I wonder if enjoyment of this book is highly dependent on whether one has read Jane Harper’s other work.

As someone who has also read her three previous novels and greatly enjoyed them all, this book felt like a significant letdown. But it’s also not a “bad” book per se, so I wonder if this book suffers because we will always judge authors against their own previous work.

Perhaps that’s unfair in a way, but such comparisons are unavoidable, and that’s what left me feeling underwhelmed by The Survivors.

Harper’s work always feels claustrophobic, and for the most part I mean that in a good way. The bleakness of the Australian wilderness, the harsh conditions, and the oppressive atmosphere all contributed to the eerie cocktail of menace that made setting such an exceptional part of Harper’s prior novels.

This time we find ourselves in a seaside town, where the oppressive atmosphere still exists, but it just feels depressing rather than creepy and riveting.

The basic plot prompts no complaints. But the disappointment brought about by the setting and the characters makes the book slow-going and hard to engage with from the outset, and it never gets much better.

And while the solve does technically make sense, it’s probably the least interesting one that the plot could have produced and doesn’t allow the reader to really play along throughout, as it’s not really possible to reach the same conclusion as the characters ultimately do until a frustrating info dump turns up near the end.

In all, it’s not a terrible read, but falls well short of what we’ve come to expect from the generally brilliant Jane Harper.

For audiobook readers: This book seemed to translate fairly well to the format, though the slow pacing always feels more evident as an audio read than it does in print.

The narrator is fine, though I struggled to get used to the Australian accent. I don’t usually find this to be a problem with British, French, or Latinx narrators, but this may be because I am less used to the Australian accent than I would be to the others and is perhaps not the fault of the narrator.

Jane Harper writes such good atmosphere! In The Survivors, we leave Australia's hot interior heat of The Dry and The Lost Man to experience the harshness of the coastal living of Tasmania, an island-state off the coast of Australia.

Kieran, his longtime girlfriend Mia, and their daughter return to the island from Sidney to help Kieran's parents pack up their home so his father can be moved into a dementia care facility. On their first night out, Kieran and Mia visit with longtime friends, Olivia, Ash, and Sean at the restaurant/bar Olivia works at. The following day, the roommate and coworker of Olivia is found murdered on the beach outside their shared rental home. Another coworker, Liam, is the prime suspect.

With the accusation of Liam, we find out that he is the son of Sean's brother, Toby, who along with Kieran's brother, Finn died in their boat during a storm en route to rescue Kieran from high water and storm surge during a once in a lifetime storm that occurred 12 years earlier. The same day Olivia's sister, Gabby went missing. The only thing found of her was her backpack that washed ashore 3 days after the storm.

The Survivors is a part flashback to the mysteries surrounding the day of the storm and a part present-day murder mystery. As with Harper's other books, the end is as satisfying as getting there. The Survivors is an examination of the sorrow, guilt, and blame associated with tragic and mysterious loss. The backdrop of the Tasmanian coastline, a memorial to the sinking of the Mary Miniver also called The Survivors, and the natural treachery of the caves is atmospheric and moody and as much a character in the story as any of the people.

Harper's understanding of people and her use of atmosphere is exceptional. Her examinations of people, motivations, and the effects of their choices make for compelling reading. Although this is not my favorite of Harper's books, it is a great addition to her collection. As always, I look forward to the next one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Audio for the complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

When Kieran Elliott and his partner return home to the coastal Tasmanian resort town where they both grew up to help his mother and demented father move out of their family home, old memories are dredged up. And then an acquaintance is murdered and more details of the day that changed his life forever emerge. Harper has set all all of her fiction in isolated places, often exploring the interrelationships of folks living in small communities. Kieran's home town is pretty small off season, and many of the people he grew up with are still there. While the book gets off to a slowish start, the plot develops relentlessly and Harper uses the setting to great effect. It's well narrated by Stephen Shanahan, who has performed Harper's previous novels. His accent pulls the listener right into Australia with a relatively low key read that lets the story shine. A powerful listening experience

As close as I’ve ever come to a DNF, I had to skip about 30+% of this audiobook. The story was boring, the voice actor was boring, everything was BORING! I think it was more than 3 hours in before the “death” occurred, and it was a minor character who I could have cared less about. The back story was SUCH an overwhelming part of the narrative that the actual “mystery” got lost amidst the redundant memories. I have NEVER had a DNF audiobook and this was pretty darn close. When I finally gave up and skipped ahead to the ending, it was expected and boring and unimportant. I kept falling asleep while listening.

