Jane Harper: The Lost Man ,9781408711835 , Little Brown UK , C format trade paperback, February 2019

(no German publication date yet)

So far I have read “The Dry”, “Force of Nature” and now “The Lost Man” by Jane Harper and the more I have read of her work, the more a fan I become.  She has a unique style of storytelling describing the Australian outback, the loneliness, sparingness and brutality of the landscape and that of some of its inhabitants with perfect precision.  I just could not put down “The Lost Man” once I started reading.

“The Lost Man” is a stand-alone mystery starting out very quietly and in an unagitated way as is Jane Harpers style. Cameron, one of the three Bright brothers, has been found dead near the Stockman grave in the outback. What makes this death so unusual is that no sign of a wound is found on the body suggesting murder. Cameron’s pick up is discovered some miles away full of water and provisions making this even more unexplainable as the victim was very familiar with the deathly climate of the outback. So why should he abandon his car and walk to the Stockman grave knowing the heat would send him to his death? 

Nathan, the middle brother and chief protagonist of the novel, has his property bordering a three hour drive away from his brother’s and family property where their mother Liz, his younger brother Bub, his sister in law Ilse with two daughters and Harry the stockman live. The brother’s lives have been overshadowed by a brute of a father who controlled all their life decisions with an iron fist.

Since then Nathan’s own life has been seriously damaged by one bad decision made years ago followed by a divorce and move of his ex-wife and son Xander to Brisbane.  With Xander by his side visiting during his christmas holiday, Nathan starts asking question trying to understand his brother’s seemingly unexplainable death and like an onion layers of skin are peeled away leading to the stinging truth.  Jane Harper is a master at unravelling small details of family dynamics and relationships always leaving room for interpretations.

One can virtually feel the misery, dust and brutality of the surroundings and the emotional agony of the characters in the novel. Great story, loved every page of it!