carriepond's review against another edition
4.0
This atmospheric, character-driven mystery's plot unfurled slowly but was also compulsively readable. I like how Harper makes the outback into another character. I really want to read more by her.
teegs's review against another edition
4.0
The only thing that could have made this better was an appearance from Aaron Falk. Other than that it had all the character development and mystery of The Dry and Force of Nature.
minapmreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Rape
Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Murder, and Car accident
Initially slow to get in to, however by midway the suspense increased. Some annoying page turning tricks. In the end a good read, made feel sad and hopeful. Doesn't make you want to live in outback Australia.madluck's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
daniellemgee's review against another edition
5.0
So, so good! If I ever pick the murderer in her stories, I’ll feel so accomplished.
tabitalk's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book. I didn’t see most of the twists and it was so easy to read. The pace of the book was good and i liked how Nathan was written.
oddly's review against another edition
3.0
A slow-burn mystery about a man's inexplicable death under the unforgiving outback sun that becomes a story of family dynamics, secrets, and loyalty.
I've now read all of Jane Harper's books. While I did find this newest book more interesting than the Aaron Falk novels, I don't think her books are really my style.
The Lost Man follows Nathan, estranged brother of the deceased. I would argue that he is the "lost man" of the title, not his brother. The story is much more about their family dynamics and events that happened long ago than about Cam's death, so there is a lot of dredging up the past, old relationships, moments gone wrong, and situations that perhaps seem different in retrospect.
This is one of those narratives that is so tied up in the past (i.e. events that the reader knows nothing about until given unwieldy flashbacks or the characters decide to remember them) that you can't really know what is going on until it is really obvious. While this narrative technique isn't necessarily bad, it does make for inactive storytelling as the reader can't be a part of the discovery and creation of the story. It can feel very static or stale to read because it feels like everything has already been predetermined and as the reader we are only privy to those past events (that are shared by the characters) when it becomes relevant to the story. It just makes me feel like I'm being spoon fed a narrative, and I find that boring.
What I did enjoy was reading a book set in the Australian outback. I'm not sure that is a setting I've read about before in a novel and I really like reading about new places, especially ones I've never been to. It's always a fun trip you can take in your head.
My thanks to Flatiron Books for sending me an advance copy of this one to read and review.
I've now read all of Jane Harper's books. While I did find this newest book more interesting than the Aaron Falk novels, I don't think her books are really my style.
The Lost Man follows Nathan, estranged brother of the deceased. I would argue that he is the "lost man" of the title, not his brother. The story is much more about their family dynamics and events that happened long ago than about Cam's death, so there is a lot of dredging up the past, old relationships, moments gone wrong, and situations that perhaps seem different in retrospect.
This is one of those narratives that is so tied up in the past (i.e. events that the reader knows nothing about until given unwieldy flashbacks or the characters decide to remember them) that you can't really know what is going on until it is really obvious. While this narrative technique isn't necessarily bad, it does make for inactive storytelling as the reader can't be a part of the discovery and creation of the story. It can feel very static or stale to read because it feels like everything has already been predetermined and as the reader we are only privy to those past events (that are shared by the characters) when it becomes relevant to the story. It just makes me feel like I'm being spoon fed a narrative, and I find that boring.
What I did enjoy was reading a book set in the Australian outback. I'm not sure that is a setting I've read about before in a novel and I really like reading about new places, especially ones I've never been to. It's always a fun trip you can take in your head.
My thanks to Flatiron Books for sending me an advance copy of this one to read and review.
wendoxford's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant evocation of place...outback Australia..tough isolated living and the taciturn male psyche that inhabits this life.
A real slow burner, we start with a death from the burning sun, a mystery, brothers and the questions surrounding this opener drive the novel. Pain of every sort through the generations haunt the pages with the perennial theme of family secrets making it a real page turner.
A real slow burner, we start with a death from the burning sun, a mystery, brothers and the questions surrounding this opener drive the novel. Pain of every sort through the generations haunt the pages with the perennial theme of family secrets making it a real page turner.
katiecatbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Mystery. Australia. Desert.
