The more I love a book and/or an author the harder I find it to write reviews that aren't completely nonsensical! I read Jane Harper's debut novel, The Dry, and fell in love with her writing, her characters, and proceeded to do the same with Force Of Nature. Aaron Falk is an easy character to love, in my book anyway, he has his faults, but there's something about Jane's writing that makes you love her characters.

I'll admit now I was a bit apprehensive about The Lost Man. I was very much looking forward to another Falk novel but a handful of pages into The Lost Man and I was completely and utterly spellbound! It's the story of three brothers, Nathan, Cameron, and Bub who brought up in the harsh but beautiful surroundings of the Australian Outback. Now all adults, Nathan is divorced with a teenage son, Cameron is married with two young daughters and Bub, a lot younger than his siblings, is working on Cameron's property.

It's not a spoiler to say that the story opens with Cameron's unexplained death by a well-known local grave that he'd won a prize years earlier for a painting of it. What happens from there is a wild ride of suspicion, violence, lies, and grief. Nathan, struggling with depression due to incidents in the past, is at a loss as to how someone like his brother, who knows the conditions of the Outback, could walk off leaving a car full of emergency supplies to die. All the signs point to suicide, everyone he talks to says that recently he hadn't been himself and there had been 'accidents' which might not have been accidental.

Cameron might be dead but it appears that there is a myriad of threads connecting lots of different things to him, on the surface he was charming and persuasive, had time for everybody, but underneath the cracks were starting to show. Nathan, with not much else to do and coming to the realization that maybe he's not alright, takes the bit between his teeth and starts looking into Cam's death. There are things niggling at the back of his mind that don't make sense but as the story progresses he starts to connect the dots, which lead to a horrifying conclusion.

Not only is it hard not to just gush about The Lost Man it's also hard to talk about the storyline without giving away too much. The Lost Man is a character-driven story, expertly done, with a fascinating collection of people, all totally different but all linked by one defining character, the Outback. As with The Dry, the Outback shines through as a real character and you can feel yourself under the hot sun, the dry dust kicking up around you, and the beads of sweat on your forehead.

The Lost Man is not just a crime thriller either. It's about family, love, mental health problems, and consequences. Don't take my word for it though, read The Lost Man and I defy you not to fall in love with it. Oh, and for those of you who are fans of Falk, some good news! In The Lost Man, there's a little something to find (let me know if you do!) and there's a movie coming, with Eric Bana as Aaron Falk!!!

The Lost Man is the third book from Jane Harper. While we are still in Australia, this book is not connected to the previous Aaron Falk books, so you can just pick this one up.
Jane brings us deep into the Australian outback and we are immediately immersed into the daily lives of the people who live and work there. I cannot imagine what it would be like to have your nearest neighbour more than 15 minutes away, let alone a few hours. For the entire book I felt a great sense of just how lonely it must be. This, of course, is a major part of the plot, and the author plays on this excellently. Jane paints a vivid picture of what life in the outback is truly like. I almost felt like I was going to see myself in the mirror, red dust head to toe.
I really enjoyed the characters in this book, The Bright family have obviously been through some dark times (sorry couldn't help it). Each member of the family has a role to play, and their weaknesses shown up throughout. Whether it is Bub's apparent immaturity, or Nathan's self imposed exile their intricacies are played on and help build the story.
Despite being completely enthralled with the story, I didn't really have any idea where it was going, meaning the surprises that come up really were surprises for me. I was completely sucked in to the mystery of what happened to Cameron, which leads to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion.
I thought this one was brilliant and I have no hesitation in recommending it. Get on it!

Another amazing book from Jane Harper! Unlike her previous novels The Dry and Force of Nature, this book doesn’t have the character of Aaron Faulke but is a stand-alone set in a remote park of the Australian outback.

The premise is that Cameron Bright, the middle of three brothers is found dead at a remote spot having apparently walked away from his vehicle in the blistering heat of the Australian summer. The book itself follows his older brother, Nathan as he pieces together both the events surrounding his brother’s death and a multitude of events some stretching back years.

As with Harper’s previous novels the landscape becomes another character. It’s strange but through her writing Harper creates a juxtaposition where the landscape is so huge and remote it’s scale almost can’t be believed, but it creates this sense of claustrophobia as the inhabitants live in small pockets unable, in some cases, to get away from one another and in every case unable to get away from themselves and their own thought. It makes for an incredibly tense read and I found myself completely unable to put the book down!

Highly recommended!!

* Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher *

Cameron Bright’s body is found in the Australian outback by a local landmark called the Stockman’s Grave, it appears that he has died of dehydration and exposure. What was Cam doing there when he was supposed to be meeting his younger brother elsewhere? Why was his vehicle nine kilometres away and in perfect working order? Why hadn’t he taken any of the bottles of water from the back seat?

Cam’s older brother Nathan returns to the family station after a self imposed exile wanting answers to these questions. As he delves into his brother’s personal and business circumstances in the hope that he can shed some light on his brother’s death, Nathan realises that the answers may be in the past. However the past is somewhere he doesn’t want to go.

