Legacy
The stunning and unmissable new crime novel from the million copy international bestseller
Published on 9. October 2025
Book
Hardback
496 pages
978-1-0354-1082-8 (ISBN)
Description
Martin Scarsden returns in the jaw-dropping and unmissable new blockbuster crime novel from Chris Hammer, the award-winning, million copy bestselling author of SCRUBLANDS.
'A beguiling read' - THE SUNDAY TIMES
'Savage and unpredictable' - THE SUN
'Exciting, touching and even heart-breaking' - LITERARY REVIEW
MARTIN SCARSDEN IS ON THE RUN. WILL THE DESERT SAVE HIM - OR BURY HIM?
A bomb at his book launch. Gunfire in his hometown. Someone wants journalist Martin Scarsden dead.
Fleeing for his life into the outback, he learns that nowhere is safe. The killers are closing in, and it's all he can do to survive. But who wants to kill him - and why?
With nowhere left to run, Martin finds his fate in the hands of some surprising individuals: a disgraced ex-wife of a footballer, a fugitive wanted for a decades-old murder and two nineteenth century explorers from a legendary expedition, whose fate may hold the key to his own.
With his life on the line, one thing is for sure: in the scorching heart of Australia, Martin Scarsden's most dangerous assignment isn't just a story - it's survival.
Praise for LEGACY:
'Another winner' - CRIME TIME
'A beguiling read' - THE SUNDAY TIMES
'Savage and unpredictable' - THE SUN
'An engrossing thriller' - IRISH MAIL ON SUNDAY
'A story that starts with a bang' - CRIME FICTION LOVER
'Exciting, touching and even heart-breaking' - LITERARY REVIEW
'Hammer is up there with the best Australian novelists' - ASPECTS OF CRIME
'Another epic Outback mystery [from] Australia's most exciting crime writer' - DAILY EXPRESS
Praise for Chris Hammer:
'A masterful, stunning thriller. A twisting mystery epic in scale yet intricate in detail. Irresistible.' CHRIS WHITAKER
'My favourite Australian author' ANN CLEEVES
'Epic. Shakespearean in depth and range' THE TIMES
'Fierce, gripping and spine-chilling' DAILY MAIL
'Shimmers . . . A tortured tale of blood and loss' VAL McDERMID
'Stunning - a page-turner which stays long in the memory' SUNDAY TIMES
'A leader in Australian noir' MICHAEL CONNELLY
'A beguiling read' - THE SUNDAY TIMES
'Savage and unpredictable' - THE SUN
'Exciting, touching and even heart-breaking' - LITERARY REVIEW
MARTIN SCARSDEN IS ON THE RUN. WILL THE DESERT SAVE HIM - OR BURY HIM?
A bomb at his book launch. Gunfire in his hometown. Someone wants journalist Martin Scarsden dead.
Fleeing for his life into the outback, he learns that nowhere is safe. The killers are closing in, and it's all he can do to survive. But who wants to kill him - and why?
With nowhere left to run, Martin finds his fate in the hands of some surprising individuals: a disgraced ex-wife of a footballer, a fugitive wanted for a decades-old murder and two nineteenth century explorers from a legendary expedition, whose fate may hold the key to his own.
With his life on the line, one thing is for sure: in the scorching heart of Australia, Martin Scarsden's most dangerous assignment isn't just a story - it's survival.
Praise for LEGACY:
'Another winner' - CRIME TIME
'A beguiling read' - THE SUNDAY TIMES
'Savage and unpredictable' - THE SUN
'An engrossing thriller' - IRISH MAIL ON SUNDAY
'A story that starts with a bang' - CRIME FICTION LOVER
'Exciting, touching and even heart-breaking' - LITERARY REVIEW
'Hammer is up there with the best Australian novelists' - ASPECTS OF CRIME
'Another epic Outback mystery [from] Australia's most exciting crime writer' - DAILY EXPRESS
Praise for Chris Hammer:
'A masterful, stunning thriller. A twisting mystery epic in scale yet intricate in detail. Irresistible.' CHRIS WHITAKER
'My favourite Australian author' ANN CLEEVES
'Epic. Shakespearean in depth and range' THE TIMES
'Fierce, gripping and spine-chilling' DAILY MAIL
'Shimmers . . . A tortured tale of blood and loss' VAL McDERMID
'Stunning - a page-turner which stays long in the memory' SUNDAY TIMES
'A leader in Australian noir' MICHAEL CONNELLY
Reviews / Votes
Vivid descriptions of landscape and an intricate plot make this a beguiling read. * The Sunday Times * Exciting, touching and even heart-breaking, this is a story of desperation, greed, love and resentment. * Literary Review * Hammer is up there with the best Australian novelists Garry Disher, Jane Harper and Peter Temple. Big issues and sharply drawn local relationships are explored. Redolent with claustrophobic tension this slow burn novel with dark simmering tones is gripping. * Aspects of Crime * Hammer [is] now established at the top of the Australian posse of top class authors. Strikingly atmospheric and evocative, Hammer's plots and characters are unrelenting and sprawling, insidiously getting under your skin as they meander in staccato mode towards explosive conclusions. Another winner. * Maxim Jakubowski, Crime Time * A story that starts with a bang. * Crime Fiction Lover * An engrossing thriller and fascinating portrait of one of the world's harshest landscapes. * Irish Mail on Sunday * Standout among the intriguing characters is the Outback itself - a stunning wilderness of blue sky, red dust and ferocious heat. Savage and unpredictable, like the story. * The Sun * Aussie noir at its finest. Hammer shows once again why he's Australia's most exciting crime writer. * Daily Express * A murder and plot that reveals itself in flashback like a parched wilderness coming to life. * Daily Mirror * A propulsive, landscape-rich thriller that drags you into the dust, the danger and the strange beauty of the Outback. This fourth thriller featuring Martin Scarsden stands alone for new readers, yet rewards long-time fans with familiar faces and deepened character arcs. * Irish Independent * An absorbing epic about land, love and revenge, this story of innocents caught up in the clash of dynasties may be Hammer's best yet. * Morning Star * Hammer's knack for atmospheric suspense and noir is at its very best. * Daily Mail *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 239 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 45 mm
Weight
736 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-0354-1082-8 (9781035410828)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Chris Hammer
Legacy
The stunning and unmissable new crime novel from the million copy international bestseller
E-Book
09/2025
Wildfire
€11.99
Available for download
Person
Chris Hammer is a leading Australian crime fiction novelist, author of the internationally bestselling Martin Scarsden series: Scrublands, Silver, Trust and Legacy. Scrublands was shortlisted for major writing awards in Australia, the UK and the United States. In the UK it was named the Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Year 2019 and won the prestigious UK Crime Writers' Association John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award. Scrublands was adapted for TV, airing on BBC4 in the UK. Silver aired on BBC2 in 2025. Chris also writes the award-winning series featuring homicide detectives Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic: Opal Country, Dead Man's Creek, Cover the Bones and The Broken River.
Before turning to fiction, Chris was a journalist for more than thirty years. He reported from more than thirty countries on six continents. Chris has also written two non-fiction books, The River, winner of the ACT Book of the Year, and The Coast, published by Melbourne University Press.
Chris lives in Canberra, Australia.
Before turning to fiction, Chris was a journalist for more than thirty years. He reported from more than thirty countries on six continents. Chris has also written two non-fiction books, The River, winner of the ACT Book of the Year, and The Coast, published by Melbourne University Press.
Chris lives in Canberra, Australia.