Alas, figuring out the murderer's identity in the first 15% made this book kind of a drag.
Having highly enjoyed Jane Harper's The Lost Man, The Survivors felt by comparison vaguely uninspired. While the setting is just as atmospheric and vividly rendered as the ones in Harper's other novels, the characters and mystery were very run-of-the-mill. In many ways it reminded me of Tana French's latest novel, The Searcher: we have a not-so-young-anymore male protagonist who thinks he is a regular Joe and a crime forces him to reconsider his past behaviour/actions/attitudes. The Survivors begins with a juicy prologues that is meant to intrigue readers but I was not particularly lured by it. A lot of the dynamics in this novel seemed a rehash of the ones from The Lost Man and The Dry. Our protagonist, Kieran, returns to his small coastal hometown where a violent crime brings to light secrets from his own past. Kieran is happily married and a new father, and there were a lot of scenes featuring him being a soft dad and they just did nothing for me. I guess they were meant to emphasise the gulf between teenage-Kieran, who acted like a typical Chad, and father-Kieran. The 'tragedy' that irrevocably changed his life did not have the same emotional heft as Nathan's family struggles in The Lost Man. Kieran tells other characters that he feels guilt-ridden but...it just didn't really come across. Anyhow, Kieran returns to his home, he catches up with two best-friends, one is a bit of a loudmouth and kind of a douchebag while the other one has always been the more sensible and mature in the trio. The discovery of a young woman's body lands the community in crisis. There is a lot finger pointing and gossip on a FB-knockoff. Kieran, who is not a detective nor a crime aficionado, wants to know what happened to this young woman as he seems to be acting under a sense of misplaced obligation towards her (and her death reminds him of his own tragedy). While he doesn't starts snooping around he's lucky enough that he happens to hear people's private conversation, which often reveal something essential to the mystery. For some bizarre reason the person who is actually officially investigating this young woman's death confides in Kieran, which...I had a hard time getting behind (job integrity? None).
Anyway, chances are you've read this kind of story before. Maybe I wouldn't have minded this type of boilerplate plot if the characters had been somewhat interesting or layered. But they remain rather one-dimensional. Dick guy acts like a dick because deep down he's insecure. The cold mother is cold because she's still suffering the loss of her son. Artistic woman fears she will never leave her 'dead-end' job and 'make' it. Kieran is they type of character who is blandly inoffensive. After the trauma he experienced and now that he is a father & husband he realises that as a teenager he acted badly. Most of the conversations he has with women seemed to exist only to make him reflect on 'toxic masculinity' and the harm caused by the 'boys will be boys' mentality. And these realisations he has about sexisms seemed forced. Also, Kieran is meant to be in his thirties...and he comes across like a middle-aged man. I understand that there are people in their thirties who may as well be luddites but really? Kieran's voice just wasn't very convincing.
The male side characters like that writer, Kieran's friends, and that impertinent young guy, were rather dull. The female characters were so obviously meant to be 'strong' and 'empowering' but that didn't really make them into realistic or likeable characters.
The culprit was obvious, so I did not feel any real 'suspense' or curiosity. Sometimes, even if you know who did it, you can still be able to enjoy the ride...but here I just wanted to get it over and done with. The murderer was extremely underdeveloped and their explanation at the end was very Scooby Doo-ish.
All in all, this was a disappointing read. While it wasn't all that bad, and the story had at least a strong sense of place, I expected more from Harper.

Another gripping thriller from Jane Harper. She excels at the claustrophobia of small towns and the binding family ties that can strangle as well as those that support. As ever, the characters are well drawn and you care about what happens to them and want to know what in their past shaped them. Sufficient characters to make it hard to guess the outcome but not so many that they get mixed up in your mind. I did not guess the outcome and it was very satisfactory. Thankyou to Little Brown and Netgalley for a free ARC in return for an honest review.

