I enjoyed The Survivors, but I must admit I enjoyed The Dry more. I enjoyed this beginning of this story but I found it ebbed and flowed. I truly became invested at 80% and hungrily then read to the end, but I think the 80% mark being the peaked point of interest would lose many readers long before hand. I did however want to learn what happened to Gabby and Bronte though, which is why I continued to read on. It was an enjoyable read but not one of my favourites.

Kieran, together with his girlfriend and baby daughter, returns to the small town that he grew up in, in order to help his parents prepare to downsize from his childhood home. It can be hard to go back to where you came from - everyone knows your secrets. Kieran carries a particularly heavy burden, due to his family history, and the town’s darkest day may be eclipsed by what occurs shortly after Kieran returns to town.

I found this a great read - the current mystery was juxtaposed well against the past mystery. I’m always interested in this type of story set within a small community. I found this to be a great example of the genre - everyone is loosely connected, enough so that they know each other, but not so much so that they know absolutely everything about each other. There are a lot of interesting characters and the story could have played out in a number of different ways, I found the resolution satisfying.

I am a great fan of Jane Harper - she’s a must-read author for me, and this is another extremely well-written mystery from her!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent. I have read and enjoyed Jane Harper’s other books and this one was equally as good. The setting of a small coastal town on the Tasmanian coast was brilliantly described and I enjoyed the plot. I would highly recommend it.

Read all of Jane Harper's book and got to say this is my favourite
The pace of the book is perfect for the unfolding storyline
Was glued to all the characters, and had no idea who was involved with the murder
Brilliantly written, loved how all the little twists and turns connected together

Highly recommend

Thank you netgalley, Jane Harper and little browns books for allowing me to read and review this book.

Set in a small seaside town in Tasmania, it tells the lives ( and deaths ) of some of its residents. An emotional story involving a suspicious death and the following police investigation, the story of 3 deaths many years previously and the lives and loves of a number of young residents.
A good read with an emotional surprise ending.

A slow burner but worth reading, especially if you enjoy thoughtful, well-constructed crime dramas. Kieran returns to his hometown, with new family in tow, reawakening deep-rooted feelings of guilt from past events, fuelled further by the murder of a young woman upon arrival. Harper does an excellent job at transporting the reader to the sleepy out-of-season seaside resort in Tasmania and imbuing the narrative with mystery and a sombre, distrustful tone. The start of the novel however was quite slow and the characters did not seem that interesting. However, once I adjusted to the novel’s pace, if found it compelling reading and really did enjoy it.

This story was good about an accident and presumed death. It was a good thriller as you need to carry on to see what the ending is like. Loved the surprise twist, wouldn’t have guessed it.

Kieran with wife and new baby returns home to a small coastal town in Tasmania for the first time in twelve years. When a body is discovered on the beach, the small community is split as suspicions are aroused and fingers pointed. Thoughts return to three deaths during a storm there ten years before.
Jane Harper’s scene setting is, as always, immaculate. From the breaking waves foaming gently on the shore to the power of the tide filling the caves, her descriptions are beautifully written. Her characters too come to life as their history and old tensions are revealed. The problem is that this all happens quite slowly and time after time we find ourselves standing on the sand outside Fisherman’s cottage with the flowers around our feet.
I struggled to find the wonderful tension here which builds in her earlier books, and the ending felt rather flat.
Still, a good read, and my thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK.

Kieran has returned to the small coastal town he grew up in, with his partner Mia and their baby daughter. Tasmania’s Evelyn Bay is quiet this time of year, the tourists having disappeared at the end of the season, so it’s just the relatively small collection of locals he has to deal with. It’s a bit of a trial, this visit, as the reason for coming back is to help his mum pack up for an impending house move, prompted by the need to find some care for his dad who is suffering from early onset dementia. But heart wrenching as that is it’s not the main reason Kieran has been dreading this trip: more than ten years ago a reckless mistake he made resulted in the death of his beloved elder brother and another man. Kieran has never quite gotten over this and a number of the town’s residents haven’t either.

The atmosphere is edgy and brooding as Kieran slowly reacquaints himself with both place and people. Most are friendly enough and for a couple of close friends it’s a chance to pick up where they left off years ago. But the undercurrent of tension is ever present and for one person in particular Kieran’s presence is clearly unwelcome. As the days pass we learn a little more about the huge storm that precipitated events all those years ago and discover that the loss of the two young men wasn’t the only tragedy on that fateful day: a fourteen-year-old-girl also went missing in the midst of the storm. And now there’s a further shocking event, the body of a girl is found on the beach one morning. It seems that there’s no end to the misery this place can inflict.

