BLOG TOUR: The Lost Man - Jane Harper

Synopsis:

Two brothers meet at the border of their vast cattle properties under the unrelendting sun of the outback Queensland, in this stunning standalone novel from New York Times bestseller Jane Harper.

They are at the stockmans grave, a landmark so old, no 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 her lose hope and walk to his death? Becuase if he didnt, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects.

Reivew:

I dont think its any news that I'm a huge fan of Jane Harper and her work, The Lost Man doesnt change that fact either. This is a stand alone compared to her other two books which are a part of a series. I first heard of this book way before it got its name, before it was even written, back when Jane was off on a journey to research which already had be hooked with her tales and photos of her journey.

Her fantastic atmospheric way of writing pulls you in to the setting, holding you there, making you feel the blaring heat of the outback heat, the isolation and her character driven plots are incredibly engaging. Jane is for sure one of the finest writers.  Although I fell in love with Janes books that are part of a series, hearing this was going to be a stand alone book gave me hope to see  what Jane could come up with and how it would effect its readers. 

The book follows Nathan, one of Camerons brothers and he searches for an answer, was Cameron murdered or was it suicide? Well throughout the book there is nothing that points to the deininte answer, not until the very end, nothing comes across as something that an ammetur couldnt do, it was al so realistic.

There is no chance for you to not be shocked by this book, its unepected twists will floor you. Although i have read psychological thrilllers that i have beena ble to solve and ride out the twisty plots, Harper managed to yet again create another book with an journey and ending i couldnt see coming. The Lost Man is a tale of family dynamics, all too familiar abuse and a minimal list of people for you to choose from to guess the final outcome before the reveal. It's nothing new for me to aboslutely suck at guessing before the reveal. 

Theres so many things to this book that make it amazing, at some point you suspect everyone, and the passing between past and present brings the reader to an emotional climax after a tense journey alongside Nathan and his family. Jane hasnt dissapointed in transporting me as a reader to places I could only dream of visiting. If you enjoy emotionally charged, character driven stories do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of The Lost Man. Its only the begining of February but this book will remain int he top 10 best books ir ead in 2019 without a doubt. It's a 5/5 from me.

Force Of Nature - Jane Harper BLOG TOUR

Synopsis:

Five women go on a hike. Only four return. Jane Harper, the New York Times bestselling author of The Dry, asks: How well do you really know the people you work with?

When five colleagues are forced to go on a corporate retreat in the wilderness, they reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking down the muddy path.

But one of the women doesn’t come out of the woods. Five women go on a hike. Only four return. Jane Harper, the New York Times bestselling author of The Dry, asks: How well do you really know the people you work with?

When five colleagues are forced to go on a corporate retreat in the wilderness, they reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking down the muddy path.

But one of the women doesn’t come out of the woods. And each of her companions tells a slightly different story about what happened.

Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing hiker. In an investigation that takes him deep into isolated forest, Falk discovers secrets lurking in the mountains, and a tangled web of personal and professional friendship, suspicion, and betrayal among the hikers. But did that lead to murder?

Review:

Following The Dry, Jane has picked yet another superb setting for The Force Of Nature, Giralang Ranges, and it comes with it's own history, that of Martin Kovac, a serial killer that still haunts the area, continuing to haunt everyone's memories and nightmares.

Five women are on a corporate team building hike run by Executive Adventures, only four make it to the end. Federal Agent Aaron Falk of the Melbourne Financial Investigations Unit returns, this time with colleague, Carmen Cooper. They have been looking into financial corruption and money laundering at Bailey Tennants, the company of which the 5 women work for, and no one knows that Alice Russell is in the process of accessing and handing over crucial documents over to Falk and Cooper. 

When Aaron receives a voicemail from Alice from which he makes out the words 'hurt her' and as Alice is the one team member to not make it to the end of the trail with her team, Aaron feels guilty, suspecting the worst thinking that they endangered her life. The couple come across so human and real because Falk and Cooper are constantly concerned about what happened to Alice but their bosses are only persistent in demanding to get a hold of the documents she was going to hand over no matter what.

