3.5 stars
Aaron Falk and Raco are reunited in the newest (and last?) installment of the series. Falk returns to his hometown for the christening of Raco’s newborn child. It’s also the one year anniversary of the disappearance of a local young mother. Falk finds himself drawn in to investigating what happened to her. Along the way, he meets and connects with a widow whose husband was murdered in a hit and run accident. Of course, he pursues that situation as well. At this point, I’ve decided to just lean in with Aaron Falk’s investigations never being directly related to his job with financial crimes in Melbourne!! Things end on a bit of a cliffhanger with this one, but Aaron is finally in a good place if this is indeed the final book in this series!
*Thanks to Flatiron books and NetGalley for this advance audiobook copy for review.

EXILES by Jane Harper

Jane Harper has become a big name in crime fiction, turning readers into the intrigues of murder and investigation in rural Australia. With her latest, Exiles, we once again join Aaron Falk, a financial crimes detective, this time looking into the disappearance of a new mother the year before. In Harper’s style, the plot is a slow burn, filled with lots of tangents as the characters backstories are flushed out and the identity of the killer comes to Falk’s attention. I loved the first Falk novel, THE DRY, but felt less moved by the second installment, FORCE OF NATURE. Harper is back in form in EXILES. A dark, emotional and gripping mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan audio for an advanced copy. Comes out next week!

#bookstagram #igbooks #crimefiction #australianfiction #audiobooks #netgalley

Harper is back with Investigator Falk’s third tale. A year after a mother goes missing, with her baby being discovered in the stroller, the community is still looking for answers. Harper’s style is spectacular - the story builds slowly at first, but eventually snowballs to the finish. Knowing that this is Aaron Falk’s last starring novel, I just loved him even more. The narration was perfect, and this book kept me guessing to the end. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5⭐️‘s
The Dry was wonderful, The Survivors slow, and Exiles even slower!! This story just dragged on and on and on. By the ending I almost didn’t care anymore! The mystery just wasn’t that compelling and it took everything I had to continue listening. I think it would have been better in book form, but the audio was just plain exhausting! Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ALC of this book.

While Exiles is not my favorite Jane Harper book, it is compelling in its own right. The reason it’s not at i knocked off a star is the overly long slow burn to reach the resolution of both unsolved deaths. Having said that, the lengthy lead-up was absolutely worth reading. I hope to see this book turned into another movie‘

All the clues were there, almost from the beginning, in solving the missing woman’s case. The first clue in the missing woman case was fairly obvious to me,, but I missed the clues to the outcome of Dean’s hit and run death. Overall a super enjoyable book!

I’m a big Jane Harper fan, and was delighted to read this most recent book in the Aaron Falk series. I love the way that Harper keeps moving these mysteries into different parts of Australia, and wine country was an enjoyable setting for this one. I like Aaron Falk as a character, and we got to see a lot of him just being a person in this novel which was great.
It was a tiny bit tricky to follow the family connections, especially when we kept jumping back a year early on in the book, but eventually I caught on, and I realize why those family relationships needed to be complicated but also laid out at the beginning.
The mystery was compelling throughout, and I felt that it was paced well in terms of the information that Aaron/the readers obtained. The way that the explanatory chapters came into play toward the end of the book felt a little jarring, and I wish there had been a way for us to get that information in a more organic way from the novel. I’ve listened to Steve Shanahan narrated books before, and he has a lovely and soothing voice.

“An outstanding novel, a brilliant mystery, and a heart-pounding read from the author of The Dry, Force of Nature, The Lost Man and The Survivors.” Book 3 in the Aaron Falk series is set in a small Australian wine town, and the story is fantastic! A mother disappears from a community festival, leaving her infant and husband behind. One year later, Falk returns and begins picking at the loose threads, trying to unravel the mystery.

You don’t have to read the first two books to enjoy EXILES, but they offer insight into Falk’s personality complexities. He continues to be a favorite character of mine - there’s no drama, no big Sherlock Holmes “Tah-DAH!” but just steady, quiet concentration. He pays attention. He observes. He mulls. He loves a good spreadsheet. Aaaand he has a marvelous Australian accent, delivered perfectly by Stephen Shanahan in the audiobook (which I strongly recommend, BTW).

