Goodreads Choice Award Finalist (Mystery & Thriller, 2018) BookBrowse Best Books of 2018 Winner of the Prix Polar Award for Best International Novel BookRiot’s 25 Best Suspense Books from 2018 Davitt Awards shortlist for Adult Crime Novel 2018 Dead Good Reads shortlist for Best Small Town Mystery 2018 Five women go on a hike. Only four return. Jane Harper, the New York Times bestselling … on a hike. Only four return. Jane Harper, the New York Times bestselling author of The Dry, asks: How well do you really know the people you work with?
When five colleagues are forced to go on a corporate retreat in the wilderness, they reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking down the muddy path.
But one of the women doesn’t come out of the woods. And each of her companions tells a slightly different story about what happened.
Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing hiker. In an investigation that takes him deep into isolated forest, Falk discovers secrets lurking in the mountains, and a tangled web of personal and professional friendship, suspicion, and betrayal among the hikers. But did that lead to murder?
“Force of Nature bristles with wit; it crackles with suspense; it radiates atmosphere. An astonishing book from an astonishing writer.”
–A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window
Select praise for The Dry:
“One of the most stunning debuts I’ve ever read. Every word is near perfect. Read it!”
–David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“A breathless page-turner … Ms. Harper has made her own major mark.”
–The New York Times
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This book is a great summer read. I did not want to put it down as I had to see where the author was going with her cast of characters, and what happened to the missing woman! Some social issues were addressed, like team building exercises in the corporate world, teens and social media, our dependence on cell phones to solve all problems, and just who do we trust?
If you’re in the corporate world, you might do anything to avoid those team bonding weekends after reading Jane Harper’s second novel. The team must survive in wild Victorian mountain country a long way from their comfortable homes in Melbourne. The trouble is that they bring their Melbourne conflicts with them. Harper’s writing is assured whether describing the bush, capturing the dialogue of private school kids and parents, or drip-feeding the reader more insights into the character of her haunted detective, Inspector Aaron Falk of the Victorian financial crimes task force. Force of Nature is a top read for all crime fiction fans.
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I couldn’t wait to read this book, after finishing “The Dry”, and I was not disappointed. The characterization is great, and the plot keeps building, even though not that much seems to be happening. Jane Harper had better write fast, because I want another book from her SOON.
I read Jane Harper’s The Dry and liked it, so I read this one, which I liked as well. Also, I had seen a very good review on this book on television. I find it interesting that it takes place in Australia. The plot was not predictable and the protagonists were admirable. Good, easy reading. I looked forward to my nightly reading time to get back to it. I look forward to her next book.
I love the way this story unfolded. The author kept me guessing until the end, which I love. It took a little while to get into, but once I was hooked, I couldn’t put it down.
Force of Nature kept me up way too late on a work night. A couple of times! Only a couple of times, because I finished it so quickly… Aaron Falk returns to his day job, and I couldn’t be happier. He is still dealing with the aftermath of what happened in the previous book, physically and emotionally. His guilt over his relationship with his father colors everything. Getting pulled into a missing persons case out in the middle of nowhere could have been a distraction, but Aaron’s past keeps ghosting in front of him.
I enjoyed the mystery of the missing hiker, and all the ramifications the investigation into her whereabouts brings. Harper has made it to my favorite authors list. The writing is descriptive, the terrain and location of the novel is almost another character. So different from what I am used to, which makes it even more interesting.