Once again, Jane Harper, has created another mesmerising novel with ‘The Survivors’. Against the backdrop of the seaside town of Evelyn Bay, coastal Tasmania, the death of a young woman, has the locals mystified. For Kieran Elliot, it transports him back to his teenage years twelve years ago, when tragedy struck his family and a young girl went missing.
Kieran has recently returned with his girlfriend Mia and their young baby, to help Kieran’s mother pack up the family home and move his father into a nursing home, due to his progressing dementia. As the police start to investigate, the tension builds and long held secrets are gradually revealed.
From the first page, this story had me captivated, especially as past and present events begin to intertwine. The characters are so lifelike, carrying past hurts that manage to come to the surface after many long years. Harper manages to bring all the bitterness and sadness of this small community to the forefront. It is through Kieran, that these feelings are brought to light.
I must admit to finding myself, playing this story back over in my mind, since the dramatic ending.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Another fantastic novel from Jane Harper.
Set in a small coastal town in Tasmania, Kieran his partner Mia and baby daughter return to their home town to help Kieran’s Mum pack up their family home, in preparation to moving and putting his Dad into care. But the murder of a young woman unwittingly evokes memories of a fatal boating accident that killed two young men, one of them Kieran’s brother, during a horrendous storm 10 years ago and the disappearance of a young girl.
Set in the present with small flash backs around the time of the storm, Jane Harper sets the scenes of time and place brilliantly. The family and small town dynamics are presented so well and you just feel for Kieran and the guilt he has carried around of his brother’s accident for all those years.
With the two incidents being explored in the novel, they run together seamlessly to a heart stopping and satisfying conclusion.
Highly recommended and thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

The Survivors is Jane Harper’s much anticipated fourth novel, a stand alone, slow burning mystery set on Tasmania’s coast.

Kieran Elliot, his girlfriend, Mia, and their infant daughter, have returned to Evelyn Bay to help his parents pack up their family home. It’s an uncomfortable homecoming for Kieran who still blames himself for the death of his older brother Finn, and Finn’s best mate, in a tragic accident during a violent storm. The same storm during which a fourteen year old girl disappeared, and was never found.
When a young woman’s body is discovered on the beach the day after they arrive, it seems the sea has claimed yet another victim, but investigators soon determine she was murdered, and as the search for her killer begins, the secrets of the past begin to unravel.

While the present day mystery in The Survivors revolves around the murdered girl, an art student/waitress with only a tangential link to Kieran, it’s her unwitting connection to the events twelve years previously amid the storm that marks her as the catalyst of this story. Unfolding from Kieran’s perspective, the story moves between the present and memories of the past. Well-considered red herrings distract as the plot takes unexpected twists, slowly revealing tightly kept secrets. But while I was intrigued by the story, and really had no idea who would be found responsible for the murder, I felt there was a distinct lack of tension in the novel, not helped by the conservative pacing, leading to what was an anticlimactic conclusion.

Harper’s characterisation of Kieran is compelling though, with a nuanced portrayal of a man burdened with grief and guilt. The supporting characters are sufficiently fleshed out to suit their role in the story, though few feel like active participants. I thought the dynamics of a small community under stress were well illustrated, and uniquely communicated through the town’s online forum.

The story is undeniably atmospheric, with Harper masterfully conjuring a brooding seaside town during the off-season, perched above deserted cliff-side beaches and dark, echoey caves slowly filling with cold, creeping waves. The sea becomes a pitiless thing, claiming the innocent and guilty alike.

The Survivors is perhaps not as thrilling a mystery as I had expected, but it is involving, evocative and affecting.

I feel like Harper's novels are a very specific subset of human interest books, with a sprinkle of crime and thriller (and I do mean sprinkle). The characters in her books have a level of authenticity in a scripted way, and I feel like sometimes it would be a helpful thing to deviate from that script- I seem to struggle to connect to them in any meaningful way, and their problems and relationships don't carry over particularly well. There also seems to be an eternal difficulty moving to a climax, with the story meandering constantly until eventually there is a reveal, but it's never quite so grand as one would expect.

