The Lost Man by Jane Harper

The Lost Man is the kind of book that takes it’s time in setting the plot. Then it drags you in & consumes you !

Set in outback Queensland, this thriller makes you feel the Australian heat along with a compelling family drama. The thing I like about Jane Harper is that she really takes advantage of the atmosphere/geography the story is set in. She literally transports us there and there were moments in the book where I could really feel the heat even from the winter in Northeastern United States.

Cameron Bright is found dead near stockman’s grave. His car is parked nine miles away and it is in perfect condition. At first, looks like he walked into the desert heat with the intention of committing suicide. Nathan Bright , his older brother, arrives with his son to check on his family. Although, he lives in adjacent property, it’s a three hour drive between them. Yes !, The story is set in such location which makes it more interesting. As Nathan and his son stays with the family for a few days following his brother’s mysterious death, lot of things doesn’t makes sense. Is it possible that it could not have been a suicide? Did someone make him walk in to that desert heat ?

They lived in a land of extremes in more ways than one. People were either completely fine, or very not

Though on surface, the plot looks like a whodunnit, the story is much more than that. It talks about families, the tension, the abuse and all kinds of Dynamics between them. The protagonist Nathan isn’t perfect either. His past & his messy divorce haunts him as he is trying to establish a stable relationship with his teenage son Xander. I believe Xander’s character is beautifully crafted and he plays a significant role throughout the book.

Though the book unravels very slowly, the author manages to keep the tension throughout. At no point, I felt that the book was dragging. The ending was pretty predictable but like I said before it’s more about the characters & family Dynamics than a whodunnit. If you have read, Dry there are few cross references in this book to that story which I found very interesting.

I loved this book and I can’t wait for Jane Harper’s next book

4.5 🌟 !