Set in a rural Australian town the story begins with beloved priest opening fire and killing five locals before being shot by police. A year later we’re introduced to Martin, a troubled journalist tasked with writing a piece covering life in the town a year after the terrible tragedy. Upon his arrival he quickly learns that the coverage of events was less than accurate – providing a slanted view of the facts that gave an interesting story that would sell papers rather than an accurate report of researched/validated facts.
Over the course of the story the mystery unravels amidst a swathe of new information and events. It’s not long before Martin finds himself in the middle of Australia’s biggest story, both as a reporter and as a key participant, rather than just writing a simple anniversary piece.
It’s amazing how much Martin’s character changes over the course of the novel. I don’t want to spoil the story but events force Martin to review his past, re-analyse his motives, and do some serious introspection. Chris Hammer does an amazing job of weaving this into the story. In a way that reminds me of Walter White in Breaking Bad you can see the character slowly change in response to events and discoveries but it feels natural – never forced, obvious or too fast.
Actually that feels like a good way to describe the narrative for the entire book. There is an absolute wealth of information leaving you with a very clear picture of the town, it’s people, and what motivates them – but it never feels belaboured or long winded. The story feels natural, the characters real, and I never felt that the story was contrived. It’s really astounding how Chris Hammer managed to craft such a clear story without it ever becoming boring or long winded. Truly a master of his craft.
Every character in the story feels very “real”. No-one is perfect, they all have flaws, make mistakes, and poor choices – but they all have solid reasons, backgrounds and motivations which are explored over the course of the novel.
I won’t say more as it’s hard to do so without spoiling the story but it’s a crackerjack read and, even if you’re not a crime fiction fan, the characters and events are detailed and interesting enough to engage any avid reader.