Having come late to the party with Jane Harper’s debut novel The Dry, I was determined not to be left behind by her latest novel, The Lost Man, a standalone read set in the outback of Australia.
The Lost Man had me swept along into an entirely different place, a different lifestyle and that daunting and dangerous landscape. This a book that will evoke a whole range of feelings in its readers and because of that it is not for the faint-hearted.
We start with a description of a headstone, the marker for a legend that has been mutated during the years since it was placed there to mark the place where The Stockman died and on the day in question there is another body close to the headstone, another casualty to a lifestyle which is beyond ordinary comprehension. Cameron Bright was the middle sibling of three brothers and his elder brother Nathan, and the younger, Bub, gather at the site where he perished through lack of shelter from the overbearing sun, or was the story of his death quite that simple?
Jane Harper is a master at showing (and definitely not telling) and she takes us on a tour, into the house where Cameron ran his to the family he has left behind, two small girls whose daddy went out shortly before Christmas to fix something on his land and never returned. Cameron was man who knew the land, it was where he was born after all and now his wife Ilse is left to cope without him. Fortunately Uncle Harry is around as is the boy’s mother although as is only to be expected the house almost hums with confusion and grief.
What Jane Harper does that is even more explosive though is to start peeling back the layers of this family. Nathan pretty much takes centre stage as we journey with him back in time and slowly, oh so slowly but perfectly so, we learn the truth about an event many years ago that is still making its mark today.
I really couldn’t tell you what I enjoyed most about this book – was it the brilliant descriptions of a place? It really is testament to the author’s prowess that she managed to conjure up the heat and power of an open landscape of the outback in Queensland, when her reader was sat with the wind and rain howling across a small island on the other side of the world. I haven’t ever been to Australia and if I did the outback would probably not be my chosen destination, and yet for the duration of this book, I was very much there in the house with Isle and her girls Sophie and Lo. I watched Cameron’s mother Liz weep in the deepest of darkness when the generator was switched off by Harry at night-time. Perhaps the legend of the Stockman had something to do with the appeal, or equally the unravelling of a mystery that is dark, don’t for one moment imagine that the grim scenes at the beginning of the book mean you’ve passed the worst, there are shocks still to be revealed.
In conclusion I loved this book because it covers a great deal of ground, there are deeply upsetting moments but perhaps in keeping with the characters that inhabit the real-life place, there is something very measured about the delivery. No over-hyped action scenes here, just the truth which is sometimes a whole lot worse.
I’d like to thank the publishers Little Brown for allowing me to read a copy of The Lost Man, and to Jane Harper for moving me with this incredible novel. This unbiased review is my thanks to them.
First Published UK: 22 November 2018
Publisher: Little Brown
No of Pages: 384
Genre: Crime Fiction
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Thank you for the review on a book which was new for me.
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I have this one lined up to read soon so I’m happy to hear you loved it so much. From The Dry and Force of Nature I know Harper is brilliant at setting the scene and making you feel like you’re there even when it’s a completely foreign environment.
Great review, I’m even more excited to read this now.
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I haven’t read The Dry yet never mind this one but I hear such wonderful things about her writing that I know I’d love it too.
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Ooh, so glad to hear this one is so good! She is great at creating a sense of place and the Outback is so scary that it seems like the perfect backdrop for this kind of story. Can’t wait to get to it now! 😀
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What a brilliant review! I can’t wait to read this one. I love the sense of the place, and it sounds like another winner from Jane Harper!
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I loved the two Aaron Falk books and am looking forward to this one. Excellent review!
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Sounds wonderful Cleo. 👍
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This does sound gut-level, Cleo. And I like the sense of atmosphere and character, too. I also like the buildup of tension. Harper really does have a lot of talent, and I hope that she’ll continue to write.
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It really did ‘get’ to me, I think it’s the combination of character and atmosphere.
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A splendid account. I gotta get hold of this book — I liked her first two so much.
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Sounds fantastic. Great review, Cleo! Xx
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Great review. Sounds like this is one that hits the emotions hard.
sherry @ fundinmental
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I loved The Dry…and have Force of Nature, still unread. I love her style, so I’m definitely adding this one to the list. Thanks for sharing.
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Sounds like an interesting read-I think Australian writers tend to write fiction that’s a bit ‘grittier’, in my experience at least. Maybe that’s because the landscape they come from is a bit harsher?
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This book definitely takes a look at the effect the harsh environment can take – I haven’t read enough Australian fiction to know whether this crosses the spectrum.
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This author is now going on my must read list! What a fabulous review, Cleo! You sure convinced me I’m missing out:)
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I so enjoyed her first two books that of course this is on my list. Glad to hear your verdict!
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I still have her second book to read but if anything I enjoyed this more than The Dry!
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I didn’t know there was a third book by her.
Bill (the Australian blogger from The Autralian Legend) reviewed The Dry and found lots of inconsistencies in her depiction of the region where the story is set. Personnally, I enjoyed the ride but the accuracy of the description is to take cautiously according to Bill who has a good knowledge of rural Australia.
I’m curious about this story in the outback in Queensland.
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I don’t doubt Bill is right but for me this was a story that was so realistic that whether it is accurate or not is irrelevant. It’s a bit like Narnia, even now you won’t completely convince me that it doesn’t exist.
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That’s for us Europeans. I enjoyed The Dry too.
But when you start seeing the inconsistencies, you cannot “unsee” them.
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That’s exactly why I’m not going to read Bill’s post 😉
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I can’t wait to read this Cleo, fantastic review! 😊
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It is absolutely brilliant – it is one of those rare books that I find hard to believe that it didn’t really happen.
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Wonderful review. I have not read any books by Jane Harper, but have heard good things about her books. Time to actually give one a try.
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