, it’s that as details are revealed over the years, I’m guessing and un-guessing and re-guessing what’s happened to the point that I begin to confuse myself. Hammer didn’t do that – I did.
For readers like me, he always writes a clear, understandable and interesting explanation of what happened, and in the author’s notes refers to the real events that inspired the story. I appreciate his journalist’s attention to these details.
It’s a terrific read – long but interesting – and the audio is enjoyable, too. It can easily be enjoyed as a standalone, but I recommend the previous two books in this series as well.
October 1, 2023
The Seven of the title refers to the seven 'founding' families of the local area, all of them very rich and very entitled. When one of their own is murdered Detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are sent to deal with the issue. These two are excellent characters who work well together and they made reading the book worth while.
There was a mystery in there too, but it was buried deep under lots of information about finance and irrigation schemes and things I did not really care about. I seem to remember when I reviewed Scrublands by this same author I said it was too long. That is my main impression of this book too. I found myself in a hurry to get to the end instead of stopping to enjoy the scenery along the way.
Still I enjoyed much of the book, particularly Ivan and Nell, but also the Australian setting which Hammer does well. I will read more of his books.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
There was a mystery in there too, but it was buried deep under lots of information about finance and irrigation schemes and things I did not really care about. I seem to remember when I reviewed Scrublands by this same author I said it was too long. That is my main impression of this book too. I found myself in a hurry to get to the end instead of stopping to enjoy the scenery along the way.
Still I enjoyed much of the book, particularly Ivan and Nell, but also the Australian setting which Hammer does well. I will read more of his books.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
October 6, 2023
WOW what a page turner this one is, homicide detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are back, this time in the country town of Yuwonderie to investigate the murder of a member of one of the seven founding families.
The seven foundling families set up the irrigation system and have lorded over the district for one hundred years, they have their hands in everything that goes on from selling and buying water, control over moving fruit and vegetables from the wholesalers, one of them is now a member in parliament, but when one of the spares is found dead in a canal the investigations begins, could this murder be linked to another that happened thirty years ago?
Ivan and Nell are digging deep and doing their best to keep the media out because of the political ramifications this could hold, but with the murderer still on the run there is danger brewing as more secrets are uncovered, will they find their killer and uncover the truth?
This is a very well written crime, mystery story that is filled with twists as we are taken back in time to the 19oo’s through a series of letters and 199o’s both times that affect the situation now, it is compelling reading and once you start you will not be want to put it down and the ending was not what I expected but so good.
I loved this story and I do highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good crime story to get them thinking.
My thanks to Netgalley and Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review.
The seven foundling families set up the irrigation system and have lorded over the district for one hundred years, they have their hands in everything that goes on from selling and buying water, control over moving fruit and vegetables from the wholesalers, one of them is now a member in parliament, but when one of the spares is found dead in a canal the investigations begins, could this murder be linked to another that happened thirty years ago?
Ivan and Nell are digging deep and doing their best to keep the media out because of the political ramifications this could hold, but with the murderer still on the run there is danger brewing as more secrets are uncovered, will they find their killer and uncover the truth?
This is a very well written crime, mystery story that is filled with twists as we are taken back in time to the 19oo’s through a series of letters and 199o’s both times that affect the situation now, it is compelling reading and once you start you will not be want to put it down and the ending was not what I expected but so good.
I loved this story and I do highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good crime story to get them thinking.
My thanks to Netgalley and Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review.
April 25, 2024
Skeletons in the Closet.
Cover the Bones (UK title) and The Seven (US title) is book number three of the Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan series and although all are exceptional, this is the best in my opinion.
A multi-layered and intricate plot surrounded by the arid, stark New South Wales landscape drew me in and captivated me as I tried to grasp the book’s direction and who dunnit.
Sophisticated and beautiful writing makes this a cut above the usual police procedural and is wonderfully woven together with several distinctive characters and their complicated stories.
At 490 pages, it’s longer than I normally prefer but I was so entranced by the book as a whole, I didn’t notice nor want it to end.
This can definitely be read as a stand alone as the focus is on other protagonists rather than the police detectives and their backstories.
Title ‘Cover the Bones’purchased at Blackwells.
Cover the Bones (UK title) and The Seven (US title) is book number three of the Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan series and although all are exceptional, this is the best in my opinion.
A multi-layered and intricate plot surrounded by the arid, stark New South Wales landscape drew me in and captivated me as I tried to grasp the book’s direction and who dunnit.
Sophisticated and beautiful writing makes this a cut above the usual police procedural and is wonderfully woven together with several distinctive characters and their complicated stories.
At 490 pages, it’s longer than I normally prefer but I was so entranced by the book as a whole, I didn’t notice nor want it to end.
This can definitely be read as a stand alone as the focus is on other protagonists rather than the police detectives and their backstories.
Title ‘Cover the Bones’purchased at Blackwells.
September 26, 2023
Homicide detectives DS Ivan Lucic and DC Nell Buchanan are once again called out into the far reaches of country New South Wales to conduct a murder investigation. This time, the setting for The Seven is in the Riverina district and makes tremendous use of the Murrumbidgee River by creating another irrigation area called the Yuwonderie Irrigation Area, a fictional clone of the established MIA.
In the fictional town of Yuwonderie a body is found floating in the waters of a local canal. The dead man’s name is Athol Hasluck and he’s a minor member of one of the area’s dominant families - one of The Seven.
Although the point of the story is the investigation into the murder of Athol, the underlying story and the source of tremendous fascination in harnessing the most valuable resource in the country…water.
The Seven refers to the original landholder families who got together to form the irrigation scheme that became known as the Yuwonderie Irrigation Scheme. Over the years, thanks to the success of the irrigation system to provide reliable water for their properties, they have become wealthy and powerful, controlling the prosperity of the entire region.
And just for reference, The Seven consist of the Titchfield, Hasluck, Blaxland, McLean, Heartwood, Horsham and Allsop families. Some of these families are pivotal to the story, particularly the lives of earlier generations and their influence on more recent events.
The story is told across three different time periods: 1913, 1993 and the present (2023). There is a great deal of history behind the Yuwonderie area as well as the families that make up The Seven in particular. Consequently, there’s quite a bit to get through to help us understand just what is at stake for the group who must be considered part of the main suspects.
Then there’s the 1913 storyline which unfolds as a series of letters written by a young woman by the name of Bessie Walker. Her role in this mystery slowly becomes clear throughout the course of the entire book.
When we flip to the 1993 time period we follow the exploits of Davis Heartwood. He’s part of one of The Seven families but is prepared to relinquish his entitlement in favour of completing his university history degree. To that end he is writing his thesis on the formation of the Yuwonderie Irrigation Scheme and throws himself headlong into as many historical records as he can. It’s fair to say that what he discovers from the past is going to be significant.
As with just about everything that involves money, greed and corruption seems inevitable along with the use and abuse of power.
Part of Lucic and Buchanan’s investigation involves learning more about the history of the area, how it was established and how the irrigation system operates. Also, they need to find out who benefits from the scheme and how. There’s a lot to get through but it proves to be a fascinating learning process and, for us, a mesmerising game of “what if”. Far from affecting the pace of the novel, it helps to ensure that there’s a constant sense of forward momentum.
To keep Ivan and Nell on their toes Nathan ‘Feral’ Phelan from the police Professional Standards section makes an appearance. To sum up Phelan we get the viewpoint from Ivan himself, “an utterly untrustworthy maverick, an operator, a collector of influence and secrets and leverage - with the power to end a career.” Thanks to the ‘friendly’ little conversation with Phelan, Ivan finds himself with a 48 hour deadline to wrap the case up with the threat of permanent leave should he fail hanging over his head.
Chris Hammer has a knack for building up a crystal clear picture of the settings of his books and he has succeeded in bringing Yuwonderie and the surrounding district completely to life. In exploring the historical aspects of the area the members of the principal families are brought to life. At the same time, the rich, fertile landscape of the region is also clearly defined and described providing a beautiful backdrop upon which the terrible deeds of the inhabitants are placed. The fact that I lived in the area for a number of years brought back fond memories of the beauty and wonder of the place in relentless waves as the story progressed.
The triple narrative structure was an effective way of drawing together multiple narrative threads and managed to ratchet up the dramatic tension as Ivan and Nell worked to bring the investigation to its successful conclusion. Or, at least, a conclusion that could close the case.
This is the 3rd book in the Lucic and Buchanan series but it can easily be enjoyed as a stand alone novel. Characters and incidents from this series and the Martin Scarsden series make an appearance drawing together all of Hammer’s works into a single universe.
This is an epic murder mystery that should appeal to anyone who enjoys the burgeoning Aussie rural crime sub-genre. In fact, I would go as far as to say this sits close to, if not at the top of the Australian crime tree, certainly in the last 4 or 5 years if not longer.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin via NetGalley for the digital ARC copy that allowed me to read, enjoy and write this review of the book.
In the fictional town of Yuwonderie a body is found floating in the waters of a local canal. The dead man’s name is Athol Hasluck and he’s a minor member of one of the area’s dominant families - one of The Seven.
Although the point of the story is the investigation into the murder of Athol, the underlying story and the source of tremendous fascination in harnessing the most valuable resource in the country…water.
The Seven refers to the original landholder families who got together to form the irrigation scheme that became known as the Yuwonderie Irrigation Scheme. Over the years, thanks to the success of the irrigation system to provide reliable water for their properties, they have become wealthy and powerful, controlling the prosperity of the entire region.
