Jane Harper

Lost Man

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Two brothers meet in the remote Australian outback when the third brother is found dead, in this stunning new standalone novel from Jane Harper Brothers Nathan and Bub Bright meet for the first time in months at the remote fence line separating their cattle ranches in the lonely outback. Their third brother, Cameron, lies dead at their feet. In an isolated belt of Australia, their homes a three-hour drive apart, the brothers were one another’s nearest neighbors. Cameron was the middle child, the one who ran the family homestead. But something made him head out alone under the unrelenting sun. Nathan, Bub and Nathan’s son return to Cameron’s ranch and to those left behind by his passing: his wife, his daughters, and his mother, as well as their long-time employee and two recently hired seasonal workers. While they grieve Cameron’s loss, suspicion starts to take hold, and Nathan is forced to examine secrets the family would rather leave in the past. Because if someone forced Cameron to his death, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects. A powerful and brutal story of suspense set against a formidable landscape, The Lost Man confirms Jane Harper, author of The Dry and Force of Nature, is one of the best new voices in writing today.

The Lost Man

Caroline

This book distracted me from a million tv shows on a plane. I felt the searing heat and pretty sure I got a sweaty back just thinking about it. To be fair a bit contrite in the end but I enjoyed the depth of each character and a glimpse into a life so remote from my own.

Sienna Nobile

I liked this more than her other books, but i still feel as if her story lacks something. 3.5 Stars.

Siya S

4/5 Stars! I am absolutely blown away! 

I seriously don't know what to think about this book. All I know is that it's so damn good! I don't know much about Australia, except that it was a vast and unforgiving land to a mere mortal. This book captures that vastness in such a way that reminds me of the musical "Australia" and maybe something straight out of John Steinbeck's books. I can feel despair and the need to just drink a lot of water and stay hydrated as I go through the pages. But I digress...

So Cameron Bright was found dead in the most unusual way in the middle of the Australian desert. Nearby his twisted, dehydrated body was "the Stockman Grave", a historical landmark that bred diverse versions of an urban legend. For some reason, his death has mirrored the town myth of the Stockman, and that's pretty creepy. I mean, there's no one out there to kill him, so how and why that he become a sun-dried tomato like that? And so friggin far away from his car? *cue the suspenseful music* 

The story began as his two brothers came to identify the body at the crime scene. Nathan, the protagonist, was a tragic figure molded by years of betrayal, disappointment, and isolation. To him, nothing in life made sense, and now least of all Cam's death. You'll like him, he's good. 

From then on family secrets and past bitter family history of the Brights will be dug up, recalled and reevaluated until the truth of Cam's mysterious death revealed itself in the most WHAT THE FUCK I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING way. Through the heat of the desert, we would learn that there's nothing worse than human beings and what we could do to each other. Nothing is as it seems. It's also about second chances and finding happiness amidst the most unusual circumstances of one's life. 

Also, Jane Harper has done a great job transporting me to the vast land with swirling red dust and the outrageous climate of the outback. I will start calling everyone "mate" and talking about shooting roos and baiting dingoes now....what a life! 

Anyway, it was a great book to start 2020 (I was a bit late to the party). Highly recommended for mystery/crime, (punch-your-brother-at-a-funeral kind of a family drama type) novel junkies out there.

A Novel

Cindy Lieberman

Life in the Australian Outback is harsh. Everyone knows to always have water, food, flares and medical supplies on hand, and always keep your radio on. But when Nathan gets a call that his brother has been found dead out in the desert, not too far from his car — full of supplies and in good working order — it’s a mystery how and why he died. As Nathan keeps asking questions he learns a lot about the past few years, about family, and about himself. Side note: The audiobook narrator has a heavy Australian accent (a bit like Siri’s male Aussie option) which was pleasant but distracting until I became used to it.

Cheri McElroy

⭐️⭐️⭐️

 This was my first Jane Harper book, but it won’t be my last. I loved the exploration of the family dynamics, the atmosphere, and the story. Interestingly, in a setting as large as the outback, this still had a bit of a closed-circle feel. It did drag a bit in the middle, but it was a good story.

Zoey Mikalatos

Another excellent mystery from Jane Harper, but my favorite is still The Dry.

Barbara Williford

What an amazing author! I love mysteries and can usually have them figured out midway but Jane Harper has a way of writing that is engrossing, intriguing and has that twist in the end that makes you think, “Wow! Didn’t see that one coming!” She is on my must read author’s list.

Ines Childs

It’s been a month and I can’t stop thinking about how amazing this book was. The characters, the writing & the plot were all fantastic. I wish I could go back in time to read it again for the first time!

Jessica Guht

A nice mystery, took a bit to get into but it was satisfying to see how all the unknowns played out.

chloe mcpherson

I’m not going to lie, I was kind of disappointed when I was 100 pages into this book and realised that this was not part of the Aaron Falk series and instead a standalone. 

Why was I even disappointed?! This is Jane Harper, as far as I am concerned, whatever she writes I love. 

