#BookReview: THE LOST MAN by Jane Harper @janeharperautho @caolinndouglas @GraceEVincent @LittleBrownUK #TheLostMan

Publication: 7th February 2019 – Little, Brown

He had started to remove his clothes as logic had deserted him, and his skin was cracked. Whatever had been going through Cameron’s mind when he was alive, he didn’t look peaceful in death.

Two brothers meet at the remote border of their vast cattle properties under the unrelenting sun of the outback. In an isolated part of Australia, they are each other’s nearest neighbour, their homes hours apart.

They are at the stockman’s grave, a landmark so old that no one can remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last hope for their middle brother, Cameron. The Bright family’s quiet existence is thrown into grief and anguish.

Something had been troubling Cameron. Did he choose to walk to his death? Because if he didn’t, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects…

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour of THE LOST MAN, the thrilling new novel by Jane Harper and I’d like to thank Caolinn Douglas and Little, Brown for providing me with a proof of this remarkable novel.

I love, I really do love Jane Harper’s novels. Once I start reading one of her books, I can’t put it down. The Dry made me a big fan of this author and Force of Nature reinforced my admiration, and after THE LOST MAN there is no going back… Jane Harper is definetely one of my favourite authors.

Set in the dry and hot Australian landscape, THE LOST MAN is the story of the three Bright brothers, Nathan, Cam, and Bub. When Cam is found dead of dehydration, some thinks it’s suicide, others think it was an accident, but Nathan thinks there is more to it and he finds himself investigating the members of his family. Through Nathan’s memories, family secrets, resentment, and a past of abuse come to light helping Nathan figure out what really happened to his brother.

THE LOST MAN is slow-paced and character-driven, it’s an emotional and compelling novel. Some of the characters are more likable than others, but they are all engaging and well-developed. Jane Harper’s excellent writing style and attention to details keeps the reader glued to the pages and she manages to keep the suspense always high and you never know what to expect next. As one who reads many, many, maybe too many, mystery novels, I am happy that I am ways taken by surprise and that I never know what to expect in Jane Harper’s novels.

I find the Australian landscape fascinating: so hot, dangerous, unfamiliar, and claustrophobic. The heat, the dust storms, and the isolation make for an uninhabitable place, but thanks to the author’s beautiful descriptions, the Australian outback comes to life through the pages.

Jane Harper did it again. She wrote a superb, unique, and compulsive novel set in the Australian outback, a story of family, abuse, forgiveness, and relationship that kept me completely captivated. If you haven’t read Jane Harper’s novel, what are you waiting for?