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Exiles works on pretty much every level. The the writing is very good and evocative. Ms. Harper is a very talented writer, able to reveal character and advance the story slowly and steadily through subtle moments. The plot is well-crafted, juggling multiple mysteries in the present and the past, dispensing little clues and a fair amount of misdirection. Aaron Falk is a fully realized character (especially after two earlier books), who ends up playing the role of wise, observant outsider. But there are probably ten other significant characters and each of them is also sharply drawn. Most of the story is told from Aaron’s perspective, but there are occasional chapters from another’s perspective, and each of those is a revelatory gut punch. Exiles is a quiet mystery that centers on two unsolved crimes in a small town in Southern Australia. Aaron Falk has a lot of baggage, which he is also working to resolve. And I became more than a little frustrated with him over his indecision and often inept pursuit of Gemma when it seemed clear they should get together. But Falk, a mixture of subtlety and pathos, is a character I liked immediately and seems a real person. Harper also expertly fleshes out the rest of the cast who seem like people I can easily imagine might inhabit rural Australia. All are relatable and I felt like I got to know all the characters well by the end of the book. Unlike other Australian authors I’ve read, who use descriptions of the Australian landscape to establish a sense of place, Harper relies more (at least in this book) on using the Australian manner of speech in both dialogue and inner thoughts of the characters to accomplish that. It’s effective and makes the reader aware the story takes place in Australia, yet perhaps not as effectively as Australian writers, who descriptively transform the sense of place into almost a character in its own right. The Australian Mystery Road movies and television series are good examples of this. And I’ve read several novels where the authors used similar techniques in their prose. Harper’s technique isn’t necessarily bad, just different.
During last year's Food and Wine Festival, a woman named Kim Gillespie disappeared, leaving her baby daughter Zoe alone in her stroller. Raco’s brother Charlie use to be married to Kim and they have a daughter together. This close-knit family is still struggling with her disappearance and how out of character it was for Kim to leave her baby that night. Ultimately, all the plot threads converge and details get spelled out and characters’ motivations get explained, though Harper sustains the overall air of mystery and a satisfying level of suspense until the end. I’m not a reader of the romance genre, but felt the generous helping of a timeless romance that develops between Aaron and Gemma was far and away one of the strongest parts of the story. Especially since their happy relationship stands in such sharp relief to the darker relationship between two other major characters. I was able to listen to the audiobook of this story while having the digital copy in front of me, a great way to enjoy Stephen Shanahan's voice while being able to see the spelling of names and places at the same time. Shanahan represents Harper's stories to me. I've now listened to him so much that I can understand his accent, which fits Aaron's so much.
Having a defined writing process is important for Harper to avoid being overwhelmed. Over the years her process has “become so much more streamlined – with each book you learn something more. I know as long as I take those steps, the book will be finished.” She keeps an office away from home, “completely dedicated to working on the books … I spend a long time planning. I make hundreds of my notes on my phone. I find quite often when I shut down the computer and leave the office, that’s when the idea comes.” Though she makes a point of careful plotting and neatly tied-up threads, Harper’s books are as much about Australian society and the pressures and dangers of the country’s landscape as they are about finding missing people and solving murders...The ability to spot subtle warning signs of a troubled soul is probably Falk’s greatest gift as an investigator, leading him to look for answers about Kim’s fate very close to home.” While visiting a friend to attend a christening, AFP Officer Aaron Falk finds himself caught up in the case of a woman who went missing a year ago during a town festival and in an unsolved murder from years ago.
As ever, Falk is introspective. With the dynamics of the cases and his romantic life combined with the constant push and pull of memories, including those of his relationship with his father, Harper highlights Falk's vulnerable side. Falk’s investigation is a terrific one, but what makes the book memorable is Harper’s skill at plumbing personal mysteries.” But late at night, as the festival was closing, a worker found a lone pram with baby Zoe in it. Kim Gillespie’s baby. Henry’s christening was postponed, and the search was on. The shoe was found. Exiles is the third book in the Aaron Falk series and this new addition works really well in this series and for our main character. DISCLOSURE: I borrowed my copy of Exiles, by Jane Harper and published by Pan Macmillan Australia, from Waitomo District Library. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
What is Jane Harper's latest novel?
Kim Gillespie had been part of the extended Raco family for close to twenty-five years, Falk knew. Since that long-ago autumn afternoon when she’d first ridden her bike past the Racos’ house, teenage ponytail swinging, until the night last year when she’d disappeared under the bright festival lights. The christening had been immediately canceled after Kim went missing. It had taken the Raco family a full twelve months to reschedule. I can highly recommend this novel to all mystery lovers, especially fans of Ms. Harper. She never disappoints! Jane Harper gifts us with the presence of Aaron Falk, once again, in her third installment of this series. Not to worry. Exiles reads perfectly as a standalone. But when you come front and center with the caliber of Jane Harper, you should read The Dry #1 and Force of Nature #2. They are that good. 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. They had still been a good thirty minutes out of town and Falk could see nothing. The stretch of bushland had looked identical to the rest lining the route. “Where?”
Just to give you a refresher, Aaron Falk first met Greg Raco, and his wife Rita, in The Dry. Raco was (still is) the new police sergeant in Kiewarra (Falk’s hometown) investigating the Hadler murders with Falk unofficially assisting. Rita was pregnant with their first child, Eva. Greg also appeared briefly in the second book – Force of Nature. Exiles is set six years after the events of The Dry, and the setting of Marralee Valley is the small town Greg grew up in. His older brother Charlie still lives in the family cottage there, and has turned the attached land into a successful vineyard, which is where Greg Raco, Rita, their two children, and Aaron Falk stay whenever they visit.Bits and pieces from the two previous Falk novels are mentioned. One doesn’t need to read them to read this book-- Exiles can be read as a standalone; however, the earlier books add to the layers and dynamics of Falk’s character. Exiles is an excellent addition to the procedural series, following The Dry and Force of Nature. Although you can read them as stand-alone novels, they are better read as part of the series. The novel sets an atmospheric, thoughtful, deliberate pace as both the setting and the investigation are carefully explored. There are plenty of suspects and motives within the narrative as the secrets and evidence is disclosed. The narrative unfolds in three timelines: a year previously, a week in the present, and three years in the future.
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