Jane Harper knows how to write a mystery, and man did she do a nice one here. This is the 3rd book in the Aaron Faulk series, but it can definitely be read as a standalone. There were a lot of characters in this book along with a lot of filler that I felt just wasn’t necessary to the story. I really enjoyed the ending, and I will always recommend a Jane Harper book.

In the third book of the Aaron Falk series, he is on vacation and like any detective, he is drawn to a mystery. A mother disappeared one year ago and her body hasn't been found.

Jane Harper is an excellent mystery writer. I thought I had figured out who the killer was, but then another twist happened, which was genius. I love being surprised by a mystery, and the characters are deftly crafted. The ending is great and serves as a fitting conclusion for this series.

I love Jane Harper's books, but this one fell short for me. The premise was intriguing: a baby is left in her stroller, her mom disappeared without a trace. Where is she? Why did she leave her baby?

And then we meander through pages and pages of characters who may or may not be involved in any way. Aaron Falk meets a love interest, which is good, but is also dull. It was hard to remember all of the connections between the people (who were brothers, who were once married, who are each child's parents) and by the end I still don't know or remember them all but I don't care.

The mystery was solved (as was the secondary mystery that took a backseat through most of it) but by the time I got there, I was ready to be done. There was so much filler in this book that it took away from what could have been an intense mystery like Harper's previous works (LOVED The Dry).

I never read the first two books and although I enjoyed reading this I was definitely missing out on some things I should have known

Really enjoy revisiting a character like Aaron Falk, and as always, Harper has nailed the atmospheric setting. Unfortunately there were a few too many characters and the plot was a slow burn in this one. I enjoyed it, but not Harper's best.

This was an interesting read by a new to me author! It took me a while to collect my thoughts but I very much enjoyed this one

The mystery was fantastic, as they usually are with Jane Harper, but the wrapping up of this series left me frustrated, and frankly annoyed. Aaron Falk gets his romantic sunset ending, with someone we've never met before this book, and it felt horribly rushed. Why even give him such a saccharine ending? It would have been better if left open ending.

Love Jane Harper's work as a whole, and am looking for the next one!

I read 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐲 years ago and enjoyed Aaron Falk - a federal investigator who is a keen observer, and in this book, we get to be back deep in his headspace, which I love.

At the spring food and wine festival, a baby is found alone in its stroller, the mother nowhere to be found. Aaron was there that night to celebrate his godson’s christening.

This is the third, and last book in the Aaron Falk series but it could work as a standalone. As with her other books, this one is highly atmospheric and secrets are revealed, and as pieces of the puzzle click into place and the various threads untangle the readers begins to see the intricately plotted story the author has written.

***I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

It was so wonderful to return to Australia and Aaron Falk! This time, Falk is on a vacay of sorts and is reminded of a tragic disappearance the prior year. Yet, as he looks a bit further into things, something just does not quite add up. Leave it to this flawed yet patient and honest guy to try and figure out what actually happened. Don‘t blink, or you‘ll miss the clues.

I‘m so glad I snagged an #ARC through #NetGalley from the publisher.

Exiles is the last book in the Aaron Falk trilogy.
A missing young mother and a hit and run from a few years past -Jane Harper had once again created a great, slow burning mystery that Falk is determined to solve
Can’t say much more, but a very satisfying ending.
Hope to see more from this great Australian author.

Thanks to Net Galley and Macmillan for an advance copy.

My favorite thus far is the third installment in the Aaron Falk series. I liked the multiple mysteries in one book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Some mysteries grip you from the first page, while others take their time building to a wild twist. Unfortunately, there are also some that do neither and that’s where Exiles landed for me.

The mystery of this one never really took off as it spent more time on the main detective, Aaron Falk’s personal life rather than the actual plot. That might work for big fans of Harper, but as a more casual reader, I found those sections to be a bit of a drag. One thing Harper excels at is very detailed descriptions of the Australian landscape. I always find myself Googling pictures when reading one of her books to see the real life inspiration behind her settings. That, coupled with the Australian audiobook narrator, made for a pleasant, if not exciting, reading experience.

If you’re looking for a character-driven detective story set in Australia that takes its time diving into the mystery, Jane Harper’s Exiles is the perfect read for you.

Exiles is out now. Thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a solid show burn mystery. Those who like action packed thrillers exclusively may find this one too slow, but I thought the character development and mysteries unfolded expertly. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.

Federal Investigator Aaron Falk comes to the quiet wine region of Australia for his godchild’s christening. While in the idyllic small town, he is drawn to two separate unsolved crimes: a deadly hit and run that has left a grieving family with no answers and a missing woman who vanished in thin air, leaving behind her baby in a pram. Falk can’t help but examine the locals, including his friend group for what they know and they are hiding.

I have only read Harper’s “The Survivors” which I loved for all the reasons I loved this one. Harper’s atmospheric writing is top notch and the way she builds characters is so realistic. I really cared about Falk and his personal life, along with both open cases.

