I am not even sure where to start as I am not even sure what I read. The nonlinear timeline in the middle of chapters really threw me for a loop on this audiobook. I was 80% in before I even realized we were going back in time. I know someone drowns, there was a baby, and a boat, and a missing but not murdered person? I normally can keep up with books fairly easily, but not this one! The narrator saved this one for me!

The Survivors is a story about a murder linked to a tragedy of the past. This was my first book by Harper and it definitely won’t be my last.

Twelve years ago, a terrible storm happened leaving a teenage girl missing and two young men lost from a tragic accident at sea. The town and people involved have never really recovered. The man who felt he was to blame for the death of his brother (one of the boys lost at sea) has returned home. There are some in the town who are not happy to see him. A murder occurs and he finds his name on the list of suspects.

This is a story about a man trying to come to terms with his past while revealing the truth of the tragedy that just happened. The pacing is a bit slow, as each chapter seems to bring in a new character linked to both the past and present. Kieran is the narrator, but the other characters are slowly developed to an unexpected ending.

The audio narrator has a tone that is gloomy and carries the weight. He does a good job portraying the quiet character of Kieran and has a compelling voice.

Harper’s writing is amazing. She can bring the atmosphere to life. Harper does a great job linking the tension in the town to the unforgiving nature of the ocean.

I thought it was a great story to listen to but feel it could have moved faster. This is what prevents me from giving it 5 stars.

I received a free ALC of The Survivors from NetGalley and Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.

Kiernan left Evelyn Bay, Tasmania shortly after the accident. The accident that killed his brother, Finn and another man. The accident that everyone thought was Kiernan's fault, that the men had been coming to save Kiernan when he went in the caves known to be unsafe and got caught in the storm. The men's boat had run into the rocks surrounding the caves and sunk and both men where killed. In a place as small and insular as Evelyn Bay, everyone knew about the deaths and everyone thought they knew exactly what happened. Kiernan knows that even his parents blame him.

Another death occurred in that storm; a young girl went missing and her body was never found. It was suspected that she had been swept into the sea while walking home. Only her book bag was ever found.

Now Kiernan has returned to Evelyn Bay but this time is different. He's a grown man now, not a teenager. He is married to Mia and they have a baby. He has come home to help his mother move his dad, in the first stages of dementia, into an assisted living situation and to pack up their house for sale. he meets with his old friends and acquaintances but can tell there are still those who remember the past and still blame him.

Then the unthinkable happens. Another girl is found, this time murdered. She was a waitress at the pub where Kiernan had gone the night before with his wife to meet old friends. Suspicion falls on Liam, the son of the other man killed with Kiernan's brother. Liam still blames Kiernan but apart from his surly nature, Kiernan can't believe Liam is involved.

As the investigation into the girl's death unfolds, secrets from that time a decade ago start to emerge. Why was Kiernan in the caves which were known to be off-limits? How did Finn know to try to sail past the Survivors memorial to rescue him? Why was Kiernan's father seen with both girls shortly before their disappearance?

Jane Harper has created another brooding mystery that could only be set in the Australian and Tasmania lands that she has claimed as her locale. The tourist town wouldn't exist except for fishing and tourist diving trips but both can be dangerous pursuits, especially in weather that can change in an instance and transform the sea from placid to murderous. The smallness of the town and the sense that once the town defines you your personality is set for life to them combine with the ruggedness of the environment to create a claustrophobic atmosphere that makes escape seem impossible. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

This is a book that was greatly enhanced by the narration. Hearing the local accents makes the locale come alive. I would definitely listen to another novel by this narrator.

The Survivors was a quick, interesting read. I liked going back and forth in time to see how everything played out. I was interested in finding out "whodunit", but it wasn't as suspenseful and thrilling as I would like. Reading reviews, it sounds like her other books are better and I will give them a chance.

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary audio copy of The Survivors by Jane Harper. I voluntarily agreed to listen and review this recording prior to publication. My opinions are my own, and no one has influenced them.

The Survivors is a mystery thriller set in a small coastal town where everyone knows everything. The novel goes from the present to twelve years in the past which made it difficult at times to follow along. The pacing is excruciatingly slow, and I considered not finishing it on more than one occasion, but I refused to give up.

