User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
I’m certainly in the minority on this one, but I just didn’t feel that Jane Harper magic with THE SURVIVORS. The atmospheric setting is wonderful, but I found the mystery at hand didn’t quite grip me like the others did. I also wish there had been an extended epilogue or something to give us more information involving a few details. Still a huge fan and will be looking forward to her next novel.
Rating: really liked it
My fourth waltz with the author! She did it again! She did so much better this time! Rocked my world, broke my heart, made me fell in love with her beautiful writing and meticulously crafted characters one more time!
A murder of young art student threatened the cocooned safety of coastal town by bringing out buried secrets, lies, guilt, injustice, wrong punishments, regrets of the past related with the big storm which took away three people’s lives and traumatized their families’ lives forever!
Welcome to Evelyn Bay in Tasmania Coast. (fictional place) Kieran Elliott is our narrator, coming back to family house after building a new life with his girlfriend Mia in Sydney, raising their baby girl.
They came back to help Kieran’s mother Verity and his father Brian who suffers from dementia to pack their belongings for moving out from the place.
But this journey opens so many can of worms of the tragic events related with disastrous storm who took two boys’ ( one of them is his own brother) and 14 years old Gabby’s ( who was also Mia’s best friend) lives because he just wanted to make out with a girl in the caves and it was too late he realized the tide was getting higher. And his brother got a suicide mission to drive the boat to rescue him. In the meantime Gabby Birch has drowned and her backpack was found by the authorities.
After 12 years fighting with his guilt feelings, depression, Kieran evolved into more caring, understanding, mature man with the help of Mia and his daughter’s support but seeing his broken parents who are still grieving his brother bring out the resentment, sadness he has been bottling up for years.
And as soon as he meets with his mates Ash, Sean, Olivia at Surf& Turf, the very same place Olivia and her new roommate art student Bronte works, the old memories start to come out, inner demons start to torture him.
He also eavesdrops the conversation between Bronte and Liam(his brother’s best friend’s son ) about he was the one to be blamed because of the deaths of three people.
On the very next day, poor Bronte’s dead body is found on the shore feeds the town’s people with more questions and gossips because Liam was the last person saw her alive.
The authorities bring out big guns: Detective Pendlebury starts working with local police and as an outsider she can get more objective and fresher look to the things occurring in this small coastal town which help her connect with Bronte’s murder with three deaths from the past.
The layered character development, the realistic approach of a family’s struggling with grief, losing their memories of their once upon a time happy lives and broken Kieran’s never ending fight between punishing himself with guilt and forgiving himself to start his own family were realistically and genuinely written.
All of the characters are flawed like Kieran: they stuck in the small town, facing with their failures, regrets, sadnesses. They are just slowly drowning like people they’d lost. Every one of them were relatable, honest and it was impossible not to feel for them.
And the heartbroken ending made me numb. It was the most emotional story of this author and one of my favorite books of her. ( I liked the other three but I guess this one will have a special place in my heart!)
Of course I’m giving my Tasmanian monster, heartbreaking, unique, perfectly written five stars!
Special thanks to Macmillan Reading Insiders Club and NetGalley for sharing this incredible digital copy of one of my favorite author’s upcoming book in exchange my honest review.
Rating: really liked it
The Survivors is another slow burn from Jane Harper that quickly morphs into a gripping, unputdownable story.
After many years away, Kieran has returned to the small Australian waterfront town where he grew up. The town holds a tragic memory for him, one that has haunted him in all the years since then. Now that he's back, with his wife and infant daughter in tow, the long buried secrets of what happened all those years ago start to surface. And a new tragedy strikes, threatening to tear the town apart again.
Jane Harper's stories are always centered around its characters, and this book is no different. They jump off the pages fully formed, each with their complexities and their burdens of secrets and guilt. And it's not just about each individual person, but also how they relate to each other, in all that is said and unsaid. Harper's insightfulness and shrewdness at capturing the nuances and the landscape of small town relationships makes this character study a real highlight of the story.
The mystery itself is interesting and compelling. It drives the overall narrative, and infuses it with the prevailing atmosphere that something isn't quite right. The subtle malice flows through the undercurrents of this story, sweeping me away with its quiet intensity. Not much is happening on the surface, but underneath, it relentlessly builds the story into its inevitable and surprising conclusion.