And just for reference, The Seven consist of the Titchfield, Hasluck, Blaxland, McLean, Heartwood, Horsham and Allsop families. Some of these families are pivotal to the story, particularly the lives of earlier generations and their influence on more recent events.
The story is told across three different time periods: 1913, 1993 and the present (2023). There is a great deal of history behind the Yuwonderie area as well as the families that make up The Seven in particular. Consequently, there’s quite a bit to get through to help us understand just what is at stake for the group who must be considered part of the main suspects.
Then there’s the 1913 storyline which unfolds as a series of letters written by a young woman by the name of Bessie Walker. Her role in this mystery slowly becomes clear throughout the course of the entire book.
When we flip to the 1993 time period we follow the exploits of Davis Heartwood. He’s part of one of The Seven families but is prepared to relinquish his entitlement in favour of completing his university history degree. To that end he is writing his thesis on the formation of the Yuwonderie Irrigation Scheme and throws himself headlong into as many historical records as he can. It’s fair to say that what he discovers from the past is going to be significant.
As with just about everything that involves money, greed and corruption seems inevitable along with the use and abuse of power.
Part of Lucic and Buchanan’s investigation involves learning more about the history of the area, how it was established and how the irrigation system operates. Also, they need to find out who benefits from the scheme and how. There’s a lot to get through but it proves to be a fascinating learning process and, for us, a mesmerising game of “what if”. Far from affecting the pace of the novel, it helps to ensure that there’s a constant sense of forward momentum.
To keep Ivan and Nell on their toes Nathan ‘Feral’ Phelan from the police Professional Standards section makes an appearance. To sum up Phelan we get the viewpoint from Ivan himself, “an utterly untrustworthy maverick, an operator, a collector of influence and secrets and leverage - with the power to end a career.” Thanks to the ‘friendly’ little conversation with Phelan, Ivan finds himself with a 48 hour deadline to wrap the case up with the threat of permanent leave should he fail hanging over his head.
Chris Hammer has a knack for building up a crystal clear picture of the settings of his books and he has succeeded in bringing Yuwonderie and the surrounding district completely to life. In exploring the historical aspects of the area the members of the principal families are brought to life. At the same time, the rich, fertile landscape of the region is also clearly defined and described providing a beautiful backdrop upon which the terrible deeds of the inhabitants are placed. The fact that I lived in the area for a number of years brought back fond memories of the beauty and wonder of the place in relentless waves as the story progressed.
The triple narrative structure was an effective way of drawing together multiple narrative threads and managed to ratchet up the dramatic tension as Ivan and Nell worked to bring the investigation to its successful conclusion. Or, at least, a conclusion that could close the case.
This is the 3rd book in the Lucic and Buchanan series but it can easily be enjoyed as a stand alone novel. Characters and incidents from this series and the Martin Scarsden series make an appearance drawing together all of Hammer’s works into a single universe.
This is an epic murder mystery that should appeal to anyone who enjoys the burgeoning Aussie rural crime sub-genre. In fact, I would go as far as to say this sits close to, if not at the top of the Australian crime tree, certainly in the last 4 or 5 years if not longer.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin via NetGalley for the digital ARC copy that allowed me to read, enjoy and write this review of the book.
October 12, 2023
DNF
2.5 hrs of listening were enough to make me realise this was not for me.
1. too long - no crime/thriller needs to be over 500 pages or 15 hours long.
2. the Indigenous servant's letters to her parents were beyond preposterous, and heavy-handed, I uttered many FFS and rolled my eyes. One of my pet peeves in modern literature is the tendency to write characters from a minority as perfect and wholesome. In breaking news: flawed humans from a minority still deserve to be treated with respect even if they're imperfect, they don't need to be holier than thou.
Rant over
2.5 hrs of listening were enough to make me realise this was not for me.
1. too long - no crime/thriller needs to be over 500 pages or 15 hours long.
2. the Indigenous servant's letters to her parents were beyond preposterous, and heavy-handed, I uttered many FFS and rolled my eyes. One of my pet peeves in modern literature is the tendency to write characters from a minority as perfect and wholesome. In breaking news: flawed humans from a minority still deserve to be treated with respect even if they're imperfect, they don't need to be holier than thou.
Rant over
October 10, 2023
The Seven (also titled Cover The Bones) is the third book in the Ivan Lulic and Nell Buchanan series by award-winning Australian journalist and author, Chris Hammer. When the body of a local accountant is found in an irrigation canal on the property of Country First MP Otto Titchfield, DS Ivan Lulic and DC Nell Buchanan are sent to investigate.
Athol Hasluk’s was a one-man accounting practice in the small Riverina town of Yuwonderie. He was respected and well-liked, although he didn’t have the large accounts of The Seven: the powerful and influential founding families of the Yuwonderie Irrigation Scheme, even if he was a junior member of one of those families. He didn’t drown in the canal, though; he might have been electrocuted; he was stabbed, possibly drugged, and definitely tortured.
His widow is adamant that he wasn’t having an affair, although lately he had been worried about something. Otto Titchfield says he may have had ambitions to join state politics. But his recently employed assistant has a bombshell or two to drop about his financial status. Turns out Athol was investing in water trading, a dodgy-sounding water extraction scheme, and a dry block of land.
In late 1993, Davis Heartwood, heir to a position as one of The Seven, decides instead that he will do an honours year in his History studies, and believes the founding of the Yuwonderie Irrigation Scheme will make a suitable topic for his thesis. Given free access to their archives, he becomes fascinated with how and why the nine families that undertook the original feasibility study became seven. He’s aware that the family heads, the town’s ruling clique, are trying to steer him away from that aspect, but he has no idea just how explosive are the facts he will uncover, nor the danger that represents.
In 1913, Bessie Walker, daughter of a white man and a part-indigenous woman, arrives at Castle View to work for the Titchfields, just as Horace Titchfield is trying to convince his neighbours to band together to explore the viability of an irrigation scheme on the southern side of the Murrumbidgee River, just like the NSW Government is funding on the north.
Jack Marney is one of those neighbours, and Bessie has caught his eye. Their plan to marry is delayed by the Great War, but he assures her before he heads to Gallipoli, that he has made financial provision for her, should he not return.
It’s pleasing to see how well Ivan and Nell work together after two years as the Rural Homicide team, and Kevin Nackangara’s appearance to work his forensic accounting magic is welcome. Ivan gets some disturbing news from overseas that sends him off the rails, back to a habit he thought he’d kicked.
Hammer’s cleverly constructed plot includes arson, suicide and attempted murder; a familiar conman reappearing; an unexpected departure via private plane; Martin Scarsden poking his pen in; again, the threat of Professional Standards in the form of Feral Phelan; and some high-power lawyers getting involved.
Three narratives, over three timelines that spread over ninety years, and include letters from a daughter to her mother, and some diary entries: just how they all tie in keeps even the most astute reader guessing up to the final reveals. Again, there’s a very handy map at the front created by Aleksander Potočnik, excellent cover art by Luke Causby, and Hammer easily captures setting and eras. Superlative Australian rural crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Allen & Unwin.
Athol Hasluk’s was a one-man accounting practice in the small Riverina town of Yuwonderie. He was respected and well-liked, although he didn’t have the large accounts of The Seven: the powerful and influential founding families of the Yuwonderie Irrigation Scheme, even if he was a junior member of one of those families. He didn’t drown in the canal, though; he might have been electrocuted; he was stabbed, possibly drugged, and definitely tortured.
His widow is adamant that he wasn’t having an affair, although lately he had been worried about something. Otto Titchfield says he may have had ambitions to join state politics. But his recently employed assistant has a bombshell or two to drop about his financial status. Turns out Athol was investing in water trading, a dodgy-sounding water extraction scheme, and a dry block of land.
In late 1993, Davis Heartwood, heir to a position as one of The Seven, decides instead that he will do an honours year in his History studies, and believes the founding of the Yuwonderie Irrigation Scheme will make a suitable topic for his thesis. Given free access to their archives, he becomes fascinated with how and why the nine families that undertook the original feasibility study became seven. He’s aware that the family heads, the town’s ruling clique, are trying to steer him away from that aspect, but he has no idea just how explosive are the facts he will uncover, nor the danger that represents.
In 1913, Bessie Walker, daughter of a white man and a part-indigenous woman, arrives at Castle View to work for the Titchfields, just as Horace Titchfield is trying to convince his neighbours to band together to explore the viability of an irrigation scheme on the southern side of the Murrumbidgee River, just like the NSW Government is funding on the north.
Jack Marney is one of those neighbours, and Bessie has caught his eye. Their plan to marry is delayed by the Great War, but he assures her before he heads to Gallipoli, that he has made financial provision for her, should he not return.
It’s pleasing to see how well Ivan and Nell work together after two years as the Rural Homicide team, and Kevin Nackangara’s appearance to work his forensic accounting magic is welcome. Ivan gets some disturbing news from overseas that sends him off the rails, back to a habit he thought he’d kicked.
Hammer’s cleverly constructed plot includes arson, suicide and attempted murder; a familiar conman reappearing; an unexpected departure via private plane; Martin Scarsden poking his pen in; again, the threat of Professional Standards in the form of Feral Phelan; and some high-power lawyers getting involved.
Three narratives, over three timelines that spread over ninety years, and include letters from a daughter to her mother, and some diary entries: just how they all tie in keeps even the most astute reader guessing up to the final reveals. Again, there’s a very handy map at the front created by Aleksander Potočnik, excellent cover art by Luke Causby, and Hammer easily captures setting and eras. Superlative Australian rural crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Allen & Unwin.