Kieran Elliott is the main character. He and his girlfriend have come back to Evelyn Bay to help his parents move since his father has dementia. This brings on lots of painful memories for him, and there are hard feelings toward him by some of the townspeople who blame him for the deaths of two of their own.

Stephen Shanahan is the narrator, and while he has a smooth tone, the pitch is very deep, making it difficult to understand him. I normally listen at 1.5 to 2 speed, and I had to slow it down a lot. He did give the various characters a different tone, so it was easy to know who was talking.

Ultimately, I struggled with the story and couldn’t become vested in any of the characters, and although I enjoyed the ending for the most part, it ended quite abruptly. The mystery is intriguing, but it wasn’t strong enough to keep me engaged, but I am in the minority. Many other readers loved The Survivors. Happy reading!

“Are they supposed to be happy or sad? I mean, is it a celebration of the people who made it, or a memorial to the ones who didn't?”

I've really liked the other three Jane Harper mysteries I've read, (I haven't read Force of Nature because I'm doing that thing I do with series and not reading it because I'm saving it.) Anyway, I loved this one too. Welcome to Welcome to Evelyn Bay in the Tasmania Coast, a (fictional) Australian town, like the settings of The Lost Man and The Dry, where stepping outside your house and into the local elements might kill you if you aren't careful.

Kieran Elliott has returned with his wife, Mia, who also grew up in Evelyn Bay, and their baby daughter to help his parents pack up their house. 14 years ago the events of a tragic storm killed several people, including Kieran's older brother, and Mia's best friend, Gabby who disappeared that day. When a body is found on the beach just a day or two into their stay, Kieran and Mia find themselves dragging up old memories from the storm, as well as reckoning with another death. Most of the characters in this small town are old friends of Kieran and Mia, or old family friends, and I liked and found all the characters really sympathetic, which kept me guessing at the answer to the mystery. The mysteries, and the answers, are like the town itself, a tightly woven knot that has to be carefully unraveled to be saved.

Also, I will just add that all her books are read by this smooth- voiced Australian actor, and I would listen to him read the phone book, so I always recommend these to people looking for audiobooks.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me a free advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for this honest review.

Honestly, I am not much of a mystery reader, knowing that even if the author provides a resolution, the reader is not getting a happy ending. But, after hearing so much hype about Jane Harper's upcoming release (2/2) of The Survivors, I decided to request this as an audio ARC from NetGalley. This author was new to me and Harper expertly wove her web of mystery expertly. I felt like I was playing the game Clue, as I kept editing my guesses of who committed the crime with each new piece of possible evidence. In the end, the person responsible hadn't even been on my radar. Readers do receive resolution to two mysteries, one past and one current, by the end of the book. The narrator, Stephen Shanahan, did an excellent job, giving the story a very strong sense of place. I highly recommend listening to this in the audio version. Even though, I don't enjoy the eeriness of murder mysteries, I did enjoy Harper's compelling storytelling. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jane Harper writes character driven mysteries that are slower in pace, which is why it's surprising to me that I keep reading her work, I normally don't like books with a slower pace. But the way she writes about place and emotion and relationships is so engaging and captivating that I cannot stop wondering what she has up her sleeve next. She writes insular communities in such a way that you feel the social dynamics of them so viscerally.

This book intertwines the fallout from a 12 year old tragedy with a recent murder and since this community is so small, of course there is overlap. But how is valid and how much is speculation? And what long buried secrets will come to the surface?

I thought I had the ending to this one figured out about 3 times, but I was not prepared for the gut punch that the ending actually was.

TW: death, dementia, grief, suicide

The Survivors was very good and I was drawn into the setting and the mystery right from the start, but I didn't connect with the characters quite the way I'd expected to. There were a lot of them and the story jumped back and forth but eventually I did sort out the pacing of it all. Her writing is fantastic nonetheless and while I also found the ending a bit abrupt, I'm not at all sorry I read this book. I could still handle another in her Aaron Falk series someday though!!

