Author: Jane Harper
ISBN: 9781743549100
RRP: $32.99
Publication Date: October 23, 2018
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
The Lost Man is the third book by talented Australian author Jane Harper and it’s another 5 star read for me.
The Lost Man is set in the vast outback of Queensland. Two brothers meet at the border of their neighbouring cattle properties, at the legendary landmark that is the stockman’s grave. A landmark that has been a part of the landscape for so many generations that no-one remembers the truth of the site.
The stockman’s grave casts a shadow that offered little hope for the middle Bright brother Cameron when he found himself under the relentless outback sun.
Cameron’s death raises many questions and through the anguish of saying goodbye the family is left to try and unravel the mystery. Cameron had been troubled in recent months, did he lose hope and walk into the unforgiving sun because if not the isolation leaves few suspects.
The Lost Man is a slow burning suspense that is completely character driven. The cast of characters is quite small because the Bright cattle properties are so large, and so far out of town, that the only real interactions are the family and the staff. Town is a number of hours away and there is only a single police officer, who happens to be hours in the other direction when Cameron is found.
Nathan is the older Bright brother, living on an adjoining property to the rest of the family and still about a 3hr drive away. He is living a life more isolated, and is deemed a much greater risk. He often leaves his radio off and is completely uncontactable, which concerns everyone who cares about him. He had issues in town a couple of years ago and has been shut out and shunned, completely unwelcome in his hometown. Nathan has grown accustomed to the isolation and now can go months without hearing another voice or seeing another person.
Cameron seemed to have it all together; lovely wife, two gorgeous daughters, a successful cattle property and the respect of the town. What is it that was troubling him? No-one seems to know.
Harper has woven a captivating tale of the hardships of life on the massive cattle properties in outback Queensland, the isolation, the stress, the risks associated with supplies if there are floods. It really is almost unimaginable to me to try and picture what life would be like. Add to all of that distance and isolation the prospect of mental health issues or medical issues and how do you ensure everyone’s wellness. More to the point how do you recognise the signs of someone being at risk?
Cameron’s death looks pretty cut and dried but there are things that just don’t quite add up. Nathan and his teen son Xander continue investigating on their own because it’s too hard to just accept that things are as they seem with so many inconsistencies. The question is how do you move forward when you don’t like what you uncover?
The Lost Man was a captivating story that I should have read in a short matter of days but just lately my books are almost gathering dust, much to my dismay. I was invested in these characters, their heartaches, their grief and their decisions. We uncover a lot of the past and the way that it shapes our present.
A slow burning suspense of endurance, of courage and of finding the strength to change the shape of the future.
Jane Harper can be found on her Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Lost Man is book #46 for the Australian Women Writer’s Challenge 2018.
Thanks to Pan MacMillan 50 of our Beauty and Lace club members will be reading and reviewing The Lost Man so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments.
The Lost Man is available now through Pan MacMillan, Booktopia, Angus & Robertson and where all good books are sold.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
This book is set in the sweltering conditions of vast outback Queensland, and begins with two brothers, Nathan and Bub Bright, meeting at an old landmark known to the locals as Stockman’s Grave.
The reason for their gathering is a sad one.
Their brother Cameron was found dead there, his car abandoned, yet packed to the brim with supplies to survive the elements..
Cameron leaves behind a wife and two young daughters.
So, just what happened to Cameron?
Family claim he had been acting unusually in the weeks prior to his death, and are left wondering if he headed out there that day with the intention of never returning.
Could they be right, or did something more sinister occur?
As the reader gets to know more about the Bright family, it is evident that each of them have secrets and stories that they want to remain hidden, and by the end of the novel, I was overcome with sadness for quite a few of the characters.
If you are after a light-hearted read, then you won’t find it here, but I recommend giving this book the time it deserves as it is a story that leaves the reader questioning many things (including human nature), and is told very well.
Jane does an exemplary job of describing the outback conditions – the red dust, the distance between properties, the stifling weather – it all is such a big part of the story, and is described so well that you can’t help but imagine yourself in the same position.
This is on family drama that unravels slowly and as the mystery surrounding Cameron’s death comes to light, it was not what I was expecting at all.
Highly recommend this (as well as both of Jane’s other novels that I have read). Thank you to Beauty & Lace and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I think this is Jane Harper’s best book to date. Her dry, slow-reveal story is absolutely compelling and I simply didn’t want to put it down. It begins with the horrific discovery of Cameron Bright, son, brother, husband, father, being found dead at an old unknown stockman’s grave on the family property. Normally he, like everyone in the harsh, remote Queensland outback, has water, food and supplies to last a couple of days in his car. And yet Cam’s car – in perfect working order – is found too far away for him to (1) walk to it, and (2) access the radio and the life-saving food and water. His death is an inexplicably horrible mystery, and it falls to Cam’s brother Nathan to try and figure out what really happened. Nathan is riding his own demons, and we find out exactly what they are through the book. He lives on an impoverished property next door to the family spread, desperately scrabbling to eke out a living, a virtual outcast. The only person who visits is his teenage son (an excellent character, finely drawn), on leave from school, and the local policeman and health worker. Nathan’s not that welcome in town, either, because past events have condemned him in their eyes. Working past all the stigma is not easy, but he has to step up to try and figure out Cam’s death. The Australian outback is like an added character in this story. It is harsh, crucifyingly, relentlessly boiling hot, totally unforgiving, keeping its secrets. Nothing is easy. All kudos to Jane Harper for writing a brilliant story. I’m not going to give anything away, because the secrets of the story are all part of the onion-layer-peel reveal through the book – and the staggering shocks really do keep coming. Each new fact makes you think you know where the story’s going to head – but it doesn’t, it twisted and turned and lurched just where you didn’t expect. I loved the way I had no idea about the end. An amazing read.
