This is the first Jane Harper book I have read and it really will not be the last. I wouldn't necessarily have picked it up but I was lucky enough to be asked to be part of the Social Media Book Tour so it was thrust upon me.....and I am so glad.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I read it whenever I could.....in the bath, on my lunchbreak, sat in the car waiting for the windscreen to defrost, sat in the car after it had defrosted making myself later to work just to finish the chapter.

I think a lot of this is because I really liked the main character, Nathan. Though I always felt he was an unreliable narrator, I felt for him. His quiet struggle with the isolation of the outback and his more emotional rollercoaster of grief for his deceased brother was really heartfelt. It isn't pushed on you in an emotionally traumatic way which made me think for a while it wasn't going to have an impact on me....but I think eventually as the book unravels you realise that that is because Nathan himself isn't fully feeling the emotion and you are reading his account.

The setting of the Australian outback is a character in its own right in this novel - it isn't oversold by any means but the steady reminder that it is a constant threat, that survival is a permanent fight really sets you up to question the basics of the mystery surrounding why Cameron, ostensibly a happy family man and successful property manager, has been found dead in the middle of the unrelenting, endless terrain. Because he knew better, and it doesn't add up.

This book caught me by surprise with its slow, steady burn (pun intended). I didn't see the mystery unravelling the way it did, I found myself feeling for characters and rooting for them in unexpected ways. And the kids, Xander, Sophie and Lo were just so sweet and conflicted I wanted to hug them all.

Overall, a really good read! :D

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Thank you to Little Brown and Jane Harper for an advance copy of this book in return for involvement on the Social Media Book Tour.

So far I have read “The Dry”, “Force of Nature” and now “The Lost Man” by Jane Harper and the more I have read of her work, the more a fan I become. She has a unique style of storytelling describing the Australian outback, the loneliness, sparingness and brutality of the landscape and that of some of its inhabitants with perfect precision. I just could not put down “The Lost Man” once I started reading.

“The Lost Man” is a stand-alone mystery starting out very quietly and in an unagitated way as is Jane Harpers style. Cameron, one of the three Bright brothers, has been found dead near the Stockman grave in the outback. What makes this death so unusual is that no sign of a wound is found on the body suggesting murder. Cameron’s pick up is discovered some miles away full of water and provisions making this even more unexplainable as the victim was very familiar with the deathly climate of the outback. So why should he abandon his car and walk to the Stockman grave knowing the heat would send him to his death?

Nathan, the middle brother and chief protagonist of the novel, has his property bordering a three hour drive away from his brother’s and family property where their mother Liz, his younger brother Bub, his sister in law Ilse with two daughters and Harry the stockman live. The brother’s lives have been overshadowed by a brute of a father who controlled all their life decisions with an iron fist.


Since then Nathan’s own life has been seriously damaged by one bad decision made years ago followed by a divorce and move of his ex-wife and son Xander to Brisbane. With Xander by his side visiting during his christmas holiday, Nathan starts asking question trying to understand his brother’s seemingly unexplainable death and like an onion layers of skin are peeled away leading to the stinging truth. Jane Harper is a master at unravelling small details of family dynamics and relationships always leaving room for interpretations.

One can virtually feel the misery, dust and brutality of the surroundings and the emotional agony of the characters in the novel. Great story, loved every page of it!

I have to admit this is the first Jane Harper booki have read (the others are already on my tbr pile). The descriptions of the outback emptiness feels so real. To be so isolated isn’t something I’d ever considered before but The Lost Man shows the real dangers. A fascinating read about family, loneliness and pride. I was totally gripped by this book and will definitely be recommending Jane Harper.

Set in Queensland, The Lost Man tells a story of three brothers and their families living in the Australian outback, when one of the brothers - Cameron - goes missing and is found dead. The story is told from the perspective of Nathan, Cameron's brother, who together with his son Xander plays a role of amateur investigator trying to get to the bottom of Cameron's death. Cameron spent his whole life in the outback, at the family cattle farm and knew very well about the dangers of wandering off and falling a victim to dehydration and so Nathan cannot believe that his death was an accident, unless his brother decided to end his own life. What Nathan really suspects is foul play by a third party, which doesn't make much sense either as Cameron was the most popular out of the three brothers.