The Survivors is set in a small seaside town in Tasmania. When a young student is found dead in the sea the locals are reminded of the last time tragedy visited their town. Twelve years earlier a vicious storm ripped through the area claiming the lives of two local men and was also responsible for the disappearance of a young girl. Guilt, remorse, fear, It’s all there. A great whodunnit.
This is a typical Jane Harper novel where the descriptive writing is top class. I could almost taste the salty sea water the writing is that good. Fans of JH will not be disappointed and to anyone who’s new to this author...you’re in for a treat !
#NetGalley #TheSurvivors #NewBook

Set in Tasmania this setting is much wetter then Jane Harper's previous books - however the pace is far from damp. Small time mystery, intriguing characters, hidden relationships, red herrings - it is all there for a cracking read. I have been looking forward to reading 'The Survivors' all year, thoroughly enjoyed it, just a bit sad that I have to wait for her next book.

Oh how i enjoyed reading this book by Harper! The Survivors takes its readers to Tasmania where Kieran returns after 12 years to help his parents. 12 years ago, he list his sibling in an accident for which he feels blamed. Now after his arrival, another body is found on the beach near the previous one and slowly the two cases - of the present and the past - converge and the readers as well as the characters get answers to the questions eated to both the deaths.

Harper creates her atmosphere with an assured hand. The place as well as her characters come out before the reader and she feel invested in them. Also, once you get the hang of the book, you are going to find it difficult to get up from reading this page turner of a book. Gritty but realistic, The Survivors is another feather in the writer's cap.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of the book. Enjoyed reading it fully. Highly recommended!

The Survivors by Jane Harper is another slow-burn, character-driven novel of the kind that has made her one of the best-known and most successful Australian authors.

Kieran Elliott, is visiting his parents in the small Tasmanian town of Evelyn Bay. It's Kieran's first visit since leaving for Sydney 12 years earlier after an incident 12 years earlier when he was blamed for an accident that killed his Brother and his Brother's friend and business partner. With him are partner Mia,also from Evelyn Bay,and baby Audrey. On the day of an accident a young girl also disappeared .
Kieran has been wracked with guilt since the accident and is unsure of the reaction he will get from people he knew before.
Shortly after arriving back in Evelyn Bay a young girl,Bronte, is found dead on the beach close to the spot where the missing girl of 12 years previously's bag was washed up.

From a fairly pedestrian start where the characters are introduced and Ms Harper has described the town and the environment around it in her usual manner,so the reader feels as if it's a place they know well.
Fingers are pointed,rumours fly around the town , events of the past affect those of the present and old secrets are exposed.

As always with a Jane Harper book there is a cast of credible characters and a clever and gripping story-line. There's a scene where Bronte's Mother addresses the townspeople at a meeting that is particularly powerful and as always in a Harper book the environment ,in this case the sea, coastline and a network of caves, plays a big part in the story.
One thing I enjoyed was that while the police are investigating the murder the book isn't about the investigation as much as the main characters ,whose behaviour is affected by what they think the police might know.

Another great book by Jane Harper, one to savour and enjoy some of the best writing in popular fiction today, rather than zip through.

Thanks to Jane Harper, Little,Brown Book Group and Netgalley for the ARC.

Jane Harper is an incredible author and The Survivors, her fourth novel, continues a sublime run of amazing work.

Another smart and twisty slow burn tale which is heavily reliant on character and place. The writing is smart and hugely enjoyable but it is the plot that really pulls the reader in and keeps them wanting more. As the blocks begin to fall into place, you continue to be wrong footed until the conclusion unfolds.

Jane Harper is one of the few authors whose new releases I mark the date of and pre-order (or hope beyond hope for an ARC). The Survivors is another crime classic and deserves to break out of any genre snobbery.

With thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an ARC in consideration of an honest review.

YES!!! This was everything I wanted!

You can rely on Jane Harper to deliver a spectacular book. Great characters, suspense, intriguing crime and I loved how the happenings from the past interwove with the present issues.

