Audiobook Review: Exiles by Jane Harper

 

Exiles (Aaron Falk #3) by Jane Harper

Publication Date: January 31st 2023 by Macmillan Audio

Pages: 368

Audio Book Length: 12hrs 25min

Narrators: Stephen Shanahan

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Aaron Falk is on vacation in the Marralee Valley to attend the christening of his godson, which was supposed to happen a year earlier but was put off when Kim Gillespie, the ex-sister-in-law of Aaron’s friend, went missing from a local festival. She supposedly abandoned her newborn in a stroller at the festival and just walked off, never to be seen again. Her teenage daughter, Zara, doesn’t buy that and really the whole family agrees that Kim’s actions were out of character. A year later they’re making an appeal at the same festival for information.

 His friend Sergeant Raco asks Aaron to look over the evidence he’s been compiling, even though the story as it goes suggests Kim took her own life. There’s another unsolved case, a hit and run, from five years earlier that Aaron ends up looking into, as well. Being in Aaron’s mind, getting his thought processes, really highlighted how gifted he was in working out what actually happened.

Jane Harper’s beautiful writing brought these characters to life, Aaron, and the cast, so that I cared about each one of them. Her descriptions of the Australian landscape, weaved seamlessly throughout, made it easy to picture and feel a part of. The Marralee Valley sounds like a beautiful idyllic place to live with its rolling hills of vineyards.  

I was so happy with the personal progress Aaron made in this installment! He loves his job but seeing the love and closeness between family and friends has him questioning his career and place in life. There’s also blossoming romance which factors heavily into his decision. Sergeant Raco, his family, and friends were a tightknit group, their relationships spanning years, a group that has welcomed Aaron with open arms. As for the two mysteries, they left a lasting impression. I’m still thinking about them.

Exiles wraps up, and while it is book three of the series, it’s excellent on its own! I look forward to (hopefully!) more of Aaron Falk in the future!

I listened to the audiobook version of this story, as I did with the previous two, and I thoroughly enjoyed Stephen Shanahan’s performance of all characters! His Australian accent is fantastic! Highly recommended! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed. 

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

Federal Investigator Aaron Falk is on his way to a small town deep in Southern Australian wine country for the christening of an old friend's baby. But mystery follows him, even on vacation.

This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of Kim Gillespie's disappearance. One year ago, at a busy town festival on a warm spring night, Kim safely tucked her sleeping baby into her stroller, then vanished into the crowd. No one has seen her since. When Kim's older daughter makes a plea for anyone with information about her missing mom to come forward, Falk and his old buddy Raco can't leave the case alone.

As Falk soaks up life in the lush valley, he is welcomed into the tight-knit circle of Kim’s friends and loved ones. But the group may be more fractured than it seems. Between Falk’s closest friend, the missing mother, and a woman he’s drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths begin to emerge. What would make a mother abandon her child? What happened to Kim Gillespie?

 

Audio Review: The Survivors by Jane Harper

 

The Survivors by Jane Harper

Publication Date: February 2nd 2021 by Macmillan Audio

Pages: 370

Audio Book Length: 11 hrs 56 min

Narrators: Stephen Shanahan

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Link: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Libro.fm | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Kieran is back in his hometown after years of staying away. There are painful memories after a big coastal storm ended with a tragic accident that took the life of his brother and another local man. Kieran feels responsible and the guilt has weighed him down, but he must come back to help pack up the family home as his father’s dementia has been worsening.  When a local woman turns up dead on the beach murdered the past is again stirred up, and you’re left to wonder if the past has collided with the present as they try and find the killer.

There are a cast of characters in play, Kieran and several of the locals who used to run around together enjoying the seaside and town with a bit of rivalry and a secret or two between them.  They drifted apart after the brutal storm that marked more than one tragedy, but it’s like hardly any time’s gone by once they get together again. As the search for the murderer proceeds, I was questioning what really happened in the past, and how it related to the recent murder. The past is revealed bit by bit I kept wondering if there was a killer in the midst of these old friends.

The Survivors was an atmospheric mystery with a steady increase of tension as the suspicions mount, and I upped the speed on my audio so I could get my answers as quickly as possible! I was taken by surprise as the actual events of the past were revealed.

Once again Jane Harper creates a story that immediately captured and held my attention! I was sucked into the mystery and felt for Kieran as he faces ghosts from his past. I was pleased that he had his girlfriend Mia and their new baby for support.

This is the second time I’ve enjoyed Stephen Shanahan’s narration. His accent was perfect for the role of Kieran the primary POV for the story. Mr. Shanahan did an excellent job with all the voices and he made The Survivors a riveting experience. I listened at my usual of 1.5x or even faster the normal speed.

4 Stars

Goodreads Description:

The compelling new novel from Jane Harper, the New York Times bestselling author of The Dry.

Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.

The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal town he once called home.

Kieran's parents are struggling in a community which is bound, for better or worse, to the sea, that is both a lifeline and a threat. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.

When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away...