I discovered Jane Harper only last year, but quickly became a massive fan of hers. Some might call the build up in her books slow, but I don't see it that way. I find her writing is engaging and atmosperic, drawing me into the story and making me care about the characters and wanting to hear what they have to say. The Lost Man is no exception to this and in my opinion, this is a suspense & crime novel at its best. The story gripped me from the very start when Nathan and Bub discover Cameron's body in the middle of nowhere. The complicated web of the family relationships and secrets are slowly revealed throughout the book, giving away clues of who might have wanted Cameron dead.

I love Australia and have a weakness for novels set in the country. One of the unique characterisitcs of Harper's writing is her depiction of Australia and its uncompromising heat and vastness.

As a big fan of Aaron Falk from the first two Harper's books, I really appreciated the subtle reference to his character and the Bright family ties to Kiewara. The reference will be lost on the readers who have not yet read the Dry and perhaps even on those who read the book a while ago or just didn't like it as much as I did. Aaron Falk is not mentioned by name in The Lost Man and is only referred to as a 'tall guy who said he used to live around there [Kiewara] but was based in Melbourne now.' I love when authors create subtle and clever connections between seemingly unrelated characters from different novels.

I hope Mrs Harper does not wait too long before writing her next book!

Many thanks to the publisher for my review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. What an absolute gem of a story!
This was my first book by Jane Harper and I absolutely can’t believe that I am so late to the table - by far one of the best murder mysteries I’ve read in...probably forever! It just has everything - a mysterious death, a dramatic and extreme natural setting right in the middle of the outback, a host of incredibly well drawn, complex, believable characters with a fabulously conflicted and hugely likeable leading man - and to top it all off, an immensely satisfying ending.
Absolutely wonderful - I’d give 6 stars if I could!

A new standalone book from Jane Harper, which I found more engaging than Force of Nature but less so than The Dry. Less of a mystery/thriller than her previous novel, The Lost Man focuses more on the fractious relations of one family living in rural Australia. Recommended to fans of her previous novels, although I did finish feeling the novel was a little lacking in places.

You know its going to be a good 2019 when a new novel  by Jane Harper lands on your door mat. Would  it be as good as her two previous novels The Dry and Force of Nature and I am pleased to report that yes it is.

First of all its addictive, from the very first page when Cameron is found dead at The Stockman's grave you want to know exactly what made him walk to his death. Harper then proceeds to take us on a journey full of twist and turns, and a cast of characters who could or couldn't have had a hand in his death and she used the most wonderful character of Cameron's elder brother Nathan to tell the story.

Here was a broken man, haunted by a devastating divorce, father to a son he hardly ever saw and ostracised by the outback community where he lived. Thrown back together with his family it gave Harper the perfect vehicle to show us a family torn apart by grief, bearing the scars of a father and a husband who was both violent and difficult.

It was what made this novel stand out within its genre, it just wasn't your typical thriller, it was more an examination of how life and the people in it can have such a devastating affect on individuals. I felt huge sorrow for Nathan, as he grappled with his own emotions, yet you could feel that underneath there were nagging doubts surrounding the death, that saw him dig deep into the families past, suspicion falling on nearly everyone.

Each family member dealt with the death in differing ways and I loved the diversity Harper injected as we too had to unpick motives, and actions to try and work out if it was murder. The revelations that unfurled were like little tremors until finally the earthquake, the truth, which shocked and surprised me as I am sure it will anyone who reads it.

What really struck me about The Lost Man was the wonderful insight into life as a farmer in outback Australia. It was and is a life that was totally isolating and lonely, your nearest neighbour over four hours drive away, no shop to pop to to buy the odd bottle of milk. It was a hard life that required special characteristics of its people in order to survive, magnifying their actions, and at times their desperation. The arid, dusty landscape and the unrelenting heat emanated from the pages and it gave the novel an unwavering intensity, heightening the drama which, at times I found quite chilling.

