Instant New York Times bestseller, #1 International Bestseller "I love Jane Harper's Australia-based mysteries....and The Survivors is the best yet. There are cave scenes that will freeze your blood." —Stephen King“As always, Harper skillfully evokes the landscape as she weaves a complicated, elegant web, full of long-buried secrets ready to come to light.” —New York Times Book Review “Harper is to Australia what Tana French is to Ireland , a writer whose psychologically rich plots are matched by a deep understanding of place.”—Washington Post “Another suspenseful thriller...And in Harper's proven style, the story is not only atmospheric, it delves deep into the psyche of main character Kieran Elliott and the townsfolk, unearthing dark secrets, hidden guilt and simmering social tensions.”—Herald Sun “The latest stunner from Jane Harper …[She] expertly raises the reader's pulse throughout the narrative, insinuating what happened that day but only revealing the truth slowly as Kieran comes to see past and present in a new light.” —Booklist, starred review “[Harper is] a master at creating atmospheric settings, and it’s easy to fall under her spell…A layered and nuanced mystery.” —Kirkus “Jane Harper has created a tightly told, beautifully written, and suspenseful novel … It is a novel of guilt, remorse, injustice, and regret, all skillfully woven together seamlessly into a realistic work of literary power I cannot recommend highly enough.” —Deadly Pleasures “Harper expertly weaves past guilts with present grief. She remains a writer to watch.” —Publishers Weekly “Jane Harper creates an impressive landscape that serves to illustrate how the experience of place inevitably shapes the lives of those who live there.” —Sydney Morning Herald “It's now clear Harper has a gift ...every book has a distinct landscape that plays a central part in the plot made possible by her uncanny knack of bringing scenery to life.”—Daily Telegraph Praise for Jane Harper: “Ms. Harper is not one to drop a fact [...] without using it later. If you enjoy being hoodwinked…you’ll love Ms. Harper’s sleight of hand. Ms. Harper has made her own major mark.” —The New York Times “Such a good storyteller… Harper has again raised the bar for emerging crime writers.” —Chicago Tribune “Intense, deeply intelligent psychological thrillers that explore how our pasts – especially our childhoods – mold and disrupt our lives in the present.” —Christian Science Monitor “Harper writes with precision and creates a tense atmosphere on the brink of combustion.” —Real Simple “Book by book, [Harper is] creating her own vivid and complex account of the outback.” —New York Times Book Review “Place is paramount, a multifaceted character that’s in turns brutal and breathtaking.” —Washington Post “An author at the top of her game.” —Kirkus , starred review “I think of Jane Harper as the Australian Louise Penny. Like Penny's Inspector Gamache series, Harper's books evoke a vivid sense of place, and are as much about her nuanced characters and the moral dilemmas they face as the mystery itself.” —BookRiot “Harper works miracles. We’re lucky to witness them.” —A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author “Harper evokes the complexities of love, hate, rage, emotional baggage, and a spot of redemption with a spare language that suits her story’s geographical surroundings – and her characters’ deeply interwoven and even more deeply imprinted relationships – down to a T.” —Seattle Review of Books “Harper adroitly blends the tension and brisk pace of a thriller with the psychological acuity and stylish prose of literary fiction.” —Irish Independent “In just a couple of years, Jane Harper has soared into the first rank of contemporary crime writers.” —Sunday Times (UK) “Ms. Harper is not one to drop a fact [...] without using it later. If you enjoy being hoodwinked…you’ll love Ms. Harper’s sleight of hand. Ms. Harper has made her own major mark.” —The New York Times “Such a good storyteller… Harper has again raised the bar for emerging crime writers.” —Chicago Tribune “Harper writes with precision and creates a tense atmosphere on the brink of combustion.” —Real Simple “Book by book, [Harper is] creating her own vivid and complex account of the outback.” —New York Times Book Review “Harper works miracles. We’re lucky to witness them.” —A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author
02/01/2021
Kieran and his girlfriend, Mia, return to their childhood hometown in Tasmania with their infant daughter to help Kieran's parents move to mainland Australia. Twelve years earlier a terrible storm left two men dead, including Kieran's brother, Finn, who died trying to rescue Kieran. A young girl also went missing in the storm's aftermath. Burdened by guilt, Kieran moved to Sydney and has not been home since. When a woman is found murdered on the beach, the police begin to question whether the previous deaths are in some way connected. Rumors begin spreading in the small town, and Kieran must face the possibility that the events of the past may not be as he remembers them. Further complicating the matter is that Kieran's father, suffering from dementia, was the last person to be seen with both the missing girl years ago and the current victim. VERDICT Harper (The Lost Man ) again excels at creating atmosphere and depicting tense interpersonal relationships. But unlike her previous stand-alone, this story's suspense doesn't escalate satisfactorily. Instead, the author delivers a nuanced rumination on guilt, community, and family that's best for readers of domestic fiction or light mysteries.—Anitra Gates, Erie Cty. P.L., PA
Narrator Stephen Shanahan once again transports listeners down under—this time to Tasmania. Kieran Elliot returns to his hometown to assist his parents’ move from Evelyn Bay, due to his father’s dementia. When the body of a young woman is found on the beach, Kieran is drawn back into memories of the terrible storm 12 years earlier that resulted in the drowning of his brother and his friend, which was followed by the disappearance of a young girl. Shanahan keeps listeners engaged throughout the slow pace of the story, which moves between the two time periods. Listeners will appreciate his delivery of complex family relationships and roller-coaster emotions as Harper’s story depicts the varying ways survivors manage the pain and guilt of loss. E.Q. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile