My first book by this author and I'm so glad I read it and will undoubtedly read more by him in the future.

The writing is great, the scenes were vividly descriptive I was fully transported into the Australian outback, the stark beauty, the baking heat and the swarming flies. The characters, plot and delivery were spot on. You need to keep your wits about you as this story is complex and slow burning but throroughly absorbing and has it all; murder, a dying small town, family traumas, corruption, revenge, cults, Corporate rivalry, police internal affairs, politics and the building of a working relationship between two very different police officers, all skilfully woven together by the author. I also know 100% more than I did about opal mining than I did before reading this book :)

A really good read with lots of twists, I'm a bit disappointed that it is billed as a stand-alone novel as I would love to read about Ivan and Nell working together again.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book and give my honest review.

The small town of Finnegan's Gap is in the middle of the bush, miles from anywhere and hanging by a thread. There are still a few opal miners but most are employed by a big mining corp and then there are the members of the local cult. When a miner is found dead underground, crucified, the locals call in for help from Sydney and Ivan Lucic is charged with solving the crime. but what is the crime, is it a murder? Is it financial fraud? Is it drugs?
The is a great book. Slow to start, it appears to be a small town murder with basic causes but as the layers are peeled back it produces a set of intertwining plots that really reward the reader. The star is the Australian bush, the arid landscape, the sense of space above ground, the claustrophobia below and the shimmering heat.

Brilliantly written, you can feel the intense heat and the swarms of flies.
An Opal miner is found dead in his own mine. When Ivan Lucic arrives from Sydney to investigate it’s like he’s stepped into a different Australia and he brings along his own baggage too.
The characters alone make this a gripping read but the multi layered plot will keep you up wanting to finish it. A cracking good read

Absolutely brilliant. I can't praise this enough. It was fast moving with lots of strands and many twists. I could almost feel the heat from the Australian sun radiate from my Kindle. All the characters were great, whether you liked them or not. I hope that Ivan and Nell are brought together again in another novel.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

It was so nice to read a really good book at the start of a new year. Opal Country (also known as Treasure & Dirt) is an Australian outback crime noir or crime thriller, I suppose. Gritty, dark and complicated.

It's a standalone story but I believe one of the characters may have featured in a previous book (which I may well go back and read!).

Anyway, it's set in Finnegans Gap, an opal town, full of miners hoping for treasure and mostly finding dirt. As a result, tempers frequently run high. Then one of their own is discovered dead, crucified in his own mine. Sydney homicide detective Ivan Lucic goes to investigate, while young and once-a-local investigator Nell Buchanan is there to capably assist. But virtually everyone seems to be hiding something and secrets hide behind secrets, hiding behind men who are reluctant to talk about anything...

I really enjoyed this read. A good solid crime novel, good police work, strong characterisation, and an amazing sense of place. I'll be going back for more.

A complex and in depth read and very well written.
Murder,big business,small business,precious stones,mining,corruption,a self proclaimed saviour,hard nosed business men,a small town slowly disintergrating this book has everything, I throughly enjoyed reading it and I got the sense of the vastness of the Australian outback with the heat,lack of rain and insects.

Opal country by Chris Hammer.
An opal miner is found crucified and left to rot down his mine. Nothing about the miner's death is straight-forward, not even who found the body. Homicide detective Ivan Lucic is sent to investigate, assisted by inexperienced young investigator Nell Buchanan.
A good read with good characters. Likeable story. 3*.

This book clocks in at over 500 pages and over the Christmas period I worked my way through the adventures of Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan as they investigated the murder and crucifiction of an opal miner – found down his own mineholding and left for an unknown period of time. In terms of memorable murders in crime fiction I cannot think of any other books which open with a crucifictions down a mine. This got my attention from the get-go.

And after grabbing my attention Chris Hammer had no plans to let it go. There’s loads going on in Opal Country and I really enjoyed this trip to the remote (and very hot) Australian wilderness. The story takes place in and around Finnegans Gap and our lead character Ivan Lucic is dropped into the town totally unprepared for the heat and isolation he encounters. He is paired up with local cop Nell Buchanan who provides the local knowledge and expertise which will make the pair a strong team.

But Ivan and Nell don’t click all the time and there are times when the partnership is strained, particularly when past events find their way from the city to Finnegans Gap and internal affairs come to pay Ivan a visit. This element of the story links to other Hammer stories but readers do not need to have read the earlier books (though I recommend you do as they are great). The reason for an internal affairs police officer visiting Ivan in this book is clearly explained to ensure you understand the position he has found himself in when events in Opal Country begin.

