What readers think of The Lost Man, plus links to write your own review.

Jane Harper’s THE LOST MAN is one of the best mystery/suspense novels I have ever read. If you read and loved THE DRY, one of her previous books, you’ll love THE LOST MAN. If you haven’t read THE DRY, you’ll want to after you read THE LOST MAN.

Nathan, the eldest of three brothers, discovers the body of Cameron, another one of the brothers, in the outback desert. There begins the mystery: how did he end up in this predicament when his car is loaded with supplies to sustain him? Was this suicide or was it murder? If murder, who had cause to hate him this much?

You would expect that a Harper book would take place in Australia. But her descriptions of the outback, in particular, where the brothers and the rest of the family live and work, made me actually see its vastness and feel the desolation, danger, and heat they dealt with.

Here is a book you won’t want to end. When I got there, it felt too soon.

Harper's stand-alone third novel is every bit as engrossing as her first two! The crime mystery is typical, but her ability to bring both characters and settings to life is anything but. I found the re occurrence of abuse throughout the novel and its stronghold until the very end most believable. Humans were designed for love and when love turns sick (aka abuse in all its forms), people turn to survival. Never underestimate a mother's strength, love, fury, or weakness.

I read this book earlier in the year when it came out in hardback. I can’t remember what caused me to be interested, but my records show I actually bought it on my Kindle. Something or someone’s review must have convinced me to try it! I really do not like Westerns and I would at least partially classify this novel as a Western novel, albeit set in Australia. The mystery of the story was great, well-plotted and intense. I couldn’t stop reading. And the descriptions of the landscape were amazing. I frequently found myself stopping to imagine the landscape and the vast distances described by comparing them to distances more familiar to me. Overall a great read and I’ll be looking for more by this author.

The author took you to the Outback and introduced a family to the reader. Then slowly and intricately showed you their flaws and how they each handled their life situation. The suspense carried you to the end. Read with a tall glass of water. Well done!

This was very different from Harper's first book which I realized received rave reviews despite my less than enthusiastic review. This book on the other hand was terrific, although I feel labeling it a mystery is not right. This in a true sense is a novel about a dysfunctional family, despite Harper's attempt to make it out to be a mystery by providing many twists and turns.

Writing again about Australia again, Harper gives us great insight to a large desolate area of the Outback region. Life was hard, the people were hard, and misery was around every corner.

Her prologue lead us on into the search for a reason why anybody would live there.

We meet the Bright family, an almost successful ranching family, and as their story unravels we cover many modern and varied issues from child abuse, spousal abuse, divorce, suicide and depression. Five stars from me, a must read.

This crime novel set in the Australian outback has elements of a typical mystery, but it's the conventions it lacks that make it so satisfying. Our protagonist, for example, is not a PI, cop, or otherwise typical gumshoe character. Rather, he is a member of the family. While The Lost Man is a slow-burning thriller, it is also an emotion- and character-driven family saga. I will be reading Jane Harper's The Dry ASAP.

When I saw Jane Harper's third novel as a "First Impressions" choice, I was thrilled. Having just finished her 1st and 2nd novels, I knew I was in for a treat.
Ms. Harper has a talent for describing people and locations in such a way that one gets inside the heads of her flawed, and so very human, characters, and by the time I finished the book I actually felt dehydrated by the searing Australian heat.
Three brothers - the middle one dead - in circumstances that suggest suicide, but as family relations and secrets come to light, the suspicions and doubts begin to grow.

Over the past several years, Jane Harper has made a name for herself in the crime fiction genre with her superb Aaron Falk series. I'm glad to say that Harper's third novel, Lost Man, does not disappoint! The plot was engaging, the locale provocative, and the characters memorable. I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait to see what she does next!