I did find the beginning of the story to be a little slow, but that's pretty typical for me when it comes to Harper's writing. But I hold on for the initial few chapters, and pretty soon, I'm having trouble putting the book down. Now for all the buildup, I did find the ending to be a bit abrupt, as if I blinked and it was over. It sufficiently explained everything, but after following the characters and their storyline for so many pages, I just wanted a little more to fully wrap everything up and satisfy my curiosity.
Still, I wholeheartedly enjoyed this story. It has everything I've come to love about Harper's storytelling, with its focus on its characters in the setting of a small Australian town. I've read all of her books so far, and I just can't seem to get enough. Alas, now begins the long and tortuous wait for her next book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my thoughts on:The Lost Man
Aaron Falk
#1. The Dry
#2. Force of Nature
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rating: really liked it
The Survivors by Jane Harper
Thirty year old Kieran Elliott and his girlfriend, Mia, have returned to their coastal hometown, Evelyn Bay, to help Kieran's mother pack so that his father can be moved to a long term dementia residence. Twelve years ago, Evelyn Bay was the site of a sudden devastating storm that took lives, destroyed property, and caused untold psychological damage to numerous residents. Now, on the heels of Keiran and Mia's return to the town, a young woman's body is found on the beach. Twelve years ago, a young girl went missing from this beach and was never found. At about the same time, eighteen year old Kieran almost lost his life because of an unwise decision, several unwise decisions, decisions that led to the death of two men.
The townspeople, his parents, and Kieran, will never forget the role he played during that horrible storm so many years ago. Visiting his hometown is a kind of torture for Kieran but one he thinks he deserves. No one can blame Kieran more than he blames himself for the deadly events of that day. Now, twelve years later, with the dead woman found on the beach, many of the same people of long ago become suspects and/or accusers, as the town rumors run rampant, in person and on Evelyn Bay's social media. People will say things, behind a screen, that they would never say to a person's face.
This is a very slow story, full of atmosphere, a quiet sense of dread (some of my dread came from Kieran's three month baby being towed along everywhere, in her little baby pouch, scaring the daylights out of me and taking my mind off the story, at times...it wasn't the baby that scared me, it was how Kieran packed the baby around like she was a gym bag). I haven't spent much time at the coast but Jane Harper allowed me to really feel the location, the ocean, the waves, the caves, the beach, the mood of the only bar, the mood of the people, she made me feel like I was right there, in the story. Jane Harper, after just two of her books, The Lost Man and The Survivors, ranks up there with my favorite authors. Now I'm on to audios of The Dry and Force of Nature. I'm looking forward to the next book that Jane Harper writes and hope it's not too far into the future.
Publication: February 2, 2021
Thank you to Macmillan Publishers/Flatiron Books and NetGalley for this ARC.
Rating: really liked it
Dark, Heavy, and Tragic “She could-almost-have been one of The Survivors.”
The Survivors is a character study centered around a murder linked to a mystery of the past.
Evelyn Bay, a small coastal town in Tasmania, has seen its fair share of tragedy. 12 years ago, two young men were lost during a tragic accident at sea during a tumultuous storm, while at the same time, a teenage girl went missing never to be seen again. In the present, the man who is to blame for the accident at sea returns home to deal with his ailing father. His presence brings out a lot of ill will, and when a murder occurs, he is in the thick of the list of suspects.
This is an atmospheric and weighty story about a man who survived a tragedy attempting to come to terms with his past. The pacing is slow, and it is much more of a character study than a mystery. While Kieran serves as the narrator, other characters are slowly developed, and all transform by the end.
Narrated by Kieran, the tone is gloomy and carries the weight of his guilt. He is a quiet character, but nuanced and has a compelling voice.
As always, Harper’s writing is exquisite. She has the ability to bring the atmosphere to life, and the seaside town of Evelyn Bay is no exception. Harper links the tension in the town to the tumultuous nature of the ocean.
I didn’t love
The Survivors as much as
The Lost Man, but it is very much worth reading, especially if you enjoy slow-building character studies.
It is a quiet story with a lot of tragedy to wade through. There is a resolution and a slow transformation that culminates into a moment of hope. I received a free ARC of The Survivors from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
Maybe it's me.Maybe I'm just not feeling crime novels like I used to.
Maybe I've been too spoiled lately with unique stories.
