Exiles by Jane Harper ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A big thanks to @netgalley and @flatiron_books for the eARC. This one is expected to come out next week.

Harper is an auto-read author for me. I love the atmospheric world alongside the tension from her past novels, and I was hoping for that here. However, this one felt very different from her past novels. More domestic drama than thriller and more romantic than any of them.

The first half of the book was SLLOOOWWWW. The focus on the missing case was painful, and I felt it was drawn out. There were a couple times that I thought didn’t we already go over this twice before.

However, when the book abruptly shifted gears it was much more what I was expecting and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The twists and turns that were provided moved this book into thriller territory and I kept flipping pages. The ending was swift and made sense for the most part.

All in all, as a fan of Jane Harper’s previous books I was a bit confused, but I still enjoyed it. Stick with it because the ending picks up!

Exiles by Jane Harper is a suspense novel set in Australia, centered around an annual wine festival in a small town. On the opening night of the festival, a mom disappears leaving her baby all alone. A year later, they are still searching for her. The search dredges up other town mysteries which adds to the intrigue. Jane Harper is becoming one of my favorite suspense authors because of her writing style. Her descriptions of the Australian countryside make you feel like you are there, and her rich character development makes you feel like you have grown up with the them. It is the third book in the Aaron Falk series, but you don’t have to read the first two to enjoy this one as I have only read the first one. The Dry got 5⭐️ from me though so I would recommend it as well! Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC!

I'm a big Jane Harper fan, so I'll read whatever she writes. Aaron Falk is my favorite, however, so I'm thrilled that her newest, EXILES, stars the man himself. This novel focuses more on characters than crime, which makes it a more quiet, intimate book than the others in the series. Which isn't to say that it's less compelling; in fact, it may be even more so. I came to know and care about Falk's circle of Marralee friends over the course of the story and I definitely wanted happy endings for them all. Of course, that never happens in a crime novel. Still, although EXILES discusses difficult subjects, it's ultimately, a hopeful book about friendship, family, and finding your place. Speaking of, I'm especially interested to see where Falk's personal life goes in the next book ;) Harper is a skillful writer, so it's not surprising that EXILES has it all: appealing characters, a vivid setting, complex relationships, an intriguing mystery (actually two), solid prose, and a lot of heart. This is my favorite Falk novel so far. I hope there will be many more to come.

🌏This Aussie author really kept me guessing😯

Great suspense and a complex plot from Jane Harper in a small-town mystery set in South Australia. Most of the characters grew up together and remain tightly connected, yet, do they really know each other? An outsider may be just the critical element needed to learn what happened to a missing new mother and to cause a hit and run death five years earlier.

Falk, the main narrator, is a visiting financial crimes expert in the Australian Federal Police, so his interest in the two tragedies that struck the community during their big annual community fair is perfectly realistic, even though he never knew either of the victims. But he has close friends who are deeply impacted and indefatigable in their quest for answers plus he has a bit of a romantic draw to the town, so his curiosity and investigative mind are tapped to re-examine and resolve the cases. It also helps that he grew up in a similar small farm community and understands the dynamics. Falk's an interesting and very likable character. I especially liked how he interacted with young Joel who was still torn up by his father's death.

I truly could not pinpoint the how's and why's until close to the climax. The author has created believable, complex characters and plenty of uncertainty about the quality of the official investigations over the years. I really loved the plot. For me, Falk's reconnecting with widow Gemma and the bittersweet closure provided for the victims' families were the high points. The ever-present children, from babies and toddlers to teenagers, also added a good feel to a story with some very sad losses at its core. And it was nice that there's no graphic violence.

Definitely recommended. Won't be the last time I read a Jane Harper novel.

Thanks to Flatiron Press and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

I have read and loved all of Jane Harper’s books, and Exiles is another outstanding crime drama that will thrill readers who have read her previous Aaron Falk novels. The story is compelling and Harper does an amazing job of depicting the Australian location. This one is set in wine country and the descriptions of the small town and surrounding countryside are fabulous; I felt like I knew exactly what it looked like even though I have never been to Australia. The story is primarily about a woman who disappeared a year before, and secondarily about a man who was killed a few years earlier, with both events happening in conjunction with a popular local wine festival. I found myself thoroughly engaged in Falk’s visit to this place and his attempts to help his friends figure out what happened in both cases while finding himself increasingly enmeshed in the life of the town. The only thing I didn’t love were the two chapters late in the book in which the reader is treated to knowledge that the characters do not have, which felt odd to me. But overall this is an excellent book—beautifully written and captivating—and highly recommended. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

The Exiles by Jane Harper is not typically the kind of book that I enjoy reading but this book was excellent! The book takes place in Australia and is another installment in the Aaron Falk series. The characters and setting are so well described that it makes you feel like you are right next to the main characters. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read a great mystery book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

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. On the whole though, it was a very enjoyable mystery with many well crafted characters.

I read my first Jane Harper book last year and loved it! I was thrilled to see Exiles was coming out. Exiles is the third book Jane has written about Detective Aaron Faulk, but it can be read as a standalone novel. I have not read the first two books, and never once was confused.

This story picks up when Aaron is attending a christening and finds himself in the middle of a mystery. A mom, Kim, had gone missing the year before and left behind her baby. On the one-year anniversary of her disappearance, the family is making a plea for more information. Faulk, of course, wants to help.

I really liked Aaron Faulk. I think he was an interesting, introspective character, and it was refreshing for the story to be told from one POV. In fact, the only thing I did not love about the book was the random two chapters at the end told from the point of view of the other characters. I do see why Jane chose to use their POVs as a story telling tool though. It was necessary.

