Ok, wow! This audiobook was fantastic. I loved the setting. I loved how this story slowly cracked open. It was paced so nicely. I loved the narrator. It was so perfectly told. I love when I am listening to a story and everything else fades away! That is precisely what happened with this story! I found that some stories stay with you after you finish and this is one of those stories! A must read/listen!!

Dear Exiles,
For being the third book in a series, I did not feel lost at all, despite not having read the previous books. I did not feel like I was missing much back story or character building, but was able to drop into this chapter of Falk's life. I was a bit confused at time, simply because the cast of characters is vast, and a few of them have similar names, but your story was so interesting to me. I loved that Falk was not a traditional investigator or police man, but had his own unique lens to look at the situation. But I do feel like you could have played up the bad guy a bit more. It felt out of left field at first, because he was so peripheral to your main story. But I enjoyed Harper's writing a lot and my have to check out the other two books with Falk as the main character, knowing that I know how his story ends up.

Exiles is a wonderful book with great character development. It draws you in immediately and keeps you in limbo till the very end.

There are actually two mysteries in this story... both take place in a small town where everybody seems to have grown up together and known each other for many years. The first mystery is a missing new mom who hasn't been seen now in a year. She abandoned her 6 wk old daughter at a stroller parking area in a busy festival and disappeared into thin air. While there are suspicions of family members or the spouse being involved, everyone has a good alibi and the case goes unsolved.

The second mystery is what seems to be the accidental hit and run of another member in the town a few years earlier and they still haven't located the driver of the vehicle. There have been no leads. Are the two connected? Or separate?

This book was a great listen as the narrator had a great voice, great accent so he made you feel as if you were there, and overall just really enjoyed it.

If I had one criticism, it would be that there were so many characters with "R" names. It was very hard for me to keep it straight at the beginning. This was my fault however because I chose the audiobook over a print copy and therefore wasn't able to flip back and forth between pages.

I would recommend this book for a good summer read, vacation book, or any time you want to just relax and get your mind off of your regular day. This book kept me thinking throughout my days at work and had me looking forward to listening to it in the evenings.

Two puzzles for the price of one!

Well-written, atmospheric, character-driven mysteries. The reservoir and vineyards were secondary characters, the "bad guy" reveal is both shocking and heartbreaking, and the glimpse into the wreckage two local deaths wreak on multiple families is palpable. What I love about Harper's books is I don't just envision them, I feel them. And I swear, I could listen to Stephen Shanahan read his junk mail and be rapt.

*3 stars*

This was a perfectly fine book, but it wasn’t for me. I would have considered it more of a murder mystery than a thriller, it just didn’t have the suspense and excitement that the thrillers I enjoy have.

The pacing was too slow for me, it felt like a slog to get through until the last couple chapters. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters, and it was hard to feel invested in the resolution when we never got to know the victims at all. Solving the murders felt really low stakes and everything was wrapped up so quickly. I also prefer two timelines to all the flashbacks in this book.

If you like a slower burn less suspenseful murder mystery that’s more about family and relationships you’ll probably enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

A mother disappears before a christening. A year later, a family gets together for another. Why would a mother just leave a baby in a crowded place and disappear? What would it take for someone to do that? I always look forward to a new Jane Harper book. Any fan will enjoy the latest Australian mystery.

I was so excited about this one because the first two Aaron Falk books were 4 star books for me.

Unfortunately, this one didn't quite meet the quality of those two. They are all slow burn books, but this book was much slower than the others. More importantly, while the first two used the slow pacing to develop the characters and help us understand their motivations, this one didn't build a deep understanding of the characters for me. They all blended together and while I did want to know the answer to the mystery, it wasn't as urgent a desire as for the first two.

I did enjoy this book sufficiently to pick up any future Aaron Falk books, but I hope Harper returns to the style of the first two books.

I listened to this series on audiobook so far and will continue to do so because the narrator's Australian accent brings life to these stories set in small town Australia.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this book ahead of publication. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Wow, that is the one word that I can use to sum up this book. I had no idea where things were headed and who did what. Even the end of the book had a surprise ending. This is a great murder - mystery and I will recommend this to everyone I know that reads this genre and those that don't. It is a great starting murder-mystery for even the tween age group. Mild but suspenseful.

