Review | The Lost Man by Jane Harper

The death of their brother, Cameron, brings Nathan and Bub together at Stockman’s Grave, a place with a thousand legendary stories. Cameron is found dead under the scorching hot sun of the outback, miles away from his fully-stocked car. The police and coroner conclude that Cameron took his own life. But Nathan is suspicious, and decides to take matters into his own hand. His investigation into his brother’s life leads him to uncovering family secrets. And it makes him relive memories of his past which may change everything he ever thought he knew.

There was something about the brutal heat, when the sun was high in the sky and he was watching the slow meandering movement of the herds. Looking out over the wide-open plains and seeing the changing colors in the dust. It was the only time when he felt something close to happiness.

The author’s previous books are procedurals featuring the character Aaron Falk, and I thought they were great. The Lost Man, however, is excellent. The setting in the outback is atmospheric and vivid. It showcases everything from the vastness of the desert, to the dry, gritty red dirt, to the harsh work of cattle farmers. The location is the perfect setting for a mystery that mainly revolves around the family of a dead man. Almost like a locked room puzzle, where the suspect is eliminated one by one.

I find it interesting when a character dies in the beginning of a book. We learn about him only from the eyes of others. This book delivers on that level, where everyone has their own thoughts but dare not to sully the name of a dead man. There’s a recurring theme where the story of the Stockman’s grave is retold many times but everyone has different versions of the truth. Like Nathan, we are forced to reckon with who Cameron really was as a person. When Nathan discovers new information and looks back on his own relationship with his brother in a new light, we are right there with him. His surprise, disappointment, whatever he is feeling is captured carefully on the page.

The relationships between Nathan and his family is drawn well. We get little flashbacks to his childhood and his years of banishment from the town. There’s his interactions with his teenage son, Xander; with his mother, Liz and younger brother, Bub. There is also his former girlfriend, Ilse, now Cameron’s widow. I really liked the dialogues, especially between Nathan and Ilse, which are heavy with history and unspoken words.

I think the author has a knack of writing about stoic, lonely men with a hidden past. Aaron Falk and Nathan Bright have many similarities, but where Aaron is meant to be a hero, I never thought of Nathan that way. He has done terrible things and lived a life full of regrets in a way that felt fully human. There’s character growth and satisfying closure to his arc.

The resolution to the mystery of Cameron’s death veers slightly into soap opera territory. There is also a plotline involving a female character that is mostly off-page and I wish we had gotten to know more of her. But this book is more concerned with domestic situations, and the way our memories can lie to us. It’s also about choices and forgiveness. Many characters in this book have made questionable choices and they have to find a way to forgive each other, and forgive themselves. To me, The Lost Man refers not just to Cameron but to Nathan. In trying to find the truth about his brother, Nathan also found himself. A compelling read, recommended.

About the author: Jane Harper

Photo by Brian McMahon