I can provide that the author's books are very effective at creating and maintaining atmosphere above all else, and sometimes it feels like her books are a dedication to landscapes as opposed to stories. I wish that there was more of a tangible hold on the characters, their motivations, and all else, but that seems to putter out a bit at given intervals. I am never quite gripped by any mysteries in her books, and the ending was another low for me. I am thinking, given how everyone else seems to feel about her work, that perhaps she is just not the writer for me.

So, I think I may have a new favourite Jane Harper novel.

The Survivors follows Kieran and his family as he returns to his coastal hometown, still haunted by the disastrous storm that occured there twelve years ago. When a body is found on the local beach, old secrets and mysteries from the day of the storm threaten to emerge.

Harper offer a change of scenery in The Survivors, swapping the oppressive outback heat to the ruthless and unforgiving ocean. Harper's descriptions of the small coastal town were so vivid and realistic, and as usual, I was transported to the setting she had crafted.
I found the pace of The Survivors slower than her other works and it didn't have the same tension or suspense, however I actually liked this change of pace. While there's still a mystery at the core of the story, I enjoyed the way Harper took the time to develop her characters and the community, without relying on action or drama to drive the story forward. I also found the resolution of the book more realistic and rational than in some of her other works.
In saying this, I did find my interest drifted a little in the middle of the book as the story slowed, but I was well and truly reeled back in by the last 100 pages - to the point where I was up at 6 this morning squeezing in the last few chapters before work.

It feels a bit unnecessary recommending a Jane Harper novel given her books are so iconic in Australia. But if you're a Jane Harper fan, you won't be disappointed. And if you're not yet acquainted with her books, read this and then ALL of her backlist.
Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanaus for this review copy.

The last book of Jane Harper's, The Lost Man was a 5 read for me, as was her first book The Dry, I haven't read Force of Nature, but I'm going to guess it'll be up there in the ratings. Her newest novel certainly didn't disappoint, in fact, I think this is my favourite yet. If I didn't get so tired in the evening and work didn't get in the way, I think I'd have ploughed through this novel in one sitting.

I don't read a lot of the mystery/crime/thriller genre, but this is one author whose books will be on my go-to list.

Set in Tasmania, as so many books have been this year, the setting is a small town on the coast, this was a departure from the stark, dry outback.

This novel had me guessing until nearly the very end who had done it and why, and I didn't guess either right. Jane Harper is very good at delivering red-herrings, with twists and turns coming at you from every angle.

It starts with a crime the night we meet our characters, but it weaves in an accident and an unsolved crime from 12 years before. There are plenty of guilty seeming characters, though a motive is never really established, you still believe they could possibly be guilty.

As with all small towns, there's plenty of gossip and secrets that come out of the woodwork when something terrible happens and fingers are pointed in every direction, which says small towns haven't always got each other's backs.

This was a great read with an ending I wasn't expecting.

Thanks to NetGalley and PanMacMillan for a digital copy in return for an honest review.