Once again, Jane Harper has delivered a first class thriller, that may not be action packed but will slowly wheedle its way inside your head,  enthralling you from start to finish.

Jane Harper, although a relative newcomer, has set high expectations, and the Lost Man doesn't disappoint.

Like her previous books, TLM is set in Australia and, for me, this is part of the fascination: you learn so much about life in a completely different setting.

In this case, the setting is the Australian outback. Scorching, dry and lonely....both the setting and the characters. I enjoyed the imperfect characters, the mystery and especially the ending.

A great read.

Although this took me a little while to get into (hence the delay in posting a review) I actually enjoyed this as much as 'The Dry'. Harper is masterful in her depiction of an isolated, outback community where the landscape is as harsh and oppressive as some of the people who inhabit it and her characterisation is so strong that the final denouement is entirely plausible. A really excellent crime thriller.

I loved both of Jane Harper’s previous books but I think this one might just be the best yet. Set in the Australian outback it’s a tale of a three brothers: Nathan, Cameron (Cam) and Bub. As the book opens Nathan and Bub have met at old gravestone on family land. The grave represents the final resting point of a man known as the stockman, the tale of whose demise takes many forms. In the shadow of the gravestone lies a body, it’s that of Cam.

The family farm is vast and quite why Cam was at this spot, miles from anywhere with no vehicle in sight is a mystery. It seems that he was due to meet up with Bub to carry out a repair some distance from this point, but he didn’t show up. The heat is so extreme in these parts that to be separated from your vehicle and from water for even a short period can be fatal. Out here everyone know that you live on your wits and take no chances – which makes Cam’s fate all the harder to understand. Though it seems that Cam had been somewhat stressed lately, could it be that he deliberately found his way to the stockman’s grave knowing what his fate would be?

From this small view of the three brothers gathered together under such tragic circumstances we start to learn their story. Actually, it’s the story of a mother and father and their three boys and also of the broader family, as the boys grow into men and add grandchildren into the mix. It’s also an account of what it’s like to live in such a place, a farm a thousand kilometres from Adelaide and fifteen hundred from Brisbane, with a journey by road to the latter taking some 18 hours! There’s a small town some hours away but really nothing much else in the vicinity.

From such an intimate beginning the picture gradually grows, but it grows slowly. There was a point early on where I thought for an instant that the pace might be too slow but almost immediately thereafter I found myself totally captivated by this book. Without warning I realised that I just had to know everything about these people, their lives in this place and – maybe – what caused Cam to die in such a way. The characters are largely gruff, hardened by the life and the landscape, but to an extent that’s just surface noise. As I learned more and more about the upbringing the boys had had and about their more recent lives a clearer view started to emerge: actually life was even tougher than I’d thought! And I felt for all of these people who had jointly suffered this loss and were desperately trying to absorb it and to understand it.

There's sadness here and tension and a mystery to be solved too. The writing is first class, the pacing (despite my early reservation) is perfect and the way in which Harper describes life in this harshly beautiful place is extraordinary. If I read a better book this year, I’ll be a happy man – this one is already guaranteed to be in my top 5!

The Lost Man is my first read by Jane Harper and she came highly recommended by a friend. In the vast outback of Australia we are told the story of the Bright family both past and present after their brother Cameron is found dead. The story is beautifully written and essentially boils down to domestic abuse and the lack of support in those that lived through it, nobody talking about it but the repercussions of it and the effects it had on all the individual characters lives and traits, secrets are unfolded and the truth comes out in the end, a shocking twist at the end which I for one found to be very clever and well thought through as the whole story pulled together. It wouldn't entice me out to the outback as the searing heat alone, you could feel it dripping off the pages as you read. Definitely one for recommending.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group Uk for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jane Harper has an established style now and she's definitely blends the landscape of vast Australia into her books. The Lost Man is no exception. It's so well written, heavy with human emotions and the soul of her characters sliding through the pages during the read.
This is not an Aaron Falk book, but a standalone, and it's more character drama than fast -paced crime thriller.
Really good, but haunting. Harper does make Australia sound like a different planet altogether. I love her writing.

