I have been a fan since the first book. I love reading books about Australia and no one writes better ones than Jane Harper right now. Her fictitious towns that are spot on with their descriptions pull the readers in. This novel is no different.

Twelve years ago, Kieran Elliott’s life was demolished when a sudden and devastating storm tore apart his small community of Evelyn Bay. That was the day his brother Finn died, and also the same day young Gabby Birch disappeared. For over a decade, Kieran has carried a huge burden of guilt over his role in the tragic death of his brother. Finn was coming to rescue Kieran. He blames himself for his brother’s death, and he is not alone. Many people in the town still hold him responsible, including his parents. He returns to the town with his girlfriend Mia and their baby daughter, and Kieran find himself lost in another horrible tragedy. The murder of Bronte, a young female artist, has stirred up the past, including all the memories and old secrets that come with it.

As always, Jane Harper writes such an atmospheric novel that pulls the reader in and makes them feel as if they are part of the environment. All of her novels are like this. It is as if her setting is another character and you will have to wait and see what role they play. This has never been more true than in this story.

I have been a fan since the first book and will continue to be a fan. I am not sure I have ever liked one of her characters as much as I like Kieran. He felt like he could be me. I have never related more. Her characters are always such a tight knit group which only leads to more drama as the story progresses. How can the killer be one of us, how can they live here with us, among us? I can just imagine her communities saying this to each other.

I should know by now that Harper's books always work for me. I love reading them as they remind me of Australia and just how amazing the country is. She has once again written a spellbinding novel and I am a fan. If you enjoy good Australian accents, they only add so much more to the audio version. She uses the same narrator every time and Stephen Shanahan is just perfection. 4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author for providing an advance copy for me to read and review.

My favorite genre is thriller, and I am a harsh critic due to the sheer amount of thrillers I read. Yet when it comes to The Survivors by Jane Harper, I am confident that the novel lives up to the hype. Though it started out quite slow, I was thoroughly kept on my toes the entire time, which is how I prefer that plots progress.

Listening to the audiobook was a particularly wonderful experience. The narrator was thorough, expressive, and I was easily able to determine which character was speaking without having to think too hard about it. As I completed listening to the book while the sun set, I found myself growing more and more tense and scared, which are exactly the emotions this book should provoke. I was most definitely, to put it plainly, creeped out.

After reading The Survivors, I intend on seeking out more Jane Harper novels to read. It is purely euphoric when I find a thriller that satisfies me, and this definitely did the job. 4 stars due to the slow start. Would most definitely recommend to friends!

Back in his home town for the first time in many years Kieran is once again drawn into the guilt of his brothers drowning death and the mystery of a missing girl on the same day. Now a new girl is found murdered on the beach and the why and the who are dragging up old memories and old feelings.

Set in a small town in Australia that is a known tourist attraction but seems to be losing its glitter and appeal. There are a lot of characters in this book so it may be easy to get lost or not be able to follow if you aren't used to listening to audio books. I didn't have this issue and loved it. The narrator's accent helped place me in Australia and you could get a feel for how small the town really was just by them setting foot outside their door only to moments later find themselves "in town". There is a lot of emotion and flawed characters and strange things that go on in the town that leave you guessing.

Kieran can barely forgive himself for the death of his brother which he blames himself for since his brother was out trying to rescue him during a horrible storm, and his mother struggles with the loss of her son and in some ways blames Kieran as well. His father has dementia and is getting things mixed up and setting himself up as a viable suspect in both the missing girl from years ago and the dead girl on the beach. Meanwhile a community bulletin board online is airing everyone's dirty secrets and shattering everyone's trust. I really enjoyed this book and mystery. I really felt like I was a spectator in this small town watching as everything unfolded.

I want to thank netgalley and the Macmillan audio for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.

As excited as I was to read this audiobook as I started to listen to it I found myself unable to follow the storyline in this format. I really tried to keep the characters straight in my head but kept ending up confused. This has nothing to do with the author or the writing, simply just a disconnect between myself as a listener and the format. I really enjoyed the setting in which was described in the book and it really felt like I was there while listening. I look forward to more titles by this author in the future and hope to read The Survivors in its physical form.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this book. The comments and review are my honest opinion.

