A review by darthsansa
Exiles by Jane Harper

challenging emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

I freely admit that Australian author Jane Harper is one of my favorites, and I devoured both of the previous installments in her Aaron Falk series (The Dry and Force of Nature). So I was more than ready to dive into Exiles, which is the newest book in the series.

The setting itself is often a character in Jane Harper’s books, and this time is no exception. In Exiles, Aaron Falk travels from his home in Melbourne to the wine country in the state of South Australia. He is there to celebrate the christening of the son of close friend Greg Raco, where he will serve as godfather. Members of the Raco family live on their vineyard and winery nestled in rolling hills and thick bushland. In the evenings they sit outside around the firepit and watch the sunset give way to twinkling stars. They wake in the morning and walk their dogs along trails around the reservoir. You can feel the connection between the community and their surroundings. 

However, all is not peaceful in this vineyard paradise. In addition to the christening, the community is also celebrating the annual wine festival, where last year, new mother Kim, abandoned her baby and disappeared into the night. Kim’s former partner Charlie Raco is the proprietor of the family winery. Charlie and Kim are parents of teenager Zara, who has not accepted that her mother may have drowned in the reservoir. Zara has embarked on her own investigation into her mother’s disappearance along with her friend Joel, who is convinced that Kim’s disappearance is linked to the hit-and-run death of his father a few years prior. Aaron is plunged into the midst of this intrigue.

This is definitely a slow burn mystery, which works well with the late summer harvest festival setting. I could feel the sense of lazy, late summer days drifting into autumn. Additionally, there is a potential love connection for Falk, who has previously been very unlucky in love. 

I don’t think it is imperative to have read the first 2 books in the series in order to enjoy this one. It definitely stands on its own, however, I have enjoyed following Falk’s character arc and recommend reading the other books, too. 

Thanks to Net Galley and Flatiron Books  for this ARC edition.