Silver
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley October 1, 2019
Author Chris Hammer
Distributor: Allen and Unwin
ISBN: 9781760632991
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
Release Date: October 2019
Website: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/fiction/crime-mystery/Silver-Chris-Hammer-9781760632991
Chris Hammers first work of fiction, Scrublands, burst onto the literary scene is a fast and furious manner hitting the best seller list after only four weeks and remaining there for months. Therefor following on with a second book not long afterwards was always going to be interesting.
Silver has simply confirmed Hammers place in the list of people who really can write a seriously good story, that contains all the elements to keep the pages turning long, long, long after the lights should be out for the night. Fast paced, enthralling, enjoyable, utterly engaging and very easy to relate to, Silver is once again a definitely binge worthy story, expanding the characters of Martin Scarsdale and Mandalay Blonde and what comes next in their lives!
Carrying on from Scrublands, Mandalay Blonde has taken up her inheritance and made the move away from the hot, dry and terrible legacy of Riversend to the coastal town of Port Silver, a place where the air is fresh and there is an old, but lovely house high on the cliff she hopes to make her new home, with Martin and her small son Liam.
Martin has, in the months prior written his book on the events of Riversend in record time and feels he is ready to settle down, but has some serious doubts about how returning to the home of this childhood is going to work out, as he realises he will have to confront so many issues from this past he hoped were well and truly buried.
As he rounds the bend at the top of the hill into Port Silver an old meme from his childhood comes to haunt him, ‘Can you see the sea?’ bringing back memories of his father, memories he would sooner stay buried. He offers a lift into town to a couple of hitch hikers, dropping them off at the backpacker’s hostel, granting himself a little time to spend reacquainting himself with the small town, before going onto the place Mandy is renting, all the while hoping that the past really was the past and this now, was the beginning of a new future.
But fate has not finished with Martin Scarsdale, as when he opens the door to the rental unit there is a body lying at the foot of the stairs in a pool of blood, a postcard clutched in his hand, and Mandy sitting there looking shocked, her hands covered in blood.
The body is that of old friend Jasper Speight and so begins another fast-moving race against time, a cathartic return to the past and another frontline job for Martin, as he is once again the journalist at the scene of what turns out to be a story bigger than he ever imagined.
As the investigation becomes more complex, the body count sadly keeps on rising with the reasons for this appearing to be somewhat obscure, time is fast running out for Mandalay with their new life together once again placed in jeopardy.
Can Martin face the ghosts of the past, find a way through the ever-increasing list of suspects, each with their own agenda and eventually come find peace and a new life in Port Silver.
Grab a copy and enjoy another fantastic read from Chris Hammer.