The television adaptation of Silver has hit the screens on Stan in Australia and New Zealand, debuting at number one. It’s branded as Scrublands: Silver and is based on the second Martin/Scarsden Mandalay Blonde book. Luke Arnold and Bella Heathcote reprise their roles as Martin and Mandy – and I feel this series they really make the most of the two character’s fraught relationship and theiremotional journeys. There are some… Read More »Scrublands: Silver premieres
Thirteen years ago, my first book, The River, won the ACT Book of the Year. Now, my eighth book, and sixth crime fiction novel, The Seven, has been shortlisted for the same award. When I won the award in 2011, it had such a positive effect on me, making me feel like I was a real writer. And I think it helped a few years later, when I was struggling… Read More »ACT Book of the Year Shortlist
Cover The Bones has been published in the UK, Ireland and Europe… and had already garnered some great reviews. The novel – published in Australia and New Zealand as ‘The Seven’ – has already been named as the Crime Book of the Month for January by the Times of London – thanks Mark Sanderson! Gold dagger winner Chris Whitaker describes it as ‘a masterful, stunning thriller’, The Irish Independent calls… Read More »Cover The Bones book of the month
The Tilt has won the 2023 Danger Prize for Crime Fiction, announced at an awards dinner at the BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival on November the second. This is second time I have won the Danger Prize, after sharing it in 2021 with former homicide detective Gary Jubelin. Back then there was only one prize, and my fiction book ‘Trust’ shared it with Gary’s non-fiction memoir ‘I Catch Killers’. Since… Read More »The Tilt wins Danger Prize
Great news! The BBC has acquired the Australian television/streaming production of Scrublands!! I’m very happy about this – and very happy for all the talented people at Easy Tiger who have done so much and so well to bring the novel to the screen. Can’t wait to see it! This is the BBC announcement: “The BBC has acquired new Australian crime drama Scrublands, based on the award-winning novel written by… Read More »BBC to screen Scrublands
The Ned Kelly Awards are Australia’s oldest and most prestigious awards for crime writing – so I’m pretty stoked about The Tilt being shortlisted for the 2023 award for Best Crime Fiction. It’s quite the honour, particularly when you consider how many very fine crime novels are now being published in Australia each year. And I’m in some classy company here: Aoife Clifford (When We Fall), Jane Harper (Exiles), Sally… Read More »Ned Kelly Shortlist
Scrublands has been published in Italy this week by the wonderful Neri Pozza press. It’s called ‘Scrublands Noir’ and is presented with this wonderfully minimalist cover. Huge thanks to all concerned, especially translators Annamaria Biavasco and Valentina Guani. Such an amazing skill! Crime website Contorni di Noir says: “Supported by magnificent prose and a fast pace, Scrublands noir places Chris Hammer among the most original contemporary authors of noir and… Read More »Scrublands published in Italy
The Sydney Writers’ Festival has pushed on with virtual sessions, including podcasts. Here I am ‘in-conversation’ with author and journalist Paul Daley. Enjoy! It’s been an interesting time, this lockdown. Zoom and Skype and Facetime have helped to keep communication lines open, but I can’t wait to get out and talk to people in person. Hopefully, when my new book ‘Trust’ is published in October, I’ll be able to do… Read More »Sydney Writers’ Festival
I’m so happy that Silver has made the shortlist for the ABIAs – the Australian Book Industry Awards. It’s the General Fiction category. It’s quite the honour, given the quality of the other books shortlisted, and given those on the longlist. The only disappointment is that there won’t be an awards ceremony this year, especially as I know Dervla, Michael and Heather and we could have had quite the party!… Read More »And the shortlist!