“BURIED GOLD, OLD BONES.
WHAT SECRETS LURK IN THE DEPTHS?

A body has been discovered on the riverbanks of The Valley, a remote community in the hills of New South Wales. The gold mine at the heart of The Valley was once the lifeblood of this region, but it has been flooded for decades. Over the years, many have tried and failed to bring it back to life. Now, most believe the mine is barren.

The victim is Wolfgang Burnside, deputy mayor – a champion of change or local schemer, depending on who you ask. He had been working on plans to take the Valley off-grid with hydro-power using the lake surrounding the abandoned mine. Until he was poisoned, his body dumped in the river for all to see.

Detectives Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic are dispatched to investigate. The warning is clear – there are secrets lurking in the depths of this Valley, secrets worth more than their weight in gold. What price will this town have to pay to ensure that they never see the light of day?

An epic, atmospheric mystery spanning generations set against a luscious backdrop and the twisting veins of gold that lurk beneath.”

Hello and a very Happy New Year to you! May 2025 be kind to us all and may the books be the best we’ve ever read! Welcome (for the first time this year!) to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Broken River by Chris Hammer. The Broken River is published by Wildfire Books today (that’s Thursday 2nd January 2025) and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow. I chose to read a free ARC of The Broken River but that has in no way influenced my review. My grateful thanks to Caitlin at Wildfire Books for sending me a proof copy.

Australian crime fiction has been a bit of a passion of mine for a few years now. There’s nothing I like more than to get lost in the Outback (probably not advisable IRL), visit a small isolated town miles from anywhere else and get to know the ‘locals’ on the other side of the world. Perhaps that’s its appeal to me. Life in Australia seems similar in ways to life here in the UK, but it’s also very, very different! A new Chris Hammer novel is a marvellous thing. I’ve been a fan of Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic since their first appearance in Opal Country, and I’ve read every book since. The Broken River is the fourth instalment and it continues to show what a talented, skilled writer Hammer is.

A body is discovered on the banks of the Broken River in The Valley, a small former gold mining town in NSW. On first inspection, it looks like a tragic drowning. But when Detective Sergeant Ivan Lucic and Detective Senior Constable Nell Buchanan are told to attend the scene, it quickly becomes clear that this was no accident. Entrepreneur Wolfgang Burnside was known to ruffle the locals’ feathers, but who would want him dead? As Nell and Ivan investigate, a shocking connection comes to light. Things all of a sudden become personal for Nell. With the secrets of Nell’s past weighing heavy on her shoulders, and with pressure mounting from above to solve Burnside’s murder, can Nell sift through the secrets and lies to discover who killed Wolfgang Burnside…?

The Broken River is a beautifully complex, highly intriguing, slow-burn crime thriller that I very much enjoyed from start to finish. Told using dual timelines and multiple, seemingly unrelated threads throughout, the mystery is slowly, enticingly revealed. In the present day, Nell and Ivan investigate Wolfgang’s murder, whilst unexpectedly revealing a link between Nell and the murder victim. The past chapters start in 1990 and show how desperate the local community are to reopen the long-closed Gryphon Gold Mine, returning the town to its more prosperous, affluent days. As the story progresses those aforementioned threads that felt so unconnected at times, start to cross, bringing the two timelines together. All whilst Nell struggles to come to terms with the new information she has unwittingly discovered. It’s worth saying at this point that I recommend you read the earlier books first. Nell Buchanan has been put through the wringer of late and knowing some of her backstory will definitely help when reading The Broken River.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Broken River is an intelligently written, immersive, cleverly plotted novel. Perfect for readers who aren’t afraid of a slower paced plot or a more literary tone. The character development is superb across the series. Nell has very much been on a personal journey and I look forward to seeing where the author takes the character next. Personally, I would like to see a little bit more of that development in Ivan Lucic’s character as well. Nell comes across as the more layered individual. The sense of place is really quite stunning in Hammer’s books. I don’t know another author who is able to paint such a vivid, rich and realistic picture in their readers’ heads. As a fan of Australian fiction, this is something I always appreciate. All in all, a wonderful addition to what is proving to be a must-read crime series from an author who is at the top of his game. A twisty, page-turner of a novel full of atmosphere and a delicious sense of place. Looking forward to more Nell and Ivan in the future! Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free ARC of The Broken River. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Broken River by Chris Hammer was published in the UK by Wildfire Books on 2nd January 2025 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

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 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. It has also been longlisted for the Ned Kelly Best Crime Novel of the Year. Scrublands was optioned for television by Easy Tiger (a FremantleMedia company). 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.