Full of dark family secrets this thriller is set in the Australian outback and it's a testament to the author's skills that in the wet UK I could visualise the unrelenting heat and arid landscape. She writes wonderfully layered characters and I really enjoyed the slow reveal, the relationships between the family was brilliantly described.

Nathan and Bub meet for the first time in months as there other brother Cameron has been found dead, in the middle of nowhere in the Australian outback. What made Cameron drive to the remote spot with no provisions to die, Nathan is about to find out.

This is the third book by author Jane Harper and I have really enjoyed this one as much as the other two. This one is a stand alone and does not feature Aaron Faulk like the prevoius two books.

The story follows Nathan and how he uncovers slowly things about his brother and the circumstances surrounding his death. This had my interest from start to finish and I found myself ploughing through the book vety quickly. At no point did I get bored with the story.

I have never been to Australia but what the author does is describe the setting well. With the red dust, scorching heat and barren landscapes I really did get a good sense of place.

This book is really enjoyable and I am sorry to leave behind Nathan and his family. I highly recommend this book and the prevoius books by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Little, Brown Book Group UK, for offering me an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review. I’m also grateful to have been given the opportunity to participate in the blog tour for the launch of the book. After having read both of Jane Harper’s previous books, The Dry and Force of Nature, I rushed to grab this one as soon as I saw it was available. And yes, although it is quite different from the other two, it is another winner.
The two previous books, two thrillers/mysteries, had as protagonist Aaron Falk, a federal investigator of fraud and related crimes, who somehow gets involved in cases outside his comfort zone, for different reasons. Here, there is no professional investigator (however loosely Falk’s credentials might relate to the mystery at hand). I had mentioned in my reviews of the two previous books the fact that the stories put me in mind of domestic noir, and this is even more the case here. It might sound strange to talk about noir when the setting is the Australian outback (the nearest town is Balamara, Winton, Queensland), but plot and character-wise, it fits neatly into the category. And it is atmospheric, for sure. Harper is masterful at making us feel as if we were there, in this unusual and totally unique place, where going out for a walk might end up getting you killed.
The story is set around Christmas time, (summer in Australia), and is told in the third person from the point of view of Nathan Bright, the oldest son of the Bright family, who lives alone in his farm after his divorce, four hours away from the rest of his family, and very far from his ex-wife and his son, Xander, who live in Brisbane. Xander is visiting his father for Christmas (he is sixteen and due to his studies it is likely this might be the last Christmas they spend together for the foreseeable future), and as they prepare to celebrate the holidays, Nathan gets a call. His middle brother, Cameron, has been found dead in pretty strange circumstances. His dead body was by the stockman’s grave, a grave in the middle of the desert subject of many stories and local legends, and a place Cameron had made popular thanks to one of his paintings. Bub, the younger brother, is waiting for Nathan and explains to him that their brother’s car was found nine miles away, in perfect working order, fully stocked with food and water. So, what was their brother doing there, and why did he die of dehydration? When the questions start coming, it seems that Cam, a favourite in town and well-liked by everybody, had not been himself recently and seemed worried. Was it suicide then, or something else?
Nathan is not the typical amateur detective of cozy mysteries, another aspect that reminds me of domestic noir. He is not somebody who enjoys mysteries, or a secret genius, and he only gets involved because he keeps observing things that don’t seem to fit in with the official explanation. As this is his family, he cannot help but keep digging and has to remain involved because, for one, he has to attend his brother’s funeral. The main characters in domestic noir tend to have troubled lives and be hindered by their problems, no matter how convinced they are that they have it all under control. As the book progresses, they learn how wrong they are. In this case, Nathan is a flawed character and lacks insight into his state of mind and that of his life. He has committed some terrible mistakes (perhaps even unforgivable ones), and he is the black sheep of the family, in appearance at least. As you might expect, things are not as they seem, and during the book he grows and learns, and not only about his brother’s death. Nathan might not be the most familiar of characters or the most immediately sympathetic to many readers due to his closed-off nature, but through the novel we also learn about his past and the circumstances that made him the man he is now.
