As in all Harper's previous books the weather and the land play a big part in the story. The land, this time, is a small community in Tasmania and the weather was a huge storm, twelve years earlier, which led to two tragedies. Kieran Elliott and his girlfriend, Mia, have returned to their childhood hometown to help Kieran's parents pack up to move - a move necessitated by his father's descent into dementia - but, on their first night, they realise that Kieran's role in the events that led to the death of two popular young men (one Kieran's own brother) has not been forgotten, or forgiven, by some. When a young girl's body is found on the beach the next morning, a waitress who they had seen and spoken to the previous evening  accusations and bad feeling starts to spread around the town - and memories of the other tragedy, the disappearance of a teenaged girl (Mia's best friend), resurface too.

The investigations, led by an incomer from the big city since the local policeman (who had been part of the  earlier events) is about to close down the local station, dig deep into old memories and rekindle old accusations. Kieran and Mia also try to look, through adult eyes, at things which happened in their teens and are aided by a long-term visitor to the area - an author who had been running a writing course when the storm struck. Part of the joy of reading this book is to unravel the events which have brought sorrow and pain to a community for over a decade - the rest is from the development of the characters. I particularly enjoyed seeing Kieran work through his feeling of guilt at the death of his adored older brother, drowned trying to rescue the boy from the storm. I was also interested in the author character - I spent a long time trying to decide if he was a viable suspect or a potential lead for a new series....

Guilty secrets… 4 stars

When Keiran Elliot returns to the small beachside town of Evelyn Bay in Tasmania, he brings along the grief and guilt that have never left him since a tragic incident there several years before when he was still a teenager. Keiran and his partner, Mia, who also grew up in the town, have returned to visit Keiran’s parents – Brian, now suffering from dementia and about to be moved into a care home, and Verity, still also struggling with the after-effects of that incident. No sooner are they home than another tragedy rocks the town, when the body of a young woman is found on the beach. As the investigation into her death proceeds, memories of those earlier events are stirred up among the townsfolk, and old secrets begin to be revealed.

As always, Jane Harper’s greatest strength is in her settings, each one different but always sharing a feeling of isolation and claustrophobia. Evelyn Bay is one of those small towns where everyone thinks they know everyone else’s business and where every small incident is worthy of note. In summer the town is crowded with tourists, there for the ocean. But when the story begins the season has just finished and the only people left are the year-round residents, most of whom have known each other all their lives.

Although there is a mystery – more than one, in fact – at the heart of the book, the major theme is how grief and guilt can impact both individuals and a community. I’ll hold my hands up and say this is not a theme I’m fond of – it appears in a lot of contemporary crime fiction and, even when its as well done as it is in this one, it changes the focus away from the detection and solving of the crime, which is primarily what I read crime fiction for, and makes the tone gloomy and depressing rather than intriguing and entertaining. I don’t think this novel is “fair play” – the solution seems to come out of nowhere, and frankly there could have been any number of equally credible solutions on the information available to the reader. Written in the third person, it’s told mainly from Keiran’s perspective, so the reader knows no more than he about what the police may have uncovered. Again this makes it feel less like a mystery novel and more like an exploration of the impact of a crime on the people affected by it. So from that point of view, I found it all rather unsatisfying.

However, the quality of Harper’s writing and her excellent characterisation keep it very readable. After a very slow start, with far too much of the “what happened that day long ago” faux suspense stuff for my liking, Harper finally reveals what did happen that day and then happily the pace picks up. She gives a very believable depiction of how quickly gossip and suspicion spread through a small community, and how social media allows people to make anonymous allegations that can lead to a lot of hurt. She also shows how the pressure of being known by everyone can add to feelings of guilt or make suspicion feel overwhelming – there’s no escape to the welcome anonymity that can be found in big cities. Harper doesn’t rely on unbelievable twists – every character behaves in ways that feel psychologically in tune with the personality she creates for them, which means that the solution, even if it does all happen a little too conveniently, is entirely credible and feels emotionally true.

I struggled to get into it in the beginning, but once I did I found it quite absorbing. Keiran, Mia and their baby daughter make a kind of triple character – together they are more than the sum of their parts, so to speak. The town takes on its own persona, as does the ocean which has given so much to the townspeople but has also been the source of tragedy over the years. And there’s a kind of coming of age aspect to it, too, as Keiran finds himself, now an adult and a father, reassessing his own youth and his understanding of his family and friends. For me, there’s too much emphasis on the role of grief and not enough actual mystery-solving for it to have become a favourite, but that’s a subjective viewpoint – it’s very good at what it’s setting out to be.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Little, Brown Book Group.

Hugely enjoyable whodunnint with relatable characters and a strong sense of place. The storyline kept me guessing and the exploration of family and memory was moving. Loved it, will recommend.

