The Survivors in Aussie Readers

Dec 17, 2020 PattyMacDotComma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-netgalley-done, fiction, australian-author, mystery-crime-thriller, kindle, aa

5★
“The waves were monstrous. He was tossed upward, then pulled so deep he couldn’t tell which way to fight for the surface. He didn’t know how long he was under. Long enough that his lungs were empty in a way he had never felt before. And then, suddenly, where there had been nothing but water, there was rock. Hard and brutal, it hurtled toward him with enough force to make his teeth rattle. When the water pulled back, Kieran was still chest down, his face slick against the solid surface.”

Tasmani ...more

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Sep 20, 2020 Brenda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, read-on-kindle, 2020-release, aussie-authors, net-galley, arc, crime, own-read, thriller

4.5★s

Kieran Elliot, Mia and their baby daughter Audrey had returned to their hometown of Evelyn Bay in Tasmania. They were only there for a short while as Kieran’s father Brian had dementia and his mother was struggling. They were going to help them move to new housing. But their return stirred up memories of what had happened twelve years previously, when three people had lost their lives in a ferocious storm, changing a lot of lives forever.

Kieran and Mia hadn’t been home for long when a young ...more

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Sep 23, 2020 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: aussie-author, arc-are, netgalley-reviews

The Survivors is Jane Harper’s much anticipated fourth novel, a stand alone, slow burning mystery set on Tasmania’s coast.

Kieran Elliot, his girlfriend, Mia, and their infant daughter, have returned to Evelyn Bay to help his parents pack up their family home. It’s an uncomfortable homecoming for Kieran who still blames himself for the death of his older brother Finn, and Finn’s best mate, in a tragic accident during a violent storm. The same storm during which a fourteen year old girl disappeare The Survivors is Jane Harper’s much anticipated fourth novel, a stand alone, slow burning mystery set on Tasmania’s coast.

Kieran Elliot, his girlfriend, Mia, and their infant daughter, have returned to Evelyn Bay to help his parents pack up their family home. It’s an uncomfortable homecoming for Kieran who still blames himself for the death of his older brother Finn, and Finn’s best mate, in a tragic accident during a violent storm. The same storm during which a fourteen year old girl disappeared, and was never found.
When a young woman’s body is discovered on the beach the day after they arrive, it seems the sea has claimed yet another victim, but investigators soon determine she was murdered, and as the search for her killer begins, the secrets of the past begin to unravel.

While the present day mystery in The Survivors revolves around the murdered girl, an art student/waitress with only a tangential link to Kieran, it’s her unwitting connection to the events twelve years previously amid the storm that marks her as the catalyst of this story. Unfolding from Kieran’s perspective, the story moves between the present and memories of the past. Well-considered red herrings distract as the plot takes unexpected twists, slowly revealing tightly kept secrets. But while I was intrigued by the story, and really had no idea who would be found responsible for the murder, I felt there was a distinct lack of tension in the novel, not helped by the conservative pacing, leading to what was an anticlimactic conclusion.

Harper’s characterisation of Kieran is compelling though, with a nuanced portrayal of a man burdened with grief and guilt. The supporting characters are sufficiently fleshed out to suit their role in the story, though few feel like active participants. I thought the dynamics of a small community under stress were well illustrated, and uniquely communicated through the town’s online forum.

The story is undeniably atmospheric, with Harper masterfully conjuring a brooding seaside town during the off-season, perched above deserted cliff-side beaches and dark, echoey caves slowly filling with cold, creeping waves. The sea becomes a pitiless thing, claiming the innocent and guilty alike.

The Survivors is perhaps not as thrilling a mystery as I had expected, but it is involving, evocative and affecting. ...more

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Jan 19, 2021 Lucinda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Another great read! I love the different setting this time.

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Apr 12, 2022 Tien rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: australia, australian-author, mystery

Audiobook 🔉

oh so sloooowwww... I really enjoyed the mystery, setting, & characters but such slow going, I was tempted to DNF more than once. If I was reading a physical copy, I'd have flick to the back to find out the ending and be done with it but I was on audio so I suffered through to the end but you know what, it's actually worth it. ...more

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Dec 04, 2020 Cathy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Another great book from Jane Harper. This is the second book of hers that I have read. I really thought she brought the seaside town in Tasmania to life. It tells the story of Kieran and Mia and their daughter Audrey as they return to the town of Evelyn Bay to assist Kieran's parents in sorting out their house.

Kieran holds onto guilt as his brother Finn died along with his best friend. Then a girl is found dead on the beach and this draws parallels to what happened all those years ago as a girl ...more

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May 15, 2021 Cardi rated it really liked it

Shelves: australian, audiobook, 2021-read

3.5 or 4 stars ? Jane Harper can write a great thriller, this is undeniable. I would rank this my second favourite of the 3 thrillers I have read by her now. I like this more than "The Dry" but not as much as "The Lost Man", which had the most satisfying/emotionally resonant/payoff-feeling conclusion of the three. I find it an interesting choice that all these novels have had a male MC/perspective. It's an interesting way to explore problematic aspects of masculinity in the stories. I would be k ...more

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Aug 27, 2021 Tango rated it liked it

This was okay with Harper’s usual easy to read style. The story itself was a bit lacking and the ending was a disappointment. I feel that the lack of a detective was also a big omission as none of the characters really fulfilled this role which left the story meandering for some time. And is it just me, but was it really necessary for the main character to keep leaving his baby alone on the beach while he went swimming? Who does this and why was this even included in the plot?

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Jan 08, 2021 John rated it really liked it

Another fantastic read by Jane Harper that once again uses the Australian environment to great effect. I was slightly annoyed by the ending, but apart from that I enjoyed the book immensely (keeping me up way too late reading lol). Definitely give it a read :) .

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May 13, 2021 Jyv rated it liked it

Shelves: australian-author, fiction, mystery, ebook, australia

Slightly disappointed with this one. It didn't hold my attention as the previous books did. I guessed who the 'protagonist' was about halfway through (but not the how or why). The book meandered to an unsatisfying ending. As others have said, an epilogue would have been nice. I hope the next is of more interest. ...more

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Feb 18, 2021 Sandi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery-thriller-suspense, ebooks, read-2021

I thought this was another well done and interesting work by the author. Lots of suspense and her usual atmospheric setting, this time a small Tasmanian town on the ocean.

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