For silly reasons, I didn’t love the first Aaron Falk book when I originally read it. I decided to re-read but this time listen, and it was way better (because I guess the publishers change words in the ebook when publishing in America, but they don’t do that for the audio? So it actually reads like an Australian book when you listen to it). I liked the first one more the second time around, the second book was good but not amazing, but this one was so good! I really enjoyed everything about it. The characters, the setting, the story – and yes, the Australian-ness fills my homesick heart, so perhaps I am a little biased. But honestly, I found the mystery and story very compelling and hated having to put it down. Aaron’s character arc in this book was fantastic. I wish this wasn’t the last one in this series, but I will continue to read everything Jane Harper publishes.

2/5

This one was pretty confusing from the start, and I had a really hard time getting into it. Ended up DNF about halfway through, and could return to it in the future but not right now. Sometimes mystery series can be read out of order, but this one was too confusing to start with book 3.

At a busy festival site on a warm spring night, a baby lies alone in her pram, her mother vanishing into the crowds.

A year on, Kim Gillespie’s absence casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather deep in the heart of South Australian wine country to welcome a new addition to the family.

Joining the celebrations is federal investigator Aaron Falk. But as he soaks up life in the lush valley, he begins to suspect this tight-knit group may be more fractured than it seems.

Between Falk’s closest friend, a missing mother, and a woman he’s drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths begin to emerge.

I went into this one not realizing that it was part of a series. I’ve seen wonderful reviews for the previous two books in the series, and had no trouble following along with this one.

I found this one to be slow paced. I was expecting more of a dark thriller, but it never really picked up for me. It was an interesting mystery and had almost a story within the story with the missing woman and an unsolved murder. I think what got to me what the relationship Kim had with her “friends”. Without giving anything away, that just frustrated me.

I’ve read great reviews for books one and two and hopefully will get the chance to pick those up in the future!

"Exiles" by Jan Harper is the third book in her series featuring Aaron Falks, but can be read as a stand alone book. Falks is a federal financial investigator who visits his good friends in the Marralee Valley one year after the disappearance of Kim Gillespie. Falks did not know Kim but helps his good friend Raco (who has been investigating on his own) to try to uncover the truth about what happened to Kim when she disappeared from the annual food and wine festival. While some think Kim left behind her baby (and a teenage daughter) and killed herself, this just doesn't ring true for others.
A secondary mystery (from six years ago) involving another person in the circle of friends also has Falk curious since it relates to a woman he is interested in. As a reader, I was trying to connect the two mysteries and find the one "bad guy" throughout the book. There were some great clues left and I was able to figure out some of the mystery but there were still surprises in the end. The book is very engaging and since I read it with two other people, there was much to discuss along the way.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC of the audiobook. I also read the book at the same time which was helpful because there were many characters and I would have found it a bit confusing just on audio though the narration was well done.

This book was a slow burn for me. I didn’t think I would like it at first and I was having trouble keeping the characters straight, but it picked up speed later and became a fascinating character study. I had guessed who did it, but not how or why, so the author did a great job!

I'm a big fan of horror, and when I found this one on NetGalley, I knew I needed it. The twisting, mutating grossness of this tale helps to add to the atmospheric horror of Exiles by Jane Harper. All of the twists and turns put me in the mood for autumn and Halloween, and I was so happy to have had the opportunity to read and review this work of art.

Kim Gillespie has gone missing. And even more mysterious? She’s left her baby in her pram right in the middle of a carnival. I’m not sure I could imagine any mother I know willingly walking away from her baby in that setting, so suffice to say, those closest to her expect the worst. But there are those who think maybe having another baby after so many years was just too much. So which was it?

The story opens on the first anniversary of Kim’s disappearance. Our key characters are her teen daughter, ex husband, new husband, and her tight-knit circle of friend, many of whom Kim has known since her school days. Learning their stories was really one of the richest parts of the book. And the backdrop of the mystery definitely added a level of intrigue.

I’ve long been a Jane Harper fan and was so excited when Netgalley granted me a advanced audio book galley to review. In fact, Exiles marks my very first audiobook review for Netgalley! I’ve listened to audiobooks pretty religiously for the past couple years and I really enjoy this alternate way of experiencing a book.

I enjoyed the narration. I thought the narrator did an excellent job, but it the story itself did drag a bit for me throughout the middle part. Once we got closer the end, I was totally enthralled and thoroughly enjoyed the story. I did have to go back at the end, because I felt I had missed something. But I think the main issue is that some of the ending is more subtle than relates well to an audio version.

Special thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced audiobook of this title. This one is available now.

I liked this audiobook narrator much better than the previous one for this author. He brings a character and tone that is so compatible with the book and it's hero Aaron Faulk. Loved this listen, and love the Aaron Faulk novels. Cannot wait for the next one!

I seem to be following a theme if reading books and watching tv shows that take place in Australia and New Zealand. I was excited to get this third book in this series as it takes place in Southern Australia wine country. EXILES by Jane Harper, and the audiobook is narrated by Stephen Shanahan.

Federal Investigator Aaron Falk comes to visit this small town for the christening of his best friend’s baby. The date coincides with the disappearance of a woman one year earlier. The location it’s thought she went missing from is the same place another man was killed 6 years earlier. Falk isn’t there in any official capacity but as he gets to know the families left behind he can’t help but use his investigative skills and take a new look the events.

