Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - The Lost Man

I'm a keen enthusiast of a mystery read and needed something quick and thrilling to finish off the month - while I didn't find this book entirely thrilling, there were many mysteries that slowly unravelled as I read.

The Bright family have been part of the Balmarra landscape for over a hundred years when one of the three brothers is found laying dead at the infamous Stockman's grave. Although his death if quickly written off as suicide, Nathan, the eldest brother can't seem to shake the feeling that there is more to the story.

There were many classic Jane Harper elements to this story that I loved including the establishment of place - it was so vivid and real, you could sense the isolation and heat of the land as well as the character's relationship with it. The character's were also well fleshed out, most of them had a backstory that not only gave them colour, but also motive. The infusion of outback myth/ghost stories as well as some of the moral decisions made by the characters was awesome as well as the exploration of family and the cyclical nature of abuse.

Whilst the story took a little while to unfurl, I liked that it allowed me to make my own hypothesis about how Cameron died.

I'm glad I can finally tick another Jane Harper novel off my TBR!

Similar to 'The Dry' by Jane Harper and 'The Wrong Woman' by JP Pomare.

Content Warnings

jhbandcats's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow, Jane Harper writes Such Great Books! This one brought the Outback to life in all its sere isolation. It’s made abundantly clear from the first page that this is a deadly environment and if you’re not prepared for the harshness of the land, it will kill you. Harper writes so well that I felt enveloped by her story - it was so vivid.

The Lost Man is an in-depth look at a family wracked by violence down through the generations. The three adult sons have each dealt with their childhood in different ways, with alcoholism and mental illness ongoing despite all the years that have passed. The death of the middle son has the eldest, Nathan, examining the past with new insight and empathy.

The redemption at the end felt so good. I really recommend all Harper’s books and am really eager for her next Aaron Falk (The Dry, Force of Nature) book, available in the US in Jan 2023.

Content Warnings

kponturo's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A lot of moral complexity in this one. I don't like morally gray stories, where it's trying to say there is no right and wrong, but I do enjoy a story that makes me really have to stop and think about what IS right and wrong in a specific and difficult situation.

Plus, Jane Harper is just a fabulous writer who draws you into the story and has an amazing sense of place!

Content Warnings

olivea21db's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

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