A dark mystery with flawed characters, guilt over the death of a brother, a missing girl and now a body on the beach. Jane Harper portrays The Survivors like the raging sea. Undercurrents of repressed anger and suspicion ebbs and flows. The return of Kieran to his home town after twelve years open wounds and memories from long ago. He is conscious of those who blame him for the drowning of his brother and another friend. Then a day after his return a body is found on the beach opening old wounds and secrets. Rumors, whispered comments and constant tension builds to a surprising truth and end for Kieran and the rest of the town.

I am having a really hard time getting into this book. Maybe it is because of the audiobook narrator, but I am finding that it is hard to follow the story and really understand what each characters roll is. I fast forwarded to the last 80% just to find out what happens in the end.

Harper is phenomenal for bringing the environment into story, for making it into more than just another mystery. The ocean, the caves, the small town full of secrets. I will say I wish there was more about Kieran's guilt - we get it in the abstract sense, but it's not as prevalent as I might have expected. Either that or the police should be more present? I don't know. Everything felt very distant and spread apart, leaving Kieran with a lot of time by himself to think, which worked against the pacing.

Though the symbolism of The Survivors coming up again and again, as indicators of mood, of danger, of deaths was honestly brilliant. And very creepy.

I think I wanted more from the side characters. We were very much honed in on Kieran that Olivia, Ash, and Sean especially felt very removed from the plot, even as they came up again and again.

I am still, of course, a huge Jane Harper fan. And her ability to build tension among these characters is frankly genius.

Received an early audio version of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. I hated the narrator. DNF.

Evelyn Bay has been home to a dark tragedy that claimed the lives of a two residents 12 years ago, while creating damage to the town that will never truly recover. Kieran finally returns to the scene of the accident with his girlfriend and new baby in tow, years after the devastation.

But something dark and heavy seems to have followed him into town. After barely a day in town he runs into his old nemesis and a friend's roommate is murdered on the beach. And as the mystery unfolds around this mysterious murder, the past refuses to be buried with at least two mysteries to solve.

I've been a reader of Jane Harper's books. I loved The Dry and quickly read it's sequel, Force of Nature. When I saw a new book was available I couldn't wait to pick it up. Overall it was a good book and definitely worth reading. I haven't read the Lost Man yet, and I plan to add this to my TBR while waiting for her next book!

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

Jane Harper wrote an intense mystery about carrying guilt due to the past and how it effects you and everyone around. Kieran Elliott's childhood changed after a terrible mistake. His family and friends handled the tragedy differently in the small coastal community and their lives changed their trajectory moving forward.

When Kieran returns, the tale unravels again and the truth starts coming out when another catastrophe transpires. Everyone seems to be hiding information or trying to seek the true facts.

The Survivors has more twists than a braided pretzel leading you down paths of the unknown. I strive to guess what is coming or who really did the crime, but my failure made the book even more enjoyable. The Audiobook was great.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this book for an honest review. It is one everyone would enjoy.

12 years ago in fictional Evelyn Bay Tasmania, life changed for many of the year-round residents. A large storm hit and in the aftermath 3 of their residents were gone. Two young men lost in a failed rescue mission and a young girl, disappeared.

The Survivors takes place 12 years after the storm. It centers on Kieran who has immense amount of grief and responsibility for the two men's lost lives. He, his wife and his infant daughter have come home to help his mother clean out the house and move his father into memory care. Shortly after they arrive home they meet up with a group of friends to catch up. The next day their waitress, (who is also one of the friends' roommate) an outsider art student who lived in town for inspiration over the summer, is found dead on the beach.

There is a lot of tension and build up in solving the case. Old wounds are opened and the town struggles to come to terms with how something like this could happen in their town.

The writing is very atmospheric and descriptive and you can imagine yourself on the edge of the water or near the caves as you read. It did seem to drag the pace of the book a bit but the characters were well developed and we got to see their struggles and feel their emotions.

Overall a good, suspenseful book that, while it doesn't keep you on the edge of your seat, keeps you guessing throughout at how it will all play out in the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sidenote: I thoroughly enjoyed Stephen Shanahan as the narrator and his accent helped with atmospheric build of the locale.

A complex story where the secrets of a long ago tragedy resurface as the protagonist returns to the small town where he grew up. Kieran's father's cognitive abilities are in decline and he comes back to visit his parents and help his mother. Both he and his wife had fled the coastal community after a stormy night resulted in death for beloved family members.

Kieran feels guilty for the events that transpired long ago and it soon becomes clear that other characters have also assigned some of the blame on his shoulders. When a murder rocks the quiet seaside hamlet, the investigation brings events from both past and present to new light.

