The Survivors Review

 

Author: Jane Harper

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: Macmillan Publishing

Release Date: Feb. 2, 2021

Order Link: Amazon

My Rating: 4 Atmospheric Hearts

Many thanks to Macmillan for an arc of this book. #readinginsidersclub

Coming home dredges up deeply buried secrets in The Survivors, a thrilling mystery by New York Times bestselling author Jane Harper.

Review:

Returning home is not always easy - especially when it dredges up unpleasant memories and secrets that are best left buried.  Kieran Elliot has returned home with his wife and child to help his mother and father move before dementia totally incapacitates Kieran's dad.  While they're home, the shocking discovery of a young woman's body on the beach raises a lot of questions while prying open old wounds left by a past tragedy and unsolved missing person case.  The small beach community of Evelyn Bay on the Tasmania coast and its residents past and present are thrown into turmoil as the two cases collide and long buried secrets leak out.  Who murdered this young woman?  Could this case be tied to a past missing girl and tragic event?

Jane Harper can always be counted on to gift readers with a highly atmospheric suspense story. The Survivors is another great example of her brilliant work.  This story is rich in setting, emotional turmoil, guilt, blame, hate and love.  The story unfolds as past and present collide like the sea crashing on the shore.  Kieran has never forgiven himself for the role he played in the deaths of his brother and friend . . . and neither have the townspeople.  Now twelve years later, another young life is gone too soon and rumors and accusations fly.  Suspense slowly builds throughout this story, moment by moment until events spiral out of control and truths come to light.  Harper expertly weaves the past and present, revealing  some discerning occurrences leading to a shocking conclusion.  The setting is alive with both beauty and ominous warnings, once again becoming a character to be dealt with in this author's story.  I can think of only a couple of other authors who can pull this off as flawlessly as Harper.  The Survivors is a highly atmospheric, heart breaking, twisted suspense story that I read from cover to cover in one sitting.  Highly recommended to fans of suspense thrillers.

Synopsis:

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 community he once called home.

Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. 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... 

Author:  Jane Harper is the international bestselling author of The Dry, Force of Nature and The Lost Man.

Jane is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and has won numerous top awards including the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year, the Australian Indie Awards Book of the Year, the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel, and the British Book Awards Crime and Thriller Book of the Year.
Her books are published in more than 36 territories worldwide, with The Dry in production as a major motion picture starring Eric Bana.