Another intense, atmospheric thriller, as we have come to expect from Jane Harper as she brings us The Survivors, her fourth mystery thriller. As always, Harper does an incredible job of showcasing a part of the world the reader may have never been to, but that reader will still be able to feel the sea spray, hear the music and the heartbeat of the town, and believe that they have truly gotten to know these characters.
We meet Kieran and his partner Mia in the very first pages of the book. They have both previously lived in Evelyn Bay, but are now living in Sydney. They have returned, with their infant daughter, to assist Kieran’s parents in an upcoming move. Kieran’s father has developed dementia and has just about reached the point where his wife can no longer care for him alone. He will be moving into a care home and Kieran’s mother will be moving into an apartment near the care home. We get the feeling very quickly that there are a lot of unspoken things between Kieran and his parents, but open, honest communication does not appear to be one of their strengths.
Before one full day has passed, a tragedy occurs in their small town which reminds everyone far too much of a tragedy that happened 12 years before that permanently affected Kieran, his family, his friends, and almost everyone in town in some way or another. All the questions and suspicions from the events of the storm 12 years ago begin to resurface and old wounds are quickly reopened. Almost everyone involved back then was a teenager, so will things play out differently when they are faced with some of these same issues as adults?
Harper masterfully winds the threads of multiple mysteries together in ways that you will not be expecting. She also has a knack for ending chapters in ways that make it almost impossible to set your book down, even if you just said, “only one more chapter and I swear I’ll turn the lights out and go to bed!” Spoiler: No, you won’t.
There were one or two characters that I could not quite get inside of their heads and understand what was motivating their actions, but I personally did not find that distracting. Dealing with people in real life (outside of a book), we often face the same thing as there are people that sometimes we just don’t ever quite get what makes them tick.
Jane Harper has once again brought her fans an exciting location full of buried secrets, hidden guilt, and surprises around every corner.
The Survivors is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Coming home dredges up deeply buried secrets…
Kieran Elliott’s life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.
The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.
Kieran’s parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.
When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away…