A year ago, a baby was found in a stroller at a local festival in southern Australia’s wine country. The baby’s mother Kim Gillipsie was nowhere to be found. A year later, Aaron Falk is visiting friends there - friends who grew up in the area and part of the close-knit local community. But all is not what it seems. As Aaron tries to figure out what may have happened to Kim, he has to delve into past local happenings to understand the relationships and connections to the present. Jane Harper’s books are generally a slow burn, distinguishing them from other fast paced, adrenaline-spiked mysteries, focused deeply on character, motivation and atmosphere - “deeply” being the operative word here. And they have worked well. Not so much this one. There was definitely a much lighter touch on character, motivation and atmosphere in this book, which made it my least favorite, but still a good read. Be aware that I’m comparing this book to her other books, which I’ve rated five and four stars, so take my “least favorite” comment in that context. I just wanted more because I have really, really enjoyed some of her other books! Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I LOVED this book. Could not put it down and didn't see the twists coming. Brilliantly done. Lots of heart and grief and healing. Highly recommend.

I did not realize this was the third book in the series. I hadn't read or listened to the other two and felt lost. I couldn't continue but will revisit after I start with the first book in the series. I is a good story and I just felt behind because the characters have evolved with two previous books. I will recommend the series to patrons and be sure to start them with book 1!

Aaron Falk is on vacation in the Marralee Valley to attend the christening of his godson, which was supposed to happen a year earlier but was put off when Kim Gillespie, the ex-sister-in-law of Aaron’s friend, went missing from a local festival. She supposedly abandoned her newborn in a stroller at the festival and just walked off, never to be seen again. Her teenage daughter, Zara, doesn’t buy that and really the whole family agrees that Kim’s actions were out of character. A year later they’re making an appeal at the same festival for information.

His friend Sergeant Raco asks Aaron to look over the evidence he’s been compiling, even though the story as it goes suggests Kim took her own life. There’s another unsolved case, a hit and run, from five years earlier that Aaron ends up looking into, as well. Being in Aaron’s mind, getting his thought processes, really highlighted how gifted he was in working out what actually happened.

Jane Harper’s beautiful writing brought these characters to life, Aaron, and the cast, so that I cared about each one of them. Her descriptions of the Australian landscape, weaved seamlessly throughout, made it easy to picture and feel a part of. The Marralee Valley sounds like a beautiful idyllic place to live with its rolling hills of vineyards.

I was so happy with the personal progress Aaron made in this installment! He loves his job but seeing the love and closeness between family and friends has him questioning his career and place in life. There’s also blossoming romance which factors heavily into his decision. Sergeant Raco, his family, and friends were a tightknit group, their relationships spanning years, a group that has welcomed Aaron with open arms. As for the two mysteries, they left a lasting impression. I’m still thinking about them.

Exiles wraps up, and while it is book three of the series, it’s excellent on its own! I look forward to (hopefully!) more of Aaron Falk in the future!

I listened to the audiobook version of this story, as I did with the previous two, and I thoroughly enjoyed Stephen Shanahan’s performance of all characters! His Australian accent is fantastic! Highly recommended! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

This was my first time listening to one of Harper's novels, which I think caused me to notice narrative details and tone I might have missed in written text. I had the strong sensibility of a Peter Weir story, in particular his film Picnic at Hanging Rock. It's not just that both are Australian settings. Weir, especially in Picnic, infuses the story with an aura of dramatic tension, stemming both from the nature/wildness of the landscape and the unspoken relationships between characters. It's hard to describe, because it's not a specific feeling, such as unease or suspense or disquiet. It's more a miasma of how landscape influences human nature. And how humans read and understand one another. All I can say is that the audio narrative brought Weir to my mind.

As a mystery plot, it was okay. A woman disappears from a crowded festival, leaving her baby in a pram. Did she leave willingly? Was she abducted? Interestingly, we learn about the woman through the perspective of her family and friends, much as police officer Aaron Falk does. He creates a picture of her based upon what everyone else tells him, rather than what can be known about her directly. And **minor spoiler** therein lies the key to the resolution. But it's in those conversations that the most interesting navigation between characters lies (Weir-esque).

There is a whole secondary romantic subplot with Falk that I can only imagine serves to further the character development in service to the series' future. Good enough.

The mystery is resolved in the end and the listener/reader may or may not see it coming. I personally didn't, but I wasn't as compelled by the mystery as some of the individual character stories. Overall, an interesting listen.

I requested this ARC before having read either previously Aaron Falk novel, so I speedily read "The Dry" and "Force of Nature" before reading this one,. I definitely enjoyed "Exiles" the most out of the three! (It's ALWAYS the husband). The character development is much better for this one. You get an understanding of the minor characters and become more invested in the major characters. These are things that I found lacking in the first two novels.

Outstanding! Jane Harper weaves a tale effortlessly and languidly. There is no rushing through. You need to be prepared to take your time with a Harper book and savor it.

Exiles is the third in the Aaron Falk series and the first one I'd read. Even though I haven't read the first two yet, I didn't feel as if I missed out on anything. This book kept me intrigued from the get go. It's not that it was fast paced. It was just a wonderfully written story that had descriptive and beautiful settings, wonderful character development and a sold plot.

