Jane Harper’s Australian settings for her novels are generally atmospheric and “The Survivors” definitely has this quality. The descriptions of the small coastal town and landscape are very evocative.
The story is about Kieran who returns to the town to help his parents move after a dementia diagnosis. He brings his girlfriend, Mia and their baby daughter, Audrey.
However Kieran has terrible memories of his home after a storm many years previously led to several deaths and a young girl’s disappearance. Kieran feels responsibility for the deaths and has avoided returning to his family. “The Survivors”refers to both Kieran and his friends who survived the storm as well as the memorial statue to an old wreck which has been erected on the coast.
When there is a murder in the town old memories are stirred up and everyone is shocked. In the course of the investigation links are made to the past and it becomes clear that all is not as it seemed.
Although this was an interesting story it did not really grip me in the same way as this author’s other books. I did not have as much invested in the characters and the actual mystery and its resolution was not as compelling.
One thing that seemed unrealistic to me was that during the book Kieran takes baby Audrey everywhere in a sling but I was quite surprised that he felt comfortable leaving her on the beach alone when he went swimming- I cannot imagine most new fathers doing this!
The Survivors is enjoyable but not quite as compelling as Jane Harper’s earlier books. I will definitely look out for future reads by this author as she is generally an excellent writer.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Jane Harper has an incredible skill for getting under the skin of her characters, particularly troubled men in their late 20s/early 30s, and women in middle age. She's a brilliantly talented writer, evoking detailed setting and intricate threads of plot woven together. The Survivors is no exception: set in a coastal community on the Tasmanian coast, you can smell the sea and feel the crush of the waves against the rocks. There's a dual mystery and we're with the characters throughout as they try to work out what's happened - and if the questions are all connected.

Highly recommended.

The Survivors is the latest book by Jane Harper, an Australian author whose new releases are always added straight to my wishlist. Her latest novel is set in Tasmania (a first for me I think) and focuses upon a small coastal town where tragedy struck over a decade ago. Kieren Elliott blames himself for the tragedy, always has done. Having left the town, he makes a return home with his partner and new baby to visit his parents. While he's there a body turns up on the beach - the small community is rocked as the police try to uncover the truth behind the death. In doing so many facts, stories, emotions, and secrets from that day over a decade ago arise.

Jane Harper always keeps me guessing with her stories, and The Survivors is no different. She carefully sows seeds throughout her novels, making me think I've got it all figured out, until another seed is sown and I'm back to the drawing board. I love that about her work! I also particularly admire how she can draw us into a community, with all its characters and never once make the reader feel overwhelmed. In fact, it's just as though we are there in Tasmania with this community, shocked and looking for answers ourselves. It's a real talent and I very much admire that about her work.

I became consumed by this novel, thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. It isn't a fast paced novel but it will make you want to gobble it up.

I have always been a sucker for 'returning home' novels and, in recent years, perhaps any year, Jane Harper's THE DRY was one of the best. THE SURVIVORS is a close second. Like her debut, this novel concerns a man returning home after a tragedy. Kieran returns to Tasmania, to a small coastal town where, several years ago his brother, Finn, died in circumstances for which Kieran has always felt guilt. Finn did not die alone and others blame Kieran too. Not long after Kieran, his girlfriend and their baby daughter arrive back in Evelyn Bay another suspicious death occurs...

Jane Harper has spun another tale of going home, to suspicion, to gossip, to retribution? THE SURVIVORS is tightly plotted and suspenseful, but it is the author's ability to draw realistic, fully-rounded and flawed characters, and her sense of place which makes the book stand out. You can feel the sand blowing against your shins, hear the waves crashing around the feet of the statues which stand in the surf and which give the novel its title. But, of course, the real survivors are those whose lives have been impacted by decisions made in the past. The book is a tour de force which builds to a climax as storms, both physical and metaphorical, rise and threaten to devastate everything in their path.

Set in a small coastal town in Tasmania this book is beautifully written.
Kieran Elliott returns home with his partner Mia and their baby.
Kierans parents are moving home and he comes to help. He finds his father has dementia and is wandering from the house at night.
Kieran left home years ago after a bad storm when his brother and friend died trying to save Kieran from drowning and a young local girl disappeared. A young girl is found dead and the past becomes entwined with the present.
The characters are very well written and the storyline is strong keeping the reader hooked.
Despite the slow pace I loved this book. The story moves skilfully between the past and the present uncovering clues and red herrings.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.
4.5 Stars

Kieran has returned home to help his parents move. Along with his girlfriend Mia and their baby they reconnect with old friends. Then a body is found on the beach. With an investigation launched to find the killer, it brings up old memories about the storm that killed Kieran's brother and his friend and almost took Kieran too. There are still secrets aout that storm which are finally ready to be revealed.

