Helpful Score: 2
Jane Harper is one of my go-to authors. However this story was a disappointment to me. The story dragged on, at times boring and tedious. I couldn't relate to the un-engaging characters and I was disinterested in who did what and why.
Helpful Score: 2
The central theme of The Survivors is guilt. Kieran Elliott has been living with it for twelve long years, knowing that his decision to ignore the weather cost the lives of his brother and his brother's best friend, both very popular young men in their small village. No one's come right out and said so, but Kieran knows they all believe he's the one to blame. When a young artist from Canberra is found dead on the beach, the stage is set for readers to find out exactly what happened to her and what happened on that fateful day of the storm. The village was hard hit because not only did two young men die, but a young girl went missing as well, and instead of digging for the truth, it seems they all banded together in silence to ease everyone's pain. Well... that didn't work very well, did it?
Jane Harper does some interesting things with this story. It's the first time I remember reading a book that involves a young father who spends a lot of time carrying his baby daughter strapped to his chest while he's conducting an impromptu investigation, and that one detail tells readers a lot about his character.
The Survivors also shows the corrosive power of guilt. Kieran isn't the only one feeling guilt over what happened over a decade ago, and each person has reacted to it in different ways. Although the resolution of the tale took me by surprise, it shouldn't have; Harper planted clues all along the way.
There is a lot to like about The Survivors, and I am a huge Jane Harper fan, but I just couldn't warm up to this book like I did the others. I found it hard to connect to the characters, and the plot didn't engage me until the artist's death made Kieran wonder if there were ties between it and what happened twelve years ago. No, it's not quite up to her others like The Lost Man, but even Hank Aaron didn't hit it out of the park every time he swung the bat. I look forward to her next book with great anticipation.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
Jane Harper does some interesting things with this story. It's the first time I remember reading a book that involves a young father who spends a lot of time carrying his baby daughter strapped to his chest while he's conducting an impromptu investigation, and that one detail tells readers a lot about his character.
The Survivors also shows the corrosive power of guilt. Kieran isn't the only one feeling guilt over what happened over a decade ago, and each person has reacted to it in different ways. Although the resolution of the tale took me by surprise, it shouldn't have; Harper planted clues all along the way.
There is a lot to like about The Survivors, and I am a huge Jane Harper fan, but I just couldn't warm up to this book like I did the others. I found it hard to connect to the characters, and the plot didn't engage me until the artist's death made Kieran wonder if there were ties between it and what happened twelve years ago. No, it's not quite up to her others like The Lost Man, but even Hank Aaron didn't hit it out of the park every time he swung the bat. I look forward to her next book with great anticipation.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
Helpful Score: 2
Jane Harper is high on my list of favorite authors so I anticipate each new book released by her. I love the atmosphere of the little coastal Tasmanian town. And as always, she creates some interesting characters. This takes place in the present as our protagonist returns home for the first time in 12 years. The town was left reeling all those years ago following the destruction brought on by what everyone still refers to as "The Storm". There were lives lost and one young girl disappeared and was never seen again. Our protagonist has grown up and has a young baby but he lives with so much guilt over the events of that long ago day. Then a murder takes place as soon as he is back. The question is how the present murder and past disappearance might be connected. I did not feel this book really lived up to her previous books. I did enjoy the writing but I felt some things were a stretch. I couldn't really imagine the police sharing information in an ongoing investigation as much as they did. And our protagonist seemed a bit too good in many ways (for me anyway). I also think it was ridiculous that anyone blamed this kid for what happened that day. And the culprit's reasoning along with things that should have been brought out long before felt off for me. I love a good murder mystery but I didn't quite buy it. I still enjoy Harper's writing so much. While THE DRY was a rare near 5 star read for me and her others a strong 4. I felt this one was a 3.5. I will look forward to reading her next book.
Helpful Score: 1
I really like Harper's mysteries. Her characters are so well-formed, and they interact with each other like real people I thought the little tourist beach town was interesting, with the problems that businesses face during the off-season, and how small the permanent community really is. . I liked how the secrets of the past are so carefully uncovered, one layer at a time. Usually I enjoy books with lots of action and less nuance, but while it looks on the surface like not much is happening, the tension kept me reading. More than one likely suspect is presented (I didn't guess the right one). And I thought the ending was very affecting. Definitely putting Harper on my "buy the new one" list.