Maybe too much reading has left me jaded.
Whatever the reason, I found this
frustrating and
slow and
ultimately disappointing.Setup: A whole bunch of secrets in a small Tasmanian coastal town, and Kieran digging through the past while we all try to work out who's responsible for the recent death of a girl.
The Good Bits The SettingI can't argue about Jane Harper's ability to set the scene. She does it well, and anyone who has ever visited an Australian coastal town will recognise it here. She has a way of transporting you to the locations she writes about, and it's definitely the best part of her writing.
The Tangle of InformationThere is a lot of information to absorb - some of it relevant to solving the mystery, some of it just to throw you off. It's all jumbled together so there is the fun element of trying to untangle everything and come to your own conclusions.
The Cast of CharactersLook, I didn't really
like any of them, but they were an interesting bunch and different enough that it kept the story interesting. Plus having so many of them meant there were lots of guesses as to who was behind all the drama.
The Frustrating Bits The PaceThe first half of this novel really dragged, because it put so much time into talking about the lives of so many characters and setting out the misdirects for the mystery to come. So there are a lot of info dumps and not really a lot of action. The second half picks up a bit, and finally it does get to be an addictive read but, for me, the lack of interest at the start meant I wasn't as invested in the conclusion as I could have been.
The Allusions to the PastThis was hands down the most frustrating part for me. It works so hard to be mysterious that it ends up just seeming obnoxious. It drops all these hints about a mystery we clearly know nothing about, then there's a quick info-dump to scratch the itch, followed almost immediately with another hint about something else. The formula was so repetitive that I found myself not wanting to pick the book back up because it was so frustrating.
The Pushed AgendaFor a book told from a male's POV, this sure wants to make a point about how hard it is to be a woman. It reminds us that women can't walk in the dark without feeling safe and that beautiful women will always be harassed and blamed for being beautiful. As a woman I totally get these issues, but it just felt so out of place the way it was discussed in this story. She worked too hard to make a point of it, and it grated for me because it never felt organic. Especially when she spent so much time talking about how attractive the females in this book were. Overall, it was pretty jarring and made me feel awkward.
Final Thoughts It wasn't terrible, and it definitely had me hooked towards the end, but on finishing the story I was left scratching my head a little, wondering what the heck just happened. It's one of those endings that kind of leaves you disappointed, thinking maybe you missed something. It just kind of - I think the technical term I want to go with here is 'fizzled'.
I never really liked any of the characters, and it all felt complicated for the sake of complication. There were so many secrets that didn't need to be secrets. Because of this, it also feels like there was a lot that was never properly explained.
Certainly not her best work, and a little disappointing when I enjoyed her last one so much. But, as mentioned, maybe I've just become a little jaded with the crime novel formula.
It's intriguing and full of secrets, and it takes some twisty turns for you to explore. If you don't overthink it you're bound to enjoy it well enough, but those looking to be blown away might be a little disappointed.
With thanks to Macmillan for my uncorrected proof ARC
Rating: really liked it
***HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY***
I am feeling both happy and sad. I’m happy that this new Jane Harper novel is every bit as good as her previous novels but sad that I will have to now wait for her next one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was a bit surprised that this book was set on the Tasmanian coast after reading The Dry and The Lost Man. I never knew I could see beauty in the Australian outback until I read those books. But Ms. Harper is a master of atmosphere and I quickly found myself caught up in the new setting.
Evelyn Bay is a small coastal town in Tasmania. Kieran and his young family have returned to the town to help Kieran’s mom pack up their house. They are moving his father to a home as his dementia has been increasing rapidly. His memory is very bad and he wanders a lot. It’s impossible to keep an eye on him at all times. So his mom will get a place close by so that she can visit often. Kieran hasn’t been back to the town since the fateful storm and tragedy that took place 12 years previously. Two people died that night, Kieran’s brother Finn and Toby, Liam’s dad. A young girl, Gabby, Olivia’s younger sister, just 14, also disappeared that night, and has never been found.