Story: Nathan Bright drives with his college aged son. They meet Nathan's younger brother, Bub, in the middle of the desert. Bub is standing next to a tarp, under which is their third brother, Cameron, found dead not too long ago. Why Cameron was out there, and how he died, they don't know.
Language: Told in third person from Nathan's perspective. Set in the middle of the desert in Australia with only some stations and a small town nearby. Present day. The difficult descriptor for this book is the genre. Not a thriller or a suspense novel, it would be best classified as mystery, as the mystery of Cameron's death is the main question and clues are either sought out or given throughout the book. The writing style is very eloquent yet gritty. The characters lives revolve around the land and the weather, which are both beautiful yet harsh. Throughout the book a feeling of desolation hovers over every chapter, as if the white space surrounding the text on each page has expanded and is never ending.
Characters: Nathan Bright's life has not been easy. He lives alone on a small bit of land, that he owes more debt on than he can bring in. He lives like a hermit, and not by choice, shunned by most of the townsfolk. His son, Xander, is visiting, on a short break before he must return to the city and buckle down on his college studies. Nathan's brother Bub is the youngest of the Bright sons, and is the most thoughtful, considering his words before he speaks. Despite that, there's something lurking beneath the surface that makes him come across a bit off or strange. Cameron, the third brother, now laying dead on the desert ground, was married with children, own a large piece of land and homestead, and was successful in running and maintaining his business and home. With all of this going for him, it's unclear why he was in the middle of the desert and what killed him.
This was my first Jane Harper novel and it won't be my last. I didn't speed through this to find out the ending (and nor did I guess the ending on my own) but instead picked it up, put it down, and returned to it now and again. The book reminded me most of an Agatha Christie novel, where someone is found dead and the background histories of the characters are slowly revealed over time. Never during my reading did I feel scared as in reading suspense or thriller. The slow pace of the story allowed space to consider and think - about the death of Cameron, the clues, the relationships, the family, life on a homestead, middle of nowhere Australia and how life is led there. A new read worthy author of Australian fiction.
Story: Nathan Bright drives with his college aged son. They meet Nathan's younger brother, Bub, in the middle of the desert. Bub is standing next to a tarp, under which is their third brother, Cameron, found dead not too long ago. Why Cameron was out there, and how he died, they don't know.
Language: Told in third person from Nathan's perspective. Set in the middle of the desert in Australia with only some stations and a small town nearby. Present day. The difficult descriptor for this book is the genre. Not a thriller or a suspense novel, it would be best classified as mystery, as the mystery of Cameron's death is the main question and clues are either sought out or given throughout the book. The writing style is very eloquent yet gritty. The characters lives revolve around the land and the weather, which are both beautiful yet harsh. Throughout the book a feeling of desolation hovers over every chapter, as if the white space surrounding the text on each page has expanded and is never ending.
Characters: Nathan Bright's life has not been easy. He lives alone on a small bit of land, that he owes more debt on than he can bring in. He lives like a hermit, and not by choice, shunned by most of the townsfolk. His son, Xander, is visiting, on a short break before he must return to the city and buckle down on his college studies. Nathan's brother Bub is the youngest of the Bright sons, and is the most thoughtful, considering his words before he speaks. Despite that, there's something lurking beneath the surface that makes him come across a bit off or strange. Cameron, the third brother, now laying dead on the desert ground, was married with children, own a large piece of land and homestead, and was successful in running and maintaining his business and home. With all of this going for him, it's unclear why he was in the middle of the desert and what killed him.
This was my first Jane Harper novel and it won't be my last. I didn't speed through this to find out the ending (and nor did I guess the ending on my own) but instead picked it up, put it down, and returned to it now and again. The book reminded me most of an Agatha Christie novel, where someone is found dead and the background histories of the characters are slowly revealed over time. Never during my reading did I feel scared as in reading suspense or thriller. The slow pace of the story allowed space to consider and think - about the death of Cameron, the clues, the relationships, the family, life on a homestead, middle of nowhere Australia and how life is led there. A new read worthy author of Australian fiction.