I listened to this book on audio and the narration was perfect. It kept me engaged and committed to the story all the way through.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ALC. I voluntarily chose to listen to it and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This is the third book in the Aaron Falk series. Had I known that to begin with, I most likely wouldn’t have requested the gallery, as I don’t like jumping into the middle of a collection. I’m glad I didn’t know, though, because this book was really good and didn’t require prior knowledge to follow along.
It’s a mystery about a mother who vanishes the night of a big festival in a small town, leaving behind her infant daughter, asleep in her stroller. The story picks up one year later, with no leads, whatsoever.
The story slowly develops, without getting boring. The author takes her time with plot development and fleshes out her characters. I also appreciate the way the disappearance is divulged. I can’t stand when books have Scooby Doo endings, where a villain explains the how and why of their nefarious deeds; there was none of that here.
Thanks to #netgalley and #flatironbooks for this #arc of #exiles by #janeharper in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn to Exiles because of the interesting premise. Jane Harper has made a fan out of me with her exceptionally well told story that takes a slow quiet pace allowing for some interesting reveals. Exiles is part of a series of books with Aaron Falk as the main character.

While this was my first of the series, I did not feel at a loss as Falk is visiting Southern Australia Wine County and many of the characters in the story are new to him as well. Introductions and relationship explanations felt natural. The author also utilized flashbacks to provide story depth and this flowed well.

Aaron has traveled to his Godson Henry’s christening. Here is is drawn into the investigation of Kim, a mother who went missing went year ago. Aaron is thoughtful and kind in his interactions with the family and friends of the missing woman. While everyone’s recollection of the night seems solid, there are still things that do not make sense, including wether a hit and run from six years ago is somehow connected.

This is a well constructed and incredibly satisfying thriller and I hope Jane Harper gives us more books with Aaron Falk.

The books narrator Steve Shanahan was easy to listen to and brought Aaron Falk to life.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the alc.

Out on the last day of January and perfect for all those mystery lovers out there, especially those feeling the chill right now since the Australian wine country where this book is set is quite warm. The book has Aaron Falk an Australian federal investigator visiting said wine country for a christening as a friend of the family he steps into a close knit circle of family and friends as they come together. The year before they have lost a friend and relative, a young mother who has gone missing … there have been suspicions but the investigation did not go anywhere and has been stalled for a while. The case is intricately plotted and the characters are wonderful but what made this book extra special was the descriptive language - I have never been to Australia let alone it’s wine country but I could imagine the walks around the reservoir, the hiking trails, the vineyard and the tractor rides, it was travel by book at its best, in addition to a great mystery !
I did not read the first two books in this series but will go back and read them now since I enjoyed this one so much - this book stood on it’s own I don’t think I was missing out !

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook, so I decided to listen to the first two in the series. Although these can all be read as stand alones, I enjoyed getting a back story of the main character.

I really enjoyed the first book, The Dry. I went into the series blindly and I am so glad I did. It was very twisty but not as dark as a psychological thriller. 4 Stars

I was not a huge fan of book two, Force of Nature. Not to take away from the writing, but I just did not care for or find any of the characters to be likeable with any redeeming qualities. I found it a little slow until about 3/4 of the way in; yet again, that could be just my preference. 3 Stars

So here we are at book three, Exiles. I LOVED this book. From start to finish, this book is building characters, relationships, suspicions.... everything!! There are also some characters that I loved from The Dry. The town, the people, the mysteries, the lies, it all just worked! The reveal blew me away! I need to talk to someone about this book lol. 5 Stars

I found the end to be a very nice wrap up that could be the end of the series but just left open enough to go on. I am hopeful it continues.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys good suspenseful mystery. There is a procedural element to these books as well.

I received the audio version of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review. I love accents so the audio was perfect!

Set in the South Australian Wine country, this novel is the third in a series about Federal Investigator Aaron Falk. I haven't read the previous 2 books, but I didn't feel that was detrimental to my reading of this novel.

Aaron is visiting good friends for the christening of their son, during the local wine festival. A year before, at the same festival, a young woman, Kim, went missing, leaving her baby alone in his pram. In the year that passed there has been no information on Kim's whereabouts, and the case remains unsolved. Aaron is asked by his friends to look into her disappearance.

During his investigation, Aaron learns of the death of Dean, one of Kim's classmates, in a hit and run car accident several years before. That too is unsolved, and Aaron realizes that in this small, close community, there is a lot more going on below the surface.

This was a slow burner, as we follow the quiet, introspective Aaron as he works to discover what has happened. The character and location descriptions were excellent, and I enjoyed the way we saw the investigation primarily through Aarons eyes. We moved back and forth through the timelines, but that was well done in the novel, and wasn't confusing at any point.

I loved the 'feel' of the area and the community, and would like to read more of this series.