Having thoroughly enjoyed her earlier work, I have been looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of Jane Harper's latest book, The Survivors for quite some time.
Readers have come to associate Harper with complex character-based mysteries set in strongly evocative and quintessentially Australian settings. In The Survivors, the action takes place in a (fictional) small coastal town in Tasmania.
Kieran Elliott, his wife Mia and baby daughter Audrey have travelled to their home town, to assist his mother to pack up the family home prior to sale. Kieran's father is suffering from advancing dementia and this may be the last opportunity they have to spend time with old friends in Evelyn Bay, as it's not a place Kieran would otherwise choose to visit. He's haunted by events that occurred during a wild storm twelve years earlier, when his brother and another man were killed at sea and a local girl went missing.
The morning after Kieran and Mia's arrival in town, an art student who'd been living and working in Evelyn Bay over summer is found dead, apparently forcibly drowned, at the town beach. Kieran, Mia, his parents and their friends are all drawn into the police investigation, having met the victim and spent time on or near the beach the previous evening.
Could there be a connection between this recent violent death and the events of twelve years ago? The atmosphere in the normally friendly town becomes immediately charged, with suspicions, rumours and long-held resentments quickly rising to the surface.
Readers of Harper's previous novels will notice a certain correlation of themes with her earlier work - this is the third of her four books to feature a central character who is (somewhat unfairly) treated as a pariah in a small community. Like both The Dry (2016) and The Lost Man (2018), The Survivors is also built upon the concept that past decisions, actions or traumatic events, left unresolved, can poison close relationships and send unanticipated reverberations years into the future - old sins cast long shadows. And, as in all her books, her characters come off second best when they pit their wits against the widely varying but universally unforgiving Australian climate.
Harper also explores themes of parent-child relationships, grief, anger and guilt. As always, her characters are three-dimensional and their interrelationships complex and evolving. The narrative is well-paced, languid at first, reflecting the pace of the small-town coastal setting, then gathering pace as both the police and Kieran hone in on the truth. Harper skilfully uses red herrings and misdirection to leave the reader guessing, right up to the dramatic conclusion. The setting of the fictional Evelyn Bay is well-imagined by the author, and brought to my mind several settlements around Tasmania's coastline, including Sister's Beach, Boat Harbour, Adventure Bay and Eaglehawk Neck. I was interested to read that the author had spent some time in the latter area, researching cold-water diving for the book.
The Survivors is another strong addition by Jane Harper to the wonderful Australian crime genre. Highly recommended.
My thanks to Jane Harper, Pan Macmillan Australia and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title in advance of its publication on 22 September 2020.

I devoured this in a day and a half, and it only took me that long because I had to work!

There is just something magical about Harper’s writing that grabs me every time. I thought the town and its community felt very real and authentic. I fell easily into the world of the book, and loved meeting the cast of characters – which was big enough for the place to feel full, but there weren’t so many characters that it was hard to keep track.

I loved how the story unfolded in the present, but at the same time we piece together the past. The way the events from the past impact the lives of the characters now was really interesting, and I liked the look at parent/child relationships.

In terms of the plot – this one kept me guessing all the way through. Something I really liked was that I felt like there was kind of a sense of humour to ‘whodunnit’ side of things - at one point I felt told off by a character for following a more obvious red herring.

This was another absolute winner for me – lots of thumbs up and all the recommendations, especially to people who already know they love Harper’s writing!

*4 Stars*

ARC kindly received via NetGalley and Pan MacMillan Australia, in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by this author, but it won't be my last. It took me a little bit to get into this, but once I sat down and focussed properly, I was pretty hooked.

This book has a lot of layers to it. Theres this terrible accident and mystery that happened in the past to the people in this small town, and our main characters, and then something terrible happens in the current day which brings it all back. The whole book is set in the present, but the past continues to be brought up and adds to the mystery.

The whole time you know something isn't quite right. There are secrets that need to come out. I just couldn't work out how it all linked to the current tragedy. As the whole thing slowly gets revealed, I found myself desperate to find out what had happened - not only now, but all those years ago as well.

I had a few ideas of who might have done what, but I was totally and completely wrong. In the end, we get the whole story, and it was not at all what I expected. The only thing I wasn't too keen on, was the fact that the book ends a bit to abruptly for me. I would've like an epilogue or something that gave a little bit more closure to the story and all its characters.

Kept me hanging to find out what the truth was, and I definitely want to read more by this author. I do recommend.

Having read The Dry, Force of Nature and The Lost Man I eagerly looked forward to reading The Survivors! I was not disappointed as Jane Harper has written another captivating novel.

