Chris Hammer is a leading Australian crime fiction author. His first book, Scrublands, won the prestigious John Creasey New Blood Dagger form the UK Crime Writers Association. Scrublands, Silver and Trust have all been shortlisted for significant prizes. Before turning to fiction, Chris was a journalist for more than thirty years, covering politics and international affairs. He reported from more than 30 countries on six continents for SBS TV. Chris has written two non-fiction books The River (2010) – winner of the ACT Book of the Year – and The Coast (2012), published by Melbourne University Press. He lives in Canberra, Australia.
Today, Chris Hammer is on the blog to answer a few of our questions about his latest crime novel, Treasure and Dirt. Read on …
Author and Journalist Chris Hammer (Photo by Mike Bowers, 2021).
Please tell us about your book, Treasure and Dirt!
CH: Imagine an outback mining town, populated by opal thieves and cross-dressing miners, with a fanatical religious cult and a couple of take-no-prisoner mining billionaires. And then imagine an opal miner is found crucified down his own mine. That’s the town of Finnigans Gap, the setting for Treasure and Dirt.
Two cops arrive to investigate: experienced homicide detective Ivan Lucic and the inexperienced Nell Buchanan. They don’t know it yet, but their own careers hang in the balance. And as they probe, more and more secrets are revealed, threatening the lives of themselves and others. That’s Treasure and Dirt.
Where did the inspiration for this book come from?
CH: I had an idea for a book set in a remote mining camp, populated with FIFO workers. I was intending to travel to South Australia, but Covid closed the borders. Then, by chance, I saw a woman wearing an opal pendant and I thought what a great location an opal mining town would be. I could still have the big mine, but I could also have struggling one-person operations. So I went to Lightning Ridge instead. It was perfect – so atmospheric – and just right for a tale of skullduggery!
This is your first standalone thriller, after following the misadventures of Martin Scarsden for a while now. Did you find it liberating or terrifying (or a bit of both!) to dive into a new story with completely new characters?
CH: It was certainly different. I’d really come to know Martin and Mandy, and grown quite fond of them. It was a little tricky at first, trying to imagine these new characters into existence. But by the end of the book, they had succeeded in exerting their own personalities. It’s a strange process, but a very satisfying one.
What appeals to you about writing a mystery novel in a desolate outback setting like Finnigans Gap?
CH: Location really helps. It sets up the atmosphere and insinuates itself into the feel of the book, including the attitude of the characters. In some ways, it’s essential. Even in Trust, which is set in Sydney, I found myself describing the city in a particular way that helped evoke certain feelings and emotions.
Detective Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are your new protagonists. What did you love about writing their characters and what is your favourite thing about them?
CH: I like how they have their own issues, their own back stories. So as the book unfolds, we learn more and more about them as they confront their own problems. I like Nell’s determination, how she refuses to take a backward step despite everything that happens to her, while I like Ivan’s vulnerability, how he is confronted by his own issues and how he deals with them. I like that they aren’t simply dispassionate, disinterested investigators, but have their own emotional skin in the game.
‘Crime fiction provides such a broad canvas. Quite aside from the crime plot, authors can explore character, morality, location and atmosphere, social issues …’
Can we expect more stories to come featuring Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan?
CH: I think so. I wasn’t really planning it, but as Treasure and Dirt evolved, I realised there was a lot more to them, a lot more to tell!
What do you love so much about writing crime fiction?
CH: I find it immensely satisfying and rewarding. After all those years as a journalist, it is incredibly liberating: I can just make stuff up! I think I am kind of addicted to it.
And crime fiction provides such a broad canvas. Quite aside from the crime plot, authors can explore character, morality, location and atmosphere, social issues … The list goes on.
What is the last book you read and loved?
I really liked Andrew O’Hagan’s Mayflies. Just beautiful writing, a real class above. Other recent crime fiction favourites are Sarah Bailey’s The Housemate, Jacqueline Bublitz Before You Knew My Name and Michael Robotham’s When You Are Mine.
What do you hope readers will discover in Treasure and Dirt?
CH: I hope they discover an immersive read, a story that captures their imagination.
And finally, what’s up next for you?
CH: More writing! It’s frustrating not being able to travel right now because of Covid, particularly with the release of Treasure and Dirt. I’d love to get out and visit some book stores, libraries and writers festivals. But that will happen soon enough, so I’m enjoying doing some writing while it’s quiet.
Thanks Chris!
—Treasure and Dirt by Chris Hammer (Allen & Unwin) is out now.
Treasure and Dirt
In the desolate outback town of Finnigans Gap, police struggle to maintain law and order. Thieves pillage opal mines, religious fanatics recruit vulnerable young people and billionaires do as they please.
Then an opal miner is found crucified and left to rot down his mine. Nothing about the miner's death is straightforward, not even who found the body. Sydney homicide detective Ivan Lucic is sent to investigate, assisted by inexperienced young investigator Nell Buchanan. But Finnigans Gap has already ended one police career and damaged others...
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