It's safe to say I've missed Aaron Falk since our first trip in Australia during the draught of his home town, so it was a lovely reunion even if not exactly on the best of terms. Its lovely to see Aaron as part of a pairing once again. Carmen seems like just the perfect match for him in a professional matter when it comes to with ways of thinking etc..Carmen also proves to be instrumental in Aaron coming to terms with the guilt he holds when it comes to the death of his father, a man well acquainted with the Girlang Ranges.

The story follows the search for Alice and the parallel narrative that tells us what happened amongst the group of lost women as they struggle in the dense bush land, cold, wet, hungry, thirsty and desperate to survive.

Jill Bailey is the head of her team during the hike due to her executive position in the company, this is as hard as always because throughout Alice is constantly hacks away at her authority in her efforts to return to Melbourne to be with her daughter, Margot. It's clear quite quickly that Alice is not nice, holding tightly to her mean and nasty streak that just gives rise to a host of suspects with a motive to do away with her on the hike. 

Alice has a dark history with Lauren Shaw that goes back to their schooldays. Lauren is a vulnerable woman, unable to cope at work as her daughter, Rebecca, whom we find out had descended into the deep depths of misery with mental health issues after an incident at school. Beth is on probation after leaving prison having battled drug addiction and in the process of trying to mend her battered relationship with her twin, Breanna. As the women's situation deteriorates, the rifts, rivalries, conflicts, resentments and jealousies surface, destined to lead to violence. Aaron slowly begins to piece together the mystery of the missing Alice.

Jane Harper once again gives us a strong image of the location in the Girlang Ranges with her beautiful and detailed descriptions of the landscape and the dangers within it, with the howling winds and driving rain. Jane' psychological insights make her complex characters and their development authentic to the reader. Her writing is so vibrant that I felt I was right there with the lost women as they stumbled their way through the bush, hunger and fear contributing to their downward spiral as they turn on each other and Alice. The strongest recurring theme is the issue of just how far parents are prepared to go for their children. It's a beautiful underlining theme if I must say so.

Jane yet again blew me away with Force Of Nature, The Dry swept me off my feet and I'm pretty sure FON just made sure I didn't get back up on my feet. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read, gripping you with each page turn. I cant recommend this book any more than The Dry, just if you ever pick up a copy be prepared for the twists and turns the books take, allow all of the factors throughout the story to take a hold of you and try your best to figure it all out before you get to the end because as always I did horrific at trying to piece together what had happened until I read it out. I can not leave out the fact once I finished the book and closed the pages I held it to my chest and just sat there stammering like an idiot it had taken that much of an effect on me. It's an easy 5/5 for me and I can't wait to read more of Janes writing as she clearly has such a way with words.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jane Harper is the author of The Dry, winner of various awards including the 2015 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript, the 2017 Indie Award Book of the Year and the 2017 Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year Award. Rights have been sold in 27 territories worldwide, and film rights optioned to Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea. Jane worked as a print journalist for thirteen years both in Australia and the UK and lives in Melbourne. Force of Nature is Jane’s second novel.
Janeharper.com.au

For further information please contact Grace Vincent, Senior Publicity Manager Grace.Vincent@littlebrown.co.uk / 020 3122 6590

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Of The Most Unique Books I've Read

Let There Be Linda - Rich Leder

Summary Justice - John Fairfax

The Dry - Jane Harper

More Than This - Patrick Ness

SweetPea - CJ Skuse

Risen - M.T Miller

Raven's Peak - Lincoln Cole

Everyday - David Levithan

The Sign Of One - Eugene Lambert

The Edge Of Juniper - Lora Richardson

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted weekly by The Broke And The Bookish

Top Ten Tuesday - Authors I'm Dying To Meet/ Authors I Can't Believe I've Met

I've met 3 authors but unfortunately I didn't get photo's with 2 out of the 2 but here are the 3 I've met so far. All 3 of these women are beautiful, amazing, empowering and bloody awesome.

Holly Smale

Holly Bourne

C.J. Daugherty

The last 7 of this list will be authors I want to meet, its going to be 7 I can pick off the top of my head even though there are many many more than 7.