This time the location was totally different - away from hot, dry and remote lands of central Australia - we are transported to a small coastal town of Tasmania called Evelyn Bay which is generally cold and windy. Once again Jane Harper demonstrates her skill of bring a location to life with wonderfully vivid images of the beach, sea and colder climate.

While the town is a tourist summer attraction it also has the appeal of having a ship wreck which attracts international divers at the end of the peak season. We meet many of the locals but there are a few like Bronte who came to work at the local hotel during the peak season. Kieran, his girl friend Mia and 2 month old baby Audrey return to Evelyn Bay to help his parents move. And so the plot thickens..

The title The Survivors has a dual reference - it is a sculpture which refers to the ship wreck though it isn’t clear whether this is for those who didn’t survive or those who did; but there are also survivors in the town when 12 years previously a very large storm hit the town, while most survived 2 young men drowned when their boat capsized and a young teenager girl disappeared, assumed drowned as her body was never found and those who survived had their own different struggles with what had happened. This all adds to the tension when a body is found on the beach. The past tensions and secrets all surface bit by bit adding twist upon twist!

I was totally captivated by The Survivors. The storyline was complex but still appealing. The characters were believable, varied and the story emerged through their different perspectives with an unexpected ending.

Highly recommended read.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Pan Macmillan Australia for a ebook copy to read and review.

I just love everything that Jane Harper writes and 'The Survivors' was yet another thrilling read that I struggled to put down! The best part of all of Jane's novels is her incredible descriptive landscapes that she creates and this was no exception - I could picture myself right there in the small coastal Tasmanian town! Jane's characters and their backstories were all wonderfully written and I felt that they all were so relatable which really had me invested in their friendships and family dynamics. There were so many twists and turns that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and when I got to the end I totally did not see that coming which is always a plus in my world! Another brilliant crime novel written by a great Australian author that you need to add to your TBR list!

I have read and devoured two of Jane Harper's previous novels and I'm pleased to announce that this one followed flawlessly in their footsteps.

When Kieran was a teenager, he made a reckless decision that led to a tragic incident. Returning with his wife and newborn to the small Tasmanian coastal town years later, secrets resurface when a woman's body washes up on the beach. Is the town ready to confront what really happened on that fateful day? And what is the connection between the incident that happened years ago and the death of the young woman?

Once again, Jane Harper has delivered. The Survivors is a tense and atmospherical tale with nature playing a key role, as it usual with all Harper's novels. This time, it's the ocean which is both an escape and a burden.

The plot was thick and multi-layered with tension gradually building right up until the last 10%. The characters were diverse and well-developed, with each playing a pivotal role in the story. The writing style, as always, was immersive, descriptive, and compelling. Jane Harper is a master when it comes to setting the scene. I could picture every gaping cave, hear the roar of the waves, taste the salt in the air, and feel the town closing in on itself. This is traditional storytelling at it's finest. I loved every nook and cranny of the novel and will be recommending to all my thrill-seekers.

‘It’s just ...’ Mia thought for a moment. ‘When someone dies, it’s pretty easy to only remember the good things, don’t you think?’

Finally, I get my hands on a Jane Harper book. This author has quite the reputation in Australia and has secured her place as one of our country’s top crime fiction novelists. So, my expectations were high going into this read and I do believe it lives up to all the hype.

The Survivors is not only a murder mystery, but a strong, emotionally driven tale about families and grief. A solid cast of characters are realistically portrayed in this small Tasmanian town with Jane’s sense of place holding much appeal. On this occasion, in a small seaside town, she presents a real who-dun-it.

‘Who did this?’ Bronte’s mother’s words cut through the air. She waited. No-one made a sound. Her gaze continued its slow crawl. Every single person was staring back, but Kieran saw more than one drop their eyes as the woman turned their way.’

