Instant New York Times Bestseller “As always, Harper skillfully evokes the landscape as she weaves a complicated, elegant web, full of long-buried secrets ready to come to light.” -The New York Times Book Review Kieran Elliott’s life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences. The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to … resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.
Kieran’s parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.
When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away…
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Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this book. The comments and review are my honest opinion.
A dark mystery with flawed characters, guilt over the death of a brother, a missing girl and now a body on the beach. Jane Harper portrays The Survivors like the raging sea. Undercurrents of repressed anger and suspicion ebbs and flows. The return of Kieran to his home town after twelve years open wounds and memories from long ago. He is conscious of those who blame him for the drowning of his brother and another friend. Then a day after his return a body is found on the beach opening old wounds and secrets. Rumors, whispered comments and constant tension builds to a surprising truth and end for Kieran and the rest of the town.
Mysteries don’t always have to be grim, but The Survivors definitely followed a heavy path. Harper’s atmospheric writing brought this small broken town to life within the first chapter. A town scarred by a devastating storm, deaths, and a missing girl, it really felt as thought the community had never recovered. Shanahan’s soothing narration truly elevated the haunting air that Harper managed to elicit. Coupled with each of the characters, no matter how small and unassuming, coming under suspicion at one point. Expertly layered past and present mysteries kept me reading even when the angst started to pile up.
As great as the setting and twists were, I struggled a little with the slow-burn of the mysteries. There was so much low-key drama and angst with each character. While this made the community feel authentic, I also found myself anxious to see if my hunch was right about Abigail’s disappearance, Bronte’s death, and all the little mysteries in-between. I just have to be in the right mood for a slow burn.
Ultimately, this wasn’t my favorite Harper novel but since I adored her entire backlist it was only a matter of time before a story didn’t resonate for me personally. I really struggled with the ending but it was poetic in a way. As always, Stephen Shanahan’s narration was lovely and relaxing. By the end, I felt mostly heartbroken for the entire town.
**I voluntarily read/listened and reviewed a advanced audio copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
After thoroughly enjoying the in-depth characterizations and truly breathtaking atmosphere of both of Jane Harper’s books, The Lost Man and The Dry, I jumped at the chance to read her next book, The Survivors, when Macmillan offered it on NetGalley.
The Survivors was hard to follow at first, with too many characters coming at me at once, and too much history of tragedy in a small coastal town merely peppered in — not explained in detail — for me to absorb properly. I’d say the first third of the book left me feeling like I was in a sequel and trying to catch up.
It was past that point that things started to gel, and I got a feel for what had happened, what was currently happening, and what might happen as a result. It was only then I felt engaged, like I really cared about the characters and could feel the sense of dread they might be feeling while the questions rose and tension built.
But I still had NO IDEA what the whole Survivors thing was about. That was frustrating. When I finally found out, it wasn’t like it was a story that needed to be held back for the sake of suspense. It was just part of the slow burn, but for me was more like a “come on, already”.
All in all, this was a solid crime mystery, but not a particularly noteworthy one. It’s not one I’m going to run out and tell all my friends to pick up, but if they ask, I’ll tell them sure, give it a go.
A special thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley who honored me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book that I have read by Jane Harper and I wasn’t sure at first if I was going to like it. It started out a little slow, but as the story began to build I was gripped by the story. It alternated between the current mystery and a terrible storm that had hit Evelyn Bay twelve years ago leaving death and destruction in its path. Many people there are still feeling the effects from the storm and haven’t moved past it, including Kieran, the main character, and his family. Although Kieran has moved away and is only back for a visit, the past still haunts him and his relationship with his family and other people in the town. The caves and the statues in the water, called The Survivors, were interesting and really added to the story, although the title has a dual meaning. This book has stayed with me long past the time that I finished it and I am looking forward to reading Ms. Harper’s previous books.
I received a complimentary copy of this audio book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The Survivors, by Jane Harper, is a book that will resonate long after the last page. This is my first read/listen by this author and I will be trolling her backlist to catch up. Harper’s prose transports the reader to the Tasmanian coast, amid the salty air and sea spray, as surely as if she were a time machine. I was invested in the darkish atmosphere of a stormy night, the disappearing statues, and the terrible fates of those who perished, as well as those who survived that awful storm. Lives forever changed. When a principal player returns 12 years later, another girl goes missing. The author’s pathway to the solution is littered with guilt, angst, self-doubt, anger, denial, betrayal, and the unique ability of some to move forward–even as others are mired in the past. The suspense is a slow build as we are introduced to ,and become acquainted with, the players. I loved that aspect of the story! It has taken me a bit to write my review because I needed to sort through my own emotions after the ‘reveal’– that is the truest mark of a good read. Narrated by Stephen Shanahan, whose voice inflections made the story even more interesting— and his accent fit perfectly! Thank you to #NetGalley and #Macmillian Audio.#The Survivors for the opportunity to read/listen to an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The book will be on sale February 2, 2021. I review books I enjoy so that my friends and others can share in the excitement.
Twelve years ago life turned upside down and the guilt of that night is a weight that is unbearable, but unable to be put down. Now, back in town just in time for a visiting college student to be murdered, the events of 12 years ago become horribly tangled with the current events leaving neighbors pointing fingers at neighbors and a town full of questions! An excellent plot line keeps you guessing in this thriller as the field of suspects is incredibly deep. The characters are well developed and very real in a manner that grasps you and keeps you intrigued. While I thought the book was slow to start, it was like a rock gathering speed as it rolls downhill until you are listening late into the night as you can’t stop until you have the answers to all the questions circling in this book! I quite enjoyed the narrator of this audiobook and look forward to more from both the author and the reader!