September 5, 2023
It is no secret that Chris Hammer is one of my favourite Australian crime writers, so when I received this copy of The Seven early from Allen and Unwin I was thrilled. I dropped everything and dove right in.
This is a book that requires your full attention with so much going on in all 3 timelines, and a large cast of characters. Don’t worry though, it is easy to stay on tracks with who is who and when. It is an immersive read and you will be lost in the pages. It consumed my weekend and I was so happy to let it.
We see the return of Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan in The Seven. If you have read this author before you will know them well. We also see some other familiar faces appear. But fear not, if this is your first Chris Hammer book you will be able to read it as a stand alone. I guarantee you will want to go back and read the others afterwards.
Ivan and Nell have been sent to a remote NSW town to investigate a murder. The local accountant has been murdered, his body found in the water. In a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business, who would kill him and why? The detectives keep coming across barriers, especially when the Seven are involved. They are the founding families in the town, the ones with the money and the power.
I love that we have multiple timelines in this story. Aside from the present day and the murder case, we have letters written in 1913 by Bessie, a young, part aboriginal girl, who went to work for one of the Seven. There is also the story from 1993 of David, another from a Seven family, who is studying history and looking at the past life of the local irrigation systems.
Landscape plays a big part in this story, as it does in all of this authors books. Water trading was something that I had never heard of before and it was so interesting to hear all about it. This story is full of intrigue, secrets and lies, as well as corruption and family…and murder.
Another must read from Chris Hammer. Get your copy on October 3rd.
This is a book that requires your full attention with so much going on in all 3 timelines, and a large cast of characters. Don’t worry though, it is easy to stay on tracks with who is who and when. It is an immersive read and you will be lost in the pages. It consumed my weekend and I was so happy to let it.
We see the return of Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan in The Seven. If you have read this author before you will know them well. We also see some other familiar faces appear. But fear not, if this is your first Chris Hammer book you will be able to read it as a stand alone. I guarantee you will want to go back and read the others afterwards.
Ivan and Nell have been sent to a remote NSW town to investigate a murder. The local accountant has been murdered, his body found in the water. In a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business, who would kill him and why? The detectives keep coming across barriers, especially when the Seven are involved. They are the founding families in the town, the ones with the money and the power.
I love that we have multiple timelines in this story. Aside from the present day and the murder case, we have letters written in 1913 by Bessie, a young, part aboriginal girl, who went to work for one of the Seven. There is also the story from 1993 of David, another from a Seven family, who is studying history and looking at the past life of the local irrigation systems.
Landscape plays a big part in this story, as it does in all of this authors books. Water trading was something that I had never heard of before and it was so interesting to hear all about it. This story is full of intrigue, secrets and lies, as well as corruption and family…and murder.
Another must read from Chris Hammer. Get your copy on October 3rd.
October 15, 2023
This is book 3 in the Lucic and Buchanan series - while The Tilt (Book 2) primarily focused on Nell Buchanan, this book centres mainly on Ivan Lucic.
When a dead body is found floating in an irrigation channel in rural NSW, Ivan and Nell are sent as regional homicide investigators to take a look. It is then realised that the channel is on the property of the local MP, the pressure is on to solve this quickly before the media descend.
'The Seven' refers to seven local wealthy landowners who have lived in the area for generations. More importantly they funded and own the irrigation channels that brought a rich farm life to an otherwise drought prone area. Once the surface of this pristine little fiefdom is scratched at, there appears to be something quite wrong with how things are 'run' in this community.
Another tremendous tale by Chris Hammer, that I will highly recommend. Thank you Netgalley as well as Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.
When a dead body is found floating in an irrigation channel in rural NSW, Ivan and Nell are sent as regional homicide investigators to take a look. It is then realised that the channel is on the property of the local MP, the pressure is on to solve this quickly before the media descend.
'The Seven' refers to seven local wealthy landowners who have lived in the area for generations. More importantly they funded and own the irrigation channels that brought a rich farm life to an otherwise drought prone area. Once the surface of this pristine little fiefdom is scratched at, there appears to be something quite wrong with how things are 'run' in this community.
Another tremendous tale by Chris Hammer, that I will highly recommend. Thank you Netgalley as well as Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.
March 18, 2024
This is another big crime mystery for fans of Australian crime to sink their teeth into. While it is the third in the Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan series, you can read this as a standalone if you want; I would personally recommend reading the others first just because they are good books. I must admit the details of politics and water trading went a bit over my head but by the end I think I grasped it more than I did at the start. The narrative alternates between three different timeline/storylines with the full connections only becoming clear close to the end. This is an absorbing, complex and clever story.
November 27, 2023
I’m fond of crime fiction stories set in Australian towns situated beyond the coastal fringe of major inhabitancy. These outback towns are largely self-sufficient, with supplies routinely being trucked in from the large coastal conurbations and law enforcement being carried out by a few, generally junior ranking, officers. Yuwonderie is such a place, five or six hours drive from the either Melbourne or Sydney. In this town water matters, there just isn’t enough annual rainfall to allow it grow and ultimately thrive – without radical intervention, that is.
But the intervention came, some generations ago, in the form of an irrigation system tapping into the Murrumbidgee River, which was planned and executed by a group of families known as The Seven. These families are still the major players in this town, which did grow and did thrive. Only now a body has been found on land owned by one of the families, and it’s clear that foul deeds have been at play. Law enforcement is now on its way, in the form of detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan.
This is the third book featuring this pair, operating in the lesser populated areas of New South Wales. We will learn of events leading up to the murder not only by following their investigation but also through a series of letters, written by an Aboriginal woman in the early 1900s, and flashbacks to the 1990s, when a student descendent of one of the families conducted some research into the history of the town’s development.
In some ways this story has echoes of the previous book in this series, Dead Man's Creek in the respect that both are set in similar sized outback towns and concern a body found in water. But the main point of common interest for me is the opportunity to increase my understanding of Australia and its people, particularly those living outside of the major cities. I enjoy learning of the relationship between the indigenous population and those descended from the later European arrivals; the way in which the country has been developed, particularly in those areas where the climate and lack of beneficial natural resources fight settlers at every turn; the culture of the people and the place and how it differs to what I see and experience daily, living in a rural English town.
This is a long story (over 450 pages) and, in truth, it’s probably too long. And although the tale itself rattled along pretty well, I found the resolution to be unappealingly labyrinthine. In fact, I had to read the wrap up section twice to fully get a grasp on it. But what I continue to enjoy about Hammer’s books is the characters he draws – I’m certainly invested in Ivan and Nell and look forward to catching up with them again – and the way he opens my eyes to things I’d no idea existed. Water trading? I’d never come across that before, but it exists, in all its complexities.
My thanks to Headline for supplying a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
But the intervention came, some generations ago, in the form of an irrigation system tapping into the Murrumbidgee River, which was planned and executed by a group of families known as The Seven. These families are still the major players in this town, which did grow and did thrive. Only now a body has been found on land owned by one of the families, and it’s clear that foul deeds have been at play. Law enforcement is now on its way, in the form of detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan.
This is the third book featuring this pair, operating in the lesser populated areas of New South Wales. We will learn of events leading up to the murder not only by following their investigation but also through a series of letters, written by an Aboriginal woman in the early 1900s, and flashbacks to the 1990s, when a student descendent of one of the families conducted some research into the history of the town’s development.
In some ways this story has echoes of the previous book in this series, Dead Man's Creek in the respect that both are set in similar sized outback towns and concern a body found in water. But the main point of common interest for me is the opportunity to increase my understanding of Australia and its people, particularly those living outside of the major cities. I enjoy learning of the relationship between the indigenous population and those descended from the later European arrivals; the way in which the country has been developed, particularly in those areas where the climate and lack of beneficial natural resources fight settlers at every turn; the culture of the people and the place and how it differs to what I see and experience daily, living in a rural English town.
This is a long story (over 450 pages) and, in truth, it’s probably too long. And although the tale itself rattled along pretty well, I found the resolution to be unappealingly labyrinthine. In fact, I had to read the wrap up section twice to fully get a grasp on it. But what I continue to enjoy about Hammer’s books is the characters he draws – I’m certainly invested in Ivan and Nell and look forward to catching up with them again – and the way he opens my eyes to things I’d no idea existed. Water trading? I’d never come across that before, but it exists, in all its complexities.
My thanks to Headline for supplying a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
December 28, 2023
A 5 star book for the three intricate plots all weaving and twisting throughout until they all come together to explode in an ending which still has me reeling! I am a huge Chris Hammer fan and this book exceeded all of my high expectations. The perfect holiday read over the Aussie summer.
August 19, 2025
I should have realised that if anyone can turn a niche aspect of agricultural finance into a propulsive murder mystery, Chris Hammer can. My only regret is leaving it so long to get into this one.
Whereas #2 in this series was more about DC Nell Buchanan, this time the focus shifts back to DS Ivan Lucic. The pair are called to the fictional NSW town of Yuwonderie when a murder victim is discovered dumped in an irrigation canal, on the private property of the local state MP. The victim is from one of the Seven founding families of the irrigation scheme that has brought a century of prosperity to the area. It turns out that the unfortunate chap is not the first of his generation of Seven sons to be murdered in mysterious circumstances. Could the two events be related?
But this is not your classic dual timeline story. There are actually 3 timelines to follow, with the earliest detailing a mystery that takes place at the time the scheme was set up. Could, in fact, all three mysteries be somehow tied together????
I'm enjoying this series just as much as the Martin Scarsden one, and really appreciated the little crossover towards the end, to find out what Martin's been up to since Hammer has been more focused on the homicide detectives in recent years. It makes me happy to know I still have one of each to read at this stage.
