“MARTIN SCARSDEN IS ON THE RUN. WILL THE DESERT SAVE HIM – OR BURY HIM?

A bomb at his book launch. Gunfire in his hometown. Someone wants journalist Martin Scarsden dead.

Fleeing for his life into the outback, he learns that nowhere is safe. The killers are closing in, and it’s all he can do to survive. But who wants to kill him – and why?

With nowhere left to run, Martin finds his fate in the hands of some surprising individuals: a disgraced ex-wife of a footballer, a fugitive wanted for a decades-old murder and two nineteenth century explorers from a legendary expedition, whose fate may hold the key to his own.

With his life on the line, one thing is for sure: in the scorching heart of Australia, Martin Scarsden’s most dangerous assignment isn’t just a story – it’s survival.”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of Legacy by Chris Hammer. Legacy is published by Wildfire Books today (that’s Tuesday 30th September 2025) in digital and audio formats, with the hardcover to follow on Thursday 9th October 2025. I chose to read a free ARC of Legacy but that has in no way influenced my review. My grateful thanks to Caitlin at Wildfire Books for sending me a proof copy.

Martin Scarsden makes a triumphant return in this, the fourth book of the series. If you’re a regular here at damppebbles (and if that is the case, thank you) then you may be aware that I’m a bit of an Aussie crime fiction fan (*bit* being an understatement). Chris Hammer is like royalty in my eyes, so when he publishes a new book, everything else gets forgotten for a while. I’m afraid that’s just the way things go! I could not wait to get stuck into Legacy. We haven’t heard from Martin in a while, other than passing mentions in Hammer’s other series featuring Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan (another incredible series that’s well worth checking out), so I was champing at the bit to make a start. And oh boy, it was everything I hoped it would be and so much more!

Martin Scarsden is about to publish a true crime exposé on the local Mafia. Moments before his book launch begins, there’s a bomb threat. Everyone is evacuated only for the bomb to explode seconds later. Gunshots follow. Someone wants Martin dead. Following advice from the ASIO, Martin flees to the outback and the small town of Port Paroo. That’s where his journey abruptly ends though. Flood water is heading their way, immediately closing all roads and stopping Martin from travelling any further. Surrounded by locals who know exactly who he is (despite using an alias), and landing him right in the middle of a long-standing family feud. Martin’s would-be killers are homing in on his location; he should be making rapid tracks, but his well-honed journalistic nose can’t resist the lure of a good story. There’s a strong chance, however, that Martin won’t live to tell the tale…

Legacy is an intricately penned, intelligent crime thriller that draws the reader in with its explosive start and holds you in its thrall until the shocking conclusion. The characters are divine, beautifully drawn and highly believable. I’m yet to find another author who paints the Australian landscape for the reader in such vivid, glorious detail. Hammer has a way with words that other authors can only dream of. This is something I have very much come to appreciate in his books over the years.

There is a lot going on in Legacy. Alongside Martin’s plight to stay alive, there is a subplot following a ghost writer called Ekaterina Boland (Ecco to her friends, of which there are only a few). Ecco is employed by Claybourne Carmichael to write a book covering the history of the Carmichael family at Longchamp Downs, a no-longer active livestock station. Clay is set to sell the property, finally, begrudgingly, turning his back on decades of Carmichael history, and wants something for his son to keep and pass down through the generations. Ecco is keen to take the job as she, like Martin, needs to stay on the down-low for a while. But Ecco uncovers more than she bargained for following a deep dive into the family’s history. In both the long-distant past, and a much more recent secret Clay would rather keep hidden.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Legacy is a detailed, multi-layered mystery where something is always happening. The characters are outstanding, but the setting is glorious and pretty much steals the show. I couldn’t get enough of the remote, dusty town (population 12), barely keeping its head above water. Ironically, water is exactly what creates a lot of tension and bad feeling between the characters. The desperately dry, sun-baked outback. The graziers whose livelihood depends on the precious incoming flood to restore and feed their stock for the coming months. And the lengths those graziers will go to to ensure they, and their land, get what they need. Everything about this book worked. And because so much care is taken by the author to accurately describe the setting, it feels at times like you’re watching a movie, rather than reading a book. I loved that! With superb, believable characters, a number of well-penned twists and turns, and a setting that will immediately whisk you away to the Australian outback, Legacy is an immersive, captivating and tension-laden slice of Aussie noir. With more than one mystery for the reader to get their teeth into, this fourth Martin Scarsden book is probably my favourite of the series so far. Recommended.

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

Legacy by Chris Hammer was published in the UK by Wildfire Books on 9th October 2025 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats (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.