I was really excited to receive an advance copy of this book (thank you netgalley) and it didn’t disappoint. Set in Tasmania, in a coastal community, characters whose lives were turned upside down in a storm are once again dragged through the emotions of shock and loss. Restitution to events of the past brings resolution to events of the present. A really enjoyable easy read that keeps sucking you in and strips bare the best and worst of what people are capable of.

The Survivors is another gripping novel from Jane Harper. The way she weaves an enthralling crime narrative around the historic relationships between family and friends in a small community must be commended. Each of her novels has an entirely original storyline, with believable characters and enough subtle hints to keep you guessing throughout each chapter.

Kieron, Mia and baby Audrey have returned to their hometown in Tasmania to help Kieron’s parents pack up their house. Kieron’s father, Brian is suffering from dementia and is a shadow of his former self. Kieron hasn’t been home for sometime, and the guilt he feels after surviving an accident twelve years ago when his brother Finn didn’t, is the main reason. When the body of a young woman is found on the beach, the investigation into her murder begins to merge with a case from 12 years ago involving a missing teenager.

I am full of admiration for Jane Harper’s work and am sure her writing would appeal to many people. There is no distracting gratuitous drama in her writing, and all the characters feel completely natural and relatable. The conversations between them add important detail to the storyline, both verbal and non verbal.

I cannot recommend this novel enough and having read Jane Harper’s previous three novels, feel this book is of the same high standard. She is absolutely one of my favourite authors and I would like to thank NetGalley for this advanced reading copy.

Within the opening pages, Harper sweeps you away into the world of Evelyn Bay, a fictional town situated in Tasmania, an island state of located, south of the Australian mainland. Seamlessly weaving the events of twelve years ago with the present days, Harper tells her tale through the eyes of Kieran Elliott. Kieran is a local man who has recently returned with his partner and baby has an extended absence of two years from the town. They have reluctantly returned to help Kiernan's mother pack up the house and prepare for his father to move into a care home. Understandably, this is not an experience that the family welcome. But Kieran has other reasons for his disclination to visit.
Twelve years ago, a horrendous storm hit the Bay and Kiernan’s older brother Finn and his business partner, Toby died while trying to rescue Kiernan who was caught in the local caves. A young girl called Gabby also went missing during the storm and was never found. The rumour mill has never quite stopping running and Kiernan moved to Sydney to escape, now he is back in the middle of it all again. And to add to his troubles, a young student called Bronte has gone missing – this time around Toby’s son and his father are the prime suspects. With tension building and old secrets threatening to unravel, Kiernan and his partner Mia are faced with the horror of discovering both the true behind what truly happened 12 years ago and who really killed Bronte.
Harper has a gift for painting such a vivid picture of the locations that she creates and this time around is no different. I can actually imagine myself in Evelyn Bay and smell the salty, cold sea air. The images that she crafts of small town life, where tourism is the main industry, seem to echo those that I know and the reader can easily find themselves becoming increasingly drawn into the storyline. The characters are also very likeable, which helps here and the portrayal of Brian’s descent into dementia and the impact on the family is both accurate and painful to read. With such a thoughtful and nuanced approach, I find Harper’s work is moved from being one of the more ‘pulpy’ thrillers and into a more literary work. She also leaves us with a fundamental question – while we ‘meet’ the Survivors sculpture of the novel, who really are the survivors of this tale. That’s a thought that will stay with me for some time.
Another amazing tale from the award-winning Australian author Jane Harper.

I’m a fan of Jane Harper and really enjoy her style of writing! Her descriptions are so accurate you can feel the burning heat of Australia etc. I enjoyed this book but found it slower paced and a simpler storyline! There were still plenty of twists and turns and an unexpected ending!

Jane Harper’s books always have a strong sense of setting through the place and the weather. This story was no exception. The book had twists and turns that were believable and I didn’t guess the ending.