Jane Harper has a gift for developing intense, small town mysteries set in Australia, where the setting becomes an integral and often hostile part of the story. In this one, set in a beach town in the state of Tasmania, Kieran Elliott returns home to Evelyn Bay to help his mother pack up the family home in anticipation of a move to the mainland for assistance with Kieran's father who is suffering from dementia. Being home is loaded with bad memories surrounding the death of Kieran's older brother Finn and Kieran's part in that accident, but it is tempered by his loving--and fairly new--relationship with Mia, also from Evelyn Bay, and their baby daughter Audrey.
The visit takes a sudden turn for the worse when the body of a young woman is found on the beach, and the death dredges up mysteries and ill feelings from the past. Stephen Shanahan's narration brings an emotional depth to the story in his wonderful Aussie accent. Highly recommended.

There are so many layers to Jane Harper's The Survivors. The first half of the book is slower, but it sets you up a for a faster and tenser second half. A character driven thriller that deals with guilt over a tragic accident and how that shapes Kieran and his parents in the ongoing years. I really enjoy Jane Harper's books and thought the Aussie narrator was terrific.

Thank you to Jane Harper and Macmillan Audio for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio copy to read and review.

What an incredible new novel from Jane Harper! Harper does a great job of setting the mood - off season on a tourist beach, a ship wreck, mysterious caves, a powerful storm. Kieran is home to help his mother pack up and move his father into a care home. While there, the roomate of his friend is murdered. As locals and police try to piece together enough clues to know who the murderer is, past mysteries and tragedies are brought up again. A fast-paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

I had the privilege of listening to this book and the Australian accent of the reader really added to the telling of the story. I must admit, however, that the prologue really made for a confusing introduction. That, along with the title of The Survivors, led me to think this was a murder mystery right from the beginning and it took me hours to acclimate to the actual story. The guilt, anguish, and turmoil felt by Kieran from an event 12 years in the last, as he returns home to help his mother deal with his father’s dementia, has an overture throughout the story. The death of a young student dredges up so many feelings for Kieran and the rest of the people in this small town. Overall a good story but there were some plot holes and unbelievable responses and deeds by some of the main characters.

I'm a bit torn on this review. On one hand, the characters had depth, the family drama was interesting, and the crimes were mostly engaging. But on the other hand, I felt like the telling of the story dragged. I didn't feel really into the book until it was more than a third through. I don't think it was helped by the very slow pace of the narrator. I nearly quit a few times.

That said, around the half-way point, I didn't want to stop listening. I mean, it was still very slow going but by then I was too invested in the who-done-it aspect to quit. The focus moves to a cold case instead of the present day murder which kind of made if feel like the young woman had been mostly forgotten about by the author but it all comes together.

The biggest positive thing I can say about The Survivors is that I really wasn't sure who did it until the end. There were a few trails that could have been totally plausible and I felt good about how everything turned out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen!

Kieran, his girlfriend Mia, and their baby Audrey return to their hometown- a small, coastal town in Tasmania. Soon after their arrival, someone is murdered on the beach. The investigation quickly becomes entangled with another tragedy that happened twelve years ago, when two people died and another disappeared during a storm. Kieran discovers that the events from the past did not happen as he originally thought.

This is the second book by Jane Harper that I have read. Like The Lost Man, this starts off very slowly. The pace picks up and I finished the second half quickly. The reason for the three stars is the climax. It just was not very believable to me. <spoiler> I found it very juvenile and far-fetched. He hid the truth about Gabby's death to avoid embarrassment and then, as a full grown adult, murdered Bronte to keep the secret. Really?! </spoiler>

I listened to the audiobook version, read by Stephen Shanahan. For the most part, it was paced well. I found it easy to understand, even with the accent (which I love!!) I do have one complaint- the story would often move back and forth in time. This happened without pause, making it confusing for a minute or so. The only other thing I found difficult, which is no fault of anyone's, is that you are introduced to A LOT of characters at the very beginning. It was hard to keep them straight. This is where a print version would have made it much easier. It did become clear who was who after a while, but for the first few chapters, I found myself having to really think about which character was which.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. Just the climax kept it from being great for me. That is more about me and my preferences than the book. I enjoyed the characters, the setting, the slow burn.

I received a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by Jane Harper but won’t be the last. Beautifully written and contained a good amount of characters and suspense. It had me guessing to the end. The setting really added to the story. I listened to the audiobook by Macmillan Audio and found the narration very enjoyable. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

Jane Harper took me on another amazing journey through the Australian landscape -- this time, next to the beautiful, perilous waters of Evelyn Bay. The Survivors was very different from her other novels, mostly because of the character interaction. It moved at a slow, steady boil but eventually the pot boiled over with emotions, arguments, and shattered lives.

This book had more dialogue than I remember in Harper's other books. In some ways, it drove me crazy. I listened via my Netgalley app which isn't very user friendly; I wasn't able to rewind to the parts where I needed to review a detail or a conversation. I would have preferred this in print, I think, but then I'd have missed out on the narrator's amazing voice and accent.

