“The most poetical thing in the world is not being tired.” —Rachel Tanner Boyle
I can’t decide if I need a hug, a big gulp of something caffeinated (and bubbly of course), or two weeks of sleep. Maybe a portion of all three? I could use a triple shot of comfort right about now. The week, like the hours, has been long—drawn out. Don’t worry, there were bright sides. A big one came from British-born Australian author, Jane Harper. I downloaded her latest crime novel, The Lost Man, and listened intently during every spare minute I had.
That’s not hyperbole. I stole stingy minutes to listen to Steven Shanahan’s inviting Aussie accent bring the Bright brothers to life. (Well, two of them anyway.) At the dawn of Harper’s third novel, Cameron Bright’s body is discovered at the mysterious stockman’s grave in remote Outback Queensland. Older brother Nathan can’t buy into the idea that Cameron took his own life—Cam was the responsible one that people liked, and he’d long since figured out how to navigate the risks involved with living somewhere so remote and so harsh. (Things can go wrong in a few blistering minutes.) Have a listen to this slow-burn mystery that will intrigue and surprise you. It did me. Way to go Jane—you put the who in whodunnit once again!
P.S. Right you are A.J., right you are.
“I ask in earnest: How the hell does she do it? The Lost Man is Jane Harper’s third consecutive marvel… and, against long odds, her most marvelous yet, pitting brother against brother, man against nature, reader against the clock. What an extraordinary novel: part family drama, part indelible ode to the Outback ― a thriller as forceful and atmospheric as a brewing storm. Harper works miracles. We’re lucky to witness them.”―A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window