Scrublands (novel)

Scrublands is the first novel by Australian author Chris Hammer. The story is set in the fictitious town of Riversend in New South Wales during a period of intense drought, and revolves around a small-town priest who kills five of his parishioners before being shot himself, and a journalist's investigation into his motivations. The novel is a crime thriller told in third person present tense.

Plot
In the drought-stricken town of Riversend, the charismatic priest Byron Swift, who was well-liked by the community, suddenly turns violent, shooting five parishioners on a Sunday morning. Swift is then shot and killed by a local police officer. A year later, journalist Martin Scarsden, haunted by war memories, arrives in Riversend to write about the crime's impact on the town. As he interviews locals, he discovers that the official story, as reported by his newspaper, might not be entirely accurate. Martin delves into the community, uncovering differing opinions about the priest, and finds that the town has hidden complexities not evident at first glance.

Reception
The book has been met with generally positive reviews - the Sydney Morning Herald described it as a work of "remarkable breadth and depth", with other publications calling it stunning and a brilliant debut.

The book's detailed setting (aided by research for Hammer's previous non-fiction book, The River) is emblematic of the isolation and drought experienced in many rural Australian communities; one publication described it as "full of Australianness".

Hammer was awarded the 2019 John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger by the UK Crime Writers' Association for the book.

TV adaptation
In 2019, Scrublands was optioned for television. Luke Arnold, Bella Heathcote and Jay Ryan were cast in the lead roles in February 2023, with Stan and the Nine Network joining as broadcasters. Greg McLean will direct, with Felicity Packard, Kelsey Munro and Jock Serong as writers.

In November 2023 the series was televised on BBC Four in the UK.

In March 2024 a second series was announced.