Thanks, NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Jane Harper, for the advanced listening copy of EXILES. US Pub Date: 31 Jan 23 (2 Feb in the UK)

I was anticipating reading this book and was sad it ended up being a mediocre read for me. I usually have no difficulty engaging with an audiobook, but I had a hard time with this one. It seemed long, drawn out, and I had a hard time seeing it through to the end. Thank you Mcmillan audio for and Netgalley foe the ARC of this audiobook.

Although I enjoyed the beginning of this book, and felt compelled to know what happened within the first 10% of this book I do feel it was slightly drawn out. I also found it slightly unrealistic that an officer of the law that doesn't specialize in solving crimes was able to discover the answer to 2 unsolved mysteries in a small town. It was an easy book to listen, a solid 3 star mystery.

Exiles is another solid Falk mystery from Jane Harper. In this book, there are two timelines - the original missing person case at the town festival when Falk is visiting his friends and a jump to a year on where he's back for a christening and the mystery of the missing Kim has yet to be solved. Amid this unfurling case, we find a second mysterious hit and run death that occurred years earlier as well as a little introspection on Falk's part about his future and a possible love connection. If this sound like a lot, it is a bit of a lot that plays out in a quiet way that makes it feel both too short and a little long with the solution to the mystery feeling a bit rushed at the end. Still a solid Falk book and I'm hopefully that we'll get another story in the future to see where he decides to take his life and Harper takes the character.

I both read this book and listened to the audio version to get a feel for the narration to be able to recommend it to patrons. I enjoyed the narration as the reader's voice has a laconic feel similar to the pacing of the story. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the early access for my honest opinion. 3.5 stars

Exiles by Jane Harper
Narrated by Stephen Shanahan

Exiles is a detailed mystery, the third in the Aaron Falk series. This was planned as a trilogy but I hope we get more from Jane Harper.

This is very much a character driven engaging mystery with a slow pace. As always, Jane Harper kept me reading into the late night. I hope we have the chance to return.

Exiles is able to be read as a stand-alone.

Expected publication: January 31st 2023

Thank you to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the audio ARC.

Federal Investigator Aaron Falk is headed off on vacation, something that doesn't happen often in his busy work life. But this vacation is a promise; he has agreed to serve as the godfather of his friend, Greg's, new son. The ceremony was supposed to happen a year ago but didn't due to a tragedy. His friend's niece, Zara, had lost her mother back then and she hasn't yet been found. Greg's brother, Charlie, hadn't been with Kim by then. They had separated and Kim had married another man in the close-knit group, Rohan. She had a new baby and the couple and their baby had driven down to attend the festival everyone in town went to. But sometime that night, Kim disappeared. She left her new baby in the stroller in the stroller area and was gone.

A year later, the ceremony is back on but Kim's disappearance hasn't been forgotten. There have been no sightings of her since that night and most people believe she committed suicide by slipping into the reservoir where her shoe was found. Zara is determined to find out what happened and brings Aaron into her search. Aaron thinks she is probably in for a disappointment but his investigative nature can't quite let things slide. He starts to look into the case. He also get reacquainted with a woman who lives in the town and whom he'd met a year or so earlier. She makes him want to evaluate his life and see what is truly important. Can Aaron find out what happened to Kim for his friend's family?

Aaron Falk has been featured in several of Jane Harper's novels in the Australian settings she uses. He is an interesting character in and of himself and his inquisitive mind makes him the perfect person to be in law enforcement. This novel fleshes out his character in a different way and gives the reader insight into Australian natures and how the typical rural life unfolds. The mystery is tight and ends with a surprising revelation. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

I have read and enjoyed all of Jane Harper's books and EXILES  (PUB 01.31) is no exception.⁣Thank you to @macmillanaudio and @netgalley for the early access to the audiobook. 

