Wildfire books in the UK have done a brilliant job publishing my first four crime books – ‘Scrublands’, ‘Silver’ and ‘Trust’ in the Martin Scarsden/Mandalay Blonde series, and ‘Opal Country’, the first in the Nell Buchanan/Ivan Lucic series.
Now they’ve signed me up for another two – I could not be happier!
Here’s how it was reported in the UK trade magazine ‘The Bookseller’….
Wildfire nets two more in Hammer’s ‘remarkable’ Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan series
Wildfire has signed two more “unmissable” Chris Hammer books in the Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan series, with the first, Dead Man’s Creek, set shortly after the events of most recent instalment, Opal Country.
Fiction publisher Jack Butler acquired UK and Commonwealth rights including Europe to the two titles,
the second as-yet unnamed, from Felicity Blunt at Curtis Brown on behalf
of Grace Heifetz at Left Bank Literary. Australia and New Zealand
rights were sold to Allen & Unwin.
Dead Man’s Creek, which will be published in e-book in September 2022, and in hardback,
trade paperback and audio in January 2023, follows the story of a rogue
environmentalist who has blown up a small river dam at the heart of
Australia’s largest redgum forest, accidentally uncovering the skeletal
remains of a murder victim from 80 years ago. Detectives
Lucic and Buchanan are called in to investigate – and the case holds
particular significance for Nell, because she grew up in a nearby town.
She takes the lead, but when another body is found, it soon becomes
clear that her own family knows more than they are letting on – and
someone is intent on making sure those secrets never reach the surface.
Butler said: “We couldn’t be more delighted to be working with Chris on two further books in this remarkable series. Opal Country has captivated Chris’ vast readership and helped his books reach an
even broader audience than before, with the unforgettable Ivan and Nell
at the helm, and Chris’ trademark blend of atmospheric tension, vibrant
characters and perplexing intrigue. Dead Man’s Creek ups the ante in every way possible; it should not be missed.”
Hammer is a former journalist with more than 30 years’ expertise reporting on Australian federal politics
and international affairs. His first novel, Scrublands, was published by Wildfire in 2018 and won the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger. His latest book, Opal Country, marked the beginning of a new series and was named the Times Crime Book of the Month on launch.
He said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to sign once again with Jack and Wildfire. They’ve done such a brilliant
job bringing my books to a British audience and building a readership
across their territories, starting with Scrublands, Silver and Trust
in the Martin Scarsden series and continuing with the Ivan Lucic/Nell
Buchanan series. I look forward to many more years of successful
collaboration!”