This book follows a family that runs cattle stations out in the outback in Queensland. 3 brothers, the middle one dead, ruled as suicide. Everyone has their own secrets and own personal demons they deal with. 

1 thing I love about Jane Harper is her writing style. Her writing about living in the outback made me really feel as if I was there with the character, isolated from the rest of the world, the weather (especially when I’m reading this on a 30 degree day). 
2nd thing I liked was that I really had no idea what direction this book was heading in. 
And thirdly the book was wrapped up in a neat little bow. 

Love. Love. Love.

Natalie Stenson

Jane Harper is definitely one of my favourite writers and this didn’t disappoint. So much more than a murder mystery, this was tale of family, abuse, regrets and forgiveness. Set in one of the harshest, loneliest environments on earth. I can’t wait to read her next book.

Jen Estrella

4. 5 stars. Holy smokes. Page 322 creeped the hell out of me. Review to follow, hopefully.

Tanja Hoffmann

Jessica Williamson

4 Stars

Ok. That's it. Jane Harper is an auto-buy author for me from here on in. 

One of my favorite things about Jane's writing is how she makes the setting of the book one of her main characters. This novel was no exception. This family lives in a very remote desert where your closest neighbor is a three-hour drive away. It's hot, isolating, and just a few minutes outside can kill you. That kind of a setting makes everything these characters do, so much more work than a character in a regular urban setting and I just love the way it all comes across on the page.

The character work was well done. They're fleshed out, thought out, and just so interesting to read. The thing about her characters is that they all have some gray area to them, so when it comes to a mystery and trying to figure out who the killer is, it makes it that much harder for me to figure it out. And honestly, I love that. Gray morality for everyone! 

The mystery in this one was a two-fold mystery. Because not only was it a "who killed them" but also a "did someone actually kill them or was it the setting?" and I loved that. It made everything so much more interesting. 

Things you should know before going in: this book does deal with the abuse cycle and how those who are hurt, tend to hurt others. There is talk of both spousal and child abuse though nothing is expressly described on the page. Rape is mentioned a few times, the act is not written on the page, but it is brought up. There's also a pretty horrible death for a dog, again not graphically described but mentioned a few times. Also, talking of killing kangaroos and dingos is pretty prevalent throughout. 

Overall, I thought this was another great book. Highly recommend for anyone who is able to handle the above topics. 

Cover 4; Characters 5; Plot 4; Pace 3; Writing 4; Enjoyment 4.

Paulina 

To jednocześnie thriller, dramat, historia o decyzjach, które chciałoby się cofnąć.

Na australijskim pustkowiu znalezione zostają zwłoki. Jest to o tyle zaskakujące, że to zwłoki posiadacza ziemskiego znalezione na jego ziemi. Kto jak kto, ale on wiedział jakim zagrożeniem jest słońce oraz samotne przebywanie na nim. Bliscy mówią, że od wielu tygodni był rozkojarzony, nieszczęśliwy... Może decyzja o spacerze w pełnym słońcu była celowa?

Próbując zrozumieć jak doszło do śmierci jednego z braci, poznajemy pozostałą dwójkę, żonę zmarłego, jego matkę. Całą skomplikowaną siatkę wzajemnych żali, utraconych szans, wzajemnych niechęci. A wszystko to na rozpalonej słońcem asustralijskiej ziemi, którą można kochać, ale i nienawidzić. I która jednocześnie daje wolność i sprawia, że człowiek czuje się najbardziej samotną istotą na świecie. 

Zdecydowanie sięgnę po kolejne książki Jane Harper. I liczę, że dostanę tam taką samą parną, duszną i niepokojącą atmosferę.

Carolina Poças

Natalie Manuel

I really enjoyed this from the very first page.

Incredibly evocative writing, you get a real sense of the heat, the isolation, the 'feel' of the land. 

The dialogue is excellent - you get a real sense of the characters and they feel like real Australians.

Thematically you have an exploration of inter-generational trauma, domestic violence, toxic masculinity, sibling rivalry, and sexual assault. It is multi-faceted but handled well.

The mystery was pretty good, I couldn't figure it out and while it wasn't the wildest twist, it made sense and tied in with the themes above.

Great writing, great characters, great vibe.

Josephine Lemonade 

i need to stop reading books that just absolutely rip my heart out

B. K.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 because a couple days later I'm still thinking about this book. Vivid setting, good pacing, solid plot. I really like Jane Harper's writing style. The prologue was so hauntingly bleak that I was immediately intrigued, and I liked following Nathan's perspective as things unfolded. The conclusion wrapped things up neatly, but not in a way that felt unearned. I seldom read mysteries or psychological thrillers, so I'm not sure how this story holds up for those more familiar with the genre, but I thought it was great.

Stephen Shanahan's narration added an engaging element to the story for me, and the Australian accent helped bring the setting to life. I plan to check out the audiobook for The Survivors as well at some point.

Lost Man

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