Beautifully written, with descriptions that are so good I could imagine myself in the outback. This story is about domestic abuse and how it affects a family. It's sad and haunting and sympathetically written.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

The Lost Man is Harper’s third novel and adopts a different approach to the last two - not focused on Aaron Falk this time, and nor is it told in a mixture of flashback and present day. I adit early in the book to missing both Falk and the narrative approach - there are initially too many meaningful references to things that have happened in the past, without explaining what they are for the purposes of building tension - necessary dramatically but irritating at first. I don;t recall at what point that stopped irritating me and i just became lost in the mystery, but it was probably before i read the last half of the book in pretty much one sitting...
Harper makes the arid, featureless, sun-baked, dangerous landscape a major character rather than just a setting; it feels alive like a brooding presence. She creates a fully immersive setting for the central mysteery to unfold. All early reservations were put aside.

Having read and loved Jane Harper's excellent first book I couldn't wait to get back to the Australian Outback in her third book. While I found the first half of this book kinda slow the second half more than makes up for it as the mystery and the family secrets are slowly revealed leading to an incredibly satisfying conclusion. Jane has an exceptional way of bringing the outback to life in her books, you can literally feel the oppressiveness of the heat and the landscape leap off the page and her writing is evocative, her characters are authentic and the stories she tells are very believable! I can't wait to read more from this very talented writer!

After having loved Jane Harper's first two novels The Dry and Force of Nature (both part of her Aaron Falk series), I was excited to give her latest novel - The Lost Man - a go. This one is a standalone novel which has quite a different feel to the others - but is just as compelling.

Like her first two books, The Lost Man is set in the dusty, boiling Australian outback, but this time the plot takes us to Queensland, and follows the Bright family as they try to cope with the death of one of their own. Brothers Nathan and Bub try to unearth how and why their other brother, Cameron, ended up dying in an unexplained and unexpected way, and along the way they discover plenty of family and small-town secrets.

I loved how atmospheric this novel is; Jane Harper really paints a vivid picture of the Australian outback and its fierce, unrelenting heat. There's a key narrative running through the book which centers on what happened to Cameron, but there are also various other storylines which affect those within, and linked to, the Bright family. There are some really well-crafted characters who helped make this novel such a brilliant read.

The Lost Man contains some emotive, tricky subjects and, in all truthfulness, not much light relief, meaning it's jam packed full of atmosphere. It gets off to a fairly slow start, and maintains a steady pace throughout, choosing rumour and unspoken questions over fast-paced drama. However, there's plenty of tension running through these pages which keeps the story taut and memorable. To me, this well-written novel matched the unrelentlessly brilliant standard of The Dry, and keeps me looking forward to future releases from Jane Harper.

In the Australian outback, two brothers - Nathan and Bub - stand side by side. They are at the stockman’s grave, a landmark so old that no one knows who or why they were buried there. Normally, they would avoid it, but not today. Today, their brother, middle child Cameron, is lying on the grave, dead, due to the heat and lack of water. But why did he leave his fully-stocked car - which had water, food, and equipment - and walk 9 to 10 kilometres away? Some kind of bizarre suicide? If so, what made him do it? If not, the suspect list is dangerously short as the closest neighbours are hours drive away…

The past is a dangerous thing in the Australian outback…

So… what do I think of this?

Well, as you know, I like a good crime. I like a good crime with a bit of pace. So, it might come as a surprise as this was a slow, creeping burn of a mystery. Things don’t race by at a hundred miles per hour, but it is slowly revealed, bit by bit, and I weirdly enjoy this. It was a different pace for me but I liked how the Bright family coped with Cam’s death and yet, all the while, this creeping sense dread is lurking in the background, buying its times…

I am going to say I did kinda suspect how the story was going to end, but there were things that surprised me. Little layers that made me do “Oh!” over. I do think that, yes, this is a mystery story but I would say it’s much more character driven. We looked at how Nathan (who is our lead) and his family cope with Cam’s death. It’s a family driven story with the mystery of what happened to Cam more in the background, but slowly edging forward, like a dust cloud in the outback.

Another thing I liked about this book was that this book was Australian. I don’t read much Australian fiction (a frighteningly tiny amount), but I was barely half a chapter in before I felt like I was in Australia and, because of that, the vibe of the book felt different to other crime and mystery novels I have read that are set in the UK, the US or in Europe. It had its own voice and style.

I do want to say before I go any further that this book does have some triggers, so if you are affected by mental health or abuse, you might want to give this a miss. Normally, I would have DNF’ed this myself as, the older I get, the more I dislike reading this type of books. So, why did I not DNF this? Because of the way Jane happened it. It was, like the mystery of Cam, more in the background and it was drip-fed. It is important to the plot and to the characters, but like I said, this is more a character driven story so it’s important to understand why a character behaviour a certain way - unlike other books I have read and DNF which have used these issues as a shock factor.