I love a mystery where the mystery actually gets solved, but I don’t like when the solution is just handed to you, so this one didn’t disappoint. Little clues throughout led to the answers and it was handled well, I feel. Even though it’s the third book in a series, you don’t need to read the previous ones to enjoy this one. 5 stars!

This book reminded me Jo Nesbo's series. It made perfect sense as a stand alone book, but I think i would have liked it more if I was more familiar with the main character.

It took me a while to get into the story, and I listened it almost like a background noise. I might have to read the actual book sometime following the two books that came before this.

Exiles by Jane Harper is a suspenseful, gritty look at the disappearance of Kim Gillespie and how it affected everyone that knew her. The daughter, who wanted to hang out with friends on her birthday instead of her mom. The friend who didn't reach out to her in a year. The friends who didn't see (or didn't want to see) what was going on in Kim's life.

Jane once again creates Australia, it's heat and dust, and makes it come alive for the reader. This is a story I could fall right into and I felt like I was there. This could have been me and my friends back in our early days.

I have read every book by Jane Harper and can't wait for the next!

I thank Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for this copy. My comments and thoughts are my own.

In the heart of a Canadian winter, listening to this audiobook was the perfect atmospheric read. The narrator’s soothing voice had me drawn right in to the Australian wine country. A character driven novel which also provided a well rounded mystery, this book was a definite 5 star. We’ll be recommending this title for book club suggestions.

My husband has read and loved several books by Jane Harper, so when the audio ARC of this book became available on NetGalley, I decided I would give it a try. Even though it is the last in the Aaron Falk series, I had no problem beginning with this book. The mystery was compelling, but Aaron and the characters were what had me riveted throughout. In addition, the Australian wine country setting was so well-depicted it almost became a character itself. The ending threw in a couple twists, but nothing out of left field, and Aaron's storyline at the end of this series was extremely satisfying. In addition, I loved the narrator of this audiobook. I will certainly be returning to the rest of the Aaron Falk series, hopefully also on audiobook.

I’m a big Jane Harper fan and I’ve really enjoyed the Aaron Falk series. Exiles read like a deep character dive and while I enjoyed the back stories of the characters, the book didn’t hold my interest like the other ones in the series. Great narrator and I’ll definitely look forward to Harper’s next book.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ALC.

Another great thriller/domestic suspense story in the Aaron Falk series. This new to me author definitely impressed as I couldn't put this story down and enjoyed it on audio. Highly recommended for fans of authors like Karin Slaughter. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Another good one from Jane Harper! This one moved a little slow for me but it was still enjoyable. The ending was a surprise for me and I really liked the way the timelines converged and overlapped for multiple POVs. If you've enjoyed other books by Jane Harper, you'll love this one too!

Jane Harper should get funding from the Australian tourism board for her novels. It doesn't matter what she writes about, I still want to go there, even when the environment is trying to kill us (The Dry).

Even though this is the third in the Aaron Falk series, this can be read as a stand-alone, slow burn detective mystery. A large cast of characters makes this novel a little hard to follow while listening to the audiobook, although the narrator is excellent. Fans of Harper will not be disappointed.

EXILES by author Jane Harper is the 3rd. novel in the “Aaron Falk” series that features the city detective once again returning to the area he’s known from the past, this time as a planned vacation of sorts to visit a celebration in the wine country of South Australia.

Aaron has many memories of his youth in the area, some good and some bad, and once again a visit leads him into an investigation that is outside the normal duties of his area of expertise, which is financial criminal investigations.

Tragedy strikes at the celebration when a baby is found in a carriage tucked in with blankets and the mother is nowhere to be found, and information on the whereabouts of the mother produces nothing, she has seemingly vanished and as time goes on the most acceptable theory is that she might have taken her own life by leaping off a cliff into the sea, since the only access points would’ve made it difficult to pass through unnoticed.

Falk is determined to find answers, and as he’s frustrated with the questions he cannot find answers for, he also begins to fall in love with the town he stays in, and develops a romantic relationship that grows in spite of the time and effort he puts into the investigation of the disappearance of the woman.

Can Falk once again discover something overlooked by regular local law enforcement by looking at things in a different light using his unique observations?

Author Jane Harper once again delivers a fine novel in the series that ends on much more of a positive note than the previous two, although I actually liked the first two more due to my own interest in the descriptions of the harsh existence in the Outback settings that are not part of this one, and I’d feel kind of bad hoping that Aaron would have to return to another unfortunate situation in the rugged area at the expense of his life being in a more positive place.

I was given the opportunity to review an audiobook version of this book, and I’ve seen others comment both positive and negative regarding the narrator, and I must say I’ve listened to his narration on all of the books in this series and while I’d usually prefer the written versions, I absolutely love the narrator’s delivery that fits the stories perfectly, especially in the Outback settings.

Recommended to all who’ve enjoyed the author’s previous works, and to any who haven’t.

Jane Harper is one of my favorite authors of recent years and I look forward to seeing each new novel she writes.

5 stars.

The mystery and romance in Jane Harper’s book, Exiles, is so engaging. I felt as if I were there, involved in the characters and the environment. Harper really puts the reader in with everyone in the story.

It took me a little while to get into this one, but once it hooked me, it kept me engaged throughout. I think the fact that there were two mysteries intertwined, even though one of them was prominent, helped to keep me guessing. I was worried as I hadn't read the first two in the series but I had no problems understanding the plot nor the characters; this can definitely be read as a stand-alone.

Thank you to NetGalley for this book in exchange for my honest review.