Jane Harper - The Lost Man

Set in the deep outback of Australia, where cattle farmers struggle against the heat, desert, lack of water and the narrowminded communities that they live in, this tight thriller is a tense read. The best thing about Jane Harper's book is undoubtedly her depiction of out-back Australia, a place were few go except farmers, their families, a few back packers and a handful of state employees. But she has also constructed a brilliant story, full of tension and misdirection, where the outback is as much a character as the group of people at the heart of the story.

When Cameron Bright is found dead, no one can understand it. A relatively successful rancher and family man, with no enemies and no reason to commit suicide, there seems to be no explanation. Yet there are enough inconsistencies to make his brother Nathan suspicious. Something is just not quite right. As the heat of the summer swamps Christmas, Nathan's explorations of his brother's family open some deep wounds and it soon becomes clear that Cameron was killed. But why? And by whom?

I really enjoyed Harper's gradual expose of the Bright families secrets. The parallel stories of Nathan's own dark history are handled neatly too, as is his relationship with his son and ex-wife. The ending is remarkably satisfying, tying up a load of lose ends very well. This certainly is a page turner, and I while I am not normally one for tension, and enjoyed this a lot.