This was a slow burn story. It took me a little while to get into it but once I did I was hooked. The story was interesting but I did figure out who the killer was just not all the motives. The ending was well done but I would have liked to have seen a final chat between Kieran and his mum about what he learned. I liked Kieran and Mia though I did cringe every time he left the baby on the beach whilst he went swimming. I liked the descriptive nature of the writing and the images that were created. An interesting, mystery.

At a time when international travel is not possible it was great to ‘visit’ Tasmania courtesy of Jane Harper’s latest book The Survivors. I found it took me a while to get into this one but I really enjoyed her earlier books so knew it would be worth persevering. Kieran’s return to his home town was never going to be easy and the discovery of a body on the beach brings up secrets from the tragedy that changed his life. The sea is a major character here and not in a cosy holiday on the beach way but as a true force of nature. A bit of a slow burn to start but then Jane Harper grabbed me and didn’t let go until the end.

I needed a little bit of time to get into this book, it does progress quite slowly but I really enjoyed the story line and getting to know the characters. There’s a lot of build up and some hints to help steer you in the right, or wrong, direction! I really found myself warming to Kieran, but thought his dad was slightly suspicious.

The ending was told from a different characters perspective and was such a welcome explanation when it came around. I’d definitely recommend this book but I think it’s one you need to be in the mood for, it’s a slow-burner!

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Survivors but that has in no way influenced my review.

I absolutely adore Jane Harper's books. Reading The Dry a few years ago, which was Harper's debut, ignited a love of Australian crime fiction in me which burns bright to this day. The publication of a new Jane Harper novel is a big thing for me and something I always look forward to. Harper is a master of her craft and The Survivors is another intoxicating and beautifully intense mystery to add to her superb back catalogue. If you love crime fiction, you MUST read Harper's novels.

Kieran Elliot has returned to Evelyn Bay with his young family to help his mother pack up the family home. His father's illness is worsening - he's become a danger to himself - so he's being moved into residential care. Kieran's mother needs to downsize and move closer to her husband. But returning to the small town he grew up stirs up old memories. He's never really escaped the guilt and the regret but it's a lot more difficult to avoid when everyone you meet knows what happened all those years ago. When a body is discovered on the beach the police are called to investigate. But the town of Evelyn Bay is full of secrets and tragedy is never far away....

Once again the author has excelled at making the three main elements of a novel the very best they can be. The plot is intriguing and keeps you turning the pages. The characters are all very normal people who, despite living a world away, you feel you can relate to in some way. And the setting is always as much a part of the story as the characters. I tend to favour characters in the books I read. I like character-driven stories with people who stand tall from the page. But there's such a strong sense of place in Harper's novels that you can't help but fall in love with the drama and the danger of her settings. The crashing waves and the surging tides in The Survivors give a claustrophobic feel to proceedings which I couldn't get enough of. It's a thing of beauty and one of the many reasons Harper is one of my favourite authors.

This isn't a ten thrills-a-minute novel but a confidently written slow unravelling of an older unsolved disappearance and a much more recent tragedy. Add to the mix the affection the reader feels for Kieran as we watch him struggle with his grief and all in all, this is one cracking read. The author takes her reader's hand and leads them through the lives of her very real feeling characters until you're part of their day to day lives - watching the drama play out from afar.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. If you love crime fiction then I heartily recommend The Survivors (alongside all of Harper's other novels). I wasn't able to work out the big reveal but I'm glad that was the case. It was shocking and saddening in equal measure. I think having an inkling of where the story was going would have spoilt that a little bit for me. Another masterclass from Jane Harper on how to write an all-round stunning novel. I couldn't fault The Survivors and I'm now hoping I won't have to wait too long until Harper publishes her next book. Whenever that happens, consider me first in line! Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Survivors. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Survivors is the new gripping novel by Jane Harper and it is set in Evelyn Bay, a small town on the Tasmanian Coast, that twelve years ago was hit by a storm that forever changed the lives of its residents.