Kieran was just 18 years old when a raging storm trapped him and the girl he was with, Olivia, in the treacherous caves below lookout point. This area is notorious for shipwrecks and dangerous storms. There is a large bronze statue at the base of the cliffs, titled “The Survivors” that looks out to the sea. People can gauge how high the sea is cresting by looking at how high it reaches up the statue. On the day of the terrible storm, the crests were so high that the statue couldn’t be seen at all. When Olivia made it to dry land she sent a call for help and Finn and Toby’s boat, apparently in an attempt to rescue Kieran, hit the cliffs and toppled, killing the two men. Kieran has held the guilt inside him for all of this time. He feels it was his fault that they died trying to rescue him.
The night after Kieran is back in town, a young woman is found dead on the beach. She was here for the summer, working as a waitress but capturing lots of the coastal sights on camera for an art series she is working on at university. She is a talented young artist just beginning to discover her passion for photography.
Immediately all of the town has their own opinion on what happened, if a crime was committed and who the culprit could be.There is an online forum and it has people divulging secrets about everyone.
This is a wonderful example of Ms. Harper’s style of writing. The first half is a slow burn. She sets up the atmosphere and setting, then introduces us to the characters and their backstory.
The second half moves at a quicker and more tense pace as secrets are revealed and a detective from the mainland joins the local police in trying to uncover exactly what happened.
There are a multitude of characters but once you have them firmly set in your mind it’s pretty easy to keep track of them, both in the past and present. Everyone is a suspect until the ending and I certainly did not have this one figured out. Although I had some suspicions, they were only partly correct.
Jane Harper is a master storyteller. She builds and builds layer upon layer, to an explosive and satisfying end.
This novel is set to be published on February 2, 2021
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
ADDENDUM: I decided to both read and listen to this novel to see which I preferred. I was a bit worried that the Australian accent of the narrator would be difficult to understand but it wasn't. However I do feel that with the multitude of characters and moving from past to present, I got the best experience out of the physical book. I would still highly recommend the audiobook. The narration is good, it sets the atmosphere and setting well and it was easy to follow.
I received the audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley
Rating: really liked it
Even 2020 can't dampen Jane Harper's fire! Yet another atmospheric thriller from a recently-acquired fave of mine.
And I'm not just throwing "atmospheric" around because I think it sounds good. This is what makes Jane Harper's books so good for me, and it was the same with The Dry, Force of Nature and The Lost Man. Her settings are almost alive; almost characters in their own right. Here, the author takes us to the little coastal town of Evelyn Bay in Tasmania, and I swear I could feel the salt spray coming off the pages.
It's a stormy book on multiple levels. At the centre of the plot is the actual storm that happened twelve years ago; one which changed the characters' lives forever, left some wracked with grief, and others carrying the burden of guilt. Then another storm comes in the form of a murdered woman on the beach. Who could have done such a thing? And why? And is it somehow linked to the events that unfolded so many years ago?
Harper draws us into her characters' lives; into the tight-knit and complex relationships, governed by love, shared experiences, and, sometimes, blame. Kieran serves as the centre, but there's so much going on around him-- old friends with new lovers, old enemies still grinding that axe, parents who understandably never got over the loss of their child... the fictional town of Evelyn Bay is its own rich world.
And the author proves once again that she is capable of writing a mystery/thriller from the perspective of a civilian. As I said in my review of The Lost Man, so many mysteries are ridiculous when the MC is some kind of amateur sleuth, but Harper makes Kieran's discovery of hidden secrets seem natural and believable.
I look forward to what she writes next.
Rating: really liked it
The Survivors audiobook, by Jane Harper, narrated by Stephen Shanahan
Thirty year old Kieran Elliott and his girlfriend, Mia, have returned to their coastal hometown, Evelyn Bay, to help Kieran's mother pack so that his father can be moved to a long term dementia residence. Twelve years ago, Evelyn Bay was the site of a sudden devastating storm that took lives, destroyed property, and caused untold psychological damage to numerous residents. Now, on the heels of Keiran and Mia's return to the town, a young woman's body is found on the beach. Twelve years ago, a young girl went missing from this beach and was never found. At about the same time, eighteen year old Kieran almost lost his life because of an unwise decision, several unwise decisions, decisions that led to the death of two men.
The townspeople, his parents, and Kieran, will never forget the role he played during that horrible storm so many years ago. Visiting his hometown is a kind of torture for Kieran but one he thinks he deserves. No one can blame Kieran more than he blames himself for the deadly events of that day. Now, twelve years later, with the dead woman found on the beach, many of the same people of long ago become suspects and/or accusers, as the town rumors run rampant, in person and on Evelyn Bay's social media. People will say things, behind a screen, that they would never say to a person's face.
