He had started to remove his clothes as logic had deserted him, and his skin was cracked. Whatever had been going through Cameron's mind when he was alive, he didn't look peaceful in death.
Two brothers meet at the remote border of their vast cattle properties under the unrelenting sun of the outback. In an isolated part of Australia, they are each other's nearest neighbour, their homes hours apart.
Two brothers meet at the remote border of their vast cattle properties under the unrelenting sun of the outback. In an isolated part of Australia, they are each other's nearest neighbour, their homes hours apart.
They are at the stockman's grave, a landmark so old that no one can remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last hope for their middle brother, Cameron. The Bright family's quiet existence is thrown into grief and anguish.
Something had been troubling Cameron. Did he choose to walk to his death? Because if he didn't, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects...
Author Jane Harper is an exceptional writer. Yes, there are many wonderful storytellers out there, but, in my humble opinion, I think that her writing goes up another level.
Reading this during a cold, wet, miserable English winter I could easily imagine the brutal unstoppable heat, the relentless sun beating down, almost feel the desert dust that covers everything and all I could envisage was mile upon mile of wide open plains with no shade in sight at all, where your closest neighbour is several hours drive away - it's a solitary life for some, including Nathan, the narrator, one of the brothers, who has his own problems and who I found a fascinating character.
From the very first line until the last, I was obsessed by the mystery of what happened to Cameron in the desert. Why was he found over 8km away from his car in such a hostile environment that a man can die of thirst within hours. Everyone thinks that Cameron was 'a good guy' but was he?
The story revolves around the family who are waiting for his funeral in the family home and we discover that not everyone gets on. There is an undercurrent of tension throughout as family secrets, long buried, come bubbling to the surface, long held resentments are aired and surprising discoveries are made.
I devoured her first novel The Dry, felt the Force of Nature in her second, and I think that The Lost Man, which is a standalone, not a police procedural, is her best one yet. Painting a vivid picture of the harsh life in the outback, it was well-paced, clever and unpredictable.
If you haven't read any of Jane Harper's novels yet I would urge you to read any of them and be blown away, as I have been!
Available to buy now from Amazon UK
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