This book is like watching a bud bloom into a magnificent flower, it is simply stunning. It is beautifully written, the story unfolds exquisitely and every character in the novel is essential to the story. An absolute masterpiece.

Many, many thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m a fan of Jane Harper’s writing and Lost Man does not disappoint. Harper expertly uses her setting as a way to learn about the characters, a neat narrative trick. It makes this novel super interesting as she tracks how people survive, how the environment shapes them to be the way they are, and develops her characters more thoroughly than thrillers usually bother. Thus, this is a thriller rooted in the real, in people, and how they are instead of conspiracy theories, secrets, and overarching authority.

A Cracking Atmospheric Thriller:
Jane Harper's third novel, "The Lost Man", is possibly her best yet. Capturing the atmosphere of the Outback perfectly, this is a novel with few characters: focusing on the inter-relationship between three brothers, dark themes and hidden secrets. At the centre of the story is a simple question: what happened to Cameron Bright? One of three brothers brought up and farming in uncompromising farms in the outback.
Familiar as he was with the uncompromising wilderness of the outback how could Cameron have died such a gruesome death at the stockman's grave, an ancient landmark marking a forgotten man's grave. Although the Bright Brothers farmed neighbouring land and would be expected to have each other's back we learn of family rivalry: the relationship between the brothers is complicated and there are some murky secrets which are very sparingly revealed.
Brilliant atmospheric writing make this a thriller not to be missed.

I was (and still am) a huge fan of Jane Harper’s first book, The Dry, one of my books of the year when it was published back in 2017. Her follow-up was Force of Nature, in which we moved from the drought-ravaged tight-knit farming community of Kiewarra to an outward bounds retreat in the rain-drenched forests of the Giralang Range.

The Lost Man is a lovely slow burn of a mystery, leaving you with the dust of the Outback under your nails. Jane Harper has a wonderful ability to evoke the essence of a place and here she really shows off that skill to magnificent effect. You really feel the atmosphere here, the dust-soaked landscape, the incessant sun, the constant knife-edge balance between life and death.

And the death here is one of those properly splendid whodunnits. A man is found next to a remote grave, a circle etched into the sand as he’s struggled to follow the meagre shade whilst slowly dying of exposure and thirst.

Why is he here? Why is a seasoned, experienced farmer, who knows the Outback like the back of his hand, miles from the safety of his car? What has brought him to this place with none of the essential survival equipment that everyone carries by default in this unforgiving environment?

The writing here is wonderfully atmospheric and the characters are beautifully realised and nuanced. The Lost Man of the title initially suggests the dead brother Cameron, lost in the wilderness, but as the story progresses you realise that it applies equally well, if not moreso to the other brothers, Nathan in particular. He’s the point around which the story circles, with flashbacks to earlier times giving glimpses into what drove him to his current lonely existence.

It’s a real character piece which doesn’t feel the need to rush and is all the better for it. The pace does pick up in the second half of the book, and I found myself engrossed, wanting to read just one more chapter as the layers fall away to reveal one of the most satisfying endings to a book that I’ve read for a long time.

The Lost Man is a standalone book which hints at links to the first two Aaron Falk stories, but is an entirely different beast and cements Jane Harper’s place on my list of authors whose books I’ll look forward to, and who I’ll nag you about reading. You have been warned.

Highly recommended. Just don’t forget to pack plenty of water. It’s hot out there.

This was such an atmospheric book and Harper does a peerless job of describing the desolation and heat of the Queensland Outback. This tells the story of Nathan, a man with a past, as he investigates the death of his brother, Cameron from dehydration. What I thought this book did so well was the layering of the narrative. Like any mystery, the pacing is based on small reveals of information that often withhold more than they actually inform. The basic plot here was very straightforward, but through a series of flashbacks and memories, Harper parses out the information that fleshes out the characters. The depiction of the landscape was fantastic and the heat was palpable. You got a genuine sense that the land was incredibly dangerous and would kill those who took it lightly. My only criticism is that I felt the ending was just a little bit too neat, but overall, I thought this was a well crafted novel that cements Harper as one of the most interesting thriller authors.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have now read all three books by Jane Harper and yet again, this one did not disappoint!
This one is slower paced than the others but certainly worthwhile. Very atmospheric.
Would recommend.

I enjoyed this and was just as good as the first book. The story was very intriguing and kept me gripped and really looking forward to reading a lot more from this same author.

This novel was absorbing and breathtaking from start to finish. I haven't been this blown away by a novel in MONTHS! The descriptions are cinematic, the characters are deep and resonant, and the plot is absolutely gripping. It's impeccably structured and an absolute joy to read. 5 stars out of 5, and a HUGE recommendation.

Another wonderful story from Jane Harper. Although, not another Aaron Falk novel, The Lost Man has everything that I'd come to expect from this author's books - stifling atmosphere of the parched Australian outback, masterfully brought to life; realistic well-drawn out characters, who get under your skin; shocking and completely unexpected outcome that leaves you speechless... It may be a slow burner but it's never boring.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown publishers for the ARC.

