SCRUBLANDS by Chris Hammer

  

Ooohh, yet another excellent Australian thriller writer, in a very similar vein to Jane Harper with a rural community living under never-ending relentless Australian drought conditions at its centre. The country town of Riversend lies somewhere between Melbourne and Sydney, could be any small insular town anywhere in Australia, in decay and decline as the lack of rain dries the land, forces people off the land and away, businesses close, schools shrink, pub closes. The cover photo has the words 'A Dead River, A Dying Town, A Killer's Secrets'. So good! 

Into this community enters veteran journalist Martin Scarsden, former war correspondent who has seen more than his fair share of awful things around the world. Bearing his own scars and demons he is despatched to Riversend to write an article on how the community is faring a year after a shocking massacre. On a Sunday a year before, a popular and charismatic priest opened fire on his parishioners, killing five before being killed himself. What on earth went wrong to make this completely shocking tragedy happen. Martin's task is not to look at why this happened, but to write about the town and its people now. As so often happens when a stranger arrives somewhere with a fresh set of eyes, an inquiring mind used to asking questions, analysing information, with a finely honed fifth sense, Martin finds himself deeply immersed in trying to solve what really did happen a year ago.

It is a most extraordinary story. We are meeting all the people who live in the community for the first time too, so are seeing everything and everyone through Martin's eyes. Nothing and no one is what they seem, and to follow Martin as he uncovers what and why is riveting. Throw in a bush fire for good measure, a love interest, bodies of missing backpackers, sad and demoralised locals, and this is a story with so much going on your head will be spinning. But somehow the author manages to balance all the different threads perfectly, keeping the tension high, the plot moving along, and the characters surprising till the end. 

This is the first in a series of what is now three novels featuring Martin Scarsden. The next two are on my reading radar, and perfect for the upcoming holiday season.