The Survivors by Jane Harper!!!

I almost wonder if I am giving this 3 stars instead of 4 or 5 because I read it via audiobook? It just felt that there were so many characters it was hard to keep straight.

I did enjoy the setting (coastal Australia) and trying to figure out what happened but in the end, it was a solid 3 for me. The first half was quite slow but I really appreciated the ending.

This was such an emotional story for me. I’ll start by saying it took me just a little bit to get started. I listened to the audiobook back and forth to work. Then I got hooked a little ways in. Being from America, I love the accents. But I expected so much more form this author as far as the story goes. I found the characters just bland. I didn’t really care about them like I would have liked. Except for Mia and Kieran. I despised Keirans mother and even Brian got on my nerves. The culprit could’ve been anyone really. As far as the perpetrator, I wasn’t impressed. It wasn’t shocking, no one would’ve been. All I could think of is I kept thinking is that it?! I can’t see someone doing that for the reasons given, unless they are a serial killer. It felt rushed and not thought out. The whole story. This could’ve been a four or five star read easily.

As far as narration, this was the best! The narrator is what kept me going. I loved what a great job was done.

This is my fourth time reading Jane Harper and I have loved every single one of her novels! This book was beautifully written and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what really happened all those years ago and how it was connected to the present-day murder. I have to say that my most favorite part of Harper's books is the atmosphere. She sets the scene so well that the setting almost feels like a character itself. She is also a master at painting the characters and problems that arise in a small-town environment. The Survivors was a slow-burning masterpiece with an ending that threw me for a loop!

I didn’t love this one—possibly I would have liked it better in written form rather than audio, but it’s essentially a murder mystery, about a small town that’s never truly recovered from the deaths of three of its people in a terrible storm ten years earlier. And then another young woman dies, and the original investigation is reopened. The mystery is solved in the last half hour, somewhat abruptly, after a looong drawn out reflection on the “survivors.” It was tough to stay engaged, but the book had a great sense of place and captured the tone of a town struggling with grief. Also excellent symbolism. But the plot fell short for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced audiobook!

4.5 Stars

Set on the Tasmanian coast in a small town where nothing much ever happens, which means that when something unusual does happen, everyone knows - and very few forget.

It’s been twelve years since Kieran Elliot lived there, but he returns to his old home town when his father’s health diminishes and his mother could use some help. His old friends are still living, and while he’s happy to see them again, Kieran finds that, for everyone, it triggers old memories of a boating accident where Kieran’s brother Finn died, along with the brother of his friend Sean, along with the disappearance, on the same stormy night, of another friend’s sister, Gabby.

Like her other books, it is rich in atmosphere, and with a mystery that unravels very slowly, almost teasingly slowly, with a more ‘gentle’ level of intensity and suspense than her previous books that I’ve read, until the very end.

I’ve read, and loved or enjoyed all of her books, with The Dry being my favourite, but this is a very close second to that one, pulling me in from the start with such an atmospheric setting, a slightly ratcheting tension, and beautiful writing.

The audiobook was beautifully narrated by Stephen Shanahan, which made it even more of a pleasure to read.

Pub Date: 02 Feb 2021

Many thanks for the ARC Audiobook provided by Macmillan Audio / St. Martin’s Press

I saw Sally Hepworth recommend this one day on Instagram, so I knew I had to grab it. Is this an Instagram Made Me Do It, or an Author Made Me Do It?!

If you have a fear of water, or drowning, or it makes you really claustrophobic to read about deep bodies of water, this book isn’t for you. There are certain parts of this book that are in the ocean (obviously as it’s set in Australia) and I almost started hyperventilating when I was listening to it because of how close the water was in the story. It was so vivid and realistic. As a reader I could appreciate it, however, if it’s something that you are scared of it you will feel trapped.

This was a definitely atmospheric slow burn thriller. It’s beautifully written and the characters are very well developed. This the first book I’ve read by Jane Harper, and it definitely won’t be the last.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the gifted audio copy. This is out in the US Feb. 23rd!!

This was a solid 3 star read for me. I enjoyed the story as it unfolded but it didn't leave a big impression. There was a lack of tension or action that I expect to find in a thriller, but I did enjoy the unravelling of the mystery and I thought the setting was great. Really my biggest issue was just the calm pace and quiet way the story was told.

The Survivors by Jane Harper was a good enough book to listen too while cleaning. The narrator was difficult to understand, and I kept having to pause and rewind. The characters were well developed but the story was a bit slow with a slightly dissatisfying ending. I did find myself picturing the town of Evelyn Bay because it was described in beautiful detail. Overall, a reader would need to dive in and judge for themselves about this book.

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****