It’s very atmospheric and very Australian. It had a quality to it that I don’t see often in the crime stories I’ve read in the past few months. I really enjoyed this book and I enjoyed Jane Harper’s writing. I do believe that, if I’m not careful, Jane Harper might be my next auto-buy author. Can’t wait to find time to read The Dry and Force of Nature…

This is a wonderful novel that held my attention throughout and transported me to the remote, stifling Australian outback. It started quite slowly, but soon I was caught up in the life of the Bright family. Husband and father of two, Cameron Bright, is found dead on the stockman’s grave. How did he get there? His brother Nathan, who has his own demons, tries to find out. The novel explores the secrets and lies leading to his death. It’s a fascinating portrayal of mistakes made and lessons learnt. The characters are true to life and the atmosphere chilling even in 40 degrees. It kept me totally gripped. I have read and enjoyed Jane Harper’s other novels and this one is darker but no less brilliant. In fact I think it’s her best so far. The quality of writing is superb. I look forward to her next book.

I was delighted to receive a copy of this much anticipated book. I have read the other two books by Jane Harper. This is a standalone. It's set in the Bush in Australia. The descriptions of the environment are excellent and scary! This story had me intrigued and guessing right up to the very end! Excellent, lots of twists and turns and stories thrown in. I highly recommend!

Jane Harper just gets better and better with each passing novel.

The Lost Man is a bit of a departure, more family drama than mystery, a haunting, melancholy tale of a lost brother and what may have lead him to just walk away from safety.

The Lost Man of the title really could refer to any one of the three brothers you'll meet within the pages and Jane Harper captures the sense of space in the outback, where danger is simply a part of living, perfectly. 

I'm on the blog tour in the New year and will certainly look forward to writing a more detailed review.

A standalone novel that simply embeds this author onto my list of the great writers. Exemplary. 

Highly Recommended.

The strongest of Harper's three novels to date, this is an oblique mystery where someone dies at the start but the question of whether it's murder or not hovers over the narrative. There's no detective as such, and the uncovering of dark secrets happens within a family. The trope of what lies beneath a family's surface has been increasingly overdone in crime fiction recently but Harper delivers one of the best-in-class: she keeps things tight rather than sensational or melodramatic, and her psychology is subtle and believable.

The setting of the outback desert, the heat, the dust, the vast distances, the harsh landscape that breeds laconic, macho men is conveyed brilliantly, becomes a character in its own right.

The narrative unfurls at a steady pace, drip-feeding information that accumulates with increasing understanding, and delivers a final payoff that is powerful emotionally and also logically satisfying. A suspenseful page-turner that is also intelligent and written with style - don't miss this one!

I read that this is a good duvet day book. And it truly is. Atmospheric and compelling - it left an impression and I will be buying more books by this amazing author.
5/5 on good reads

Another wonderful book from Jane Harper.
Fabulous characterisation, superb writing and the setting is described beautifully, you get a real sense of the isolation and grandeur of the Australian outback.
The Lost Man isn't an action packed story, it is however a slow burn that has you hooked from the start. A compulsive page turner that will keep you guessing until the end.

This is my first book by this author although I do have The Dry and Force of Nature on my (extremely long and out of control) TBR. After enjoying this book so much I will make a concerted effort to bump them up a bit!
We start with two brothers, Bub and Nathan, meeting up at a local landmark - the stockman's grave - a place where the third brother, Cameron, has recently lost his life, dying from exposure with no sign of his vehicle. What happened to him and why are only the tip of the iceberg of questions that are raised in the days that follow. The days coming up to Christmas when the whole family has come together. As Nathan slowly starts to peel back the layers of Cameron's life, his last days, shocking truths start to emerge which will take him back to his childhood and also the events which ostracised him from both his family and the town which he calls home.
One of the best things about this book, characters and story aside, was the brilliant descriptions of the Outback in which the book is set. Its isolation and the struggles that the inhabitants go through every single day. I really learned a lot about the people who live there and how much I personally take for granted that they really struggle with. Food for thought most definitely.
Back to the characters and the story which were both also excellent. Nathan was the main character and the story is told from his perspective. I found him to be a very complex character, a feeling that ramped up as more of his personal story was disclosed. He also came across as real, not wholly likeable, but understandable and I did connect with him and the reasons for the way he has become. The rest of the characters were just as well drawn, all of them eliciting some kind of reaction from me.
As for the story that the wonderful characters were enacting, well, that held my attention very well throughout. I do love a good family saga, skeletons in closets, secrets lies and dysfunctional behaviour, and I got it here aplenty. Yes OK I kept screaming at certain characters to do something which they nearly did several times throughout the book but I understand the reasons for holding back, pivotal to the story in fact, but I do admit to sitting back smugly when eventually... and I'll leave that for you to discover! Apart from that though, the story flowed well. Enough information and backstory was introduced at the right times to keep my interest and keep me guessing throughout. With nearly everyone acting a little suspiciously at certain times through the book I flitted between many possible scenarios in my head until the final reveal where I found out that I sucked at guessing this one!
All in all, a brilliant story set in a wonderful place starring the best characters. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is a beautifully written book by Jane Harper and her knowledge of Australia shines right through. The setting is the outback in Queensland and the plot centres around the death of one of three brothers. I loved the character of Nathan and his relationship with his son. The plot is quite intricate and delves into family relationships and past arguments. Superb writing and a harsh, hostile landscape make this a winner. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed on Goodreads and Facebook.