This is a very slow story, full of atmosphere, a quiet sense of dread (some of my dread came from Kieran's three month baby being towed along everywhere, in her little baby pouch, scaring the daylights out of me and taking my mind off the story, at times...it wasn't the baby that scared me, it was how Kieran packed the baby around like she was a gym bag). I haven't spent much time at the coast but Jane Harper allowed me to really feel the location, the ocean, the waves, the caves, the beach, the mood of the only bar, the mood of the people, she made me feel like I was right there, in the story. Stephen Shanahan did a fantastic job of narrating the story and I plan to listen to two more of his narrations next (Jane Harper books). I did have to adjust to the timeline changing back and forth between present day and twelve years ago, without anything to denote the time change but I quickly got used to the story doing so.
Jane Harper, after just two of her books, The Lost Man and The Survivors, ranks up there with my favorite authors. Now I'm on to audios of The Dry and Force of Nature. I'm looking forward to the next book that Jane Harper writes and hope it's not too far into the future.
Publication: February 2, 2021
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.
Rating: really liked it
Kieran is home visiting his parents when an event unfolds which brings up the past when two local men died. Is this event tied to the past? What did happen all those years ago?
Pros:
*The ending was surprising and kept me guessing until the reveal.
*The narrator.
Cons:
*The prose was underdeveloped. Plus, how many times did they say the word, "Mate"? Was the editor asleep?
*The book was not as page turning as I would have liked.
*Not everything was explained in the end.
*Too many characters all introduced in a short amount of time.
2022 Reading Schedule
Jan Animal Farm
Feb Lord of the Flies
Mar The Da Vinci Code
Apr Of Mice and Men
May Memoirs of a Geisha
Jun Little Women
Jul The Lovely Bones
Aug Charlotte's Web
Sep Life of Pi
Oct Dracula
Nov Gone with the Wind
Dec The Secret Garden
Connect With Me!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lisa_of_Troy
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvmS...
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LisaofTroy
Email: hello@lisaoftroy.com
Rating: really liked it
Jane Harper does it again!!!
This was my fourth read by Jane Harper - though I wouldn’t say it was my favourite, think my fave is still The Lost Man.
Kieran and his girlfriend Mia return to their hometown to introduce their newborn daughter to his parents. 12 years earlier Kieran’s brother Finn and other local boy Toby were killed in a drowning accident, but we are unsure of the particulars - this is revealed over time.
As always the atmosphere is gripping and dark. So many secrets and hidden agendas. When a young woman who was staying for the summer is found dead on the beach, all the old suspicions come back.
I won’t say too much only that there are plenty of characters so you’re never sure who it could be and the reveals are very satisfying. My only gripe would be that I would have liked a bit more info at the end - after the fallout. (view spoiler)
[ did Kieran go to the police about Sean and Gabby Birch 12 years earlier? Was all the info about the back pack released to the public? (hide spoiler)]Would have loved maybe just a epilogue covering the final bases.
*****************************
Library copy available for pick up More from Jane Harper! Come at me!!
Rating: really liked it
4 bright and shining ⭐ for my first Jane Harper novel!!
This woman 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚
𝘛𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰 𝘒𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯'𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵-𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴.
𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 a 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩.
This is a slow (and I mean slooowwww) burn, character driven mystery.
For me the best thing about this book is how realistic the characters are. Their actions and dialog are genuine and relatable. I enjoyed learning about all the townsfolk, both 12 years ago and at present time. It provided a lot of murder suspects and a lot of red herrings. Tons of fun!
---------------------------------------------------------
Here is a strange (to me) quote
'𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦.' 𝘔𝘪𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥. '𝘉𝘶𝘵-'
𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯....
I have 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 seen a kitchen with a door leading to it! Is it an Australian thing? I'm so curious lol
Anyways, I highly recommend this fantastic, atmospheric book!
Rating: really liked it
An interesting, well written book but The Survivors did not grab me the way her earlier books have done.
I think it was maybe the lack of tension. Someone in the town was obviously the murderer but eventually they would get caught and that would be that. There were red herrings aplenty but I was pretty sure who it was not going to be so I could relax and enjoy the descriptions of beautiful Tasmania and those cold, cold waves lapping onto the beach and into the caves.
