Exiles
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FOR 2023
At a busy festival site on a warm spring night, a baby lies alone in her pram, her mother having vanished into the crowds.
A year on, Kim Gillespie's absence casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather deep in the heart of South Australian wine country to welcome a new addition to the family.
Aaron Falk, federal investigator, is joining the celebrations. But as he soaks up life in the lush valley, he begins to suspect this tight-knit group may be more fractured than it seems. As hidden truths slowly emerge, Falk faces the darkest of questions.
WINNER OF THE NED KELLY AWARD FOR BEST CRIME FICTION 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ABIA GENERAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE DANGER AWARD FOR FICTION 2023
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKPEOPLE ADULT FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023
PRAISE FOR EXILES
'A beautifully observed crime novel' Sydney Morning Herald
'Jane Harper knows how to write an undulating, riddling tale to keep you on your toes. Exiles is no different.' Russh
'You'll find yourself immediately hooked' The Age
'Exiles holds everything and more fans of the Investigator want in a Falk novel. A generous, elegant, and atmospheric read, that brings to the foreground a different kind of hero.' Happy Mag
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Exiles is the third instalment in Jane Harper's hugely popular Aaron Falk series. This compelling outback thriller sees the investigator arriving in South Australia’s fictional Marralee Valley for his godson’s christening, only to find a town rocked by the disappearance of local mother Kim Gillespie a year earlier. Before long, Aaron’s attention and investigative instincts divert to the missing woman. While the second Falk novel, Force of Nature, was a taut tale of survivalism in the face of danger, Exiles plucks at a single thread to slowly unravel a fragile tapestry of long-hidden secrets. Harper cleverly employs multiple narrators and offers a variety of perspectives from the novel’s large cast, creating a story as sweeping and twisted as the Valley’s darkening vineyards. Her signature stellar pacing, strong sense of time and place, complex characterisation and clever twists make for a thrilling read, either as a standalone or as part of the series.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Harper's stellar third outing for Aaron Falk (after 2018's Force of Nature) takes Falk, of the Australian Federal Police's financial division, back to the town of Marralee, the site of a popular food and wine festival. A year earlier, Falk was in Marralee when a tragedy occurred. During that year's festival, 39-year-old Kim Gillespie left the stroller containing her five-week-old daughter in the stroller storage area—and disappeared. Despite frantic searches, Kim never turned up, though her shoe was found in a nearby reservoir, leading to the belief that she drowned there. Falk agrees to revisit the mystery at the behest of Zara, Kim's teenage daughter, and Greg Raco, a friend of Falk. The inquiry suggests a possible link to another unresolved case—the hit-and-run death of accountant Dean Tozer six years earlier, also coinciding with the Marralee festival. Writing at the top of her game, Harper effectively uses whodunit tropes to explore her characters' hidden lives. Readers interested in literate and nuanced mysteries will be eager to see more of Falk. 5-city author tour.
Customer Reviews
Another good Australian thriller
A good suspense in a beautiful part of the world-regional Australia
Loved it
Kept you trying to guess what happened the whole time I couldn’t put it down. Another fantastic book by Jane. Would like to see this made into a movie.
Almost DNF
I found this to be very dry and a real challenge to read.
If you want plenty of action and fast pace, this is not the book for you.