Book #15 Force of Nature

Force of Nature by Jane Harper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From the author of The Dry another exhilerating read featuring Federal Agent Aaron Falk. Falk and his associate Carmen are investigating serious money laundering by the Bailey family in Melbourne. He has coerced a whistleblower, Alice Russell, to obtain evidence. Alice works for the family.

Alice and four other women who work for Bailey are sent on a team building exercise in the outback, a hike in the bush intended to teach resilience. Five women set out on the muddy track. Only four come out the other side. Alice is missing.

Harper builds tension as the plot moves between the last days of the hike and Falk's endeavours with other searchers to find the missing woman. Four women tell Falk about their relationship with Alice, a tale of suspicion and disintegrating trust. Who is telling the truth?

A brilliantly paced plot wrong-footing the reader at every turn. It's another stunner from Jane Harper.

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Book #14 The Dry

The Dry by Jane Harper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Breathtaking! Another candidate for my Read Of The Year. And this is Jane Harper’s crime debut, which is seriously hard to believe. But, there it is. Set in Australia during the worst drought for years - The Dry. Notices everywhere warning of the high risk of serious bush fires. This is Kiewarra, a small town in the outback.

Federal agent Aaron Falk is compelled to return from Melbourne, after twenty years absence. He spent his formative years in Kiewarra, along with his best friend Luke Hadler. For whatever reason it appears that Hadler has mudered his wife and son before committing suicide. Falk is there to attend the funeral and is unwillingly drawn into an investigation. Did Hadler kill his family? Falk is despised by the local community over events that occurred twenty years ago. Falk and Luke Hadler shared a secret…

I won’t say more about the intricate plotting in this relentless page turner. Read in just two sittings. Utterly compelling, gripping and atmospheric.

Grab yourselves a copy and be ready for a helter-skelter read!

Highest possible recommendation.

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