Whereas #2 in this series was more about DC Nell Buchanan, this time the focus shifts back to DS Ivan Lucic. The pair are called to the fictional NSW town of Yuwonderie when a murder victim is discovered dumped in an irrigation canal, on the private property of the local state MP. The victim is from one of the Seven founding families of the irrigation scheme that has brought a century of prosperity to the area. It turns out that the unfortunate chap is not the first of his generation of Seven sons to be murdered in mysterious circumstances. Could the two events be related?
But this is not your classic dual timeline story. There are actually 3 timelines to follow, with the earliest detailing a mystery that takes place at the time the scheme was set up. Could, in fact, all three mysteries be somehow tied together????
I'm enjoying this series just as much as the Martin Scarsden one, and really appreciated the little crossover towards the end, to find out what Martin's been up to since Hammer has been more focused on the homicide detectives in recent years. It makes me happy to know I still have one of each to read at this stage.
October 12, 2023
The Seven (also titled Cover The Bones) is the third book in the Ivan Lulic and Nell Buchanan series by award-winning Australian journalist and author, Chris Hammer. The audio version is narrated by Dorje Swallow. When the body of a local accountant is found in an irrigation canal on the property of Country First MP Otto Titchfield, DS Ivan Lulic and DC Nell Buchanan are sent to investigate.
Athol Hasluk’s was a one-man accounting practice in the small Riverina town of Yuwonderie. He was respected and well-liked, although he didn’t have the large accounts of The Seven: the powerful and influential founding families of the Yuwonderie Irrigation Scheme, even if he was a junior member of one of those families. He didn’t drown in the canal, though; he might have been electrocuted; he was stabbed, possibly drugged, and definitely tortured.
His widow is adamant that he wasn’t having an affair, although lately he had been worried about something. Otto Titchfield says he may have had ambitions to join state politics. But his recently employed assistant has a bombshell or two to drop about his financial status. Turns out Athol was investing in water trading, a dodgy-sounding water extraction scheme, and a dry block of land.
In late 1993, Davis Heartwood, heir to a position as one of The Seven, decides instead that he will do an honours year in his History studies, and believes the founding of the Yuwonderie Irrigation Scheme will make a suitable topic for his thesis. Given free access to their archives, he becomes fascinated with how and why the nine families that undertook the original feasibility study became seven. He’s aware that the family heads, the town’s ruling clique, are trying to steer him away from that aspect, but he has no idea just how explosive are the facts he will uncover, nor the danger that represents.
In 1913, Bessie Walker, daughter of a white man and a part-indigenous woman, arrives at Castle View to work for the Titchfields, just as Horace Titchfield is trying to convince his neighbours to band together to explore the viability of an irrigation scheme on the southern side of the Murrumbidgee River, just like the NSW Government is funding on the north.
Jack Marney is one of those neighbours, and Bessie has caught his eye. Their plan to marry is delayed by the Great War, but he assures her before he heads to Gallipoli, that he has made financial provision for her, should he not return.
It’s pleasing to see how well Ivan and Nell work together after two years as the Rural Homicide team, and Kevin Nackangara’s appearance to work his forensic accounting magic is welcome. Ivan gets some disturbing news from overseas that sends him off the rails, back to a habit he thought he’d kicked.
Hammer’s cleverly constructed plot includes arson, suicide and attempted murder; a familiar conman reappearing; an unexpected departure via private plane; Martin Scarsden poking his pen in; again, the threat of Professional Standards in the form of Feral Phelan; and some high-power lawyers getting involved.
Three narratives, over three timelines that spread over ninety years, and include letters from a daughter to her mother, and some diary entries: just how they all tie in keeps even the most astute reader guessing up to the final reveals. Again, there’s a very handy map at the front created by Aleksander Potočnik, excellent cover art by Luke Causby, and Hammer easily captures setting and eras. Superlative Australian rural crime fiction.
Athol Hasluk’s was a one-man accounting practice in the small Riverina town of Yuwonderie. He was respected and well-liked, although he didn’t have the large accounts of The Seven: the powerful and influential founding families of the Yuwonderie Irrigation Scheme, even if he was a junior member of one of those families. He didn’t drown in the canal, though; he might have been electrocuted; he was stabbed, possibly drugged, and definitely tortured.
His widow is adamant that he wasn’t having an affair, although lately he had been worried about something. Otto Titchfield says he may have had ambitions to join state politics. But his recently employed assistant has a bombshell or two to drop about his financial status. Turns out Athol was investing in water trading, a dodgy-sounding water extraction scheme, and a dry block of land.
In late 1993, Davis Heartwood, heir to a position as one of The Seven, decides instead that he will do an honours year in his History studies, and believes the founding of the Yuwonderie Irrigation Scheme will make a suitable topic for his thesis. Given free access to their archives, he becomes fascinated with how and why the nine families that undertook the original feasibility study became seven. He’s aware that the family heads, the town’s ruling clique, are trying to steer him away from that aspect, but he has no idea just how explosive are the facts he will uncover, nor the danger that represents.
In 1913, Bessie Walker, daughter of a white man and a part-indigenous woman, arrives at Castle View to work for the Titchfields, just as Horace Titchfield is trying to convince his neighbours to band together to explore the viability of an irrigation scheme on the southern side of the Murrumbidgee River, just like the NSW Government is funding on the north.
Jack Marney is one of those neighbours, and Bessie has caught his eye. Their plan to marry is delayed by the Great War, but he assures her before he heads to Gallipoli, that he has made financial provision for her, should he not return.
It’s pleasing to see how well Ivan and Nell work together after two years as the Rural Homicide team, and Kevin Nackangara’s appearance to work his forensic accounting magic is welcome. Ivan gets some disturbing news from overseas that sends him off the rails, back to a habit he thought he’d kicked.
Hammer’s cleverly constructed plot includes arson, suicide and attempted murder; a familiar conman reappearing; an unexpected departure via private plane; Martin Scarsden poking his pen in; again, the threat of Professional Standards in the form of Feral Phelan; and some high-power lawyers getting involved.
Three narratives, over three timelines that spread over ninety years, and include letters from a daughter to her mother, and some diary entries: just how they all tie in keeps even the most astute reader guessing up to the final reveals. Again, there’s a very handy map at the front created by Aleksander Potočnik, excellent cover art by Luke Causby, and Hammer easily captures setting and eras. Superlative Australian rural crime fiction.
February 21, 2024
Like in the previous two novels of this series, Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic and Detective Constable Nell Buchanan are dispatched to a remote township to investigate a murder. However, unlike Opal Country and Dead Man’s Creek, Yuwonderie is no ramshackle shanty town but rather an oasis amid the arid New South Wales landscape. This is all because of an irrigation project that was devised in the 1910s by the seven families who owned most of the land thereabouts.
The victim is lawyer Athol Hasluck, a junior member of one of the seven dynasties. His body being discovered by windsurfers in an irrigation canal. As well as being stabbed through the heart, he had also been electrocuted.
There are frequent flashback episodes. Firstly to the 1910s where Bessie Walker, a young woman of mixed white and native Australian heritage begins work as a maid to one of the seven families, the Titchfields. Then to 1993, when Davis Heartwood, heir to another of the seven families begins a research project on the history of the irrigation scheme.
It soon becomes obvious that there are guilty secrets stretching back decades and that Athol Hasluck’s murder could just be the latest attempt to deter further investigation.
Unsurprisingly, this is quite a complex novel and Ivan and Nell are frequently having to revise their theories about what is really happening. When everything starts to fall into place during the final chapters the non-stop action was riveting. Not an easy read but still a highly rewarding one.
The victim is lawyer Athol Hasluck, a junior member of one of the seven dynasties. His body being discovered by windsurfers in an irrigation canal. As well as being stabbed through the heart, he had also been electrocuted.
There are frequent flashback episodes. Firstly to the 1910s where Bessie Walker, a young woman of mixed white and native Australian heritage begins work as a maid to one of the seven families, the Titchfields. Then to 1993, when Davis Heartwood, heir to another of the seven families begins a research project on the history of the irrigation scheme.
It soon becomes obvious that there are guilty secrets stretching back decades and that Athol Hasluck’s murder could just be the latest attempt to deter further investigation.
Unsurprisingly, this is quite a complex novel and Ivan and Nell are frequently having to revise their theories about what is really happening. When everything starts to fall into place during the final chapters the non-stop action was riveting. Not an easy read but still a highly rewarding one.
November 6, 2023
The Seven is another great Australian rural mystery-suspense in Chris Hammer's enthralling series featuring NSW homicide detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan. This series exists in the same fictional "universe" as Hammer's earlier Martin Scarsden series, with investigative journalist Scarsden making a useful cameo appearance in The Seven, as he did in serious predecessor The Tilt.
Like The Tilt, The Seven employs a cleverly intertwined multi-timeline structure, which I love! We follow the experiences of Bessie Walker, a well-educated part-Aboriginal girl, who's arrived to work as a servant on Castle View, the Titchfield family property south of the Murrumbidgee in 1913. The family is central to plans within the community of nearby landholders to establish a private irrigation scheme, similar to the (real) government scheme planned for the area north of the river, around present-day Leeton and Griffith. As World War 1 looms in far-off Europe, Bessie finds herself in a budding romance with neighbouring farmer Jack Marney.