I found the background to Opal Country fascinating too. I knew little of opals and how they are mined but this is an integral part of the story building and Chris Hammer takes his readers through the problems the miners face making it an integral part of the story as he builds the backgrounds of the town and the key players in this thriller. Smoothly done and it ensured I was sufficiently up to speed when mining rivalries reared their heads.

While I was reading Opal Country I did refer to the book as “a beast”. There were times in the middle third of the story where I felt I was reading but not actually making any progress through the book (in terms of completion). But despite that faux sense of no-progress I was loving the story and there was lots of information to take in. It’s a big book but it’s a cracking story and I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to read this ahead of publication.

Chris Hammer has become one of the names I now look out for. Clever plotting, strong characters and memorable stories – I am already looking forward to the next one.

This is my first book by this author, but definitely not my last. This a complex plot, intelligently written. The hot, dry unbearable weather conditions are portrayed so well; the characters are complex and interesting; the officers - DS Ivan Lucic and DC Nell Buchanan are trying to do their jobs while trying to protect their reputations and survive Professional Standards at the same time. A compelling read.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Chris Hammer/Headline Wildfire for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

My thanks to Headline Wildfire for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Opal Country’ by Chris Hammer’ in exchange for an honest review. It was published in Australia as ‘Treasure & Dirt’.

I had enjoyed Hammer’s previous three novels featuring journalist Martin Scarsden. While this latest novel is a standalone, its main character DS Ivan Lucic had been a supporting character in those earlier books and on occasion ‘Opal Country’ refers to Scarsden.

The novel is set in the desolate outback town of Finnigans Gap where the local police struggle to maintain law and order. When the crucified body of an opal miner is found down his mine, homicide detective Ivan Lucic is sent to investigate. He is assisted by inexperienced young investigator Nell Buchanan. As might be expected there is plenty of local resistance to the investigation. 

What follows is a complex case that certainly delivers to the standard that have come to expect from Chris Hammer. His descriptions of the stark outback landscapes and the portrayal of this insular community were especially evocative.

In addition, I found both Ivan and Nell engaging characters and certainly would welcome more novels featuring them.

Highly recommended Aussie crime noir.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

to be honest i didnt warm to this book at all.. not one character did i find endearing or likeable....but i did want to find out who murdered the victim in such an horrendous way and that is what kept me reading this book

an opal miner is found in his mine cruxified, he is found by ratters, who hightail it out of the mine, without their opals

a phone call is made and before long an investigation is underway to find the murderer

i should have enjoyed this one, as it had all the elements i love but it wasnt for me, but i could see it was well thought out and well planned

A body is discovered in a remote opal mine apparently crucified. Detective Ivan Lucic is flown in from Sydney to investigate and is assisted by Nell Buchanan who did her probation in Finnigan's Gap, the town of the grisly find.
When he arrives, Ivan is contacted by his previous partner, Morris, to advise him that he is under investigation by professional standards and that Ivan will be contacted by them..
Thus begins a complicated investigation with lots of twists and turns. The searing heat is well written in and the story is well constructed. There are lots of octopus like tentacles to this story and it's not until the last few chapters that all becomes clear., not just of current events, but events in the past.
I hadn't read the previous books by this author, but they are now added to my library.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Opal Country but that has in no way influenced my review.

I absolutely adore Australian crime fiction. If you're a regular visitor to damppebbles that previous statement probably comes as no surprise to you because Australian crime fiction gets priority above everything else for me at the moment. So when I saw Chris Hammer was due to publish a standalone mystery, I knew I had to read it. I'm a huge fan of the author's Martin Scarsden thriller series so I knew Opal Country would be good. And I wasn't wrong!

Finnigans Gap doesn't have a lot going for it. Desolate and decaying, it's a town kept alive thanks only to the opal mines which rumble away underground. When ratters, out to make a quick buck, discover the crucified body of Jonas McGee, the close knit community closes ranks. Sydney-based Detective, Ivan Lucic is called in to investigate the grisly death assisted by local police officer, Detective Constable Nell Buchanan. Together they come up against dead end after dead end. Time is running out for Nell and Ivan, internal affairs are breathing down their necks and they both realise this could be the end of their careers. Can they discover who killed McGee, and why, before it's too late...?

Opal Country is a gripping slow burn of a novel with truly compelling characterisation and an intriguing mystery at its heart. The author has created an intricate tale with many threads, all expertly linked and concluded by the final paragraph leaving the reader with the knowledge that they've read a very clever, very satisfying work of fiction. I really warmed to both Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan who make a great team, despite initial differences, and hope this isn't the last we see of them. The more dead ends they came up against, the more I rallied for them.

