A review by bookstorian
The Lost Man, by Jane Harper
4.0
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.
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
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Rape