We also meet, in 1993, a cast of characters in their late teens and early 20s, who've grown up together in and around the prosperous (but fictional) town of Yuwonderie, the centre of an irrigation area south of the Murrumbidgee River, in the vicinity of real life Colleambally and Morundah in central-southern NSW. Some of the young adults have lived privileged lives, sons and daughters of "The Seven", the cartel of squattocracy families who established and continue to control the Yuwonderie irrigation scheme. Others come from families whose lives are based in the town or operate smaller properties that rely on purchased water from the irrigation system. Davis Heartwood, newly returned from completing his undergraduate degree in History in Melbourne, feels restless and unsure about taking up his birthright - as owner and boss of Three Wells Station. Thinking of returning to postgraduate study in an effort to put off the inevitable, Davis begins researching the history and origins of the Yuwonderie private irrigation scheme.
In the present day, Lucic and Buchanan travel to Yuwonderie after the body of local accountant Athol Hasluck is found by skylarking teenagers in a canal on the property of prominent citizen and local MP, Otto Titchfield. Almost immediately, the detectives sense that there is more going on under the surface of this town, with its picturesque Art Deco architecture and ingrained social hierarchy, than meets the eye. They face stonewalling from locals as they investigate the curious circumstances of Hasluck's death and probe links with the sudden, apparently accidental, deaths of three community stalwarts and the disappearance of two younger individuals from the town thirty years previously. Are the cases linked, and if so, how?
The investigation brings Lucic and Buchanan into more than one dangerous situation, as it becomes clear that they're closing in on the truth. A couple of fortuitous contacts provide hidden clues as the plot races to its dramatic and satisfying conclusion.
As always, Chris Hammer's writing is wonderfully evocative of the rural Australian landscape. As I grew up in nearby Wagga, this was especially evident to me while reading The Seven, as it was an area with which I was closely familiar for many years. When Ivan takes his morning run up Castle Hill, providing a dramatic and far-reaching view across the surrounding plains, it brought to my mind many childhood visits to Galore Hill, with it's history of bushranger outposts and long indigenous associations. There was a privately-founded irrigation scheme at Colleambally during the mid-20th century, and while it wasn't nearly as successful as that described in The Seven, must certainly have provided inspiration to the author. After all, in this hot and dry environment, water is life and its control bestows great power.
The characterisations of the central characters, Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan continue to evolve. They're both sympathetic and believable characters, whose different personalities provide an excellent foil for each other. I found the supporting characters, in all three timelines, particularly engaging in this book, also. Hammer explores many intriguing themes around social hierarchies, gender politics and the abuse of power which made this a very tantalising read.
I'd highly recommend The Seven to any reader who enjoys high-quality Australian Noir with strong plot and great characters. While having read the series predecessors, Treasure & Dirt and The Tilt provides substantial backstory around the central present-day characters, I believe this would also be a rewarding read as a standalone or entry point to Chris Hammer growing body of work.
Like The Tilt, The Seven employs a cleverly intertwined multi-timeline structure, which I love! We follow the experiences of Bessie Walker, a well-educated part-Aboriginal girl, who's arrived to work as a servant on Castle View, the Titchfield family property south of the Murrumbidgee in 1913. The family is central to plans within the community of nearby landholders to establish a private irrigation scheme, similar to the (real) government scheme planned for the area north of the river, around present-day Leeton and Griffith. As World War 1 looms in far-off Europe, Bessie finds herself in a budding romance with neighbouring farmer Jack Marney.
We also meet, in 1993, a cast of characters in their late teens and early 20s, who've grown up together in and around the prosperous (but fictional) town of Yuwonderie, the centre of an irrigation area south of the Murrumbidgee River, in the vicinity of real life Colleambally and Morundah in central-southern NSW. Some of the young adults have lived privileged lives, sons and daughters of "The Seven", the cartel of squattocracy families who established and continue to control the Yuwonderie irrigation scheme. Others come from families whose lives are based in the town or operate smaller properties that rely on purchased water from the irrigation system. Davis Heartwood, newly returned from completing his undergraduate degree in History in Melbourne, feels restless and unsure about taking up his birthright - as owner and boss of Three Wells Station. Thinking of returning to postgraduate study in an effort to put off the inevitable, Davis begins researching the history and origins of the Yuwonderie private irrigation scheme.
In the present day, Lucic and Buchanan travel to Yuwonderie after the body of local accountant Athol Hasluck is found by skylarking teenagers in a canal on the property of prominent citizen and local MP, Otto Titchfield. Almost immediately, the detectives sense that there is more going on under the surface of this town, with its picturesque Art Deco architecture and ingrained social hierarchy, than meets the eye. They face stonewalling from locals as they investigate the curious circumstances of Hasluck's death and probe links with the sudden, apparently accidental, deaths of three community stalwarts and the disappearance of two younger individuals from the town thirty years previously. Are the cases linked, and if so, how?
The investigation brings Lucic and Buchanan into more than one dangerous situation, as it becomes clear that they're closing in on the truth. A couple of fortuitous contacts provide hidden clues as the plot races to its dramatic and satisfying conclusion.
As always, Chris Hammer's writing is wonderfully evocative of the rural Australian landscape. As I grew up in nearby Wagga, this was especially evident to me while reading The Seven, as it was an area with which I was closely familiar for many years. When Ivan takes his morning run up Castle Hill, providing a dramatic and far-reaching view across the surrounding plains, it brought to my mind many childhood visits to Galore Hill, with it's history of bushranger outposts and long indigenous associations. There was a privately-founded irrigation scheme at Colleambally during the mid-20th century, and while it wasn't nearly as successful as that described in The Seven, must certainly have provided inspiration to the author. After all, in this hot and dry environment, water is life and its control bestows great power.
The characterisations of the central characters, Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan continue to evolve. They're both sympathetic and believable characters, whose different personalities provide an excellent foil for each other. I found the supporting characters, in all three timelines, particularly engaging in this book, also. Hammer explores many intriguing themes around social hierarchies, gender politics and the abuse of power which made this a very tantalising read.
I'd highly recommend The Seven to any reader who enjoys high-quality Australian Noir with strong plot and great characters. While having read the series predecessors, Treasure & Dirt and The Tilt provides substantial backstory around the central present-day characters, I believe this would also be a rewarding read as a standalone or entry point to Chris Hammer growing body of work.
April 9, 2024
Chris Hammer has enjoyed the challenge of writing this complex mystery from three perspectives over three timelines, delighted that he now feels experienced enough to to this. (Did I read an interview or hear him talk recently? Possibly both)
I was a bit overwhelmed by that very complexity, particularly the financial wrong dealings that lie at the heart of the three stories, though we don't discover their connections or all the details until the final resolution. Enough has been written about them for me to avoid repetition.
The thing that struck me most strongly, and why I’ve given it 4 stars, was how much Hammer knows about power politics and social structure in Australian regional towns and communities; and his blistering unpacking of scams run by the wealthy to ensure their ownership of the water resources without which nothing will grow in our dry inland. Irrigation is the key to all. Who owns the infrastructure and who owns the land that will or won’t get water.
There’s some very neat detective work by the police team making their third appearance, helped and hindered by locals with different interests.
Hammer’s background explains his masterful understandings of power plays and resources – a senior political journalist for thirty years who has written two highly regarded non-fiction books – one on the Murray - Darling River system from which massive quantities of water are drawn for irrigation, and the other on the coast.
Extract from his bio:
He was a journalist for more than thirty years, dividing his career between covering Australian federal politics and international affairs. For many years he was a roving foreign correspondent for SBS TV's flagship current affairs program Dateline. He has reported from more than thirty countries on six continents.
Chris's non-fiction book, The River, published in 2010 to critical acclaim, was the recipient of the ACT Book of the Year Award and was shortlisted for the Walkley Book Award. Scrublands, his first novel, was published in 2018 and was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Debut Dagger Award, Best Debut Fiction at the Indie Book Awards, and Best General Fiction at the ABIA Awards.
https://chrishammerauthor.com
The Seven has also been short-listed for the Australian Indie awards in 2024: https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au...
The publisher’s blurb on The River: A Journey through the Murray-Darling BasinThe River.
Australia's major river system is collapsing. Parts of it are dying; parts of it are already dead. Australia's most significant river no longer reaches the sea. I look out into the dim autumn light and wonder once again how it has come to this . . .
In The River, Chris Hammer takes us on a journey through Australia's heartland, following the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin, recounting his experiences, his impressions, and, above all, stories of the people he meets along the way. It's a journey punctuated with laughter, sadness and reflection.The River looks past the daily news reports and their sterile statistics, revealing the true impact of our rivers' decline on the people who live along their shores, and on the country as a whole. It's a tale that leaves the reader with a lingering sense of nostalgia for an Australia that may be fading away forever.
Melbourne University Press https://www.mup.com.au/books/the-rive...
I was a bit overwhelmed by that very complexity, particularly the financial wrong dealings that lie at the heart of the three stories, though we don't discover their connections or all the details until the final resolution. Enough has been written about them for me to avoid repetition.
The thing that struck me most strongly, and why I’ve given it 4 stars, was how much Hammer knows about power politics and social structure in Australian regional towns and communities; and his blistering unpacking of scams run by the wealthy to ensure their ownership of the water resources without which nothing will grow in our dry inland. Irrigation is the key to all. Who owns the infrastructure and who owns the land that will or won’t get water.
There’s some very neat detective work by the police team making their third appearance, helped and hindered by locals with different interests.
Hammer’s background explains his masterful understandings of power plays and resources – a senior political journalist for thirty years who has written two highly regarded non-fiction books – one on the Murray - Darling River system from which massive quantities of water are drawn for irrigation, and the other on the coast.