Like many of Hammer's earlier books, Opal Country is not a short novel and takes it's time to build the story, set the scene and introduce you to the key players. At no point during the 504 pages did my interest or attention wane.  I was completely absorbed by the plot and the characters, and of course, the atmospheric setting. With the burning sun beating down on the rain starved ground, and the dust swirling in the air, I could feel the blistering intensity of the heat. Particularly as Nell laughed, once again, at Ivan for deciding to walk around Finnigans Gap, risking third degree burns from the unrelenting fireball in the sky. So wonderfully vivid, I loved it!

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. I found Opal Country to be a very compelling, very informative read which taught me a few things about mining I never knew. The story is quite complex at times but I never felt lost or confused, and everything is tied up masterfully by the author by the end. A very enjoyable crime thriller which drew me in from early on and didn't let me go until I closed the final page. Hammer is a fantastic storyteller and I can't wait to see what he has for us readers next. Crime fiction fans, you need Opal Country on your shelf! Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Opal Country. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Thank you for the opportunity to read 'Opal Country'.

As an Australian, I particularly enjoyed reading a book set in the opal country - somewhere I would love to visit.

This is a well-written mystery novel and the characters were well crafted and the setting vividly described. I have not read other work by Chris Hammer before but will look out for more of his work.

I found it hard to get into it for the first third of the book but then it pulled me in. Full of twists and turns there was no way I could have predicted how it was going to turn out in the end. A riveting read.
NetGalley very kindly sent me the book to review for an impartial review. #OpalCountry #NetGalley

I reviewed Opal Country by Chris Hammer for LoveReading.co.uk choosing it as both a Liz Pick of the Month and LoveReading Star Book.

Fabulous read from a great author. The descriptions of the heat, flies and dust in the outback make the story come alive. This is a story with lots of different threads and more than enough to satisfy all readers. The story twists and turns and the ending is a surprise - and the twists continue up to the last paragraph. Loved Scrublands and this is as good. I will think of this one each time I see an opal .

Another intense and complex thriller from Chris Hammer. Set in desolate , challenging opal mining country unfurls a multilayered and equally challenging storyline encompassing corruption, murder , brokering and the power of religious sects. Ivan and Nell make a well described couple of detectives not without their own issues who are sent into this hard hitting town of Finnegan’s Gap to solve its problems

A murder investigation in a remote Australian Opal mining town with the bizarre discovery of a crucified miner at the bottom of his mine. There follows a twisting complex tale with two investigators one experienced the other on her first murder. Their relationship is intriguing throughout and when professional standards make an appearance it all ratchets up the atmosphere of suspicion. The murder investigation seems to be headed into blind alley land when past dark secrets start to emerge. Throw in the the rivalry between two billionaires and this thoroughly entertaining yarn makes great reading. It’s billed as a standalone novel but the lead characters are strong enough to warrant another adventure.

Opal Country by Chris Hammer
Publisher - Wildfire
Publication date - 6th January 2022

Thanks to @netgalley and Wildfire for the #gifted copy of the book.

‘Opal Country’ is a blistering thriller, where the heat of the outback crackles off the pages, an intense story of desire and greed in a claustrophobic atmosphere of a small-town setting. When I first saw this book advertised I was yas another Scarsden adventure, but it isn't this time around. Yes, it's set in the same world and he is referenced but this time it's centred round DS Ivan Lucic and I might have to *whisper* that I kind of like him more!
.
📚📚📚
.
DS Lucic has just finished working on the case that the last Hammer book was centred around and him and his boss DI Montifore now have a elite group gunning for them. Montifore is being investigated by professional standards and when a body is found in the middle of opal country Lucic is sent there ‘to keep him out the way’! The body is that of Jonas McGee and has been killed in his opal mine and he has been strung up and crucified. Lucic has been given DC Nell Buchanan to team up with and I have to say that they make a dynamic pairing!
.
📚📚📚
.
This is Aussie Noir at it's finest. Hammer is an expert in weaving complex and intricate plots, whilst creating an intense and pulsing atmosphere. It is some of the finest crime writing out there. I was riveted from the get-go and I learnt so much! I knew there was a precious stones industry in the outback but I knew nothing about it so I inhaled this book! From the opening chapter of the ‘ratters’ to the complex financial dealings, every page was rich with detail and authenticity. I wish I was still able to insert myself into this world and when that occurs you know that the author has done his job!
.
📚📚📚
.
This is an outstanding piece of crime fiction and I honestly can’t wait for the next book!