Collect The Lost Man Picturized By Jane Harper Issued As Textbook

but worthwhile!

The Lost Man is a character study about the Bright brothers: Nathan, Cameron, and Bub who live in the Australian outback.
When Cameron, whom the family considered to be “the golden child,” is found dead by the legendary stockmans grave, everyones at a loss in the small outback community in which they live.
Cameron was loved by all and seemed to have the perfect life and family, His death doesnt make sense, His older brother Nathan tries to figure out what led to his brothers death, Was it suicide Murder

Nathan is the narrator, He is the oldest child and also the black sheep of the family, Having lived in near exile from the lastyears, Nathan's relationship with Cam was on shaky ground towards the end, With his son Xander in tow, he begins to look for clues around the family farm trying to uncover the secrets behind the brother he barely knew, The Bright family is good at keeping secrets and pretending not to see whats really going on, The three boys grew up in a tumultuous household and have been deeply impacted by the events of their childhood,

Even though The Lost Man is primarily about the Bright brothers, female characters play a pivotal role, While they might be dutifully standing by in the background, their power lies in observation and quiet intelligence,

The Lost Man is extremely slowpaced, I started it twice before and wound up pushing it to the side for other books, This time, I picked it up and once again I struggled with the pacing, However, I forced myself to keep on reading and I am so thankful that I did! If you are not a fan of books that move at an extremely slow pace, then this book will probably not work for you.
The pace does pick up as the novel progresses and more and tidbits are revealed about the fascinating Bright family,

Harpers writing makes this a worthwhile read, She transported me to the brutal conditions of the outbackI could feel the heat emanating from the pages, The characters are complex and compelling, The mystery behind Cams death is interesting, but the development of Nathans character takes center stage and held my interest, Overall, The Lost Man is a subtle, multilayered read filled with nuance and secrets that slowly unfold, leading to a startling conclusion,

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Flatiron Books in exchange for an honest review,
THIS AUTHOR HAS A NEW BOOK COMING OUT ON, THE SURVIVORS! READ THIS ONE NOW, IT'S GREAT!!!


I had read Ms, Harpers previous two books and loved them, They were mysteries, and part of the Aaron Falk series, This is a stand alone novel and quite different,

What I loved about this book was Ms, Harpers descriptive writing. Here is a sampling of her exquisite descriptions of the Australian outback, telling about how it "floods" without raining : "It was a strange sight, even after fortytwo years, to watch the water rise, silent and stealthy, under a cloudless blue sky.
The river would lap at its banks, swollen with rain that had fallen days before and a thousand kilometers north, . . When it floods, most of this is under water, You can't get over without a boat, The houses and the town are all built on high ground, but the road disappears, . . a lot of properties become islands", This would, indeed, be a strange phenomenon to behold, There are so many beautiful descriptions of what can only be called a brutal place to live, and yet there is beauty there as Ms, Harpers words convey.

There is a legend about “the stockmans grave” and headstone, supposedly out in the middle of nowhere, Not close to a town or anyones home, This is where Camerons body is found and that is another puzzle to solve, Why did Cameron choose to come to this site without any supplies

This book was very much about family, The Bright family with Liz and her sons, Nathan, Cameron and Bub, It is the middle son, Cameron, who is found dead at the beginning of the novel, It is a mystery as to why he was found dead apparently from lack of water and food in the unforgiving heat of the outback, His car was found miles away fully stocked with supplies, Cameron had lived here all of his life, why would he leave his car with all of the supplies and set out on his own, with nothing On questioning the family it becomes apparent that something has been off about Camerons recent actions and we are left to puzzle out why.


There is mention of a young woman named Jenna, who had gone to the police when Cameron was only, charging him with raping her, With the intervention of Camerons powerful father, the charges were dismissed and the woman and her boyfriend left town, Yet she had recently reached out for Camerons phone number and address, why

There are many family secrets which come to light throughout the novel, Things went on in Cameron and Ilses life with their two daughters which were only talked about in hushed tones, What indeed had been going on

I loved the interaction of Nathan with his son Xander, home for a school holiday, Nathan and Xanders relationship grows quite a lot in the novel and its great to read about their increased understanding of each other,

This is still very much a mystery but with lots of familial relationships, The only thing a bit different from this book is that I didnt feel the tension of solving the mystery that was present in her first two books.
This is more of a slow burn but a great read!

ADDENDUM: Quote changed on Decemberwhen I found that I had unknowingly quoted the same passage as another reviewer.


