The Lost Man - Jane Harper

Fiction/Mystery

Rating: 7/10

Some mystery novels move at a breakneck speed, grabbing you from the first page and not letting up on the action until the last. This book is more of a slow burn, an invitation to stick around for the outcome.

The atmospheric descriptions of the Australian setting are so rich and detailed that you can feel the unrelenting sun beating down on your head, the thirst clutching at your throat and the grit imbedding itself in your skin. It’s a character in and of itself.

The gradual and measured reveal of why a man lies dead from exposure after chasing a patch of shade at a remote gravesite just a few kilometers from his fully stocked car is rife with secrecy. More questions unfold as we wonder why the oldest brother isn’t running the family ranch and what exactly is his history with his brother’s wife?

Footnote: The wading through decades of family drama and backstory to get to the whodunnit part of the book is totally worth the wait! It was rather unexpected!