Investigator Aaron Fulk goes to southern Australia after being chose godfather for friends baby. Kim Gillespie went missing one year ago. The only clue was her shoe found in a reservoir. Her teenage daughter, Zara insists that her mom did like the reservoir, so she would not have drowned there. While visiting Aaron encounters a second mystery of a man who apparently was killed in a hit and run accident while walking his dog. The lives of the two families left are intertwined. With a little detective work, Aaron is able to solve both mysteries and bring the book to a satisfying conclusion and make himself happy in the process. ( )

3.5⭐️

In the third installment in Jane Harper’s Aaron Falk series, we travel with AFP Officer Aaron Falk to South Australian wine country, where he is to attend his friend Greg Raco’s son Henry’s christening. Aaron is Henry’s godfather. After his arrival, Aaron finds himself helping Raco investigate the disappearance of a local woman from a year ago. One year ago, thirty-nine-year-old Kim Gillespie, was reported missing, last seen at the Marralee Valley Annual Food and Wine Festival. Her baby daughter was found safe in her stroller. Kim was close to Raco’s family, having previously been in a long-term relationship with Raco’s brother Charlie and was the mother of his now seventeen-year-old daughter Zara. At the time of her disappearance, she was married to Rohan Gillespie. The discovery of her shoe near the local reservoir prompted conjecture that Kim had taken her own life. But her body was never found and her daughter is convinced that Kim would never commit suicide. Aaron finds himself involved in the search for Kim as well as trying to get to the truth behind a hit-and-run case from years ago that caused the death of a local man. As the narrative progresses, we follow the investigation into the lives and secrets of the local community.

The premise of Exiles by Jane Harper is interesting and I really like Aaron Falk’s characterization as well as the setting. I also liked the depiction of the community and the dynamics between the different characters. Had I picked up this book only to enjoy the story of a community with family drama and a surprise romance, I could have rated it higher. But, I picked up the book for a suspenseful mystery and while I did like how the story is built up, the final reveal was more than disappointing and very predictable. This is a slow-burn mystery and it did take a while to feel invested in the story. The pace did drag for the first half of the novel, picking up as the narrative progressed. I was hoping to be proved wrong but I was a tad disappointed with how the mystery plays out. I did, however, like how Aaron Falk’s story progressed in the course of this installment.

Though this novel is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. However, I would suggest reading the books to follow Aaron’s story.

Overall, while I did like Jane Harper’s Exiles, I wasn’t completely bowled over by it as other readers have been.

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Ik ben een groot fan van de boeken van Jane Harper. Dus toen dit boek eindelijk vertaald was, heb ik het onmiddellijk gekocht en gelezen. In het begin moest ik wel even wennen aan de structuur van het boek. Er worden slechts beetje bij beetje zaken onthuld en soms merk je pas achteraf wat belangrijk is. Maar toen ik dat eenmaal door had, ging het een stuk soepeler.
Het verhaal speelt zich af in een klein dorpje in het wijngebied van Australië tijdens een food en wine festival. Aaron Falk, een Federale Agent die zich voornamelijk bezig houdt met financiële fraude, is de hoofdpersoon in verschillende van de boeken van Jane Harper.
Deze keer is hij door zijn vriend Gregg Raco uitgenodigd om, net als het jaar daarvoor, naar het festival te komen. In dat jaar is Kim Gillespie daar spoorloos verdwenen en haar dochter Zara wil van de gelegenheid gebruikmaken om nog eens een rondvraag te doen onder de bezoekers of zij er het jaar daarvoor ook waren en iets konden vertellen van wat ze hadden gezien. Zara is zeventien en vast besloten om er achter te komen waarom haar moeder is verdwenen met achterlating van haar 6 weken oude baby Zoë.
Als langzaam de puzzelstukjes in elkaar vallen, speelt er ook nog een andere verdwijning mee. Namelijk die van Dean Tozer, de vader van Joel, de vriend van Zara.
Samen met zijn beste vriend Gregg, ook politieman, gaat Aaron aan de slag.
Erg spannend, met een beetje romantiek en met een totaal onverwacht einde. En dat zijn natuurlijk de beste verhalen. ( )

After listening to, and thoroughly enjoying, this latest installment in the life and adventures of Aaron Falk, it occurred to me that most of the book consists of conversations between the characters, with little to no actual action. Harper is a master at creating characters we can engage with. The only mystery is who will turn out to be the bad guy in this tale of the disappearance of a wife and mother at an Australian wine country carnival. Falk, visiting his friend from "The Dry" becomes involved with the mystery and with a local woman as well. By the end of the book, we know he will have solved the mystery--but what else may he have done? It will be very interesting to see where Harper goes from here. After you're done, you'll feel like you've returned from a trip to Australia. The feeling is enhanced by Stephen Shanahan's marvelous reading of the audiobook version (as he has done for the previous books in the series.) ( )

Great novel. The ending was so unexpected and filled me with such sadness and anger and I can't even say anything in case you haven't read it yet. My favorite book of hers so far. ( )