The Lost Man is a crime drama set in the Australian out back. Cameron Bright is found dead in the desert and whilst his death is not deemed suspicious, his elder brother questions why he died miles from his vehicle. This is a compelling novel, once again the Australian landscape plays a role in the storytelling and the reader is transported to this other world, that is dangerous and barren.

This is a slow paced book, to enjoy every page and let to be transported inside this mystery book, with the heat surrounding you and a victim to be discovered…
This is not a book to rush or to read quickly, since the first page you’ll be transported to another world, the world of Nathan, Cameron and Bub; their relation as brothers and their secrets as a family, all families keep secrets, but some are darker than others…
When Nathan and Bub discover the body of his brother in the heat, without nothing around and his car full of water and working quite afar, they only have questions in their mind; why did he not return to the car? was he alone? did he committed suicide? Of course there will be a lot of questions and Nathan will start asking more. He is not a detective, simply a man wanted to know what has happened to his brother, sadly he will not like all the answers he will have…
This is a story about family, the relation between the brothers and their childhood; and the connection between Nathan and his son Xander that is spending the summer with him, their relation is tense, they don’t know each other or trust, maybe this will be their time to connect.
I always love Jane Harper books, and The Lost Man has not disappointed me, Jane has an extraordinary talent to make the reader travel inside the book, with some real characters and a twisted story that makes you think at the end of the story. Really, what else do we need?

The Lost Man is a standalone novel rather than an Aaron Falk thriller (although there is a vague reference to a distant family link to the events in The Dry) and I was really glad to feel that I enjoyed it just as much despite the lack of Falk's presence. I found him a fascinating character so it is good to know that I can enjoy the storytelling just as much without him. This story follows the Bright family in a hugely remote settlement - one brother, Nathan, lives on a struggling property and his two brothers are on the neighbouring (and much more successful) spread. When Cameron, the middle brother, is found dead by an old stockman's grave the surviving siblings react very differently: Nathan is determined to find out why (or even if ) Cameron took his own life, while youngest brother Bub hopes to become more involved in helping his mother and sister-in-law run the business. The investigation and discovery of the dead man's last movements follows a reasonably predictable path but the characters of the three brothers develop in a rather more organic way. Secrets from the past begin to explain why Nathan is a loner, Cameron is the golden boy and poor Bub is treated as the poor third. (I was checking through some other reviews of this book - most of them don't even mention Bub's name.....) As ever with Jane Harper the brilliant characters and immersive settings have as important a role as the mystery. And the mystery can only be solved by understanding both people and place.

As always this latest novel from Jane Harper is outstanding. A bit slow in parts but still kept me gripped and guessing the next chapter over and over again. Her describing is spot on especially her descriptions of the heat and dust of the outback. I felt thirsty all the way through. Brilliant and thrilled to be able to review such a great read.

A plausible story of a man beaten down by life until his brother's death allows him to begin building himself back up again. I was surprised by who was responsible for his death, and the way in which they had caused it. My only complaint is that I felt the ending was a little too fast and slick, it would have fit better if more time had elapsed before the ending of the book.

In an isolated part of Western Australia, two brothers live three hours apart, but are each other’s nearest neighbour. They meet at a landmark between their properties, the stockman’s grave, where their middle brother, Cameron, lies dead in shadow of the gravestone. How did he end up here, miles away from his fully-stocked car, in the middle of nowhere?

This is the first novel by Jane Harper that I’ve read, but I’d heard great things about her work and had high expectations. I wasn’t disappointed. The Lost Man is a cross between a crime novel and a family drama. Instead of a trained detective investigating Cameron’s death, we have his brother Nathan trying to work out what happened. This is extremely well-written and, combined with the context and setting, is entirely realistic and believable.

The story is filled to the brim with secrets and mysteries, but it is written in such a way that I was consistently intrigued rather than annoyed about not knowing anything. I was desperate to know more, in a way that made it very difficult to put the book down because I just wanted to keep reading. While some aspects of the plot were relatively predictable for an experienced crime reader, it was impossible to guess at everything correctly. The final reveal was well thought-out and satisfying.

The characters are nicely damaged and complex, and the setting is stunning. Thanks to Harper’s atmospheric writing, the scenery comes to life, turning the Australian outback into a character of the story itself. I don’t think this book could have been set anywhere else.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Another brilliant read by Jane Harper. I will request her books without even reading the blurb. I loved the atmosphere of “The Lost Man”, the imagery was so vivid and the pain so visceral.

The three sons of Carl Bright inherited his expansive outback property and some of his brutal personality. When middle son Cameron is found dead in mysterious circumstances, his elder brother Nathan is sure it is not suicide. Over the course of Christmas Nathan ponders their lives and where they are as well as reflecting on the events of the past and all lead to truth behind his family secrets as well as the possibility of a way forward.
A new novel by Jane Harper is a treat and also a deeply emotional read. This is no exception. For a setting in wide open spaces of the Australian Outback where civilisation is hundreds of miles away, Harper has conjured up the claustrophobia of family life where there is no escape and life is very much on the edge. The story is a fairly straightforward one but the writing and the detail make is nothing like it should be. Harper is a master at this and the deep undercurrents that hint at violence and madness are never far.