The clues and to the case appear at a slow pace and naturally, rather than feeling forced, and they do not require a lot of procedural or specialized knowledge. There are also red herrings, but most of them go beyond an attempt at wrong-footing readers, and provide important background information that helps build up a full picture of the people and the place. In style the book reminds us of old-fashioned mysteries, without extreme violence or excessive attention being paid to the procedures of the police or to complex tests. No AND tests and no CSI on sight here. This is a book about characters, motivations, and the secrets families keep.
In contrast to the first two novels written by Harper, this book is deceptively simple in its structure. The book takes place over a few days, around Christmas, and, as I said, it is all told from the point of view of Nathan. The story is told chronologically, although there are moments when we get some important background into the story, be it thanks to Nathan’s memories, or to episodes and events narrated to him by other characters. The book manages to keep a good balance between showing and telling and it is very atmospheric, although it moves at its own pace, meandering and perfectly suited to the setting. I’ve never visited the Australian outback and have never experienced anything like the extreme weather conditions described in the book, but I felt the oppressive sensation, the heat, the agoraphobia induced by the open spaces, and the horror of imagining yourself in Cam’s circumstances. The initial setting, with the lonely gravestone, made me think of a Western, and the life in the ranch, isolated and extreme, where surviving requires a daily fight against the elements, made the story feel primordial and timeless. Although the story is set in modern times (there is no specific date, but despite the distance from civilisation, there is talk of mobiles, internet, GPS, etc.), due to the location, people are forced to live as if time had not truly moved on, and they have to depend on themselves and those around them, because if your car or your air conditioning break down, it could mean your death.
Apart from her evident skill in describing Australia and everyday life in the outback (she refers to her research and sources in her acknowledgments), the author is masterful at creating characters that are multi-dimensional and psychologically and emotionally believable, as I explained when talking about the main protagonist. These are people used to living alone and not allowing their vulnerabilities to show. Even within the family, its members keep secrets from each other and don’t share their feelings, although they might all know about what has happened, because that’s what they’ve always seen and known, and perhaps they believe that if you don’t talk about it you can keep it contained. The secrets are slowly revealed, and although many readers will suspect the nature of some of them, that does not diminish their power and impact. The themes discussed are, unfortunately, very current, and although I won’t talk about them in detail, to avoid spoilers, I am sure they will resonate with most readers. Although the ending will probably not be a huge surprise to most readers, it is built up expertly, and I found it very satisfying.
I had to share a couple of samples of writing, although it was a hard choice:
In the centre was a headstone, blasted smooth by a hundred-year assault from sand, wind and sun. The headstone stood a metre tall and was still perfectly straight. It faced west, towards the desert, which was unusual out there. West was rarely anyone’s first choice.
The name of the man buried beneath had long since vanished and the landmark was known to locals —all sixty-five of them, plus 100,000 head of cattle— simply as the stockman’s grave. That piece of land had never been a cemetery; the stockman had been put into the ground where he had died, and in more than a century no-one had joined him.
There was something about the brutal heat when the sun was high in the sky and he was watching the slow meandering movement of the herds. Looking out over the wide-open plains and seeing the changing colours in the dust. It was the only time when he felt something close to happiness… It was harsh and unforgiving, but it felt like home.
In sum, this is a book for people who enjoy an unusual mystery and books focused on characters rather than fast-paced plots. If you love well-written books, and don’t mind investing some time into the story and its characters, especially if you are keen on an Australian setting, you should not miss this one. I will be on the lookout for the author’s next book.

Have read all three books by Jane Harper and absolutely love her writing style and story telling.
Set in the Australian outback, the story follows the Bright family both past and present.
Ms Harper can fairly tell a tale and this book has film written all over it.
Read it cover to cover over the course of three consecutive evenings.
No hesitation in recommending.