I have, more than once, tried Harper. Seeing her compared to Tana French and the (somewhat ) novel settings in Australia have always been attractive to me. I've picked up her books at the library and also tried at least one audiobook, since this format is often a great gateway into a new-to-me author. Most of my goodreads and in-person bookish friends like her with a minimum 3 star or higher rating.

What samples I've tried have just never caught me; the characters were, ultimately, not empathetic or engaging enough for me to stay committed.

I requested this one because, yet again, I was intrigued by the synopsis and setting, and I hoped the audiobook would pull me in. I definitely felt like I've been missing a great author that, once I really gave it a good go, I would be hooked and have to read all her backlist. I really thought the past, brief experienced were just a matter of poor timing.

Unfortunately, given that I listened to the audiobook to 42% and I'm DNF-ing, I think this was my last opportunity to try Harper. This was a significant commitment to giving her writing and plotting a significant chance, and I still found the characters lacking in sympathy or interest for me. They just felt too cookie-cutter and flat. Once it became clear early on that the primary protagonist wasn't the "murderer" as the locals were referring to him in reference to the past events, and the contemporary murder victim meant, well, absolutely nothing to me, I just had no compulsion for finishing.

Because I didn't make it past the 50% mark, I'm not going to taint the ratings on goodreads by providing a negative review there or elsewhere. Thankful for the opportunity to give Harper another chance. Unfortunate that she's apparently not the author for me. The narrator of the audiobook was fantastic, at least!

Twelve years ago, Keiran Elliott's brother Finn and his best friend drowned while trying to save him during a deadly storm. Keiran has carried the weight that guilt ever since. During the same storm, a 14-year old girl called Gabby went missing. Although her body was never found, her backpack washed up on shore, leading everyone to believe she was another casualty of the storm.

After avoiding his hometown for years, Keiran has come back with is partner and infant daughter to help his aging parents. But when another young woman washes up on the beach, the past comes rushing back.

I've read all of Harper's previous books and liked them all. The Dry is definitely still my favorite of hers, but this was a solid and enjoyable read. I'm not sure I was totally convinced by the ending, but overall this kept me engaged and I think Harper fans will enjoy it.

The most interesting part to me was the exploration of guilt and grief and how these two things interact within Keiran's family.

I listened to this on audio narrated by Stephen Shanahan who did a lovely job. Listening to it with his Australian accent really helped to transport me.

I loved how moody and atmospheric this book was. The descriptions of the Tasmanian coast were absolutely beautiful.

When Kiernan was a boy, he got caught up in a super storm and had to be rescued. Several people died the night of the storm and it is rumor around his small town that Kiernan was the cause. Kiernan moves away from the small town drama, but years later he finds himself back in his hometown to help his mother. When a new body is washed up on the beach, it sends the town into a frenzy again. Why is this new body so reminiscent of that horrible stormy night years ago? Suddenly, new evidence emerges and everyone finds their secrets on the line.

For whatever reason, for most of this novel I was reminded of the show Hightown, a show that I enjoyed very much this summer. The stories are ultimately very different, but I think the atmospheric setting by the sea and the mystery aspects is where my brain was drawing the parallels. The narrator along with the prose definitely set the scene while the story takes a bit to develop, yet finishes fairly strong.

I had pretty high expectations going into this one. There’s a ton of hype surrounding Jane Harper and I’ve been meaning to read The Dry. I was excited to have gotten an audiobook off of Netgalley but this fell short of my expectations.

This is a slow burn, I’ve come to the conclusion I really can’t stay those. I prefer something fast paced with a ton of action and being kept on my toes. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and I felt that there were too many to keep up with. I didn’t feel anything when the victim was revealed and I didn’t really cared who killed them either. I do think Harper was able to craft a story together though so I did like that.

I also really like the setting of Australia and I think the cover is wonderful. It definitely looks like an ominous beach where murder may or may not have been committed. The narrator, Steven Shanahan did a nice job bringing Kieran to life and has a very thick Australian accent which I enjoyed (lol).

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is the second book I've read by Jane Harper and I absolutely love her writing style. I read the first book in her Aaron Falk series, which I really enjoyed, and need to get back to that one, but luckily this latest one is a stand-alone and it really was very good.