There’s a need to concentrate early on as about a dozen core characters are introduced and their links to each other are established. Tracking a large cast isn’t my strong suit, but I took some notes and soon found that the linkages became ingrained enough for me to enjoy the story without worrying about losing track of the significance of the various relationships. I found it to be a slow burner, this one, but I appreciated the fact that the author allowed sufficient time with the various characters so that I was invested in the plight of quite a few of them before anything of further significance was introduced. And in the second half of the book it really did get interesting as snippets of information were drip fed into the story, subtly changing my view of people and, potentially, of past events. All very cleverly done.

By two-thirds in I was totally engrossed, staying up late to read a few more pages and even waking in the night to catch up (I actually finished reading the book at around 4am – unheard of for me). It’s a book with a series of mysteries that didn’t make sense until they did; a story that provides an ending that is plausible but at the same time sad and surprising. In fact, I’m struggling to find anything negative to say about this one. Jane Harper is an author I’ve followed since she released her first book in 2016 and I believe the quality of her storytelling has been consistently high throughout. Her Aussie settings almost lend an extra character to her books and she again uses this brilliantly to provide a superb backdrop here. I’m somewhat in awe of her talent and I really can’t wait to see what she does next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This is the 3rd Jane Harper book I have read and I think this one is my favourite. Set in Tasmania Kieran and Mia return to their childhood hometown to help Kieran's mum with his dad who is now suffering from dementia. Thoughts turn to a terrible accident 12 years previously. What really did happen that night?

Loved this. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

The Survivors by Jane Harper
This is the fourth book by Jane Harper which I have read and this one moves from the hot dry interior of Australia to a beach resort in Tasmania. It is a town which is overrun with tourists in the summer months by settles into a slow steady pace during winter months.
Kieran and Mia have returned to Evelyn Bay for the first time in a few years bringing with them their young baby. Kieran’s mother is packing up their house ready to move to a smaller place whilst her husband, who is struggling with debilitating dementia, is about to make the move into a care home.
From the outset we know that Kieran is struggling with guilt over events which occurred twelve years ago culminating in the death of his beloved older brother. Gradually we piece events together but then Bronte, an art student, is found murdered and suddenly questions are asked not just about her death but what exactly happened on the day of the great storm.
This novel is about the heavy weight of anguish, guilt and blame; Jane Harper depicts this movingly. It is an exceptional portrayal of a small community where suspicion hangs palpably over everyone. Throughout the novel you believe you have solved the mystery of what happened in the past only to have your thoughts confounded. The characters are very well drawn and the caves, which conceal as much as the characters do, are a brilliant metaphor for hidden secrets.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would like to thank the Jane Harper, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read it in return for an honest review. I eagerly await Jane Harper’s fifth literary excursion.

Two young men die in a boat accident in a storm and a young teenager girl goes missing and is presumed drowned. 12 years later. This novel kept me interested with no dead spots. Lots of interesting characters and I didn't guess who the murderer was. there were lots of red herrings.

Highly recommended. Set in Tasmania, towards the end of the summer season, former residents Kieran and Mia return to help his parents move. Twelve years earlier, during an unusually violent storm, Kieran's brother and friend died whilst trying to save him. The novel covers the various repercussions, thoughts, rumours that have arisen from that one event - blame, guilt, truth.

There is a real sense of the land and seascape, the impact of events on a small community.

With thanks to Little Brown Book Group and NetGalley for an ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. Initially I thought I would abandon it as I didn't really feel too interested in the characters and couldn't really get into it. So perhaps the start is a little slow to get going.

But I'm glad I stuck with it, and as I was getting towards the end I couldn't put it down.

The book begins with the main character, Kieran, on a visit back to the town where his parents live. It quickly becomes clear that there is a traumatic history there and he finds it a struggle to be back.

Twelve years previously, a storm had killed Kieran's brother Finn and nearly killed Kieran. But Kieran blames himself for Finn's death as he believes that Finn was out on his boat to try and rescue him.

The death of a young woman, Bronte, dredges up memories for various people in the town about the storm. But as the story develops, we find out how these two events are linked together.

