My Rating

Book Review

What a delicious treat to imagine Eric Bana as Aaron Falk in Jane Harper’s latest release Exiles. Author Harper needs no introduction, her uber successful The DRY is essentially an all time favorite book that I would be happy to re-read any number of times, and ever since it has been cast to the big screen, oh yes, you have to give it to them that Eric Bana as Aaron Falk is JUST IT.

Exiles book # 3 in the series has Aaron Falk joining back with Greg Raco for the christening of his son in the Marlee Valley which is Greg’s hometown. Jane Harper is beyond words a supremely talented author who makes the readers walk in the exact setting she sets the story to be. In both The Dry and Force of Nature, in fact, in almost all her books, it almost feels like the characters play second fiddle to the main protagonist which could be the arid desert or the forest, and here a village and the yearly wine festival and the reservoir and the woods surrounding it. I can’t begin to tell you how the atmosphere heightens the drama that unfolds around the whole cast of characters in this riveting story.

A mother has abandoned her baby in a pram and walked off and the mystery of the events that surround it is utterly engrossing that one is hard pressed to even take a break in reading. There is the additional mystery of accidental death at the same spot that is also being dissected. Unlike her previous two novels, Aaron Falk has a lot of thinking to do in this one, so most times, it is not the crime that holds the central focus but the inner struggle that Aaron faces in making life-altering decisions. The author has packed quite a punch with the emotions pulling Aaron and as such, the slow burn mystery takes its own time to be unraveled. Aaron Falk is a character that one would always want as a friend with his genuine and open personality and the interactions between Aaron and Joel had my heart melting with their softness and touching scenes.

An exceptionally well written crime thriller, Exiles explores a close-knit community and the ins and outs of long term friendships and relationships that govern them. Exiles is definitely not the fast paced adrenaline boosting thriller, it has kind of that classical touch of the old, where every single thing unraveled has its own slow and steady pace.

Go for it, you won’t be disappointed!

Many thanks to Net Galley, Pan Macmillan, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

Book Blurb

At a busy festival site on a warm spring night, a baby lies alone in her pram, her mother vanishing into the crowds.

A year on, Kim Gillespie’s absence casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather deep in the heart of South Australian wine country to welcome a new addition to the family.

Joining the celebrations is federal investigator Aaron Falk. But as he soaks up life in the lush valley, he begins to suspect this tight-knit group may be more fractured than it seems.

Between Falk’s closest friend, a missing mother, and a woman he’s drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths begin to emerge.

An outstanding novel, a brilliant mystery and a heart-pounding read from the author of The Dry, Force of Nature, The Lost Man and The Survivors.

Book Links

This post contains affiliate links for products and services I recommend. If you make a purchase through those links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

This review is published in my blog Rain’n’Books, ##Goodreads, ##Amazon India, ##Book Bub, ##Medium.com, ##Facebook, ##Twitter.

View all my reviews