Jane cleverly incorporates past and present memories/flashbacks - woven within rather than chapter separated. There are quite a few characters in the line up to keep track of, but in turn, that allows for a solid lineup of suspects. Once you get these characters in order - both past and present - you are set to move the puzzle pieces around to come up with a short list of suspects. Jane is very clever at dropping the subtle hints and clues that get her readers wondering if that was a pertinent piece of information. Slowly these pieces start to connect together with character traits and activities coming together.

I would like to say however, that this story is more than just your classic murder mystery. There are small town dynamics, family fallouts and past grievances - all adding up to present a well rounded story. Jane’s writing draws you into all this, with emotionally charged, character driven stories that are whole and complex. There are interwoven loyalties and past conflicts that add another layer to an already emotionally charged tale. It makes for compelling reading.

I can now firmly agree with the majority that Jane Harper has firmly established herself as one of the best writers of the mystery-thriller genre in Australia.

‘The Survivors?’ ‘Yeah.’ She tilted her head as she scrutinised the three figures. Kieran waited, watching the salt water wash against the sculpture. ‘Are they supposed to be happy or sad?’ Pendlebury said suddenly. ‘I mean, is it a celebration of the people who made it, or a memorial to the ones who didn’t?’



This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

What Jane Harper does really well - better than most - is to transport the reader to the location of her stories. Here, in The Survivors, we are in a small, coastal, Tasmanian town at the end of the tourist season. Everything is quietening and slowing down, and mostly it's just locals left in town. Mostly.

Kieran and Mia are back from Sydney with their new baby daughter, to help Kieran's mum pack up the house before his dad goes into residential care for his early-onset dementia. Being there is hard for Kieran, who still feels tremendous guilt over the part he played in the town's great tragedy 12 years earlier. There are still people around who hold him responsible and the town as whole is still grieving. Nevertheless, he makes an effort to catch up with his old friends, Ash and Olivia and Sean, and hold his head high when he's out in public (which is a lot, considering he's meant to be helping out at the house, but anyway...). When a body is found dead on the beach, the finger-pointing begins and loyalties are tested.

Coming as I do from a small, coastal Tasmanian town, I think Harper has once again nailed the setting for this story. Not just the physical environment, but also the people, their attitudes and the way they react to an extraordinary event. The story itself was a real slow-burn. I enjoyed simply being immersed in it, but at the end, when I expected it to ignite, it kind of fizzled out. Harper is a great storyteller, but this one is not her most thrilling.

Kieran Elliott and his wife return home to help his mother move his ailing father into a nursing home. Their return is not exactly a homecoming with welcome mats rolled out or celebratory fanfare. Kieran has few fond recent memories of his home town on the west coast of Tasmania, having left the area after the death of his brother Finn and another man in a freak storm some years prior, their deaths attributable to Kieran. The townspeople have long memories and are largely unforgiving. During the storm a local girl also disappeared, thought to have drowned, although her body was never recovered.

When the body of Bronte, a young summer worker is found and it's determined a murder, the townspeople begin to look at each other suspiciously, pointing the fingers amongst their number. Are the deaths connected? Who amongst them is a murderer? Or is there more than one?

Kieran, his wife, his father who is connected to both young women, the son of the man who died along with Finn, her housemate, and a strange author are all potential suspects in Bronte's murder.

All previous Jane Harper books - The Dry, The Lost Man and Force of Nature, have a strong sense of Australian set scenes. The Survivors is no exception. Life in a coastal Tasmanian town and it's struggles in the off season are accurately depicted and the treacherous and merciless nature of the coast, balanced by it's appeal sets the scene for this book. This includes complex familial relationships within a suspense, crime/mystery thriller with an incredible sense of foreboding about it. There were so many possibilities within this book that made you wonder until the very end.

Congratulations to Jane Harper on The Survivor's being released on 22 September. Thank you to Macmillan Australia for an electronic advance copy of this book. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2020 and if it's any recommendation, I'll be spending my hard earned on a physical copy to add to my Jane Harper collection.

