Scan barcode
sophiereads21's review
4.0
Picked this up because I watched the movie, so I went into it knowing whodunit!
Aaron Falk returns to his tiny country home town for the funeral of his highschool friend. Thought to be a murder suicide brought on by the stress of the drought, Aaron starts investigating not just this but also the murder of a childhood friend that ran his and his dad out of town.
As an Australian, this book is just so Australian in a way I can't out my finger on? Definitely helped by the Australian narrator! Even though I knew what was coming i still was gripped by this!
Aaron Falk returns to his tiny country home town for the funeral of his highschool friend. Thought to be a murder suicide brought on by the stress of the drought, Aaron starts investigating not just this but also the murder of a childhood friend that ran his and his dad out of town.
As an Australian, this book is just so Australian in a way I can't out my finger on? Definitely helped by the Australian narrator! Even though I knew what was coming i still was gripped by this!
ahahebsheik's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
nixbix_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was such a confident & self-assured debut. I really felt like I was in Kiewarra - the searing heat from the sun, the dry & dusty air, the locals suffering the tragedy of a two year drought now suffering the loss of a loved family.
The opening was powerful and gripping - the story took hold of me right from the start & didn’t let go until the very end. Told mostly from Aaron’s point of view, I felt his reluctance to be back in his hometown, even if it was for his friend’s funeral. The flashbacks to the past & Ellie’s death could have distracted from the story, but they add another layer, showing rightly or wrongly that accusations & suspicions, especially in a small tight knit community, never really go away.
I thought the characters were fully fleshed out & had such depth, they almost leapt off the page. This was a fantastic read. Jane Harper seems to have a knack for writing mysteries set in rural Australia & I hope that we get to read more of them - I have the next book in this series & I can’t wait to read it.
I listened to most of this book via Libby - the narration by Steve Shanahan was excellent.
The opening was powerful and gripping - the story took hold of me right from the start & didn’t let go until the very end. Told mostly from Aaron’s point of view, I felt his reluctance to be back in his hometown, even if it was for his friend’s funeral. The flashbacks to the past & Ellie’s death could have distracted from the story, but they add another layer, showing rightly or wrongly that accusations & suspicions, especially in a small tight knit community, never really go away.
I thought the characters were fully fleshed out & had such depth, they almost leapt off the page. This was a fantastic read. Jane Harper seems to have a knack for writing mysteries set in rural Australia & I hope that we get to read more of them - I have the next book in this series & I can’t wait to read it.
I listened to most of this book via Libby - the narration by Steve Shanahan was excellent.
clojha2's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ahoydanielle's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kyra_c_c's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars might be influenced by the fact I read this whilst camping in the sweltering heat in a small town so it added some extra realism to the story! This was a taut and gripping story with a satisfying ending - that perfect mix of thrill and annoyance that I ALMOST guessed whodunit correctly. Coming from a claustrophobic farming village, I felt the sense of tension ratcheting up and everyone being in your business was very accurately portrayed. Falk was a great sympathetic but flawed protagonist and I want to read more of Harper's stuff immediately.
rox_12's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
hanzy's review against another edition
4.0
This was a classic mystery with all the right elements. It got quite frustrating at times with the small town madness, actions with no repercussions, and the hostility thrown at our protagonist. It wasn’t as unpredictable in the whodunnit aspect as much as the whys I’d say, for that is what had intrigued me most
megan_scullion's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0