I particularly enjoyed the big role the setting played in this one. Harper is a master at using landscapes to help set the mood and this book is no exception.

The audiobook was narrated by Stephen Shanahan, a familiar voice for those of us who have listened to Harper's previous novels.

I've read (listened to) most of Jane Harper's books and a certain pattern shows; local boy returns to his small hometown, where he was involved in an accident/incident several years before. The ensuing gossip and ill-will drove him away to make his life elsewhere, but he is forever marked by what happened. Now he's back and once again something happens, that turns out to have some kind of connection to the original incident. The story line covers both the sinister action and the local boy's move towards understanding and forgiving his own role in the original incident.
But that is okay, because Jane Harper is SO GOOD at what she's doing. The characters are interesting and well developed, the pace is just right to keep you interested in the whodunit part, but also slow enough to get a feel of the different characters. The narrator of the audiobooks are excellent, with a pleasant unobtrusive stle.
I'll definitely keep looking forward to more books by Jane Harper.

This is my second Jane Harper book, and I am quickly becoming a big fan.

Harper's writing is character-centered and atmospheric. This is a slow-burning mystery, and I was immediately caught up in the story.

The sleepy seaside town of Evelyn Bay seems quiet and idyllic, but when a young woman turns up dead on the beach, it soon becomes clear that she was murdered. Kieran, who has returned home to help his mother pack up his childhood home, is the central character and a possible suspect. Twelve years ago, during a terrible storm, his brother and a friend were killed and Kieran has carried the guilt for his part in their deaths ever since. During the same storm, a young girl went missing, and her mother has never believed it was an accident.

'The Survivors' explores the consequences of Kieran's actions all those years ago, and how the burden of that guilt has affected his life. It is about the bonds of family and friendship, and the effects loss and grief have on whole communities.

The audiobook narration was excellent. I would highly recommend it.

A catastrophic storm and a missing girl lead to a devastating result in a small town. 12 years later, the town has not recovered and dead woman is found on the beach. Our narrator, Keiran, comes back to help his mother pack up their family home and finds himself in the middle of the murder investigation.

I'm not sure why people keep coming to Keiran with a lot of insider information about the murders. He is conveniently in the right places at the right time and everyone feels like sharing all of their secrets with him... including the police. Kieran is traipsing about this small town wearing his baby in a sling while trying to solve not only the murder of this woman, but the case of the missing girl 12 years ago. The mother in me cringes about all of the danger this newborn is in. If y0u can put aside these things, it is a good story and definitely had me interested the entire way through.

This book follows a tragic day where a storm takes the life of two men and a missing young girl. Kieran is at the center of the tragedy and blames himself for the death of his brother. While back visiting his parents to help them move a woman dies and so many questions in the past start to come back.

I listen to this audiobook in one day because I just couldn’t stop listening! I was surprised by the ending which I like when I am reading, it was not obvious!

I have tried several of Jane Harper’s books and alas this will be last book that I read from her. I want to love her, like everyone else, but I find myself just not getting into any of her books, my mind wanders and I miss the point of the stories.

Loved it! I’m not an audio fan but this one was amazing! It was soooo good and I highly recommend it

This is my first Jane Harper book. I have had so many friends recommend her books to me and I am glad that I finally read one.

I am going to echo many other reviews that label this book "atmospheric". There really isn't a better word for it. The Survivors is a slow-build mystery that could easily be boring if Harper wasn't so talented with her descriptions. The title references a memorial statue called The Survivors that I had to google to see if it was an actual place.

I was also convinced around the 40% mark that I had solved the mystery. And I am glad to report that I was wrong.

Looking forward to diving into Harper's back list.

Jane Harper has been on my list of authors I have always wanted to read. When I saw the opportunity for an advanced copy of the audio book, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to dive into a new to me author.

The Survivors is a good mystery book. I will admit that it was more on the slower side for me.

Kieran and his wife come back to their home town and a dead body shows up on the beach. Coming home and then the death of someone they know, has Kieran feeling even more guilty of the things he did in his past where another death happened.

Throughout the book, you will be introduced to characters and you will questions their involvement in the deaths surrounding them.

The ending was rather good and I didn't see it coming. It put a nice twist to the book and had me thinking back to everything I read to see if I missed any clues.

The narrator of the book was good as well. It did take a little bit of time to get used to the accent but that was one thing I end up loving. He did a very good job of going with the flow of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed The Survivors and would recommend it. I look forward to pulling her other books off of my bookshelves and reading them as well.