Review: THE LOST MAN, Jane Harper

• 
  this edition published in 2019 by Pan Macmillan Australia
  
• supplied by my local library
  
• first published 2018
• ISBN 978-1-76078-106-4
• 362 pages
• Reading Guide
• my earlier review (2018)
  

Synopsis (publisher)

The man lay still in the centre of a dusty grave under a monstrous sky.

Two brothers meet at the border of their vast cattle properties under the unrelenting sun of outback Queensland.

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 chance 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...

For readers who loved The Dry and Force of Nature, Jane Harper has once again created a powerful story of suspense, set against a dazzling landscape.

Jane Harper Awards
WINNER OF THE NED KELLY BEST FICTION AWARD 2019
WINNER OF THE DAVITT READER'S CHOICE AWARD 2019
WINNER OF THE ITW THRILLER AWARDS BEST PAPERBACK NOVEL 2019
SHORTLISTED FOR THE INDIE BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2019
LONGLISTED FOR THE ABIA GENERAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019
LONGLISTED FOR THE COLIN RODERICK LITERARY AWARD 2019
LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2020

 

My Take

 

This year I am leading a Crime Fiction Reading group at my local U3A. The local library is supplying our books on a monthly basis, and virtually all of them are recent Australian crime fiction.

 

I was really pleased to find that our first read is Jane Harper's THE LOST MAN which I have actually read before, soon after it was published. 

Jane Harper came to the notice of readers with her first novel THE DRY, and THE LOST MAN was her third.

This novel raises so many themes associated with its Australian setting: what it is like living in the Outback, remote locations, what it is like living hundreds or even thousands of miles from towns and cities, as well as more "modern" themes like abuse and domestic violence, the importance of being part of a community, broken marriages,

The story has a number of small mysteries embedded, the answers to which are gradually revealed.

I am interested in hearing what my group generally thinks of what seems to be the final resolution of the mystery. 

The novel is essentially a stand-alone so if you haven't read it yet, it comes highly recommended. Check also the Readers' Guide (after you've read the novel)

My rating: 5.0

I've also read

• 4.7, THE DRY- Falk #1
  
• 5.0, FORCE OF NATURE- Falk #2
  
• 5.0, THE LOST MAN 
• 4.8, THE SURVIVORS
• 4.8, EXILES- Falk #3