Harper's gripping third novel...is her most accomplished yet: a moving story of loneliness, grief and redemption * The Times, Best Crime Fiction Books of 2019 *
Harper secures her place as queen of outback noir with this haunting family mystery * Sunday Times Crime Club, star pick *
Like its precursors, The Dry and Force of Nature, The Lost Man is a gripping mystery that drips with atmosphere (and sweat). This time, though, Harper has added an emotional heft that is deeply moving. It is her best book yet * Evening Standard *
Jane Harper writes beautifully and compellingly about the Australian Outback. Superb * Evening Standard *
In just a couple of years, Jane Harper has soared into the first rank of contemporary crime writers. The Lost Man... returns to the parched landscape she used to such powerful effect in her debut, The Dry... Three generations of women - the dead man's mother, wife and daughters - struggle to come to terms with terrible events, and the family's shocking history holds the key to this superb murder mystery * Sunday Times *
I read Jane Harper's The Lost Man in February, the height of Australia's summer but the depths of the English winter. The image at the heart of the novel, of a man who has perished in the punishing heat of Australia's outback, has stayed with me ever since. Just as good - perhaps even better - than Harper's excellent thrillers The Dry and Force of Nature -- Alison Flood * Observer (Thrillers of the Year 2019) *
A riveting, deeply atmospheric read * Mail on Sunday *
Another splendid slice of outback noir...Fabulously atmospheric, the book starts slowly and gradually picks up pace towards a jaw-dropping denouement * Guardian, Best Recent Crime and Thrillers *
Harper's debut, The Dry, centred on the horrific murder of a family in a hot, remote Australian town. Her follow-up, Force of Nature, moved the setting to the bushland, where a woman goes missing on a corporate retreat. The landscape of The Lost Man is even more hostile, even more alien and beautiful, as Harper deftly manipulates her small but fully realised cast to a conclusion * The Observer *
One of the best written and most accessible novels of its kind in years . . . utterly absorbing * Richard Madeley *
A third superb novel from the author of bestseller The Dry . . . Harper's intricate, beautifully woven mystery...sucks you into a world where nothing is ever what it seems and everyone has secrets . . . Told with mesmerising skill, it is a compelling portrait of isolation and the strain it exerts on even the strongest character. A little masterpiece * Daily Mail *
Harper's writing creates a vivid sense of place . . . She tells a disturbing tale, not just of death but also of domestic violence, sexual abuse, hidden secrets and shattered families * Daily Express *
Jane Harper certainly nails the Australian Outback - you can feel the heat come off the page in waves . . . Harper's crisp, evocative writing expertly reveals the secrets that have been festering too long in the scorching Australian sun * Metro *
The very definition of a slow burn, this is much like the land in which it is set - spartan, atmospheric, and really quite beautiful * Heat Magazine, Read of the Week *
Harper's first novel, The Dry, won many awards, but this one is even better. Her depiction of the extraordinary landscape is superb, as is her account of the psychological and emotional burdens it imposes on the people who try to make a living within it * Literary Review *
Having read Jane's other books I was expecting great things from this - nice to be proved right...Jane writes so convincingly about the oppressive heat of the outback that you feel you're there * Woman's Way *
I read it in 24 hours. It's gripping, atmospheric and ultimately deeply satisfying * Val McDermid *
I absolutely loved The Lost Man. I devoured it in a day. Her best yet! * Liane Moriarty *
I don't have words for how much I loved it. Her other two books were amazing, but this is in a different league. It totally transcends genre, and it should win all the prizes * Marian Keyes *
The very definition of a slow burn, this is much like the land in which it is set - spartan, atmospheric, and really quite beautiful * Heat *
Another splendid slice of outback noir . . . Fabulously atmospheric, the book starts slowly and gradually picks up pace towards a jaw-dropping denouement * Guardian (Books of the Month) *
An evocative, sharply written and expertly plotted novel, subtle in how it navigates its themes of misogyny, retribution and guilt * Irish Independent *
The Lost Man is her best yet; it's certainly one of the finest novels of any sort, not only within the genre, that I've read in many moons . . . The vivid descriptions really transplant the reader to the outback * Independent *
Nothing about this novel is predictable. The characters are compelling, the plot is thrilling and the ending is so very satisfying. There's something special about getting to the end of a book and figuring out the mystery. You'll be left feeling content, a little shocked and desperate for more * Marie Claire (Australia) *
A stunning read and Harper's best yet * Daily Express *
Jane Harper's third novel seals her spot as one of the best...Like the country it describes, this is a "big" book, and one likely to cement Harper's place as one of the most interesting Australian crime writers to emerge in the past decade. Her sense of place is acute, but it is her attention to the relationships that are shaped by this unforgiving, magnificent landscape that will linger long after the mystery of stockman's grave is finally revealed * Sydney Morning Herald *
"f you liked The Dry, you'll love it. The Lost Man is an even better book, gripping right to the end. This terrific piece of outback noir opens with the discovery of a body...Harper...paints the menacing landscape brilliantly. The book's title could easily relate to several of the male characters. This engrossing novel will have you thinking long after you've turned the last page * Herald Sun (Aus) *
The Lost Man, like The Dry, is a study in isolation and its psychological and physical effects * New York Times *
Harper's The Lost Man is storytelling at its finest * Daily Mail USA *
The fantastic Jane Harper's third novel marks a highly anticipated return to the intense setting of the Australian outback * St Albans Review *
A good crime writer creates a great sense of place and bestselling author Jane Harper is no exception. In her atmospheric third novel, the Australian outback is more than just a backdrop to the story, indeed it is the murder weapon itself * Hampshire Living *
Against an unforgiving landscape, Harper's story has the qualities of an epic, its plot specific, its themes universal * Belfast Telegraph *
In seemingly no time Jane Harper has gone from excellent debut to consistent brilliance * Weekend Sport *
The fantastic Jane Harper's third novel marks a highly anticipated return to the intense setting of the Australian outback * Watford Observer *
Jane Harper has gone from excellent debut to consistent brilliant * Weekend Sport *
The pace is frenetic, the landscape epic and the red herrings so cleverly placed that your prime suspect changes by the chapter * Nottingham Post *
Harper's masterful narrative places readers right in the middle of a desolate landscape that's almost as alien as the moon's surface, where the effects of long-term isolation are always a concern. The mystery of Cam's death is at the dark heart of an unfolding family drama that will leave readers reeling, and the final reveal is a heartbreaker. A twisty slow burner by an author at the top of her game * Kirkus starred review *
Harper's sinewy prose and flinty characters compel . . . Jaw-dropping denouement * Publishers Weekly *
Jane Harper is at the top of the crime writing genre along with Attica Locke, Megan Abbott, and Tana French...[The Lost Man] slowly builds into one hell of a mystery! I will drop whatever I am doing to read a Jane Harper crime novel * BookRiot *
The atmosphere is so thick you can taste the red-clay dust, and the folklore surrounding the mysterious stockman adds an additional edge to an already dark and intense narrative. The truth is revealed in a surprising ending that reveals how far someone will go to preserve a life worth living in a place at once loathed and loved * Booklist *
In its portrayal of heat and harshness, power and its abuse, you'll find a satisfying, page-turning account of wheat and tares growing up together * Church Times *
So satisfying. You're in the parched Australian outback from the first paragraph to the last -- Fi Glover * Waitrose Weekend *
Jane Harper's gripping third novel - after The Dry and Force of Nature - is her most accomplished yet: a moving story of loneliness, grief and redemption * The Times *
