A thoroughly enjoyable read and yes it did keep me up late at night trying to finish it. Loved that it was set in Tasmania. Loved the subtle but strong female characters that were woven throughout the story. Loved the twists coming together at the end. I enjoyed The Dry by Jane Harper and I enjoyed this even more.

3,5 Stars

Jane Harper delivers another dark, atmospheric and tragic story. Kieran visits his parents in Tasmania. They still live in his small hometown at the coast. More than ten years ago the town was hit by an unusual strong storm. Kieran’s elder brother Finn and his business partner died during this catastrophic event and another girl disappeared. It was a devastating experience for everybody involved. Kieran is still grieving and feels guilty about his brothers dead. While he is visiting, a young woman is killed. This brings back dark memories for all of them.

This is a character driven family drama. Although there is a murder, the focus of the story is about grieve and guilt. The pace is slow and the author takes her time to bring us into the story. I like Harper’s writing. It is focused and eloquent. The story is really tragic and heartbreaking. The reason I only give 3,5 Stars is because I needed some time to find into the story. At times the story jumps back and forth from today to back at the time of the storm and I got a bit confused. Australia is usually a character of its own in Harper’s books. This time it is Tasmania but I was a bit disappointed because it could be anywhere in any costal town. I had also some problems to imagine the landscape, those caves and the path to them before my inner eye.

I enjoyed all of Harper’s books so far and I also think this is a good one. It is just that her last book “The Lost Man” blew me away and I cannot say that about this book. But it is still a book worth your time.

As with all other Jane Harper’s books, the writing in The Survivors is atmospheric and descriptive, so I have given it an extra star just for this. However, I must admit that I didn’t enjoy this story as much as The Dry and The Lost Man. It’s just too slow and not very suspenseful; the characters were unremarkable and not much was happening between the promising beginning and disappointing flat ending. Overall, it’s a sound read but not the one I’d recommend.

A very enjoyable read, set in Tasmania, full of twists and turns which kept me guessing to the end. Some of the characters were a little difficult to relate to but I shall look out for other books by this author

Families and friends in a little town in Tasmania are still suffering the after effects of deaths during a storm several years prior. Sean returns with his new family to visit his parents who lost his brother Finn and Sean is seen as at fault. In the present a student summer vacationing and working in the town is found dead on the beach and the accusations and blame start again. New evidence comes to light. What really happened on that fateful night all those years ago and is the new death linked ? An entrancing read that moves you into the perplexed lives of the afflicted.

This was my third book by Jane Harper and I wasn’t disappointed in any way. The descriptions of Evelyn bay had me right by the water with the waves splashing at my feet looking out across the ocean at the caves with all the characters.

It is a slow read but I particularly liked the tension of the story which had me turning the pages quickly. I had many theories along the way, the twists thrown at me made me change my mind a few times as well. By the ending I had it totally wrong though. That’s the sign of a good book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I always enjoy reading books by Jane Harper but this one failed to grip me like her previous books. Kieran is returning home after a ten year absence and he is now a father a young to baby, although his lack of parenting skills was a bit concerning. The writing and the slow pace left me frustrated and it just lacked in a bit of tension. I loved the setting of Tasmania and the descriptions were beautiful, although it was fairly obvious that someone in the town was the murderer. Overall, it is an ok read but not one of my favourites. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Another tense and intense tale from Harper who excels at wringing drama from small groups or communities where claustrophobia is the other side of familiarity.

Set in a tiny sea town in Tasmania, the setting is as much a character as any of the people here, not least the caves which get filled with the tides. Everyone is a little bit broken: whether through grief or guilt, and long held secrets are both shattering and, eventually, healing.

This is a grim story in lots of ways, yet makes gripping reading - and it delivers a satisfying end without offering up easy resolutions to all the issues being dealt with by the characters. I can imagine the people living on, a testament to the understated skill of the book.

Definitely at the literary end of the crime spectrum and my favourite Harper to date.

I found this book disappointing compared to previous books by this author. I thought it was slow to start and only held my attention for the final quarter. The characters had no substance and weren’t that interesting.
Netgalley very kindly allowed me access to this book for an impartial review #TheSurvivors #NetGalley

I don't think I have read any other books by this author, so have no comparison to her earlier work. I did enjoy this location and feeling of small-town intrigue. However it was so very slow paced that I began to wonder if it was anything like a mystery at all. Some things were never really explained fully as to their involvement in the plot ie the massive destruction of the landscaped garden for, seemingly, no other reason than it was possible. Also the amount of time spent of the cave writing was never totally explained just alluding to the murder. It did feel rather a loose plot, but it was a reasonable good read in the middle of winter, the beach sounded lovely.

I don't think I will never not like a Jane Harper book. The mysteries are never that compelling nor particularly thrilling however they are un-put-downable.
I still can't put my finger on what makes them so addictive, maybe it is the author's voice, maybe it is the Australian setting, maybe it's the small-town quiet feel they all have, either way, Jane Harper is a complete auto-buy author for me.

Having read all of Jane Harper’s previous books I was excited to have a chance to read her new one. It pains me to say but I was a little disappointed.

Her previous novels are set in the Australian outback with wonderful descriptions which conjured up a real sense of the arid climate and took you into very remote areas that are alien to most of us.. It was a thrill to learn more about life in such a different environment. This book was set in a seaside town in Tasmania which could well have been a seaside town in the UK so the setting for me was not so interesting.

The book starts with Kieran Elliott having come back to his hometown with his girlfriend Mia and their baby Audrey. They are there to help Kieran’s parents move as his father has dementia and is moving to a care home.

Shortly after their arrival a young girl’s body is found on the beach which brings memories of a great storm twelve years earlier to the front of the community's minds. Three people were lost in that storm with two bodies found, one of whom was Kieran’s brother.