Mark Hill

Jane Harper




Stephanie Garber




Peter Monn




John Green




Eugene Lambert


Patrick Ness




Top Ten Tuesday is hosted weekly by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Tuesday - Books That Will Make You Read The Whole Day Away

The Dry - Jane Harper

Come Sit By Me - Thomas Hoobler

Hell's Horizon - Darren Shan

Everything Everything - Nicola Yoon

Gravedigger - Michael - Israel Jarvis

Geek Girl Head Over Heels - Holly Smale

The Art Of Being Normal - Lisa Williamson

Nameless Chronicle #2 Ascent - M.T.Miller

The Food Of Love - Amanda Prowse

Sweetpea - C.J Skuse

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke And The Bookish

The Dry - Jane Harper

Synopsis:
A small town hides big secrets in The Dry, an atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper.

After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke’s steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn’t tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead.

Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there’s more to Luke’s death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.

Review: (I'm going to try to not give away too much)

You're thrown into the deep end when you begin this book, Aaron Falk returns to his hometown after decades away to attend the funeral of his childhood best friend Luke. The majority of the town believes Luke had shot his eldest son and wife dead in their family home before killing himself in a clearing not far from his house. The town accept it and grieve the loss of the family as well as trying to get by in a drought.

Aaron Falk doesn't want to stay in the town longer than a day, but after the funeral Luke’s father approaches him asking him for help and he just can't refuse. He agrees to stay a little longer but after that he's definitely gone.

Each and every day Falk has is interesting, When certain things happen we get to see a little into the past of the Aaron all the way back to when it was him and his best friend Luke as they hung out with 2 other friends.

The characters were so well written,so interesting and engaging. I loved how much of a great main character Aaron was. It was just so exciting to see him pull all of the pieces of the puzzle together. Thankfully there was no super sloppy romance like some of the other novels of this genre that I have read. It was quite nice to spend the large majority of the story on the main plot line instead of swerving off to a out of place romance.

I enjoyed how quickly the tide would turn, you'd be lead in one direction and you'd believe you had it all figured out and then all of a sudden you're ripped away and in the other direction taking you back to square one. It kept me gripped and I found it hard to put down.

The ending took me completely by surprise and other did have to sit in silence for half an hour after finishing it, clutching it to my chest trying to fully absorb everything I had felt I had experienced.

Jane did an amazing job right from the start, she created scenes so well written I swear I could feel the hot unforgiving sun bearing down on me. It is an incredible thrilling debut from Jane and I can't wait to see what else she has up her sleeves for us in the future.

It's a 5/5 from me, it'd be an 11/10 if I went that high. It's a definite must read for some of you out there that just can't wait to sink into a mystery. Give it a shot and let's see if you can figure it out before the end what happened to the Hadler family.

Blog Tour: The Dry by Jane Harper

THE DRY

JANE HARPER

Published in hardback by Little, Brown on 12 January 2017, £12.99

‘One of the most stunning debuts I’ve ever read . . . Every word is near perfect. The story builds like a wave seeking the purchase of earth before it crashes down and wipes out everything you might have thought about this enthralling tale’ David Baldacci

‘Terrific characters, unique and evocative setting, knockout plot construction. This book has it all’ John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of The Fall

‘You will feel the heat, taste the dust and bling into the glare. The Dry is a wonderful crime novel that shines a light into the darkest corner of a sunburnt country’ Michael Robotham, CWA Gold Dagger Winner, bestselling author of Life or Death

‘Every so often a debut novel arrives that is so tightly woven and compelling it seems the work of a novelist in her prime. That’s what Jane Harper has given us with The Dry, a story so true to setting and tone it seemed I fell asleep in Virginia only to wake in the Australian heat. It’s rare, that sense of transportation, and I loved every minute of it’ John Hart, New York Times bestselling author of Redemption Road

‘It’s extremely rare and exciting to read a debut that enthrals from the very first page and then absolutely sticks the landing. Told with heart and guts and an authentic sense of place that simply cannot be faked, The Dry is the debut of the year’ C.J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Off the Grid

I just can’t understand how someone like him could do something like that.

Amid the worst drought to ravage Australia in a century, it hasn’t rained in small country

town Kiewarra for two years. Tensions in the community become unbearable when three

members of the Hadler family are brutally murdered. Everyone things Luke Hadler, who

committed suicide after slaughtering his wife and six-year-old son, is guilty.

