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First Published:
Jan 2023, 352 pages
Paperback:
Feb 6, 2024, 368 pages
Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse First Impression Reviewers
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From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jane Harper comes Exiles, a captivating mystery about a missing mother.
Federal Investigator Aaron Falk is on his way to a small town deep in Southern Australian wine country for the christening of an old friend's baby. But mystery follows him, even on vacation.
This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of Kim Gillespie's disappearance. One year ago, at a busy town festival on a warm spring night, Kim safely tucked her sleeping baby into her stroller, then vanished into the crowd. No one has seen her since. When Kim's older daughter makes a plea for anyone with information about her missing mom to come forward, Falk and his old buddy Raco can't leave the case alone.
As Falk soaks up life in the lush valley, he is welcomed into the tight-knit circle of Kim's friends and loved ones. But the group may be more fractured than it seems. Between Falk's closest friend, the missing mother, and a woman he's drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths begin to emerge. What would make a mother abandon her child? What happened to Kim Gillespie?
1
ONE YEAR LATER
Someone else was already there.
Aaron Falk felt faintly, if unreasonably, annoyed as he pulled up next to the other car. The turnoff had been as hard to spot as he'd remembered, almost swallowed by the bushland towering over both sides of the road. It was so well concealed, in fact, that Falk had blithely assumed that what was waiting at the other end of the track would be his alone. Not so, he could see now as he touched the brake and suppressed a sigh.
Falk hadn't been alone there last year, either. Greg Raco had been in the passenger seat then, Falk following his friend's directions as they neared the end of their eight-hour drive. Raco had ignored the sat nav, especially after they'd crossed the Victorian border into South Australia. His high spirits had been infectious and they'd chewed through the kilometers, taking turns trading news and picking the music. Raco's newborn son was being christened that weekend, in the same church where Raco and his brothers had been...
Harper fans who have missed Aaron Falk in her last few books will be happy to see his return in Exiles. I thought this was Harper at her best (Maribeth R). This is Jane Harper's third book featuring Aaron Falk and — good news — you don't need to read the first two to enjoy Exiles. In fact, with all the things happening in Aaron's life, this would be an excellent place to start (Bill B). A good mystery keeps you guessing, leading the reader down different paths. A great mystery keeps you unbalanced and on the edge. Then, just when you think you have it solved, something or somebody else comes up. The writing is excellent! The story completely sucked me in. I loved it (Rita J)...continued
Full Review
(852 words)
(Reviewed by BookBrowse First Impression Reviewers).
Ann Cleeves, New York Times bestselling author
Fine writing and addictive storytelling. David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Once again Harper proves that she is peerless in creating an avalanche of suspense with intimate, character-driven set pieces that are as exquisitely engineered as the inner workings of a Steinway. Harper's legions of fans will exult in reading Exiles.
Jane Harper's third novel in the Aaron Falk series sees the Federal Police agent returning to the fictional town of Marralee, located in South Australia and home to an annual food and wine festival where a woman went missing the previous year. Harper is known for providing evocative descriptions and details for her Australian settings, and Exiles brings readers to the heart of South Australia's wine region.
The region consists of six sub-regions: Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Coonawarra, McLaren Vale, and Adelaide Hills. The state of South Australia is roughly 1,200 km or 750 miles across, so the sub-regions vary in climate and topography.
Clare Valley is the farthest north, and known primarily for its dry Riesling ...
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