I did get nervous occasionally but mostly with Kieran's parenting skills. The places that little baby went was scary.
Anyway, for me this was an enjoyable read but not particularly memorable.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Rating: really liked it
Once again Jane Harper showcases her ability to atmospherically evoke the faultlines in a small community, this time in the coastal town of Evelyn Bay in Tasmania. In this character driven, slow burn of a mystery, Kieron Elliot, a sports physiotherapist, returns home to help his mother, Verity, help pack up their home in preparation for his dementia suffering father, Brian, to move into a care home. Kieron never came back after tragedy struck 12 years ago during a savage and devastating storm in which his golden older brother, Finn, and Toby, Liam's father, died trying to rescue 18 year old Kieron from the dangerous caves. On the same day, 14 year old Gabby Birch went missing, her bag recovered from the sea later. A guilt ridden Kieron has never really got over what happened, but like the statues in the sea, The Survivors, commemorating the loss of life in a wreck, he has survived, thanks to his strong connection and love for partner, Mia, and for Audrey, his baby daughter.
Kieron is shocked to see just how much Brian has deteriorated, hard to care for, with a habit of escaping and going wandering in the town. On the first evening back, Kieron meets with Ash, a childhood friend, who persuades him and Mia to meet another friend, Sean, at the Surf and Turf, an evening in which Kieron crosses paths with Liam Gilroy, who still holds him responsible for the death of his father. The events of 12 years ago come back to haunt the Evelyn Bay community after young vibrant artist and waitress Bronte Laidler is found murdered the following morning. Local cop, Sergeant Chris Renn, is joined by Hobart DI Sue Pendlebury in the murder inquiry. On an online forum and with each other, locals let rip, deciding who is guilty, as malice, gossip, resentments, jealousies, secrets, grief and trauma rise to the surface, with people spilling their guts about each other. Kieron finds himself revisiting a past where he thought he knew what happened, only to discover all was not as it appeared.
Harper excels in her depiction of small town coastal life, with the wide range of characters, from recent additions like author George Barlin, to Trish Birch, a ghost of a woman that has never got over the disappearance of her daughter, Gabby, convinced the police investigation into her disappearance was inadequate. Kieron and Ash were far from role model teenagers, Kieron's parents have never got over the loss of Finn, and whilst overtly never blaming him, emotions can often be darker and harder to rationalise in practice. It is this depth of subtle and nuanced characterisation, no-one emerges without flaws, that marks Harper as a terrific and compulsive writer whose talent has ensured the large number of readers that now follow her. A brilliant read that I thoroughly enjoyed! Many thank to Little, Brown for an ARC.
Rating: really liked it
In her new novel Jane Harper has taken us away from the hot dry interior or wild rugged ranges of her previous books to a small coastal town on the southern coast of Tasmania. Evelyn Bay is the type of seaside town fondly remembered by many Australians for family summer holidays of endless hot, sunny days playing on a sandy beach beneath a perfectly blue sky. A town swamped by holidaymakers in summer that breathes a sigh of relief as autumn rolls in and the locals hunker down to wait out the off season.
Kieran and Mia have returned to Evelyn Bay, where they both grew up, to help Kieran's mother pack up the family house and move his father into a nursing home as his dementia worsens. To Kieran, nothing much seems to have changed in the town, but he can't help thinking back to the powerful storm twelves years ago that changed his life for ever as well as that of his family and friends. The death of a young woman the day after they arrive rakes up memories for the town of another young girl who disappeared without trace during that wild storm twelve years before.
As well as immersing us in atmospheric landscapes like that of Evelyn Bay with it's caves and statue called the Survivors on the cliffs overlooking a famous shipwreck, Jane Harper is so good at painting the relationships and frictions in small towns. The town has never allowed Kieran to forget the events that occurred during the storm and he still carries guilt over his role. But others in the town have hidden secrets about that day and as Detectives from Hobart start to investigate the young woman's death, the tension of the town rises and those secrets start to surface. There are many layers to the story with the local online community hub quickly becomes full of rumors and theories about who the killer might me. It's a slow burn of a story rather than a suspense driven thriller with quite a few red herrings present as the tale unfolds. My theory on what happened was completely wrong as I discovered in the dramatic ending. 4.5★
With many thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia and Netgalley for a copy to read
