“Death rarely changes how we feel about someone. Heightens it, more often than not.”
Jane Harper is a British-Australian author best known for her crime thriller books, The Dry, Force of Nature, The Lost Man and Exiles. Originally born in Manchester, Harper and her family moved to Boronia, a suburb in Melbourne, Australia when she was eight. She returned to the UK as a teenager, studied English at the University of Kent and embarked on a career in journalism, before moving back to Australia. She continued her print journalism career for a further thirteen years before releasing her debut novel, The Dry, in 2016. A serial New York Times bestseller and dubbed the ‘Queen of Outback Noir’, her stories taking place in rural or small-town Australia, where she spent most of her formative years. If you’re looking for your next great crime read, join us at What We Reading for all the essential Jane Harper books in order of release!
The Dry (Aaron Falk #1) (2016)
Originally published in 2016, The Dry is Jane Harper’s debut novel. In the grip of the worst drought in a century, the farming community of Kiewarra are facing life-and-death choices every day when three members of a local family are found brutally killed. Federal Police investigator Aaron Falk returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of his best friend. It is the first time he has faced the same townsfolk who turned their backs on him two decades prior.
But, as questions start to mount, Falk is forced to delve deeper into the deaths of the Hadler family. Falk and Luke Hadler shared a secret. A secret that Falk had previously thought had been long buried. A secret that Luke’s sudden death now threatens to rise to the surface, shattering this small Australian town in the process.
Force Of Nature (Aaron Falk #2) (2017)
Five women reluctantly pick up their backpacks and begin walking along a muddy track. Only four come out on the other side. The hike through the rugged Giralang Ranges is supposed to take the office colleagues out of their air-conditioned comfort zone and encourage teamwork and resilience among them. At least, that’s what the corporate retreat website advertised.
For Aaron Falk, he has an acute interest in the whereabouts of the sole missing hiker, Alice Russell. Because Alice knew secrets. Secrets about the company she worked for, and the people she worked with. The four women who return all tell Falk a tale of fear, intimidation, violence and splintered trust during their time in the Australian bush. And, as he digs deeper into the disappearance, Falk begins to suspect further danger might be closer than any of them know.
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The Lost Man (2018)
Two brothers meet at the border of their vast cattle properties under the unrelenting sun of outback Queensland. They arrive at the stackman’s grave, a landmark so ancient that no one is certain who is buried there. Today, however, the small shadow it casts is the last hope for their middle brother, Cameron.
The Bright family’s quaint existence is thrown into grief and anguish. Something had been troubling Cameron. Did he lose hope and trek out on his own, aware that he was walking to his death? Because, if he didn’t the isolation of the outback throws out few other suspects. Her first standalone novel, The Lost Man is one of the best Jane Harper books for readers looking for a dark, suspenseful and deeply atmospheric ride.
The Survivors (2020)
Kieran Elliott’s life changed forever on the day a single reckless mistake led to devastating consequences. The guilt that still haunts him comes to the surface again during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.
Kieran’s parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Hanging over them all remains his absent brother, Finn. But, long-held secrets threaten to come to light when a body washes up on the beach. A sunken wreck, a missing girl and questions that have never been washed out with the tide are all exposed in Jane Harper’s 2020 mystery thriller book, The Survivors.
Exiles (Aaron Falk #3) (2022)
The third and final entry in the Aaron Falk series and the latest Jane Harper book to date, Exiles opens at a busy festival site on a warm spring night. A baby lies alone in her pram, her mother disappearing 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 Australia’s wine country to welcome a new addition to the family. Joining the festivities is Aaron Falk. However, it doesn’t take long for the federal investigator to suspect that this apparently tight-knit group may be more fractured than it appears. Between his closest friend, a missing mother and a woman he’s drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths are brought to light.
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
