Legacy by Chris Hammer

Martin Scarsden returns in the fourth book in the series, and what a thrilling ride this is! He escapes an assassination attempt when his book launch about organised crime is bombed and shots are fired. He escapes, and separated from his wife and son, arrives at an isolated town, Port Paroo,  in the outback. Will he be able to outwit his pursuers and discover who is trying to murder him? Martin’s curiosity leads him to start investigating a decades old mystery, when he meets Ecco, a disgraced woman fleeing from her past. She has been employed to write a history of Longchamp Downs, huge grazing property, by the owner Clay Carmichael. She uncovers intriguing links to past explorers and the disappearance of Chloe, his daughter who was accused of murdering her fiancé, Roman Stanton, the heir to another property. The Stanton and Carmichael families had been involved in a long feud about water rights.

The background of the dry outback, the problems faced by graziers and life in the tiny town of Port Paroo is vividly described. The flood water slowly coming down the dry rivers and spreading across the floodplains adds to the feeling of suspense and isolation, as roads are cut off.

The story is told in two voices, that of Martin, in the third person and Ecco in the first, making it easy to relate to the different stories and characters. As always, Hammer’s story is complex with the threat of assassination, a murder to solve and links to historical explorers. The reader is also left wondering about Ecco’s backstory. The suspense is intense as Martin tries to survive and Ecco finds clues in old documents and diaries.

Hammer brings all the threads together in an enthralling climax, and I can’t wait to read more by this outstanding author.

Themes: Thriller, Mystery, Organised crime, Rural noir, Floods, Murder, Family feuds.

Pat Pledger