Every paradise has its original sin. The Seven digs deep to uncover the killer of a body found floating in the waters of a local canal in the fictional town of Yuwonderie. The dead man is Athol Hasluck – from one of the area’s dominant families – one of The Seven.
It’s an evocative setup by bestselling Aussie crime writer Chris Hammer. This novel is made even more intriguing by the cult-like status of the seven founding families who have lorded it over their district for a century. The Seven have wealth, power and prestige, built up over decades through successful companies and trading arrangements they put in place when the irrigation system was first established. Now they will all face the forensic attention of homicide detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan who are sent to investigate the local murder.
Hammer fans will know Lucic and Buchanan – this is the third book featuring the crime-fighting duo. Here, we are back in a rural setting in what is one of Hammer’s favoured set pieces – the rural noir. He sits atop this genre with a select handful of other Aussie crime stalwarts.
Could the murder be connected to the execution of the victim’s friend thirty years ago – another member of The Seven – or even to the long-forgotten story of a serving girl on the brink of the Great War?
The Seven is Hammer’s sixth thriller, following an award-winning backlist that includes international bestsellers Scrublands, Silver, Trust and Treasure & Dirt. This is a detailed, highly researched murder mystery that unfolds over three different decades, and the combination of thriller and historical works extremely well.
There’s also a 1913 storyline which unfolds as a series of letters written by young Bessie Walker, an indigenous woman employed by one of The Seven households, just before, and during, WWI. Then there are two more contemporary storylines set in 1993 with Davis, a young man from one of The Seven families, on the edge of making a decision about his future, and in 2023 when the murder investigation unfolds. Hammer weaves these distinct narrative threads together cleverly, building on the tension and interplay of characters.
The setting plays a major role in Hammer’s novels and his evocation of place makes you feel like you’re right there in the rich, fertile Riverina district. It’s a disconcertingly picturesque backdrop to the greed and sins of the powerful locals; a place where nothing is ever quite what it seems. Hammer fans, new and old, this is a must-add to your TBR pile.
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