Kieran is back in his hometown. Twelve years ago his life changed forever. A dangerous storm took his brother’s life while trying to rescue him from drowning in the sea. Now, when a young woman appears dead in the beach, everything dark from the past comes into light and the lifes of Kieran and his friends and family will change forever. A powerful thriller and great audiobook
I am feeling both happy and sad. I’m happy that this new Jane Harper novel is every bit as good as her previous novels but sad that I will have to now wait for her next one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was a bit surprised that this book was set on the Tasmanian coast after reading The Dry and The Lost Man. I never knew I could see beauty in the Australian outback until I read those books. But Ms. Harper is a master of atmosphere and I quickly found myself caught up in the new setting.
Evelyn Bay is a small coastal town in Tasmania. Kieran and his young family have returned to the town to help Kieran’s mom pack up their house. They are moving his father to a home as his dementia has been increasing rapidly. His memory is very bad and he wanders a lot. It’s impossible to keep an eye on him at all times. So his mom will get a place close by so that she can visit often. Kieran hasn’t been back to the town since the fateful storm and tragedy that took place 12 years previously. Two people died that night, Kieran’s brother Finn and Toby, Liam’s dad. A young girl, Gabby, Olivia’s younger sister, just 14, also disappeared that night, and has never been found.
Kieran was just 18 years old when a raging storm trapped him and the girl he was with, Olivia, in the treacherous caves below lookout point. This area is notorious for shipwrecks and dangerous storms. There is a large bronze statue at the base of the cliffs, titled “The Survivors” that looks out to the sea. People can gauge how high the sea is cresting by looking at how high it reaches up the statue. On the day of the terrible storm, the crests were so high that the statue couldn’t be seen at all. When Olivia made it to dry land she sent a call for help and Finn and Toby’s boat, apparently in an attempt to rescue Kieran, hit the cliffs and toppled, killing the two men. Kieran has held the guilt inside him for all of this time. He feels it was his fault that they died trying to rescue him.
The night after Kieran is back in town, a young woman is found dead on the beach. She was here for the summer, working as a waitress but capturing lots of the coastal sights on camera for an art series she is working on at university. She is a talented young artist just beginning to discover her passion for photography.
Immediately all of the town has their own opinion on what happened, if a crime was committed and who the culprit could be.There is an online forum and it has people divulging secrets about everyone.
This is a wonderful example of Ms. Harper’s style of writing. The first half is a slow burn. She sets up the atmosphere and setting, then introduces us to the characters and their backstory.
The second half moves at a quicker and more tense pace as secrets are revealed and a detective from the mainland joins the local police in trying to uncover exactly what happened.
There are a multitude of characters but once you have them firmly set in your mind it’s pretty easy to keep track of them, both in the past and present. Everyone is a suspect until the ending and I certainly did not have this one figured out. Although I had some suspicions, they were only partly correct.
Jane Harper is a master storyteller. She builds and builds layer upon layer, to an explosive and satisfying end.
This novel is set to be published on February 22, 2021
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Review for audio version: I have never read/listened to a book by this author before and this one really caught my eye. I love a good mystery and the fact that this story takes place in a small coastal town really intrigued me. I really enjoyed this story! There is a lot of development within the characters and the plot. I enjoyed getting to know these character as well as hints as to what really happened. The story moves at a great pace for the content and ending was great. The atmosphere the author managed to create and wove into this story really adds to the mystery and the spookiness of this coastal town. I loved feeling this story as much as hearing and experiencing it. I didn’t guess the ending so that was fun for me. My one issue is that the narrator has an accent and while I LOVE accents there were times (a few words or sentences) that I couldn’t make out so it pulled me out of the story a time or two. Other then that, I think the author did a great job with this story and the narrator did a wonderful job of bringing this mystery to life! I received an ARC via NetGalley, MacMillan Publishes and the author and I am leaving an honest review.
This book was beautifully written and I was dying to find out what really happened that stormy night 12 years ago.
The pacing was a little slow but it was worth it when the answers finally rolled in.
Thank you to Flat Iron Books for gifting me a copy of this book. It was my pleasure to write an honest review.
*4 Stars*
ARC kindly received via NetGalley and Pan MacMillan Australia, in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last. It took me a little bit to get into this, but once I sat down and focussed properly, I was pretty hooked.
This book has a lot of layers to it. Theres this terrible accident and mystery that happened in the past to the people in this small town, and our main characters, and then something terrible happens in the current day which brings it all back. The whole book is set in the present, but the past continues to be brought up and adds to the mystery.
The whole time you know something isn’t quite right. There are secrets that need to come out. I just couldn’t work out how it all linked to the current tragedy. As the whole thing slowly gets revealed, I found myself desperate to find out what had happened – not only now, but all those years ago as well.
I had a few ideas of who might have done what, but I was totally and completely wrong. In the end, we get the whole story, and it was not at all what I expected. The only thing I wasn’t too keen on, was the fact that the book ends a bit to abruptly for me. I would’ve like an epilogue or something that gave a little bit more closure to the story and all its characters.
Kept me hanging to find out what the truth was, and I definitely want to read more by this author. I do recommend.
Like all of Jane Harper’s book the description and feel of this book is actually quite superb You are drawn into the world of the characters and actually feel as if you are standing beside them as they fight their way through the dramas that are affecting them. This is a well crafted mystery that totally draws you into the small town of Evelyn Bay, Tasmania and i just love it when books are set in my own country There are some many nuances in th story that it takes on a twisted path as you try top solve what is really happening in this town with oh so many secrets Jane Harper is fast becoming a go to read for me as I have loved all four of her books.