I love how atmospheric Jane Harper's books are. She really is able to use the setting in her stories to the fullest extent, almost as if they become a character themselves. This particular book was quite a complex mystery and I appreciated that. I love that we have two murders that need solving - one that happens in the present day, and one that happened in the past and was never really resolved. The way the story moves back and forth in time, dredging up secrets long buried, really kept me engaged and guessing as to where things were heading.

As much as this is a thriller, it's also a great character study into the people we meet. It's dark and gloomy at times, but slowly we come to find out what happened all those years ago, along with what has been happening now in this area. Like a jigsaw puzzle, there are many parts to this story and ever so slowly we are given the pieces, though not without a few shake-ups along the way.

I definitely enjoyed this one and am now quite eager to go back to Jane's earlier books because I am once again reminded of just how much I enjoy her writing. If you enjoy a complex mystery, I highly recommend this one!



Audio thoughts: This was a great audio and I thought Stephen Shanahan did such a great job bringing it to life. His pacing and intonation were spot on, and he had an accent which worked well for the book but wasn't too over-done so as to not be able to understand him.

📚 The Survivors by Jane Harper 📚
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Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.

The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.

Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.

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...
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This was my first book I’ve ever read by Jane Harper and I thoroughly enjoyed it a lot. The premise sounded interesting and intriguing. The cover definitely caught my eye.

I absolutely love thrillers and I knew I would really enjoy this. Jane Harper is such an amazing author and I really love her writing style. She writes in such a beautiful way that makes me want to read more from her. This story definitely focused on the landscape in a thriller way and I absolutely live for that.

I did however wanted a little more from this. I think I may have hyped it up too much. Also, I did listen to the audiobook so I think if I read the physical copy, then this would have easily been an all time favorite. I would absolutely read more from Jane Harper and would highly recommend to all the thriller lovers.

**I received an early copy of The Survivors by Jane Harper for an honest review via Netgalley**
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Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️
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Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audiobook ARC.

Kieran returns home to the Tasmanian coast with his girlfriend and baby to help his parents pack up their house. His father needs to be moved into a Nursing Home, due to his dementia getting worse. It's been years since Kieran has been home. We get hints as to why he feels guilty about three deaths that occurred 12 years ago in a major storm, one of them being his brother.

A young waitress is found dead on the beach the following morning. This gradually brings out all the secrets from the past, as well as the suspicions.

Jane Harper is fantastic with her descriptions of the atmosphere and small town characters. I felt like I was on the coast with them. The suspense kept building until the very end.

I loved the voice of the Australian narrator Stephen Shanahan.

Another great book by Jane Harper.

#TheSurvivors #NetGalley #MacmillanAudio

It was an intriguing novel. I expected it to be a faster pace but this was my first novel by this author. The tension tightened as it progressed and I loved the writers description.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the eALC of The Survivors! Since The Dry, I have loved listening to Jane Harper's books on audio, and The Survivors was no exception. The narration is excellent, though I must admit that I'm a sucker for an Australian accent!
This story is one of secrets that get slowly unspooled after the body of a young woman is discovered on the beach in a small coastal Australian town. This murder brings echoes of a missing girl from long ago back up to the surface. I loved the way that Harper slowly reveals the pieces of the puzzle, and by the end I could not stop listening, I was totally hooked! If you like crime novels with unsolved cases that delve into the past, I think you will really enjoy this one too!

Kieran comes home to help his parents pack up their house, as his father will be moving into a care facility, and his mother will move near him. Kieran hasn't been home in years, his home town is full of nothing but guilt and ghosts. But when a local woman is killed on the beach, the investigation brings to light a tragedy that happened 10 years ago forcing a lot of secrets to come out. 

This is my second novel by Jane Harper and I think that what makes her books so special is the atmospheric writing. She writes in a way that you can hear the waves crashing on the rocks, you can see the sadness of this town. It's very enchanting. This took me a while to get into; this book is the definition of a slow burn. But about half way was when I really became hooked on the story. I had to know what happened!
Harper's novels are a bit dreary but the writing is beautiful. I listened to this one and loved the Australian accent of the narrator, he really brought the story to life.