Jane Harper | THE LOST MAN

Plot (via Goodreads):

They are at the stockman’s grave, a landmark so old, no one can remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last hope for their middle brother, Cameron. The Bright family’s quiet existence is thrown into grief and anguish. Something had been troubling Cameron. Did he lose hope and walk to his death? Because if he didn’t, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects…

Review:

Another year, another Jane Harper book. When I read the synopsis to The Lost Man, I was initially a little hesitant as I was nervous that I was going to miss Aaron Falk. The Dry and Force of Nature were so spectacular and a lot of that was due to this sensational character. Well, have no fear Falk fans, because The Bright Family is here and they are devastatingly hard to look away from. 

I was immediately drawn into this story the minute that I devoured the first chapter, which gets right into the meat of the story in featuring two brothers who find their third brother dead in the Australian heat. While I kind of missed the suspense of Harper's previous titles, I loved the different route this novel takes. I would definitely consider this one more of a domestic suspense as there has been a murder, yes but the whole novel just really relies heavily on the Bright family to tell a story that is both filled with revelations and a ton of backstory that I just gobbled up immensely. I absolutely loved the characters within this novel; each one weaving a thread into this culminating story that shocked and saddened me to no end. The ending not only was shocking to me, but gut wrenching in its entirety. It was incredible.

Combining a well-developed and fascinating plot with characters who spew sharp-tongued dialog that is not only stunning, but believable with the ethereal writing that Jane Harper possesses really was the perfect storm for this beastly story. No one can write a novel like Jane Harper, who takes thunderous prose and soaks it in atmospheric scenery and combines it with a murder mystery. Equal parts beauty, eerie, and emotional, this is one that you and your friends will be talking about for a long time. 

Special thanks to Flatiron Books for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5