Lost Man (Harper) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
Harper's books succeed in part because she conveys how even now, geography can be fate. Heat and empty space in her work defeat modernity, defeat logic, technology and even love, throwing us back upon our irreducible selves. By the time she reveals the (brilliantly awful) back story about Nathan's banishment from the few human comforts of Balamara—the pub, for example—the reader feels frantic for their restoration. The final pages of The Lost Man are somewhat predictable, but Harper is skillful enough, a prickly, smart, effective storyteller, that it doesn't matter. She's often cynical, but always humane. Book by book, she's creating her own vivid and complex account of the outback, and its people who live where people don't live.
Charles Finch - New York Times Book Review


If you liked The Dry, you'll love it. The Lost Man is an even better book, gripping right to the end. This terrific piece of outback noir opens with the discovery of a body.… Harper… paints the menacing landscape brilliantly. The book's title could easily relate to several of the male characters. This engrossing novel will have you thinking long after you've turned the last page.
Melbourne Herald Sun (Aus)


Fabulously atmospheric, the book starts slowly and gradually picks up pace towards a jaw-dropping denouement.
Guardian (UK)


Her best yet; it's certainly one of the finest novels of any sort, not only within the genre, that I've read in many moons.… Harper adroitly blends the tension and brisk pace of a thriller with the psychological acuity and stylish prose of literary fiction.
Irish Independent


Engrossing…Storytelling at its finest.
Associated Press


Nothing about this novel is predictable. The characters are compelling, the plot is thrilling and the ending is so very satisfying. There’s something special about getting to the end of a book and figuring out the mystery. You’ll be left feeling content, a little shocked and desperate for more.
Marie Claire (Aus)


[A] crime masterpiece. The landscape and culture of this remote Australian territory are magnificently evoked as a story of family secrets unfolds. Rarely does a puzzle so complicated fit together perfectly—you’ll be shaking your head in amazement.
People


A nuanced but pulse-pounding thriller set in the heart of the Australian Outback, where two brothers find their sibling dead.
Entertainment Weekly


Harper’s sinewy prose and flinty characters compel, but the dreary story line may cause some readers to give up before the jaw-dropping denouement.
Publishers Weekly


[T]he Australian landscape looms large, and it's difficult to imagine the events in this novel playing out the same way anywhere else. Verdict: Even if readers guess why Cam died, they're likely to be kept guessing the how and the who until the end. —Stephanie Klose
Library Journal


The atmosphere is so thick you can taste the red-clay dust, and the folklore… adds an additional edge to an already dark and intense narrative. [A] surprising ending… reveals how far someone will go to preserve a life worth living in a place at once loathed and loved.
Booklist


★ [A] masterful narrative… in the middle of a desolate landscape… where the effects of long-term isolation are always a concern. The mystery… will leave readers reeling, and the final reveal is a heartbreaker. A twisty slow burner by an author at the top of her game.
Kirkus Reviews