Kieran has spent many years away from Evelyn Bay, but now he is back, together with his girlfriend Mia and their three-month-old daughter Audrey, to help his mother pack the family home before his father, suffering from dementia, moves into a nursing home. When the body of a young woman is found on the beach, the tragedy that shook the town twelve years earlier resurfaces and it is time for Kieran to face his ghosts.

The story is slow-paced and, even though the murder investigation is central to the novel, the story focuses mostly on the characters and their development. Through Kieran’s eyes we are introduced to the other characters in the story: his friends who remained in Evelyn Bay; those who were lost during the storm and their families who are still grieving. At the center there is Kieran, a character that I found flawed, authentic, and relatable. Kieran is carrying a lot on his shoulders: sleepless nights caused by his newborn baby, his father’s illness, but, most of all, his guilt for the role he played in the tragedy twelve years ago.

I genuinely love Jane Harper’s novels. I can’t say I have a favourite – although The Survivors is a close first – as they all feature the author’s addictive writing style and they are full of mystery, intrigue, and atmosphere. The Survivors confirms, once again, that Jane Harper is a master storyteller as she slowly builds a story that concludes with an ending that was unexpected, heartbreaking, and satisfying.

I have been a huge fan of Jane Harpers books since reading The Dry in 2018. I loved the fact that in contrast to previous books, she has set this book in a coastal town in Tasmania with the sea as a main player in the story.
Three sculpted figures gaze out to sea fastened in place on the headland, they are known as The Survivors.
When Kieran Elliot steps back into his hometown of Evelyn Bay with his young family, the guilt that has haunted him for years comes flooding back. Twelve years ago his brother Finn and his mate Toby died and Kieran knows it was his fault. But there was another body that went missing that day too and it was never found.
Another body is found on the beach on the day that Kieran returns and he and his wife narrowly miss being hit by a speeding car, past events begin to resurface. There are undercurrents of tension in the small town as relationships are reestablished and long held secrets start to emerge in the murder investigation that follows.
Jane Harper always builds tension so well as usual creating a real page turner. There are a number of characters to follow and threads to keep up with but it all resolves with a gripping ending, I read this as a buddy read (my first!) with my colleague and we had great fun comparing our thoughts on the writing and plot development throughout our read along. I would highly recommend this book (in fact all of Jane Harpers books) if you like a gripping crime read.

Kieran Elliott is on a rare visit home to the small Tasmanian coastal town he grew up in, where he's still remembered as the person responsible for the deaths of his older brother and his brother's best mate in a freak storm twelve years previously. On the same night a young teenager went missing, presumed washed out to sea, and the town has struggled to forget the three fatalities.
Now tragedy is ready to strike again. Another body is found on the beach, this time a student working on the island for the summer. There seems at first to be nothing to link this death with previous events, but the past has a way of returning to haunt the community.



Part whodunit, part a study in long-term grief, The Survivors looks at the impact on a small close-knit community of a night which robbed them of three young people. For the close families the loss will never go away, but in a hurry to smooth things over it seems the police may not have investigated quite as strenuously as they might.

To me, there's always quite a feel of a Miss Marple mystery about a Jane Harper novel; the tight communities where everyone knows everything about their neighbour (or thinks they do), the buried secrets that nevertheless manage to persist, the limited number of suspects, the red herrings that confuse detection. There are no psychopaths or serial killers, just 'normal' people driven to murder for very human reasons - of love, anger, or fear.

There's just no replacement for Jane Marple as each story takes the reader to a different part of Australia. and this time the backdrop feels almost familiar - an out-of-season coastal town, dependent on tourists for livelihood, but with a beautiful setting of beaches, dramatic cliffs, and dangerous caves.

I have read and enjoyed all of Jane Harper’s previous books so was looking forward to reading this one too. This mystery is a slow burner which draws you in. It is very well written and atmospheric. Definitely worth reading. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Setting: Evelyn bay | Themes: Mystery, Dark, Atmospheric | Plot: Medium paced
Author: @Janeharper
Content Warning: Death

Evelyn bays a quiet town with sequestered beaches. Twelve years ago, Kieran Elliot left his hometown Evelyn Bay to escape the guilt of his older brother's death, Finn, and Sean's brother Toby on a stormy night. That vicious night it was not only Kieran and Sean who lost their family; There was one more death whose body never recovered.