4.5★s

Kieran Elliot, Mia and their baby daughter Audrey had returned to their hometown of Evelyn Bay in Tasmania. They were only there for a short while as Kieran’s father Brian had dementia and his mother was struggling. They were going to help them move to new housing. But their return stirred up memories of what had happened twelve years previously, when three people had lost their lives in a ferocious storm, changing a lot of lives forever.

Kieran and Mia hadn’t been home for long when a young woman lost her life on the beach. She was a casual worker for the Surf and Turf and when her body was found and police arrived from Hobart to assist, there were more questions, which led to even further questions. Would the answers be found as to who took Bronte’s life, and what had happened all those years ago?

The Survivors by Aussie author Jane Harper is a slow burning psychological thriller which I enjoyed. I found the relationship between Kieran and Mia to be close and the love for their daughter was obvious. There were plenty of suspects along the way, with some well-kept secrets, bitterness and blame, plus loads of guilt which was heavy on shoulders. I can happily recommend The Survivors to fans of the genre.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a huge Jane Harper fan and had a little fangirl moment when I got access to The Survivors early. For all my Jane Harper lovers this certainly did not disappoint.

Kieran has spent his life consumed with gilt surrounding the death of his brother. His mother blames him for Finn’s death and they have never been the same. Which is probably why he packed up and moved to Sydney.

He returns to Tassie to help his parents pack their house up with his partner and daughter. His fathers mental state has considerably deteriorated and Kieran wasn’t prepared for how bad it really was. Catching up with school friends it seems like nothing has changed in this close knit town.

Until a body washes up on the shore. Everyone is shocked and overwhelmed by the news. The town is on edge and the police search desperately for answers. Gabby went missing years ago and no one ever found out how or why. Someone’s uncovered secrets that were intended to stay buried. But secrets never stay hidden forever.

Wow Jane Harper has done it again, drew me in and kept me guessing right to the end...

With the guilt still haunting him Kieran returns to his home town, a small community on the Tasmanian coast years after a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences and changed his life forever.

With his Father’s declining health, Kieran is home to help his Mother pack up and prepare for a move to Hobart where his Father can be properly cared for.

But when a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away surface.

I enjoyed this book and found it hard to put it down. As I read I collected clues and attempted to guess what had happen, why it had happened and who did it. I would think back to parts of the book and snippets to see if there was anything that would give it away. It definitely kept me guessing until the end!

I really could picture the town, I grew up in a small coastal Tasmanian town and Jane Harper certainly caught the small town vibe perfectly, it could have almost have been set where I grew up!

I give this 4.5 stars!

Well Jane Harper knows how to write a crime book that hooks you right in from the very beginning. I had high expectations of The Survivors and happy to say that it lived up to them all. I lost track of Ike whilst reading this book, completely immersed in the pages and what was happening* in Evelyn Bay. It was twisty, clever and full of atmosphere. Absolutely loved it.

Welcome to Evelyn Bay on the Tasmanian coast.. Kieran grew up here but left for a life in Sydney. Now he returns to help his mother with his ailing father. It is tough to return to a place where everyone knows everybody and everything about you. 12 years ago there was a devastating storm that took the life of his brother and his now girlfriends best friend. And now there is a another key on the beach. Ian there a connection to the storm? Fingers start pointing, blame is thrown around and emotions run high.

It is a fantastic story of friendship. family, secrets and the past I really couldn’t get enough.

Thank you Macmillan Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read.

An interesting, well written book but The Survivors did not grab me the way her earlier books have done.

I think it was maybe the lack of tension. Someone in the town was obviously the murderer but eventually they would get caught and that would be that. There were red herrings aplenty but I was pretty sure who it was not going to be so I could relax and enjoy the descriptions of beautiful Tasmania and those cold, cold waves lapping onto the beach and into the caves.

I did get nervous occasionally but mostly with Kieran's parenting skills. The places that little baby went was scary.

Anyway, for me this was an enjoyable read but not particularly memorable.