I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley, The book will be published in February of, Desolate, dangerous, remote and vast the Australian outback is a place Id bet I will never see, Those who make it their home live a hard life coping with the savage heat of a vicious and unforgiving climate, One mistake means death and preparation is essential, The inhabitants know this so it makes no sense when two brothers find their middle brother dead in a godforsaken location and it appears he intentionally wandered off to his death.
A death caused by the elements of the outback is gruesome, This is an intricately plotted mystery that delves deeply into the inner workings of a family dependent upon each other for survival, This does not disappoint and the writing is superb,
The Lost Man is a stand alone mystery from Jane Harper, Its a slow burn of a book, A man is found dead of dehydration out in the middle of his Australian cattle station, Theres no rhyme or reason for him to have been there, kilometers away from his well provisioned, working car, His other two brothers try to sort through the why of his demise,

Harper parcels out clues and backstories in small bites, We slowly get to see further into each of the brothers, not to mention the father that shaped them, Her descriptions of the outback make it seem like character in its own right, Its so desolate and so removed from “civilization”,

This book grabbed me and

I had to force myself to put it down and get on with life, Its a very quick read because it is so compelling, Harper does a great job getting a family where everyone has secrets just right, I loved the dynamics, that whole hate/love thing, A great ending, Very Satisfying, Highly recommend this one!

Jane Harper shifts direction with her third novel, less crime novel, more a character driven mystery and family drama, What has not changed is her ability to write an utterly gripping story set in the intensely searing heat of the Australian outback, and the depiction of small town life with its claustrophobia, marked with its unforgiving and judgmental attitudes.
Two brothers, Nathan and Bub meet at the legendary stockman's headstone, in the middle of nowhere where the body of their brother, Cameron is found, Why is his vehicle with its necessary supplies found parked amidst rocks some distance away Nathan is with his son, Xander, who normally lives in Brisbane with his exwife, Jacqui, now remarried.


Nathan has missed most of his son's growing up years after bitter and acrimonious custody battles, He runs his own farm, but his status as town pariah for many years has resulted in him living alone, barely seeing anyone, struggling and drowning in a quagmire of financial debt.
He has hardly been in touch with his family, whose family farm was run by Cameron, Christmas is coming, Cameron's funeral has to be planned as the police have decided his death merits no investigation, given that Cameron had been troubled for a while, likely committing suicide.
Nathan and Xander stay at the family home, with his grieving mother, Uncle Harry, Bub, and Ilse, Cameron's wife, and their two daughters, Lo and Sophie, Nathan, helped by Xander, wants to get to the bottom of Cameron's death, and finds there are secrets and so much he was unaware of, He finds himself sifting through the past, dysfunctional family history, mental health issues and abuse in its many varied forms,

I loved this novel from Harper even more than her others, I think she is developing into an even better writer, She is an expert when it comes to conveying the outback, the deadly scorching heat, the dust storms, the remoteness, how the heat and isolation takes it toll on its inhabitants and its unspoken rules such as you must help anyone in trouble.
It has a beauty and a hold on those who know no other home as we can see with Nathan's inner connection with it that outsiders just do not get.
Harper's characterisation has you investing in her compelling storytelling and her coverage of the dynamics of family life, Nathan understands the principles underlying the Bright family, don't tell anyone, not even each other and the single ingrained truth, he was on his own, The vastness of the outback and lack of close neighbours means family issues fail to be addressed from external agencies, This is a brilliantly entertaining read revolving around a family drama, I cannot wait to see where Jane Harper goes next as I eagerly anticipate her next book, Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC, As soon as I read Jane Harpers “Dry”, I found myself on the couch jumping up and down and immaturely making some nonsense leg and hand moves some people may call dancing or a crazy redheads painful moves,suffering from constipation and shes too lazy to run to the bathroom.


So I celebrated to find a new Aussie thriller author and I couldnt wait to get this book into my hands, Its gripping, exciting, fast paced family drama, crime and mystery story, A dysfunctional family and its members already drifted apart to live their own lives with limited connections with each other till one of them gets murdered and there is a possibility that one of them could be killer.


Welcome to the outback in Queensland, Its hot as hell and this harsh, compelling climate creates a real challenge for people to find better ways to make their ends meet and proper way of earning their livings.
Were introduced to three brothers:

Nathan, living by himself, divorced and estranged with his son Xander, unhappy, resentful and tired,

Middle brother Cameron seems like having all, good looks, popularity, beautiful wife, two lovely kids,

And Bub, youngest, silent, feeling like outcast of his own family, trying to build something concrete in his life but he never gets a chance and have a say about things.
His brothers always know the best and he has to learn living in their shadows,

And yes, middle and popular brother was found death at Stockmans grave, Why did he go there anyways There are so many missing pieces and unanswered questions about his murder, All the family members keep secrets and they have to come clean to find out who killed Cameron but this means there is no turning back as soon as they start to talk about hidden truths and bring out the skeletons they piled in their closets.


Ending was remarkable and mystery of this story keeps your attention intact, you wanna find out whodunit, But you also think Cameron is complete Ahole and you dont feel so sorry about his death,

Thankfully Jane Harper didnt disappoint me again with her crafted story telling skills and wellrounded characterization, Its quick, exhilarating, thrilling page turner that I highly recommend,

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