There are some really well-drawn characters in the book. Olivia and Ash are two of Kieran's friends who both had big hopes for their lives but now can't see themselves leaving the area. There's a sense of lives being wasted away in a small town where nothing much happens and everyone knows your business.

Kieran's mum Verity begins as a character you can love to hate. She spouts psycho-babble at him and puts herself across as very aware of psychological processes, all the while refusing to ever have a real conversation with him and doing immense damage to her son.

But the story also shows how people can change and there are positives as it suggests that you should never write people off. There's a sense of reconciliation between Kieran and Verity, and some hope for the future.

The plot is great - I never expected what happens at the end. And I think the book does a great job in creating a realistic portrayal of young people growing up, how they treat each other and particularly how some men can treat women very badly but not see their behaviour for what it is.

It's quite bittersweet and there's a lot of sadness in it, with characters really struggling with regret and dashed hopes. But it's also hopeful and there is a sense at the end that people can start to properly get over the trauma they have suffered.

I will read more Jane Harper in the future!

The Review
Kieran returns home with his girlfriend, Mia, and their 3 month old baby, to help his mother prepare for a house move. His father is being crippled by dementia, and things are not exactly as he remembers there.
However, always in the background is the guilt associated with that fateful day, 12 years ago, when Kieran’s actions led to a tragic accident. When there is another death, caused by the ocean, old feelings surface, questions are asked and the truth is determined to come out.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of writing that created a really vivid backdrop. I could practically feel the wind and ocean spray as I was reading.

That said, I found this to be a painfully slow burn. As a crime/mystery/suspense it didn’t quite work for me because it took so long for anything to really happen. In fact, in many ways, nothing really did happen – until the “mystery” was solved. Even that was a bit plodding, and non-dramatic.

Instead, this was a very character driven book, focusing on the relationships between old friends, the town folk and family, all of whom are held back by the grief and associated guilt, of the past. There are a lot of other things going on, no doubt to try and throw in some red herrings, but the story arcs don’t go anywhere and ultimately feel a bit tedious. This could easily have been 100 pages shorter.

As a mystery, this is more teacups and roundabouts than high-octane rollercoaster, so it depends what you’re looking for.

The Stars
I’m going to give this a three. The writing was good, characters were interesting (though some just didn’t need so much page space), and the underlining story was strong. However, there was just a bit too much superfluous and long-winded narrative going on that kept me checking how much more I had left to read.
OK, but I’m not sure I’d check out anything else by this writer if this is typical of her style.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group, and the author Jane Harper.
Another gripping mystery from Jane Harper, I absolutely devoured it. A hugely involving story with some great twists and turns, and an ending I couldn't have predicted. What more do you need from a thriller?
I enjoyed 'The Dry' by the same author, and this next book is even better. Highly recommended for fans of this genre.

I've been a fan of the Jane Harper books so was really excited to see this one on Netgalley.
I think this is one of her best books yet. I was so engrossed in the story, trying to figure out what was going on and who was responsible. I didn't figure it out at all - what a surprise twist!
Another great book.

This was a well written book, which painted a clear picture of a small seaside community in Tasmania, and how it was affected by a traumatic storm. There are two murders of young girls several years apart. Are they related? There are clever hooks which make one suspect everybody.
My only problem with the book are the overlong descriptions of Keiran's father's dementia and its efects on the family. Otherwise I really enjoyed this book.

I am new to Jane Harper's writing talent and in reading her latest called The Survivors, I can see I have missed out on much. If you're reading this, no doubt the synopsis is fresh in your mind and you're wondering if it's worth the mental effort and emotional expenditure to go ahead and get a copy to read. Well, for the former, it's a definite 'buy', for the latter it depends on how you view these things. The writing style is unnervingly like you are at the cinema with every detail for your sensory organs to digest. Actually, it's like you are in Tasmania mixing with the community of Evelyn Bay! The story is so realistic and plausible, there are many elements we can all identify with. The tragedy and ultimately murder, comes down to lack of character. A stronger individual would have not made those choices and had they have had a moment of madness, would have held their hands up to the outfall. Errors made and covered up, become mortally compounded when their exposure is threatened.
A great read and highly recommended.

Kieron returns home to help his Mom cope with her move due to his Dad's dementia. Memories of the past and guilt felt following the death of his brother 12 years ago come to the surface as a body is found on the beach.
This is a well written read with great characters. The scenic descriptions bring the book to life. We have to face the power of the sea. Very gripping book which covers a range of emotions and events. Loved it so enjoy yourself.