Book Review: The Tilt by Chris Hammer

The Tilt 

by

Chris Hammer 

 

THE DARKEST SECRETS LIE CLOSEST TO HOME 

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Publication date: 5th October 2022

Series: Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan #2

Genre: Crime Fiction

Pages: 488

Format read: Uncorrected Paperback

Source: Courtesy of Better Reading Preview

 

My review of The Tilt

  

The Tilt is another atmospheric and well crafted novel by bestselling Australian author Chris Hammer.  

Set on the NSW/Victorian border Hammer’s descriptions of the area, the forests, creeks, isolation and tranquillity are beautifully written, immersing the reader in the setting.

 

Tulong may be a small town where everyone knows each other but small town secrets can be buried for decades.

The story takes off at a fast pace as a man is being pursued through the forest and a woman plans to sabotage a dam. These two mysteries are at the back of your mind throughout the book.
 

Recently promoted to Homicide, Nell Buchanan is given a cold case when a skeleton is unearthed near her old home town. With long held feuds and family secrets this case could be closer to home than Nell could ever have imagined!
 

The story is told through multiple narrative styles; Jimmy Waters statement running from his childhood in the 40’s to the 70’s, Tess Waters in 1973 and the present day investigation by Nell. I enjoyed each era of the story; Jimmy’s childhood attending the cattle and supporting his family while his father was at war and Tessa’s story in 1973 was so quintessentially 70’s, the cars, the music, the language. It was all so spot on!
 

The mysteries build throughout with a few unexpected twists to round off an excellent read. The Tilt is the second Nell Buchanan novel however reads well as a standalone.  

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Chris Hammer is a leading Australian author of crime fiction. His first book, Scrublands, was an instant bestseller when it was published in mid-2018. It won the prestigious UK Crime Writers Association John Creasy Award for a debut crime novel in 2019 and was shortlisted for various awards in Australia and the United States.

Scrublands has been sold into translation in several foreign languages and is being developed for television. His follow up books - Silver (2019), Trust (2020) and Treasure & Dirt (2021) - are also bestsellers and all have been shortlisted for major literary prizes.

Before turning to fiction, Chris was a journalist for more than thirty years, dividing his career between covering Australian federal politics and international affairs. He reported from more than 30 countries on six continents with SBS TV, while in Canberra, roles included chief political correspondent for The Bulletin, senior writer for The Age and Online Political Editor for Fairfax.

Chris has also written two non-fiction books The River (2010) and The Coast (2012). He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Charles Sturt University and a master's degree in international relations from the Australian National University.