cpwang65's review against another edition
5.0
Great atmospheric read, similar to Jane Harper’s first book, The Dry. It takes place on a very dry hot rural area of Australia. The main characters are members of an extended family. The middle brother of three, Cameron has been found dead. His body is quite a distance from his fully stocked car. Slowly, but in fine fashion the details surrounding Cameron’s death is unveiled.
The story takes a while to come to a conclusion, but does not drag. The whole backstory is quite interesting.
I think this is Jane Harper’s best book yet.
The story takes a while to come to a conclusion, but does not drag. The whole backstory is quite interesting.
I think this is Jane Harper’s best book yet.
herlevareads's review against another edition
4.0
Een prachtig literair werk dat zich verstopt achter het label thriller - de opzet is wellicht die van een crimi, maar al na een goede 40 pagina's besef je je dat er wel eens meer aan de hand zou kunnen zijn. De karakters zijn goed uitgewerkt, ondanks het feit dat ze allemaal niet even veel aan bod komen als had gekund - daardoor zijn er wat valse lijntjes uitgezet die niet per sé nodig waren maar het boek wel net iets meer het thrillergenre induwt. Onnodig, denk ik, maar wellicht dat Harper wilde bouwen op het succes van De Droogte en Wildernis.
jackierobinson's review against another edition
3.0
Oh laaawd please don’t hate me for this.
I love Jane Harper. I think she’s a brilliant author. I think she writes amazing novels and has great twists.
But this one just didn’t do it for me like the other two did. I found it hard to get into, and while I think her description of the outback and the scorching heat is such a trademark to her writing, I found it a little bit too much and it became detrimental to me actually imagining the book and the layout in my head.
The twist was good, as it always is. Woven throughout the story, so much so that I didn’t know what would happen.
But overall, a 3.5 star rating from me because it just wasn’t as good as The Dry, and Force of Nature, in my opinion.
*let the pitchforks fly*
I love Jane Harper. I think she’s a brilliant author. I think she writes amazing novels and has great twists.
But this one just didn’t do it for me like the other two did. I found it hard to get into, and while I think her description of the outback and the scorching heat is such a trademark to her writing, I found it a little bit too much and it became detrimental to me actually imagining the book and the layout in my head.
The twist was good, as it always is. Woven throughout the story, so much so that I didn’t know what would happen.
But overall, a 3.5 star rating from me because it just wasn’t as good as The Dry, and Force of Nature, in my opinion.
*let the pitchforks fly*
magbb's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
kelbi's review against another edition
5.0
This book really makes you feel you are inhabiting one of the harshest places to live in the Australian outback. Not mystery/murder story. A book about people and families and how they interact. I enjoyed it and found it engrossing
gasoline_allie's review against another edition
5.0
The outback setting was so well done. I could feel both the expansiveness of it and the oppressiveness, at the same time.
Beyond the question of who killed Cameron and why, this story had a lot to say about violence and community.
Beyond the question of who killed Cameron and why, this story had a lot to say about violence and community.
nutty_bookseller's review against another edition
5.0
Jane has a skill as an author who takes a small cast of characters and creates a crime thriller that is so cleverly written that even with the clues staring you in the face it takes a real genius to discover the whole truth.
The backdrop of this book is described with such accurate detail I can feel the red dust all over my skin and the gritty texture in my mouth.
A great crime thriller peeling the layers of this close knit family revealing a shocking conclusion.
The backdrop of this book is described with such accurate detail I can feel the red dust all over my skin and the gritty texture in my mouth.
A great crime thriller peeling the layers of this close knit family revealing a shocking conclusion.
mroderique's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A book of two parts: The first 150 pages, which set this up as one of the greatest modern mysteries, are ruined by the last 200, which drags into Lifetime Movie territory
jjwilliams_22's review against another edition
3.0
Dull, unattached to the characters but the ending was satisfying and I like the outback australia setting.