Now, Kieran has returned with his wife and daughter, and he is glad to see his friends Ash, Olivia, and Sean, but the tensity lingers around them.

On the day he arrives, Olivia’s housemate's body is found on the shore, and the questions of her death lead to revealing the secrets that everyone is holding back, and the suspicious fall on many.

The Survivors is a slow burn and atmospheric plot that is perfectly layered.
The author unfolds the events through different timelines that took place in the past and build the tension at the end of each chapter.

The plot, solely driven by the characters, who unfold their past overtime. The most important role is played by the town itself that breathes and gives life to the story. One might find the plot overwhelming due to too many characters. It is a page-turner with foreboding tension and suspense.

Thank you NetGalley for providing the e-arc in exchange of honest review.

As a fan of Jane Harper I was looking forward to reading this book and I wasn't disappointed - she is such a skilled writer and her ability to paint a picture and draw you in is exceptional.

Set in a small coastal town in Tasmania, it tells the story of Kieran who returns to his home town with his girlfriend and baby to help his parents pack up their house and move away. When a girl is found murdered on the beach, it stirs up memories for the whole town of events 12 years previously when three people died, one of whom was Kieran's brother, and around which Kieran carries considerable guilt. As the murder investigation progresses, it is clear that there are many long-held secrets within the town.

This is a slow burn of a book but Harper's skill lies in building tension through her atmospheric descriptions of small town life and the power of the sea, as well creating a well drawn cast of characters, making me want to keep reading. There are plenty of twists and turns and I for one was kept guessing until the end. All in all another great read from Harper.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jane Harper is hands down one of the best thriller writers I have come across. I loved every page of this book!

I really enjoyed this Jane Harper book and think she's the queen of tension. I loved her first book but felt she didn't really follow up that success with her second. However, she's back on track here I think and I admire how she builds undercurrents throughout in order to raise the tension. This was a great read and I'd like to thank Netgalley for letting me review a preview copy.

The Survivors Jane Harper
This book was a slow burner for me. I started it a few times on audio and got no where, so switched to reading and read 20% in first sitting, while reading I did switch back to audio a few times to see how it was, and it was fine, so clearly I just needed to get started.
There are quite a few characters in this book, but you do get to know them all well, this book is more a marathon than a sprint.
I found myself getting more into the story as I read, and was quite invested towards the end trying to work it all out.
This is my first book by this author, even though I have two more, which I now look forward to reading.

I absolutely adore Jane Harper's books and 'The Survivors' was no exception. It was gripping from the start, full of twists and turns. Wonderful, cannot recommend enough!

Kieran Elliott is haunted by the guilt he feels for an accident he was involved in as a teen, an accident that had devastating consequences.  He rarely goes back to his hometown, but as his father's health begins to fail Kieran, his wife and his young daughter return to help his mum pack up their family home.  When a body is found on the beach the day after they arrive the small coastal town is once again thrown into turmoil, and the investigation threatens to dredge up long held secrets from the day of Kieran's accident.

As with the other book I've ready by Jane Harper, I found this one very easy to get into.  Whilst the storyline isn't one that hangs on big reveals and hoodwinking the reader, it is still one that will grip you and compel you to keep reading.

Evelyn Bay was a town that felt so familiar to me, and the sort of place I could imagine myself wanting to retire to.  Harper does such a great job of describing the area that I had a really vivid picture of it in my head.  I haven't been lucky enough to visit Tasmania yet, but it is on my list of places to go, and I'm hoping to stumble across a town like this whilst there.

There's a real jumble of characters in the mix here, and as the book progresses there was a few that fell under my suspicions.  I thought Harper did a great job of capturing the emotions and relationships you would see in a small town, and also giving us a realistic cast of characters.  Although there was some I liked more than others, I found that they all fell into a sort of grey zone, each of them having things I liked and disliked about them.

The title of the novel is perfect, and fits on a number of levels. It was a nice touch.

The only drawback I found, and the thing that stopped me giving 5 stars, was that I wasn't totally happy with the ending.  Whilst things were resolved to a point where I knew what had happened and how, I felt like there would have been a lot of fallout from the last few events that wasn't dealt with.  It's a minor criticism, but I just felt there was a small gap that could have been sewn up.

All in all this is a book I would highly recommend.  I'll definitely be making time to read the other couple of books by Jane Harper that I haven't gotten to yet.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an arc in exchange for an honest review.