Thissuspense/mystery  had a much slower cadence than some of her other works.  Even with the slower pace, the plot, scenery and strong characters kept me listening. It was so satisfying when the pieces started to come together.  I found the ending to be a gratifying end  to the series.

This is the 3rd book in the Aaron Falk series and I think you'll appreciate his character arc if you've read the first two. Just like The Dry and Force of Nature, the Australian landscape is a character in itself.

I have just finished the audio version of this book, after having just completed reading the print book. Steve Shanahan does a supreme job bringing the story to life. This is my preferred way to experience Harper’s Aaron Falk.

So bittersweet. What a beautiful end to an excellent series. If you haven’t read the others you can pick this up they explain the history. But Falk is an excellent character.

Harper does an amazing job setting the scene and putting you right in the Outback. The story lines always draw you in and keep you guessing. Dream team with the narration skills of Stephen Shanahan.

In Exiles, Jane Harper takes us to Australian wine country.

"At a busy festival, a young mother disappears into the night leaving her baby behind in the stroller.

A year later there are still no answers. Aaron Falk is in town to celebrate the christening of his god-daughter and gets involved in the mystery of what happened to this woman. Falk also reconnects with a woman he'd met years before. He wonders if the hit-and-run death of her husband is connected to the disappearance of the young mother. Can Falk discover old secrets and find out what really happened?"

This is a slow burn mystery with Aaron Falk. It's mostly him having conversations and making connections. There are not really any twists or big reveals. (There are some small ones)
The book is full of Harper's atmospheric writing and fans of her other books should enjoy this one.

It's always nice when the narrator matches the setting. Stephen Shananhan gives a great audio performance and helps the reader feel like you're in Australia. One thing that's different in this audiobook is that Shananhan doesn't change voices for the characters like many narrators. He does change the tone, so you get some idea of the different characters.

More good fiction from Jane Harper.

I am a huge Jane Harper fan and first discovered her when The Dry was released. Since then she is on my automatic buy list. I was so excited when Netgalley blessed me with an audio version.

I wasn't sure about the audio version of the book at first. I wasn't excited about the narrator but as the story built I began to enjoy the nuances of the narrator. I definitely did not see the final twist in the plot. I gave this book 4 instead of five stars only because it was good but not something I kept thinking about afterwards.

This is the story of the disappearance of a mother, friend and wife. A year later there are still no answers as to what happened to Kim. Her disappearance has left a void in this community and one outsider will solve it. In the process of solving one crime Aaron Falk will solve an older case. The results shocking this small quiet community's core.

I learned to love the narrator but it took me some time.

I hadn’t read the first 2 books in this series, but I feel this story is able to stand on its own. The audiobook was easy to follow, although I do think I would have been more invested in the story by reading it vs. listening to it.

Aaron Falk is the main character in this story. He's our detective. While traveling to attend his godson's baptism, a person in his extended friends group disappears and is presumed dead. Returning to the same place a year later, Aaron picks up on the threads of the mystery of this woman whose body has never been found.

As he pulls on those threads, little details start to rack up that don't quite fit. And being who he is, he can't let go of them until things make sense.

What he uncovers is a sad and harrowing tale that reaches all the way back to the victim's teenage years, only to resurface and spell her demise.

This story explores the effects of mental health and psychological abuse and raises the question of how well we know our friends.

There was a secondary mystery that Aaron uncovered as he worked on the primary one that was wholely unsatisfying in its conclusion. It had to do with flecks of paint in a jar. The reader is only ever told of one color in those flecks of paint. But the explanation ultimately had to do with that color being painted over another one. However, that would have been noticeable in the flecks, which were carefully handled and examined by Aaron. As well done as the rest of the book was, I found that part to be unsatisfying in the way it was handled.

Overall, though, the book was a good one. Thank you to Jane Harper, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
This was a wonderful installment (end?) to the Aaron Falk series. There were two mysteries and plenty of interesting characters, some from the first novel. I was very satisfied with the ending. Plus the narrator was fantastic.