Extract from his bio:
He was a journalist for more than thirty years, dividing his career between covering Australian federal politics and international affairs. For many years he was a roving foreign correspondent for SBS TV's flagship current affairs program Dateline. He has reported from more than thirty countries on six continents.
Chris's non-fiction book, The River, published in 2010 to critical acclaim, was the recipient of the ACT Book of the Year Award and was shortlisted for the Walkley Book Award. Scrublands, his first novel, was published in 2018 and was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Debut Dagger Award, Best Debut Fiction at the Indie Book Awards, and Best General Fiction at the ABIA Awards.
https://chrishammerauthor.com
The Seven has also been short-listed for the Australian Indie awards in 2024: https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au...
The publisher’s blurb on The River: A Journey through the Murray-Darling BasinThe River.
Australia's major river system is collapsing. Parts of it are dying; parts of it are already dead. Australia's most significant river no longer reaches the sea. I look out into the dim autumn light and wonder once again how it has come to this . . .
In The River, Chris Hammer takes us on a journey through Australia's heartland, following the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin, recounting his experiences, his impressions, and, above all, stories of the people he meets along the way. It's a journey punctuated with laughter, sadness and reflection.The River looks past the daily news reports and their sterile statistics, revealing the true impact of our rivers' decline on the people who live along their shores, and on the country as a whole. It's a tale that leaves the reader with a lingering sense of nostalgia for an Australia that may be fading away forever.
Melbourne University Press https://www.mup.com.au/books/the-rive...
October 3, 2023
Thank you Allen & Unwin for sending us a copy to read and review.
A literary blockbuster that interlaces crime, entitlement and family heritage in a narrative that spans three time periods.
Water or liquid gold to farmers is at the centre of this gripping and clever plot.
Water is the source of life and when in the hands of the greedy it can spell death.
Seven founding families control and influence the town of Yuwonderie.
The irrigation scheme set up by their forefathers ensures agricultural production is always high.
Social, political and economic connections keep the families strong through the generations.
Creating greed and arrogance as they fiercely protect secrets that ensured the scheme.
A body is found in the canal.
Homicide Detectives Ivan and Nell are back on the case.
They discover nepotism at its extreme and find cracks in the elite who rule the town. Secrets, lies and deception lead to audacious murders and link to a cold case from the 1990’s.
Letters from Bessie written as the Great War was starting, connects the past with the future and are a significant conduit in the 1990’s timeline.
I was totally absorbed, intrigued and impressed as I ploughed my way through this saga and attempted to piece together the clues in a book that has now become a firm favourite from this talented author.
A literary blockbuster that interlaces crime, entitlement and family heritage in a narrative that spans three time periods.
Water or liquid gold to farmers is at the centre of this gripping and clever plot.
Water is the source of life and when in the hands of the greedy it can spell death.
Seven founding families control and influence the town of Yuwonderie.
The irrigation scheme set up by their forefathers ensures agricultural production is always high.
Social, political and economic connections keep the families strong through the generations.
Creating greed and arrogance as they fiercely protect secrets that ensured the scheme.
A body is found in the canal.
Homicide Detectives Ivan and Nell are back on the case.
They discover nepotism at its extreme and find cracks in the elite who rule the town. Secrets, lies and deception lead to audacious murders and link to a cold case from the 1990’s.
Letters from Bessie written as the Great War was starting, connects the past with the future and are a significant conduit in the 1990’s timeline.
I was totally absorbed, intrigued and impressed as I ploughed my way through this saga and attempted to piece together the clues in a book that has now become a firm favourite from this talented author.
September 6, 2024
At the start of the book I did not give it enough time for me to become invested in it and read a few pages here and a few pages there. I was thinking, wow I usually love this guys books, such great writing and intelligent plots and on the whole really engaging reads. So I sat down and started again from the beginning and did not stop till I had read at least 100 pages. I was rewarded with a compelling thriller, at the heart of it seven families who had founded and established the area known as Yuwonderie. When one of their own is found dead we are reunited with Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan from the 2 previous books, Tilt and Treasure and Dirt.
Told in 3 timelines we begin to unravel how the strands of these three narratives are linked and how a murder and disappearance in 1994 is linked to the body recently found.
I like to learn something when reading and the fact that the battles for water and the buying and selling of it is something that happens today was something i had naively never thought about. Sure I knew you could buy truck loads of the stuff but not on this grand scale.
The Seven is a richly told, complex novel. Full of detail and history. Another winner for sure.
#TheSeven #NetGalley
Told in 3 timelines we begin to unravel how the strands of these three narratives are linked and how a murder and disappearance in 1994 is linked to the body recently found.
I like to learn something when reading and the fact that the battles for water and the buying and selling of it is something that happens today was something i had naively never thought about. Sure I knew you could buy truck loads of the stuff but not on this grand scale.
The Seven is a richly told, complex novel. Full of detail and history. Another winner for sure.
#TheSeven #NetGalley
November 5, 2023
This is my sixth Chris Hammer novel. His writing has improved considerably. His first few novels were tick box affairs, there were droughts, bushfires, PTSD, paedophilia, inheritance, a dying town, bikie gangs, drug traders, back packer murders and so on.
With Tilt and The Seven he has reduced the themes and focused on a crime and a setting in rural Australia with a historical theme.
I will leave it to others to explain the plot in detail other than to say a male and female cop come to a country town in western New South Wales to solve a recent murder.
Hammer is no great literary writer; his prose is basic and straight forward. He often uses short simple sentences, especially when he is describing action. He knows his audience. Descriptive writing is used minimally, there are few metaphors or similies. This is not a criticism but rather an observation. Some of the most successful crime fiction writers use a similar style. The narrative lays the story out there for the reader to follow easily. His characters never reflect on themselves, the decisions they make, person turmoils nor the world around them.
One of the important aspects of the novel is the knowledge of the Leeton-Griffith area and the structure and politics of water management. Hammer grew up in the area and his undoubtedly done extensive research before writing.
Landscape and setting also play a major part of this book. At times the story reminds me of some of Thomas Keneally’s history fiction work.
The book has a triple narrative structure. An Aboriginal woman, Bessie Walker is the author of letters to her mother around 1915, Davis Heartwood is a university student doing research into the establishment of the irrigation system, and today, with Ivan and Nell working to solve a murder.
I found the narrative of circa 1915, which consisted of letters written by Bessie to her mother, the least appealing narrative. The language seemed at odds with a young Aboriginal woman from a mission. She was a naïve servant who captured the heart of a local handsome landholder. She was a sympathetic character and was cheated out of her land by local white farmers.
As an observation, it is telling that Hammer does not delve into the theme of the colonisers, The seven families, taking the land from the indigeneous inhabitants, but I guess he was smart enough not to introduce “black arm band” history into his novel, especially now that we see the result of the Voice referendum. He does acknowledge the Wiradjuri people and the deep injustices perpetrated against them in his author’s note.
Near the ending I thought I was in a labrynth of characters, clues and conclusions. The densely plotted, with an unsuspecting twist, and character ridden ending needs close attention by the reader.
Without wanting to disclose too much he does bring the Calabrian mafia into the story. There was a 4 Corners story on the criminal corruption of water management in New South Wales and Margaret Simons produced a damning account in the #77 Quarterly Essay.
For reasons I could not fathom Ivan Lucic’s father briefly and depressingly enters the story.
I did not think this story matched his previous publication, “Tilt”. I thought at 480 pages it was too long. I thought the economics of water, farming and marketing was over played. The ending saw characters do things that were very out of character of the person you travelled with in the story. There was reliance on coincidence and a few characters, (Krystal and Alice and Benedict Bright) appeared unaccounted for at the end. The story kept my interest, but I did not find the ending as satisfying as I expected.
I particularly liked the photo on the bookcover, not sure how much was photo shopped but it is appealing and captures the wealth that is held by some country families.
And just for reference, The Seven consist of the Titchfield, Hasluck, Blaxland, McLean, Heartwood, Horsham and Allsop families.
Characters from the seven families.
Davis Heartwood - Main character in 1994. Murdered
Krystal Heartwood. - Sister of Davis, partner of Alice. LGBTQ
Athol Hasluck - accountant, murder victim.
Jacinta (Fielder) Hasluck – wife of Athol Hasluck
Alice Figtree – Athol hasluck’s assistant, wife of Krystal Heartwood LGBTQ
Otto Tichfield – leader of Country First Party
Lucy Tichfield – wife Otto, 1993 girlfriend of Davis for a while, sister of Jacinta
Craven Allsop. - CEO Riverina Water Traders
Stella Kippax - daughter of ex-cop Girlfriend of Davis, went missing with Davis in 1994
Bert Kippax - father of Stella Retired cop.
With Tilt and The Seven he has reduced the themes and focused on a crime and a setting in rural Australia with a historical theme.
I will leave it to others to explain the plot in detail other than to say a male and female cop come to a country town in western New South Wales to solve a recent murder.
Hammer is no great literary writer; his prose is basic and straight forward. He often uses short simple sentences, especially when he is describing action. He knows his audience. Descriptive writing is used minimally, there are few metaphors or similies. This is not a criticism but rather an observation. Some of the most successful crime fiction writers use a similar style. The narrative lays the story out there for the reader to follow easily. His characters never reflect on themselves, the decisions they make, person turmoils nor the world around them.
One of the important aspects of the novel is the knowledge of the Leeton-Griffith area and the structure and politics of water management. Hammer grew up in the area and his undoubtedly done extensive research before writing.
Landscape and setting also play a major part of this book. At times the story reminds me of some of Thomas Keneally’s history fiction work.