And I should add – thankyou to Beauty and Lace Bookclub and Pan McMillan for the review copy. Fantastic.
Thank you to beauty and lace for giving me the opportunity to read this book and write this review.
Jane Harper captures the outback beautifully, the descriptions of the landscape and the hot sun really paints a great picture while reading this book.
I enjoyed the book, I love a good outback story but I did feel it was a bit slow to get going and would love to have a sequel to see what happens in the future for the Bright family.
My favourite character in the book is Xander, he seems to have a quiet personality but he speaks up when the moment is right.
I would rate the book as an easy read and I didn’t see the ending, as I was reading, I thought there was going to be some sort of twist but I couldn’t pick it.
Well done Jane!
Not sure why (maybe distracted by life) but this book took me a bit to get into – maybe the introduction of so many characters in the beginning, who knows. However, once I got my head around it (and the flitting between time periods on occasions), I just had to finish it to find out what happened!
The Lost Man tells the story of a family in outback Queensland who encounter a death – the circumstances around the death is what the book is all about – but not via a police investigation rather the family all looking for clues, while uncovering other secrets about one another.
A story of family, love, hardship and death this book touches on a range of themes which are relatable and make for an intense quick read. Harper has managed to vividly describe the Queensland outback and the harsh realities of the environment out there.
Without giving too much away, there are a few small stories which were not quite finished for me…. Perhaps room for a sequel?
I really enjoyed this book, as I have with her others and highly recommend!
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Pan McMillan for the opportunity to review this book.
Wow, thanks to Beauty and Lace and Pan McMilliam for the opportunity to review the lost Man, Jane Harper’s third novel. I love Australian novels and this one is no exception.
Her depiction of the outback characters, gave me a real insight into the lives of isolated farming families. The book moved at a fast pace and I could hardly put it down.
The author threw in a few false leads, so that I had no idea what had happened to Cam and how he had died.
She is excellent at drawing a deep picture of relationships. Cam’ brother, Nathan is a tactiturn. Character, separated from his wife and does not see his teenage son, Xander, as often as he would like.. I felt a real connection to them, and felt for xander, torn between his parents, and city and outback life.. there is a lot of emotion around the death of Cam, who seems to ‘have it all’
I was totally surprised by the ending. I highly recommend this book.
The Lost Man promised intrigue, adventure, and a story about a place that has held my curiosity for many years. Jane Harper through the The Lost Man lived up to all my expectations in her story about a family with generational problems.
I was intrigued from the very first page. The establishment of the characters early on was complicated, and had me raising questions in rapid succession.
The Bright family endured physical and emotional abuse from Carl, the patriarch, until his sudden death in a car crash. His wife, Liz, mother to the three sons who are the focus of the story, remained on the property, and the boys married and had their own families that stayed close by.
The storyline was weaving its beautiful tapestry of intrigue, and the characters were given depth and history. Then after all the questions were answered, everything fell into place for the characters a bit too perfectly.
This happy ending was artificial and rapid. It’s almost like the author has exhausted everything she had and couldn’t give any more.
One of the things I love about Jane Harper’s novels is the way the Australian landscape is utterly integral to the story. These stories simply couldn’t be set anywhere else. These are among the most distinctive Australian stories I’ve read, and Harper does it in a way that is realistic and matter of fact.
In the Queensland outback, everyone knows the rules of survival. Tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back. Carry plenty of supplies. If you break down, never leave your car. And yet, one day Nathan gets a phone call. His brother Cam left a vehicle generously supplied with water and food, and wandered off into the desert. He was dead within a day, before anyone realised he was missing. And there seems no reason for it.
As Nathan tries to fathom his brother’s death – the whys and the hows – he comes to realise that he also needs to understand his brother’s life.
This is a well paced novel which gradually unfolds not just Cam’s life, but Nathan’s, and to a lesser extent that of their families. This is both a murder mystery and a family drama, and both are engrossing. The characters are strong and realistic, the revelations carefully judged and emotionally calibrated, and the setting well drawn.
Honestly, I couldn’t fault this novel. It’s another really impressive novel from Jane Harper – she only gets better with each novel, even though her first set a very high bar. Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates Australian stories, strong characters, or engrossing plots.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to review The Lost Man by Australian author Jane Harper.
The story centres on Cameron Bright who is brother to Nathan and Bub. Cameron is found deceased at a place called The Stockman’s Grave. His death is a mystery to everyone.
He was found without any supplies, which is very unusual because he grew up in the area. Everyone is saying that Cameron may have killed himself or was stranded. Although his family does not beleive it was suicide.
This is a great read by a very talented Australian author. I loved the characters and the way the story is woven.
The Lost Man is a great story about a family living on farms where there is dangers of being left on the side of the road without any help if you get stuck.
The book has many wrongs where people want to make things right in their lives, and feel safe again.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace Club and Pan MacMillian for the chance to read and review ‘The Lost Man’ by Jane Harper.
I thought this story which is set in the dry and dusty Queensland Outback, was well written and a great read. Jane gives a good insight into how farmers and small communities live with challenges that can face them while living hours from civilisation.
The novel starts with news of the death of a beloved brother, Cameron, of the Bright family. The Bright family own and operate a large farming property, with Nathan, another brother owning another property nearby. Nearby being hours away which is not uncommon in these rural communities.
Cameron dies in mysterious circumstances and while the police believe there was no other person involved, Nathan thinks differently. He is determined to find out what exactly happened and why. I enjoyed reading this journey of twists and turns and when the answers are finally upon us, the conclusion is not disappointing.
If mysteries are up your alley then ‘The Lost Man’ is one to add to your To Be Read pile.