Jane Harper shifts direction with her third novel, less crime novel, more a character driven mystery and family drama. What has not changed is her ability to write an utterly gripping story set in the intensely searing heat of the Australian outback, and the depiction of small town life with its claustrophobia, marked with its unforgiving and judgmental attitudes. Two brothers, Nathan and Bub meet at the legendary stockman's headstone, in the middle of nowhere where the body of their brother, Cameron is found. Why is his vehicle with its necessary supplies found parked amidst rocks some distance away? Nathan is with his son, Xander, who normally lives in Brisbane with his ex-wife, Jacqui, now remarried.

Nathan has missed most of his son's growing up years after bitter and acrimonious custody battles. He runs his own farm, but his status as town pariah for many years has resulted in him living alone, barely seeing anyone, struggling and drowning in a quagmire of financial debt. He has hardly been in touch with his family, whose family farm was run by Cameron. Christmas is coming, Cameron's funeral has to be planned as the police have decided his death merits no investigation, given that Cameron had been troubled for a while, likely committing suicide. Nathan and Xander stay at the family home, with his grieving mother, Uncle Harry, Bub, and Ilse, Cameron's wife, and their two daughters, Lo and Sophie. Nathan, helped by Xander, wants to get to the bottom of Cameron's death, and finds there are secrets and so much he was unaware of. He finds himself sifting through the past, dysfunctional family history, mental health issues and abuse in its many varied forms.

I loved this novel from Harper even more than her others, I think she is developing into an even better writer. She is an expert when it comes to conveying the outback, the deadly scorching heat, the dust storms, the remoteness, how the heat and isolation takes it toll on its inhabitants and its unspoken rules such as you must help anyone in trouble. It has a beauty and a hold on those who know no other home as we can see with Nathan's inner connection with it that outsiders just do not get. Harper's characterisation has you investing in her compelling storytelling and her coverage of the dynamics of family life. Nathan understands the principles underlying the Bright family, don't tell anyone, not even each other and the single ingrained truth, he was on his own. The vastness of the outback and lack of close neighbours means family issues fail to be addressed from external agencies. This is a brilliantly entertaining read revolving around a family drama. I cannot wait to see where Jane Harper goes next as I eagerly anticipate her next book. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

The man lay still in the centre of a dusty grave under a monstrous sky...

Cameron Bright is found dead in a place where searing heat ensures no one can survive long in the open, chasing the only shade for miles around, the headstone of a long-dead stockman. How he came to be there, by accident or design, is a mystery.

His brother Nathan, long ostracised by the local people for an incident many years earlier and living an isolated existence punctuated only by the visits of his teenage son, finds himself back in the family home - with his mother, brother, and Cameron’s wife and children - in the wake of Cameron’s death. As the mystery of Cameron’s life and death gradually unravels, secrets and hidden truths emerge.

Jane Harper excels, of course, at depicting the vast, dusty expanses and desolate beauty of the Australian Outback, where to stray off the road spells almost certain death. It’s hard to imagine a more skilled chronicler of that wide open landscape and the people who inhabit it. The Lost Man is wonderfully written, rich in atmosphere and a very satisfying read.

Having read and enjoyed Harper’s previous novels, I was looking forward to seeing what The Lost Man would be like. And while it’s a good read, it didn’t initially grab me. I found it slow to start but eventually I ended up becoming absorbed in the story. Harper has a very descriptive style of writing, and it’s showcased perfectly in The Lost Man. While the story was ok, I think the prose is what carried it. On the whole, I enjoyed it, but less than the Aaron Falk books. It’s vastly different from them, but still an enjoyable read.

I loved Jane Harper's previous books, and always appreciated her literary side also coming along her skill of creating a very compelling crime plot. I would call her books one of the most 'literary' crime thrillers out there.
This book I would say was one the 'literary' side came out the most. I can't call this only a thriller, it was also a family saga, written very skilfully.
It was very atmospheric reflecting the unforgiving rural environment in Australia. I wish I knew it better to appreciate it more, but I'm sure her Australian fans did so :)
The beginning was a bit complicated, slow and hard to get in, but after a while the mystery picked up and I loved it. It's not a heart pounding, simple crime novel. It's definitely a slow burning mystery that involves characterisation and family relationships.
I'd recommend this book of course if you're a fan of Jane Harper or not. It's brilliant.