I found the pace of this book very slow and it just didn’t grip me. Even the ending seemed to be a bit of damp squib. I do hope that Jane Harper returns to her more rugged locations for her next novels as I think that was a big appeal to many of her readers as opposed to a grey, drab seaside town.

With thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller by Jane Harper. It was atmospheric and transports you to the coastal town of Evelyn Bay. The sea and the beach almost comes alive in Harper’s writing and it’s almost as if it’s a whole character in itself. The characters, their complex relationship dynamics and the small town dynamics were all excellently portrayed. The mystery itself was intriguing and kept me guessing till the end. The pace was a little slow in places but beyond that I have no complaints. Definitely recommended especially for fans of Jane Harper
Rating: 3.75

Kieran returns to his coastal hometown in Tasmania to a community that is recovering from the tragedy of his brother's death. Jane Harper writes beautifully and evokes a wonderful sense of place. I did however find this to be a disappointing novel - too slow paced and I found it hard to connect with any of the characters.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

Having read, and loved, Jane Harper's previous novels, I was very excited to receive this book. Kieran Elliott returns to his home town with his partner and baby, in order to help his parents to sort out their house in the wake of his father's illness. Whilst they are there, a tragic event occurs which mirrors that of over a decade before. Kieran gets caught up in the resulting investigation, and everyone wonders which secrets are yet to emerge. As always, Jane Harper creates vivid and interesting characters, and the story pulls in the reader who is so keen to know what truths will emerge.

I have enjoyed Jane’s other books very much but sadly this one isn’t her best although it was very interesting to read. The story follows Kierans return to his previous homeland which turns out to be fraught with mysteries namely a dead body on the beach and a missing girl to name just two. It was still an excellent book, and atmospheric and original but I do agree with other reviewers about the depicted age of the main narrator.

You know when you love an authors work so much that you get all excited for heir new book - and then get nervous to read it in case they let you down? I need not have feared. Oh my goodness, how does Jane Harper keep getting better? The Survivors is about guilt-ridden Kieran Elliott returning to his home town. There's a dead body, a missing girl, a ship wreck, and all the time there's the sense of unease woven through every line. There aren't many - if any - authors who write as well as she does about setting and communities.

Kieran Elliott has moved back to his home town of Evelyn Bay on the island of Tasmania twelve years after the death of his older brother, Finn. His father has dementia and he has come home to help his mother move house. He feels guilty as Finn died trying to rescue him during a violent storm at sea and he has always thought that his parents blamed him for the loss of their favourite son. On that same day twelve years earlier, a teenage girl went missing. Her bag was later found on the beach, washed up by the tide, but her body was never found. The day after Kieran’s arrival, Bronte, a waitress at the Surf and Turf bar, is found dead on the beach, which stirs up memories of the events of twelve years ago.

I struggled reading the first part of this book. I couldn’t easily make out who was who, especially between the male characters, and I had no idea who or what the ‘Survivors‘ in the title were. There were hints about what had happened twelve years ago, but it wasn’t really compelling me to read on to find out who did what, where and how – until, that is, I’d read about 25% of the book. I was on the point of giving up, when things became clearer, the characters came to life and I realised what was going on – and I just had to read on.

Evelyn Bay is a small community where everyone knows everyone else. There are plenty of rumours flying around, and suspicion falls on several people. Just who and what the ‘Survivors‘ are plays a major role in the story – along with the sea, the caves and the tides. So, this is a slow-burner at first, that turns into an emotionally charged book rather than one of high tension and suspense. I enjoyed it, but not as much as Jane Harper’s earlier books, The Dry, Force of Nature or The Lost Man, which all had me enthralled.

My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for my review copy.

I have enjoyed Jane Harper’s previous books and was pleased to be given the opportunity to read this new novel.
Kieran takes his partner Mia and baby daughter Audrey to his childhood home. This is to help his mother Verity and father Brian pack up the family home. Brian is suffering from dementia and needs to go into a care facility. The small town still remembers Kieran and the mistake he made which caused the death of his brother Finn and another friend.
Kieran still has massive guilt and the relationship with his parents has never been the same. On his first night back a local barmaid Bree is found murdered and Kieran with his childhood friends suddenly find themselves being investigated as part of the enquiry. It also brings up again the death of Finn and the case of missing school girl Gabby who disappeared over a decade ago on the night of Finns death.
The small community starts to turn on one another.
I loved the characters and scenery in this book. The use of social media also works as the community types things they wouldn’t say in real life.
I was gripped and read this in a couple of days.
I don’t think you can ever regret spending time with Jane Harper and her Australia.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown book group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#TheSurvivors #NetGalley

Getting your hands on the latest Jane Harper novel is always a moment of joy and this was no exception. She is a remarkable writer, able to gift readers an immediate immersion in an unfamiliar environment, in this instance the coast of Tasmania.

The Survivors of the title are actual commemorative statues set in the water. We are told that no-one is quite sure whether they are meant to commemorate those lost in a shipwreck or those who survived it. The title and the ambivalence refer equally to our narrator, Kieran and his circle, after a terrible storm robbed them of friends and family members 12 years ago.

Into this general unease and mistrust an additional tragedy is added when a young woman is found dead, bringing past and present tragedies into stark review.

The author skilfully builds tension, pointing the finger slowly but determinedly in numerous directions until the satisfying conclusion is reached.

So why not 5 stars? For me, the pace was a little slow and some of the characters, eg Mia, never really fleshed out. Additionally, I found myself getting increasingly annoyed by how often a man who was allegedly traumatised by the loss of his brother, for which he felt responsible, endlessly took his baby daughter into dangerous situations.


My thanks to Little Brown and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.