The book has a triple narrative structure. An Aboriginal woman, Bessie Walker is the author of letters to her mother around 1915, Davis Heartwood is a university student doing research into the establishment of the irrigation system, and today, with Ivan and Nell working to solve a murder.
I found the narrative of circa 1915, which consisted of letters written by Bessie to her mother, the least appealing narrative. The language seemed at odds with a young Aboriginal woman from a mission. She was a naïve servant who captured the heart of a local handsome landholder. She was a sympathetic character and was cheated out of her land by local white farmers.
As an observation, it is telling that Hammer does not delve into the theme of the colonisers, The seven families, taking the land from the indigeneous inhabitants, but I guess he was smart enough not to introduce “black arm band” history into his novel, especially now that we see the result of the Voice referendum. He does acknowledge the Wiradjuri people and the deep injustices perpetrated against them in his author’s note.
Near the ending I thought I was in a labrynth of characters, clues and conclusions. The densely plotted, with an unsuspecting twist, and character ridden ending needs close attention by the reader.
Without wanting to disclose too much he does bring the Calabrian mafia into the story. There was a 4 Corners story on the criminal corruption of water management in New South Wales and Margaret Simons produced a damning account in the #77 Quarterly Essay.
For reasons I could not fathom Ivan Lucic’s father briefly and depressingly enters the story.
I did not think this story matched his previous publication, “Tilt”. I thought at 480 pages it was too long. I thought the economics of water, farming and marketing was over played. The ending saw characters do things that were very out of character of the person you travelled with in the story. There was reliance on coincidence and a few characters, (Krystal and Alice and Benedict Bright) appeared unaccounted for at the end. The story kept my interest, but I did not find the ending as satisfying as I expected.
I particularly liked the photo on the bookcover, not sure how much was photo shopped but it is appealing and captures the wealth that is held by some country families.
And just for reference, The Seven consist of the Titchfield, Hasluck, Blaxland, McLean, Heartwood, Horsham and Allsop families.
Characters from the seven families.
Davis Heartwood - Main character in 1994. Murdered
Krystal Heartwood. - Sister of Davis, partner of Alice. LGBTQ
Athol Hasluck - accountant, murder victim.
Jacinta (Fielder) Hasluck – wife of Athol Hasluck
Alice Figtree – Athol hasluck’s assistant, wife of Krystal Heartwood LGBTQ
Otto Tichfield – leader of Country First Party
Lucy Tichfield – wife Otto, 1993 girlfriend of Davis for a while, sister of Jacinta
Craven Allsop. - CEO Riverina Water Traders
Stella Kippax - daughter of ex-cop Girlfriend of Davis, went missing with Davis in 1994
Bert Kippax - father of Stella Retired cop.
October 14, 2023
The seven founding families of Yuwonderie have been ruling for years. Thanks to a water trading scheme set up more than a century ago, the small town maintains a facade of prosperity and old school charm.
Now, a member of one of those families has been discovered murdered.
When DS Ivan Lucic and DC Nell Buchanan arrive from Dubbo to head up the investigation, they find out there's much more to the story. How is a photograph from 1994 and the story of a half caste servant girl relevant to this case?
Regardless, The Seven are undoubtedly keeping some dark secrets amongst themselves and it's more than likely that they've been found out ..
Because some of the science stuff went over my head, I found it a bit hard to focus at times. I suggest that strong concentration is needed. There's a whole heap going on at once, with numerous characters and multiple timelines.
I really loved the letters from Bessie dated in the early 1900's. She has such a heartbreaking, heartfelt and pivotal tale to share and it's undoubtedly the highlight of the book.
Some familiar faces tying back to Chris's first outing 'Scrublands' pops up. It's quite hilarious when someone alludes to the idea that the aforementioned should be turned into a miniseries. ( It has been 😄)
This was another excellent example of Chris Hammer's writing. He really knows how to create a compelling tale that kept me glued.
4.75 🌟
Now, a member of one of those families has been discovered murdered.
When DS Ivan Lucic and DC Nell Buchanan arrive from Dubbo to head up the investigation, they find out there's much more to the story. How is a photograph from 1994 and the story of a half caste servant girl relevant to this case?
Regardless, The Seven are undoubtedly keeping some dark secrets amongst themselves and it's more than likely that they've been found out ..
Because some of the science stuff went over my head, I found it a bit hard to focus at times. I suggest that strong concentration is needed. There's a whole heap going on at once, with numerous characters and multiple timelines.
I really loved the letters from Bessie dated in the early 1900's. She has such a heartbreaking, heartfelt and pivotal tale to share and it's undoubtedly the highlight of the book.
Some familiar faces tying back to Chris's first outing 'Scrublands' pops up. It's quite hilarious when someone alludes to the idea that the aforementioned should be turned into a miniseries. ( It has been 😄)
This was another excellent example of Chris Hammer's writing. He really knows how to create a compelling tale that kept me glued.
4.75 🌟
August 17, 2025
Another fascinating mystery with three time lines, all affecting the present day outcome. As in all Chris Hammer’s books, the landscape becomes a character, along with the people.
This one is set in a fictional town in a New South Wales irrigation area, apparently ruled by seven elite farming families that started the irrigation project. But as more clues are uncovered, there is much more to the story than first appeared.
I particularly enjoyed the scam project.
This one is set in a fictional town in a New South Wales irrigation area, apparently ruled by seven elite farming families that started the irrigation project. But as more clues are uncovered, there is much more to the story than first appeared.
I particularly enjoyed the scam project.
July 30, 2023
.Original Sin: ‘The Seven’ by Chris Hammer
I read Chris Hammer’s first, best-selling novel ‘Scrublands’, soon after its publication in 2018, and was taken by its visceral descriptions of an outback Australian community and landscape. Crime fiction must always be about more than the ‘whodunit?’: I like stories that transport me to a place and time, with characters that I come to care about, and Hammer’s stories fit the bill.
‘The Seven’ takes place in western NSW, the region known as the Riverina. This was country made fertile by an ambitious and extensive irrigation scheme, the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, and Hammer has set his story in a similar, though smaller, fictional region, with the town of Yuwonderie at its centre.
It was here that one hundred years earlier, seven founding families established the scheme, creating a network of companies and trading arrangements that fueled their wealth, prestige and power in the district.
The story is told across various time-frames and points of view. There are letters from Bessie, an indigenous woman employed by one of the Seven households, just before, and during, WWI. In the 1990’s we follow Davis, a young man from one of the Seven families, on the edge of making a decision about his future. And in the present time there is Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic, brought to the town with his detective colleague, Nell, to investigate the murder of Athol Hasluck, from another of the Seven.
Ivan and Nell feature in two earlier books, but there is no need to have read those to enjoy this one. They are terrific characters: with strengths that complement each others, and their own weaknesses too, which seem to be a must-have in crime fiction!
As I read this novel, I thought about the many country towns I have visited or driven through, and found myself wondering about their foundation stories and people. Certainly this is a solid thread running through The Seven: how the establishment of a town or farming community frames its future.
The author makes the case here:
He flipped to the first chapter, ‘Foundation.’ The text was heroic…no mention of any Indigenous people, no mention of how the Europeans had come to the district, no mention of any pre-existing ecosystem. But that in itself might prove useful: the document reflecting bygone attitudes, still alive, maybe even more so, by the 1970’s.
‘The Seven’ ebook page 76 of 375
In the case of Yuwonderie, its origins are mired in misdeeds that carry down to the present, where criminal activity, corruption and deceit lie at the heart of the current murder, and also an unsolved double-murder from decades before. We are indeed looking at ‘original sins.’
The part of the book that didn’t work so well for me was the series of letters written in the early twentieth century by Bessie to her mother. The events and relationships related in these letters prove crucial to later events and I usually enjoy novels set over different time periods. It was something about the voice used in the letters that somehow jarred a little, drew me out of the story for a bit.
Overall, however, I enjoyed this novel and the light it shines on essential resources and the role they play in communities: in this case, water, without which none of the Seven founding families would have been able to create or maintain their wealth and influence.
See that line of trees, that grey-green line? That’s the river. The Murrumbidgee. That’s where the water comes from. And the money. Everything, really.
‘The Seven’ loc 119 of 375
Readers who like gritty crime fiction set in recognisable Australian landscapes will enjoy this one.
‘The Seven’ is published by Allen & Unwin in October 2023.
My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a review copy.
I read Chris Hammer’s first, best-selling novel ‘Scrublands’, soon after its publication in 2018, and was taken by its visceral descriptions of an outback Australian community and landscape. Crime fiction must always be about more than the ‘whodunit?’: I like stories that transport me to a place and time, with characters that I come to care about, and Hammer’s stories fit the bill.
‘The Seven’ takes place in western NSW, the region known as the Riverina. This was country made fertile by an ambitious and extensive irrigation scheme, the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, and Hammer has set his story in a similar, though smaller, fictional region, with the town of Yuwonderie at its centre.
It was here that one hundred years earlier, seven founding families established the scheme, creating a network of companies and trading arrangements that fueled their wealth, prestige and power in the district.
The story is told across various time-frames and points of view. There are letters from Bessie, an indigenous woman employed by one of the Seven households, just before, and during, WWI. In the 1990’s we follow Davis, a young man from one of the Seven families, on the edge of making a decision about his future. And in the present time there is Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic, brought to the town with his detective colleague, Nell, to investigate the murder of Athol Hasluck, from another of the Seven.