This can be read as a stand-alone like I did, I did not feel lost at any time. I look forward to reading the prior books in this series!

✨Trigger Warnings: Emotional Abuse, Murder, Domestic Abuse, Sexual Assault, Death of a Parent, Suicide

Another great installment of the Aaron Falk series by Jane Harper. This books. a slow burn in the best possible way. When a new mother and part of his friends extended family goes missing at the annual music festival; Aaron is drawn in the mystery one year later. At first he takes a look a the case as a way to ease his friends mind but soon starts to notice things might not be all they same. Especially when it seems like the case may be linked to a death in the same location 6 years prior.

The writing is beautiful and draws you in with both the characters and the settings. Towards the end when there is a shift in the narrator.......WOW! Made be look at all the previous information with a whole new perspective. Wonderful as always.

Exiles by Jane Harper is a crime novel about Detective Faulk trying to solve a case in Australia. When a mother, Kim Gillespie, leaves behind her baby, a town is shocked by the disappearance of a woman from town on the night of a big festival the town celebrates each year. With the baby left behind with her father, Faulk sets out to find what had happened to Kim. Will he be able to solve the mystery of her disappearance?

This was the first book that I have read by Harper and the first with Detective Faulk. I have to say this book took a bit for me to get into. It was a little bit of a slow burn for me in the beginning. After about 50%-60% of the book, it did pick up a bit for me though. I am unsure if it would have been different if I had read the other books by Harper with Detective Faulk or not; however, I think that it was just fine as a stand alone as well. In the end, there were some twists and turns and I overall enjoyed the ending.

I did love the setting of this book, Australia. It was beautiful and makes you want to travel there and experience the outback. I like to read books from different locations because it adds a different layer to the book.

This was not my favorite thriller; however, I would be interested in reading more of Harper’s work in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed the other Aaron Faulk books and this was just as good! I hope to continue to see books following this character.

This is a hard one to review. Transparently, this plot dragged at times. I didn't find myself intrigued to pick this back up despite loving so many of Harpers other books. It felt like a lot of the plot focused on talking about the storyline and characters without a lot of action. However, I did love these characters (specifically Gemma and Aaron) and they all added a lot to the story. Overall enjoyed but wished the pace would stayed consistent as the beginning and ends were so strong, the middle just fell flat for me!

Aaron Falk is back in Jane Harper's new novel, and this time he's drawn into investigating the disappearance of a mother in Southern Australia's wine country.

Harper writes a specific kind of crime fiction that moves along at an almost languorous pace, until she rocks your world with a perfectly-timed twist or reveal. Her mysteries are so well-executed, with resolutions that make perfect sense but never fail to surprise me, and are both literary and character-driven, taking the time to delve deeply into the characters' psyches and relationships. In Exiles, she again transports readers to a small Australian town with a vivid cast of characters: a beautiful, insular place riddled with secrets and scandals. Her books always activate my wanderlust in a major way. And as a bonus, this one features lots of wine!

The mystery here may be a slow burn, but there is so much to enjoy along the way: intelligent and well-drawn supporting characters; a richly-realized, atmospheric setting; and of course, Aaron Falk himself, who is a fascinating protagonist. I heard somewhere that this may be the last Falk novel, and although I'd hate to lose him, I was wholly satisfied with where Harper left him in Exiles.

All of Jane Harper's books are must reads for me and Exiles did not disappoint. In fact, the one disappointment from Exiles is knowing this is the last book in the Aaron Falk series! In Exile's Aaron starts digging into the disappearance of Kim Gillespie from the local wine festival a year earlier, a festival Aaron attended because it was the eve of his godson's christening. As the story develops we learn more and more about Kim's close knit circle of friends, many of whom have known each other since they were teens, and how the things that happened then have continued to shape their lives now. We also get to see how this shapes the next generation growing up in their homes, including Kim's teenage daughter who is determined to prove her mother did not kill herself. As always, Jane Harper's mysteries are not just "who did it" but deeply explores the personal and societal factors that lead to it all.
Jane Harper weaves together another perfect mystery, leaving you guessing up until the very satisfying ending.

Federal Investigator Aaron Falk is back, though this time it is personal. Asked to be the godfather for his old friend's young son, Aaron travels to their small town deep in Southern Australian wine country for the christening. While there however, Aaron cannot help but to become involved in the year old disappearance of a woman, who seemingly left her young child in a stroller at the local wine festival. What makes a woman leave her child?

Exiles was not as strong in plot and character development as the previous Aaron Falk novels. Though the story of Kim Gillespie's disappearance was interesting, especially her connection to the friends that Aaron is visiting, the plot was just too drawn out and fragmented by the different perspectives. The side plots were too overdone, taking away from the focus of the main story. Overall, I was not a fan of this novel, which was disappointing. For this reason, I would be hesitant to recommend Exiles to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of Exiles by NetGalley and the publisher, Flatiron Books. The decision to read and review this novel entirely rests with me.