I love everything Jane Harper writes. If you like literary thrillers with great atmosphere and well-built characters, her books are for you.
This was no exception. Great writing, plot and atmosphere that feels like real.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

I have really enjoyed previous books by Jane Harper and was delighted to get the opportunity to review her newest book, The Survivors. I loved the plot of the book and was left guessing until the very end.

Unfortunately I found this book very difficult to get into and dragged myself through it to be able to leave a review. Too many characters and not interesting enough.

I've read other books by Jane Harper that I really enjoyed. This led me to be quite excited to read her newest book, The Survivors. Sadly, I was just not pulled into the story this time. I kept reading hoping that it would grab my attention but that didn't happen. It was almost a chore to finish. Normally I think her characters are really well thought out and really pop on the page. This time I just felt like they were flat and not interesting. The same goes for the story. There just wasn't anything happening that pulled me in and feel like I couldn't put the book down. I easily set it to the side and came back on and off for a couple of days until I finished. The book wasn't terrible, it was just a disappointment for me based on her past work.

Jane Harper is one of my favourite crime authors. She writes with an unerring knowledge of her surroundings and, during lockdown, makes you feel like you have visited Australia which is no mean feat. She's a writer who can deftly draw characters and relationships and takes her crime writing and her audience very seriously.

I was quite disappointed by this book. After The Dry I was expecting something more, but it was too slow to get going and the ending felt a little rushed. The authors writing and scene setting remain exceptional, but this one fell a little short of the mark for me

My first book by this author and I can't wait to read more. I loved reading about this little town and the tragedy they were still reeling from over a decade later.

Centred around a small group over a decade on from a storm in which 2 men died and a teenager went missing I really felt those small town vibes.

The emotions conveyed throughout this book were heavy and believable, the feelings of survivors guilt, anger and loss permeated every page.

I loved the slow burn mystery of the past disappearance compared to the quicker pace of the current day murder.

I did enjoy this novel, although perhaps didn't find it quite as gripping as her previous ones. She's such a good writer though, and this kept me engaged throughout.

Australian crime writer Jane Harper is well known for her gritty outback noir novels, The Dry was a huge favourite of mine.

All the characters in the book are well written and believable, I felt I was in Evelyn Bay with them all.

Jane Harpur manages to cover so many emotions that are bubbling away below the surface.

5 stars from me!

This was not a perfect book, and I could list some minor faults and quibbles and moan a bit. This is probably because I have come to expect such a high standard from this author.
However, I did realise that this became a book I found hard to put down, and kept picking it up to find out what was going to be revealed next, and was eager to find out who was responsible for various things. If the measure of a good book is one that does this, then it would be churlish indeed of me to moan about perceived defects. I think perhaps this author has made a bit of a rod for her own back, with her previous exceptional novels.

I have read all of Jane Harpers books and while I enjoyed this one I personally didn't find it as gripping as her others. It was a slow starter but the character development was good and the plot was interesting. I look forward to reading more by this author.

An interesting story that keeps you involved from the beginning right through until the final time. You definitely end to know what happened. Recommended to those who enjoy reading this type of book.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed all of Jane Harper's previous books I was really looking forward to The Survivors. However I have to say that I was quite disappointed with this book and it wasn't anywhere near as good as The Dry for example. It seemed quite slow to get going and I wasn't convinced by any of the characters. Nevertheless I will be looking out for the author's next book with interest.

I’m not usually a fan of the slow burn but this one I loved! It builds the tension and really sets the scene. There’s lots of characters introduced but the book is just from Kieran’s perspective so it makes it easier to keep track of who is who. ⁣
⁣
I loved the building of the atmosphere and the ‘whodunnit’ aspect. I can’t remember the last time I read a book where the main event is at the beginning and then it’s a true guessing game of what, why and who. ⁣
⁣
I’m really bad at guessing the endings of books so it’s no surprise I didn’t guess who was guilty. I would have loved a epilogue just to have wrapped things up a bit neater.⁣
⁣
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I’d only read one other Jane Harper prior to this, but they definitely won’t be the last! ⁣
⁣

I have really enjoyed Jane Harper's other crime novels but this one felt like a bit of a slog. I didn't really connect with any of the characters and I wasn't terribly invested in the murder - to be honest, if I hadn't been given the copy to review I probably wouldn't have finished it. What Harper does consistently well, though, is create a vivid and filmic location and that was certainly the case here. Just OK overall,

My first Jane Harper novel and it certainly won’t be my last. Well developed characters, interesting plot and great writing. I had to tear myself away from this one and found myself itching to return.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy.

This is a good book, which left me guessing until the end. The main character who is called Kieran, along with his partner Mia and his daughter Audrey, return to his childhood home town and while there, a body is discovered on the beach. The whole community are questioned by the police and many hidden secrets come out from years ago. The book is suspenseful and it feels as if you are right there in the community with the people concerned. I enjoyed the descriptions of the environment and the people, which made the story feel like real life.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.