The Lost Man
Jane Harper
2019
4/5 stars
Cameron Bright is found dead outside the boundary of his large cattle ranch, having died of exposure to the elements of outback Queensland. The entire Bright family is confused, shocked and horrified over the inexplicable nature of Cam's gruesome death -- was it suicide or murder? The past begins to take on new shades of meaning, as his elder brother Nathan, fighting numerous demons of his own, seeks to make sense of the incident.
Harper is a talented writer, creating characters and situations that are believable and engrossing, with the outback itself figuring largely in the plot. The history of the family was revealed in an effective, gradual way, giving the novel an uncomfortable and atmospheric feel, and the story reached a conclusion that, though surprising, was, at the same time, not a surprise. Overall, this slow paced and introspective book is a gripping work that, while a tightly plotted mystery, is also an intricate and detailed psychological character study of a family.