Policeman Aaron Falk returns to the town of his youth for the funeral of his childhood

best friend, and is unwillingly drawn into the investigation. As questions mount and

suspicion spreads through the town, Falk is forced to confront the community that

rejected him twenty years earlier. Because Falk and Luke Hadler shared a secret, one

which Luke’s death threatens to unearth. And as Falk probes deeper into the killings,

secrets from his past and why he left home bubble to the surface as he questions the truth

of his friend’s crime.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jane Harper has worked as a print journalist for thirteen years both in Australia and the UK.

She lives in Melbourne and currently writes for the Herald Sun. Jane is originally from the

UK and moved to Australia in 2008. The Dry is her first novel.

Janeharper.com.au

FURTHER PRAISE FOR THE DRY

‘Every now and then an Australian crime novel comes along to stop your breath and haunt your dreams…There is about The Dry something mythic and valiant ... This is a story about heroism, the sins of the past, and the struggle to atone.’ Sydney Morning Herald

‘A razor-sharp crime yarn dripping in the sights, sounds and smells of the Australian bush…The storytelling is accomplished, with a bald sparseness to the writing that draws you in and characterization that rings resoundingly true…as the action twists and turns, the pace build[s] to a fantastic finale that will leave you breathless.’―Australian Women’s Weekly

‘A tightly plotted page-turner that kept me reading well into the night…Harper shines a light on the highs and lows of rural life – the loyalty born of collective endurance in adversity, as well as the loneliness and isolation, and the havoc wrought by small-town gossip. She also explores the nature of guilt and regret, and the impact of the past on the present. In this cracker of a book Harper maintains the suspense, with the momentum picking up as it draws to its nerve-wracking conclusion.’

―Australian Financial Review

‘The Dry is a page-turner written with a maturity of style rarely seen in a first-time novelist and it’s here the writer excels. Harper’s exploration of the pressures of a small town where people are not able to escape the past is thoughtful and mature. Her plot twists and layering are intricate and subtle and keep you guessing to the end while the townspeople grow on you despite their dirty secrets. Harper’s well-executed final scenes are both filmic and tense, and sure to spark a few did-you-guess-it discussions.’ ―The West Australian

‘Devastating debut…a suspenseful tale of sound and fury as riveting as it is horrific.’ Publishers

Weekly, starred review

‘A stunner…It’s a small-town, big-secrets page-turner with a shocker of an ending.’ Booklist, starred review

‘You can almost feel the searing heat of the Australian drought in this intense, gripping, atmospheric read.’ Kate Hamer, bestselling author of The Girl in the Red Coat

‘Put up your tray table, buckle your seatbelt, and sit back: you’ve found the right book for this flight. Set in the flash-ready tinder of a town going under, The Dry is a cracking good read that will have you hoping the pilot decides to circle the airport before landing.’ Laura McBride, author of We Are Called to Rise

‘Debut author Harper plots this novel with laser precision, keeping suspects in play while dropping in flashbacks that offer readers a full understanding of what really happened . . . A chilling story set under a blistering sun, this fine debut will keep readers on edge and awake long past bedtime’ Kirkus Reviews

For further information please contact Grace Vincent

For further information please contact Grace Vincent

Grace.Vincent@littlebrown.co.uk / 020 3122 6590

What I have to say

The Dry is one of those books that grips you from the very beginning; throwing you right in at the deep end, the funeral of a young family that was, on the surface, a murder suicide as a result of economic depression within a small town. Returning home for the first time in so many years is Falk, who has hidden secrets about his shared past with the friend everyone assumes killed his wife and eldest child.

I fell in love with the setting of this book, you can really feel the suffocating heat. Falk had gotten out years ago, and is prepare to do it all again but after he's done what he came back to do, he is drawn back in to the low whispers and secrets of his small town home.

The writing is beautiful and really draws you in to this crime mystery, It incorporated small town drama whilst also being sensitive to the tragedy at the very centre of the story. I love crime thrillers so I really did enjoy this.

A full review of this book will feature on this blog this coming Saturday, return then to find out everything I have to say about this masterpiece.