I guess every review of The Lost Man will describe it as atmospheric but the dry, dusty landscape is a central character here. The isolation of living hours away from your neighbour is hard to grasp when you have neighbours only seconds walk away. I did enjoy the gradual unpicking of all the secrets and lies before we found out exactly how Cameron died. I’m not sure how such a slow paced book can be so gripping, but it is.

Jane Harper's writing is so descriptive and lyrical I felt like I was in the Australian outback. The story starts beautifully with two brothers finding the body of their other brother, Cameron. I couldn't stop reading at this point but gradually I knew where this story was headed and I felt disappointed. Ultimately the book is about abuse and how families can turn a blind eye! Another good read but not a great read for me!

I loved this book, it was so descriptive of the outback that I could imagine myself being there. The dynamics and secrets of one family are untangled to reveal answers to twists throughout the book. It held my attention from the very first page, really did not know what was going to happen from beginning to end. I read the first novel by this author, enjoyed it a lot but thought this book was way better.
#TheLostMan #NetGalley

The Lost Man is such an atmospheric read. I loved the setting of the outback and you could really feel how secluded it can be out there.

Nathan returns home after hearing of the death of his brother Cameron. There is a lot of unanswered questions as to why Cameron was out in the outback on his own as well as something that happened in his past. It really makes for some intriguing reading.

While there is a fair amount of mystery and suspense throughout the story, it is definitely one more to do with relationships and how well you really know someone. It’s almost like Nathan is on a road to discovery, finding out more about the truth of Cameron’s past as well as his death. The small community also adds to the appeal of this story.

The Lost Man is a slower paced suspense novel which draws you in and keeps you there. There is just something about the authors writing that I found so compelling and struggled to put the book down and ended up reading in two sittings. My first novel by this author and certainly won’t be my last.

Jane Harper author of two of my favourite books of this year The Dry and Force of Nature is back with a new standalone thriller set in the Australian Outback. It’s a tense and atmospheric read with the wonderful descriptions and characterization we’ve come to expect from Harper. The setting of the story is once again the highlight with the writing so brilliant that it’s all too easy to imagine yourself in this hostile and unforgiving place. The intense heat, barren flat ground with nothing for miles creates a real sense of isolation that make this a gripping read despite a relatively slow paced story.

There are very few characters in this story with the focus very much on Nathan as he comes to terms with, and tries to solve, the mystery of his brother’s death which it soon becomes clear was not an easy one. How did he end up miles from his car (which was fully loaded with supplies and running perfectly) in blistering heat when he knew better? Did he deliberately head out there knowing it would mean his death or did something (or someone) happen to him? And why is it these brothers haven’t really spoken in years?

I thought Nathan was a very likeable character, there was something about him and his history that reminded me of Aaron Falk the lead in the author’s other series. He’s an outcast in town due to something that happened in the past, he had a difficult relationship with his father but generally seems like a decent bloke. I found myself very intrigued by him and loved the way his backstory was gradually revealed over the course of the book. It was difficult to imagine just what he could have done that would be so terrible the whole town would turn against him.

There are very few other characters and those there are are predominantly Nathan’s family. Each and every one however is well developed and complex. The relationships between them are similarly complicated. They have a shared history that goes back a long time and know each other incredibly well, or at least think that they do. I loved the way that the dynamic between them shifted and developed over the course of the story and I was particularly fascinated by Nathan’s relationship with his son Xander.

This isn’t an action packed story but with such a tense atmosphere and the hostile environment in which it takes place it still makes for a gripping read. The little reveals and twists are spaced out perfectly, making it difficult to put down. There are also more than a few red herrings thrown in to keep you guessing until the very end, and when the ending does come it’s absolutely perfect.

Overall this is a great read and one I’d recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery with a setting that’s just as compelling as the story.

A big fan of Jane Harper's books and this does not disappoint! Even without the detective in the drivers seat, this book is a interesting and fast-paced read. Twists and turns at every corner. The ending will both surprise you and yet leave you with a sigh of relieve. What happens in the desert, stays in the desert.

I am a huge fan of Jane Harpers first two books and was a tad disappointed as I made my way through the read that Aaron Faulk was absent and in fact, this was a separate standalone.
That aside I thoroughly enjoyed The Lost Man. It was slow and steady yet filled with atmosphere. Once again, like all Jabe Harpers books, the setting was wonderful! I could picture everything. All the sand and dirt, the barren landscape and I could feel the sweltering and stifling heat.
I would probably class this as a slow burn/cosy mystery. But this book was brilliant, particularly the last 100-50 pages. although I wasn't massively shocked by the 'big reveal' it didn't seem to matter.
I loved the setting, the atmosphere, the characters, the storyline and the audiobook is brilliant!!!