Ivan and Nell feature in two earlier books, but there is no need to have read those to enjoy this one. They are terrific characters: with strengths that complement each others, and their own weaknesses too, which seem to be a must-have in crime fiction!
As I read this novel, I thought about the many country towns I have visited or driven through, and found myself wondering about their foundation stories and people. Certainly this is a solid thread running through The Seven: how the establishment of a town or farming community frames its future.
The author makes the case here:
He flipped to the first chapter, ‘Foundation.’ The text was heroic…no mention of any Indigenous people, no mention of how the Europeans had come to the district, no mention of any pre-existing ecosystem. But that in itself might prove useful: the document reflecting bygone attitudes, still alive, maybe even more so, by the 1970’s.
‘The Seven’ ebook page 76 of 375
In the case of Yuwonderie, its origins are mired in misdeeds that carry down to the present, where criminal activity, corruption and deceit lie at the heart of the current murder, and also an unsolved double-murder from decades before. We are indeed looking at ‘original sins.’
The part of the book that didn’t work so well for me was the series of letters written in the early twentieth century by Bessie to her mother. The events and relationships related in these letters prove crucial to later events and I usually enjoy novels set over different time periods. It was something about the voice used in the letters that somehow jarred a little, drew me out of the story for a bit.
Overall, however, I enjoyed this novel and the light it shines on essential resources and the role they play in communities: in this case, water, without which none of the Seven founding families would have been able to create or maintain their wealth and influence.
See that line of trees, that grey-green line? That’s the river. The Murrumbidgee. That’s where the water comes from. And the money. Everything, really.
‘The Seven’ loc 119 of 375
Readers who like gritty crime fiction set in recognisable Australian landscapes will enjoy this one.
‘The Seven’ is published by Allen & Unwin in October 2023.
My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a review copy.
October 15, 2023
Third in the series but fine as a standalone. Ivan and Nell are great characters and the setting was interesting but some parts a bit too heavy on details.
November 20, 2023
Fabulous! Favourite by the author yet. 4.5*
January 7, 2024
I think this is the best crime fiction of Chris Hammer's yet.
Set in a regional town that could be somewhere in the Riverina district of NSW. There's 3 storylines that eventually converge in a riveting way.
The character development of the investigating detectives Nel and particularly Ivan and the journo from the previous books, allowed for the discovery of some fun Easter eggs in the story.
Loved it.
Set in a regional town that could be somewhere in the Riverina district of NSW. There's 3 storylines that eventually converge in a riveting way.
The character development of the investigating detectives Nel and particularly Ivan and the journo from the previous books, allowed for the discovery of some fun Easter eggs in the story.
Loved it.
November 5, 2023
I thank the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in return for a fair review.
To date I have avoided Chris Hammer's books, his name making me think they were action orientated. I am now delighted to have been proved very wrong in that judgement and am delighted to discover a new author and will add all of his previous book to my "to acquire" list, This is a real page turner, with three time streams of the story. The lead characters in the current storyline, Ivan and Nell, immediately gained my attention and the twists and turns of the plots and subplots compelled my attention. I learned more about life in the outback and particularly about the importance and mechanics of water in such areas. Wholeheartedly recommended
To date I have avoided Chris Hammer's books, his name making me think they were action orientated. I am now delighted to have been proved very wrong in that judgement and am delighted to discover a new author and will add all of his previous book to my "to acquire" list, This is a real page turner, with three time streams of the story. The lead characters in the current storyline, Ivan and Nell, immediately gained my attention and the twists and turns of the plots and subplots compelled my attention. I learned more about life in the outback and particularly about the importance and mechanics of water in such areas. Wholeheartedly recommended
November 18, 2024
This was the first book I’ve read of his and really enjoyed it I found it difficult to put down and it had twists at the end that was a surprise to me definitely recommend it
November 25, 2023
Chris Hammer is just incredibly consistent.
This is his 6th fiction novel and they have all just been so good! Three in the Martin Scarsden series and then the three in this Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan series, mostly all set in rural New South Wales. I have loved them all but I do admit a slight preference for the Ivan Lucic books, I just really enjoy him as a character. If you’ve missed Martin though, he does appear in this book quite briefly.
This book is set in three different timelines – 1913, 1993 and the present day and all centre around the small town of Yuwonderie in southern NSW, a town that was built and planned around a water project. The discovery of a body in a canal brings Lucic and Buchanan to the town and almost immediately things are not what they seem. The town is ruled by a group of families known as ‘the Seven’ – kind of royalty, they orchestrated the water project and reap the benefit from it, their properties being mainly situated in places that benefit the most from the water supply. They’re loaded and a lot of the town benefits from their philanthropy but they’re also quite ruthless and the more Lucic and Buchanan uncover, the more there are mysteries. How is this current body linked to the death of a member of one of the Seven families in 1993? And what do the letters from 1913 have to do with anything?
The answer is – well a whole lot. The complexity of this plot is a masterpiece and the way in which it unfolds is so engrossing! Look, I will say it probably took me a hundred pages or so to get into it, to settle into the three timelines and the points of view we were getting in each of them. But once I hit that 100p mark, everything just began to come together for me and I couldn’t put it down. I felt like this book did such a great job (again, this is a Hammer specialty) in laying out the town and the politics therein, especially in a mostly farming town that is basically not in an area flush with water. The project meant that water was able to be accessed and dammed and distributed in a certain way – or bought and sold. I honestly knew very little about the buying and selling of water, permanent water and temporary water but this book did a good job of explaining everything in a way where it made sense to someone who has never lived on the land.
I really love Lucic as a character – he has strong flaws and he falls prey to them in a big way this book, with some pretty terrible consequences. It makes Lucic have to face his demons and address them, in order to move forward in a meaningful way. I enjoy his relationship with Buchanan and the ways in which they investigate together. This book was definitely more about Lucic and how he went about piecing things together and the impact his personal life was having on his professional life. I had sympathy for him though as his problems are not exactly your every day sort of problems and the type that would definitely be very distracting. I think despite his feelings about this posting originally, Lucic has come to enjoy his role and has learned a lot about the job that he does.
I thought the twists and turns in this were excellent – so much I didn’t predict and I thought the ways in which the events of 1913 impacted on what happened in 1993 and how that in turn, also ended up shaping the current day events, were masterfully done. There are no weaknesses in these books and this one definitely suggest that Chris Hammer could write historical crime as well, if he so chose. This is a bit of an epic, in fact any and all of these ‘Seven’ families feel like they could’ve been the subject of some crime novel or other!
I don’t know if there are plans for more Lucic & Buchanan novels but I hope so. The more I get to read about them, the more I like them as a pairing and the fact that they are in charge of such a large area really does mean that there are endless possibilities.
***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for the purpose of an honest review***
This is his 6th fiction novel and they have all just been so good! Three in the Martin Scarsden series and then the three in this Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan series, mostly all set in rural New South Wales. I have loved them all but I do admit a slight preference for the Ivan Lucic books, I just really enjoy him as a character. If you’ve missed Martin though, he does appear in this book quite briefly.
This book is set in three different timelines – 1913, 1993 and the present day and all centre around the small town of Yuwonderie in southern NSW, a town that was built and planned around a water project. The discovery of a body in a canal brings Lucic and Buchanan to the town and almost immediately things are not what they seem. The town is ruled by a group of families known as ‘the Seven’ – kind of royalty, they orchestrated the water project and reap the benefit from it, their properties being mainly situated in places that benefit the most from the water supply. They’re loaded and a lot of the town benefits from their philanthropy but they’re also quite ruthless and the more Lucic and Buchanan uncover, the more there are mysteries. How is this current body linked to the death of a member of one of the Seven families in 1993? And what do the letters from 1913 have to do with anything?
The answer is – well a whole lot. The complexity of this plot is a masterpiece and the way in which it unfolds is so engrossing! Look, I will say it probably took me a hundred pages or so to get into it, to settle into the three timelines and the points of view we were getting in each of them. But once I hit that 100p mark, everything just began to come together for me and I couldn’t put it down. I felt like this book did such a great job (again, this is a Hammer specialty) in laying out the town and the politics therein, especially in a mostly farming town that is basically not in an area flush with water. The project meant that water was able to be accessed and dammed and distributed in a certain way – or bought and sold. I honestly knew very little about the buying and selling of water, permanent water and temporary water but this book did a good job of explaining everything in a way where it made sense to someone who has never lived on the land.
I really love Lucic as a character – he has strong flaws and he falls prey to them in a big way this book, with some pretty terrible consequences. It makes Lucic have to face his demons and address them, in order to move forward in a meaningful way. I enjoy his relationship with Buchanan and the ways in which they investigate together. This book was definitely more about Lucic and how he went about piecing things together and the impact his personal life was having on his professional life. I had sympathy for him though as his problems are not exactly your every day sort of problems and the type that would definitely be very distracting. I think despite his feelings about this posting originally, Lucic has come to enjoy his role and has learned a lot about the job that he does.
I thought the twists and turns in this were excellent – so much I didn’t predict and I thought the ways in which the events of 1913 impacted on what happened in 1993 and how that in turn, also ended up shaping the current day events, were masterfully done. There are no weaknesses in these books and this one definitely suggest that Chris Hammer could write historical crime as well, if he so chose. This is a bit of an epic, in fact any and all of these ‘Seven’ families feel like they could’ve been the subject of some crime novel or other!
I don’t know if there are plans for more Lucic & Buchanan novels but I hope so. The more I get to read about them, the more I like them as a pairing and the fact that they are in charge of such a large area really does mean that there are endless possibilities.
***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for the purpose of an honest review***
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