Overall, I enjoyed this read and felt satisfied with the ending. Jane keeps her title as the Queen of Atmospheric Mysteries to me! Thank you to NetGalley, and the publisher, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jane Harper can do no wrong. The finale of Aaron Falk is so good and I was screaming in bed. The characters are so great. I freaking love it so much. The setting is fascinating. I need to get to Australia

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. Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the early access for my honest opinion. 3.5 stars

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 happens 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.

Another wonderful story by Harper. This was my favorite of the Aaron Falk series, but all of them are wonderful. I give this 5 stars for the wonderful characters and relationships. The Falk/Raco family friendship is front and center, but also enjoyable are the men in this installment and especially all the father/daughter portrayals. Very entertaining and captivating.

***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.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I've been enjoying the Aaron Falk series with the Australian cultural aspects along with an odd sort of police procedural. Falk is a federal police for financial cases. He works in Melbourne. But all of the cases in the series are when he is out visiting in the region where he grew up. The series has taken place over six years or so. In Dry, he went to his hometown as one of his close friends had died. He worked the case with a new policeman in the town and developed a true friendship which has continued.

In Exiles, Aaron is back to become the godfather of his friend's child. The christening was supposed to take place a year ago, but the day before Kim, the ex-wife of his friend's brother had disappeared. It's the start of the festival, as it was last year, and Kim's daughter, Zara, is appealing to everyone for any information of when they saw Kim.

Aaron is also considering a relationship with a local woman, Gemma who runs the festival. Her husband, Dean, was killed in a hit and run about 5 years ago, and it hasn't been solved. Her stepson, Joel lives with her, and along with Zara, the teenagers look for answers to the loss of their parents.

I enjoyed the mix of two mysteries that Aaron pondered and gathered evidence, although he is not law enforcement here. These aren't even his work's type of crime. There is also the true friendship he has formed with this circle of people and the building relationship with Gemma. He has had a lot of personal growth over the books, dealing with the murder of a friend when he was a teen, which lead to leaving the small town and moving to Melbourne. This strained his relationship with his father, who later died of cancer.

For readers, there are flashbacks to Kim and her thoughts sporadically, but Aaron doesn't have that information. He didn't really know her at all. Kim had remarried and was out of touch with this long-standing group of friends. Somehow Aaron looks at all the pieces in Kim's disappearance and with Dean, and gradually puts things together. I had other ideas but eventually Aaron narrowed in to the suspects.

I love seeing another culture, the close friends and family group, and Aaron's personal development. I hope there will be more.

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I've kind of sworn off thriller style mysteries this year because they leave me feeling flat and bored, however, I have a soft spot for Aaron Falk, so I caved an asked for this book. Fortunately, it did not disappoint.

Aaron Falk is visiting his friend and colleague, Raco, for the christening of his youngest child. The event is bittersweet because one year ago on the eve of this very event, a close friend disappeared, leaving her baby in a stroller at a local fair. What unfolds is an interesting exploration of small-town life and the relationships that form as a result of lifelong connections. While Falk is traditionally an outsider in previous stories, this time it seems he may get his happy ending after all.

I'm slightly concerned that certain events may signify the end of this small series, but I'm glad I bent my own rules to give this one a try. If you've liked Jane Harper in the past, you'll enjoy this one.

This is another excellent addition to Harper’s Australian detective Aaron Falk series. As always, the descriptions of Australia paint a vivid picture of what it looks like and what it is like to live there. There is a foreboding mystery of a woman’s disappearance years earlier which serves as a black cloud on the residents and propels the plot forward. Harper is a magnificent writer in both setting and character development. This third in the series will not disappoint and leave readers wanting more.

This is the third book in the Aaron Falk series. It is a mystery about two unsolved crimes in Australia. Falk is an officer who gets involved in both cases. I loved that not only was this a mystery/thriller but it also had a romance. Aaron has to choose between his career, and finding love.

Overall, i really enjoyed this book and this that it is my favorite of the series. I love jane harpers books and the Austrailan setting.

Thanks netgalley for this ARc!

I have read and enjoyed other Jane Harper books, including the first two Aaron Falk stories. This is my least favorite. I do enjoy the setting descriptions and learning about Australia in each of these books in the series, but the main character detective falls flat for me on this 3rd in the series. I lost interest about half-way through. There were good moments, and I did get interested in the mystery.

This is the 3rd book of a series and I feel that you should at least read the Dry before reading this one for both background and certain events are referenced in this one.

This is not a fast-paced thriller. It’s a slow burn mystery where the day to day lives of a variety of characters in a small Australian community are detailed as they ruminate over two different mysteries, a missing mother and a hit-and-run, and told from the point of view of federal investigator Aaron Falk for most of the book. Aaron is on vacation visiting friends at their family winery during a local festival where they have finally planned the ceremony where he will be named godfather to their child.

I enjoyed the personal connection that Falk has to the characters in this book that I felt was missing in Force of Nature. I loved the way the scenes from the past echoed to Falk as he was moving through the same spaces in the current timeline. It was a creative way to give the reader background information for the mystery and Falk’s connection to the players of the story. I enjoyed all the characters and both mysteries as well as the atmospheric details of the regional countryside and way of life.

I can’t say I loved the non-investigative feel to this one. It focuses more on Aaron as a person than as a cop. I also wasn’t necessarily satisfied with the way it ended but that’s probably on me and as far as the character Aaron, the ending seemed to feel right for him as I understand this is the final book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

This is exactly what you expect from Jane Harper and I mean that in a good way. This kept me guessing, had a strong sense of Australian place, and offered characters to both love and hate. Read this!