If You’re New to Martin Scarsden…
- Allen & Unwin
- Sep 7
- 2 min read
Then you're in the right place!
If you haven’t met Martin Scarsden yet, you’re in for a treat – and a few heart-pounding moments. Created by award-winning author Chris Hammer, Martin is an investigative journalist with a knack for finding himself in the middle of danger, scandal, and tangled webs of secrets. Each of his stories is steeped in atmosphere, laced with moral complexity, and driven by compulsive, stay-up-all-night plotting.
The good news? You don’t have to start at the very beginning. Each novel can be read as a standalone – so you can dive in anywhere – but if you enjoy watching a character grow and change over time, you might like to read them in order.
The Martin Scarsden novels so far:
Scrublands
Where it all began. Martin arrives in the scorched, drought-stricken town of Riversend to write a feature on how a community is coping a year after a tragic shooting. But what starts as a routine assignment quickly unravels into a mystery full of buried truths, simmering tensions, and shocking revelations.
Silver
Martin returns to his coastal hometown of Port Silver, hoping for a fresh start with his partner Mandy. Instead, he walks into a murder scene – and the victim is an old friend. Soon Martin is caught between past loyalties, small-town politics, and a case that threatens everything he holds dear.
Trust
Set against the backdrop of Sydney’s glittering harbour and shadowy corporate underbelly, Martin investigates a murder that draws him into a labyrinth of power, money, and deception. It’s fast-paced, full of twists, and shows Martin adapting to life as a partner and a father – while still risking it all to uncover the truth.
Where should you start?
If you love small-town noir with an atmospheric, slow-burn intensity, start with Scrublands. If you prefer a coastal thriller that digs deep into family and history, Silver might be your entry point. For a slick urban conspiracy with high stakes, Trust is the one for you. And if you’re the type who wants to go straight for the latest and most explosive chapter in a character’s life – you can jump right in with Legacy.
What to expect from the series
Richly drawn Australian settings – from parched outback towns to storm-lashed coastlines and bustling cities.
Taut, layered mysteries with genuine surprises.
A flawed, deeply human protagonist who is as relentless as he is resourceful.
An exploration of truth, power, and the grey areas in between.
And now… Legacy
In his most personal and perilous investigation yet, Martin finds himself the target of a deadly campaign. When a bombing and a shooting shatter his life, he’s forced into the desert, pursued by enemies he can’t see and haunted by questions he can’t answer. Legacy is an adrenaline-charged race for survival – and a powerful reckoning with the past.
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