Scrublands
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Scrublands
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Narrated by:
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Dorje Swallow
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By:
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Chris Hammer
About this listen
In Riversend, an isolated country town brought to its knees by endless drought, a charismatic and dedicated young priest steps out of his church and calmly opens fire on his congregation, killing five parishioners before being shot dead himself.
A year later, troubled journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend to write a feature on the anniversary of the tragedy. But the stories he hears from the locals about the priest and incidents leading up to the shooting don't fit with the accepted version of events his own newspaper reported in an award-winning investigation. Martin can't ignore his doubts nor the urgings of some locals to unearth the real reason behind the priest's deadly rampage.
Just as Martin believes he is making headway, a shocking new development rocks the town, which becomes the biggest story in Australia. The media descends on Riversend, and Martin is now the one in the spotlight. His reasons for investigating the shooting have suddenly become very personal.
Wrestling with his own demons, Martin finds himself risking everything to discover a truth that becomes darker and more complex with every twist. But there are powerful forces determined to stop him, and he has no idea how far they will go to make sure the town's secrets stay buried.
©2018 Chris Hammer (P)2018 W. F. Howes LtdWhat listeners say about Scrublands
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- kate
- 25-02-2019
Death , deception & drought
Set in a small country town in deep drought, on the anniversary of the seemingly senseless shooting of 5 locals gunned down by their charismatic & highly regarded priest.
Apparently motiveless this anniversary is to be the comeback story written by a traumatised war correspondent reporting for a major newspaper.
The plot throws everything into the mix: stolen identities, a beautiful young bookstore owner, a con man, murdered backpackers, extramarital affairs, rumour, rape, bikie gangs, drugs, young psychopaths, spooks & a washed up journalist seeking to regain his moral compass & meaning in his life.
Individual characterisations are excellent as are the depictions of a media feeding frenzy & the struggle of the local police to deal with the new discovery of the bodies of two murdered German backpackers whose bodies are uncovered when dam levels drop after a ferocious bush fire.
It’s an entertaining read, well narrated & a good companion on a long drive. My only criticism is the unlikely choice of career as a priest. For me the distance between Afghanistan & the altar is a step too far on the credibility scale. I also think the story would have benefited from fewer subplot twists & a more aggressive editor.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tina
- 10-02-2019
A great story
I enjoyed listening to Scrublands. It has a very easy listening narrator with distinquishable characters. The plot got quite entangled but listening carefully it was easily followed. Good read.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 24-08-2020
Tough read but a wonderful audible book.
I am not big on heavy detailed novels and I struggled through a ⅓ of the book before I gave up. But with CV19 I have walking a lot and Scrublands was a tremendous partner.
Wonderful story and beautifully read by Dorje. A real pleasure.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kris
- 08-09-2020
A wonderful, evolving yarn
The broad, flat Australian accent bothered me at first, then split and morphed into a rich cast. The voice provided the perfect backdrop for the interwoven story threads. A mesmerising balance of performance and story, I was captivated to the end. Terrific.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 06-05-2021
Great story that is thoroughly engaging
Loved it, very well written and very engaging. Performance was good and did the story justice
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 20-02-2021
Great story
Uniquely Australian with great characters. Well written and an easy listen. The narration was excellent.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrew
- 17-06-2021
Atmospheric and enthralling
I am normally a Sci fi / fantasy reader, so this was well outside my usual range.
I was drawn in from the opening, not just by the language of the author in the description of the town but the way the reader expressed it.
Later it was the story as the later unfolded and truths became lies and trusted confidants became something more sinister.
I got this book as a freebie on the member monthly offering but I have already bought the next one.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Raymond
- 30-06-2021
Easy listen, pleasant story
Narration was perfect for the pace of the story. Thorough enjoyed the reading.
the story itself was a very typical Australian crime investigative story. It was entertaining, but quite predictable with many common tropes that felt a bit worn. still a very enjoyable listen if looking for something easy and exciting.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 29-04-2021
Absolutely brilliant!
I loved every minute of this! Chris Hammer’s ability to tell a story is second to none and his grasp of language is enviable. The narration was perfect and I didn’t want it to end. Definitely my new favourite author.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anne
- 25-07-2021
Absorbing story
Complex novel that is carried along by good narration. Slow start but eventually moves swiftly through multiple stories that come to a focus and conclusion.
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