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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Good writing, fascinating setting, gripping plot.
The locals have never forgotten the tragedy that most people believe was Kiernan’s fault because he shouldn’t have been in the caves when the storm surged.
Kiernan had been with his girlfriend in the caves, and Kiernan was blamed for the the death of his brother and the father of seven-year-old Liam for risking their lives to save him. A local teenager also disappeared during the storm.
Just what was the intrigue of those caves?
Twelve years later Kiernan has come back to Evelyn Bay to help his parents pack up their house because his father has dementia and needs to be in a home.
A few days after Kiernan and his family arrive, tragedy strikes again on the same beach.
Will this current investigation be more thorough than the one many years ago that never did solve the disappearance of the local teenager?
Will it bring up things that were kept hidden?
Will this new tragedy bring the guilt and regret back to the surface and have everyone reliving the first tragedy?
THE SURVIVORS took a bit to connect with, but once you figured out who was who, what the town and the people who lived there were going through, and the magnitude of the first tragedy, the tension ramped up.
There were a lot of characters and quite a few that could have been the person who was responsible for the second death on the beach. Ms. Harper kept that a well-hidden secret.
I had a few people in mind, but was kept guessing until the end.
This was my first book by Ms. Harper, and she definitely keeps your interest with the subtle hints about the characters and who the responsible person could be as well as where the story line is going.
Her descriptive writing pulled you right into every place the characters were and into every situation.
I enjoyed trying to figure out the undertone of the town as well as the mystery.
THE SURVIVORS is a haunting mystery with revelations you won’t see coming. 4/5
This book was given to me by BookBrowse and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Family and betrayals weave a mystery into a solid read. Not as gripping as The Dry, but a good read.
Took me a minute to get into the book but once I did I couldn’t stop reading it to find out what happened. Good book!!
This is a tragic tale about a murder that stirs up old emotions in a small community that hasn’t yet healed.
I started reading one of Ms. Harper’s previous books, but couldn’t get into it. So I wasn’t sure about this one, even with the intriguing description and beautiful cover. But it was amazing…and erased my previous hesitation about this fantastic author! I love settings around the water and this one was really brought to life with so many vivid details.
The murder of Bronte, a young art student, isn’t the first tragedy for Evelyn Bay. Years earlier there was a horrific storm with devastating consequences, leading to the death of two local business men and the disappearance of a young girl.
When an out-of-town detective starts investigating the current murder, it becomes evident that there is some type of link between the recent murder and the previous casualties.
Thank you to for NetGalley, Macmillan and Jane Harper for this free digital ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion!
Another incredible group read with No Rules – Just Thrills!
My Rating: 4 ’s
Published: February 2nd 2021 by Flatiron Books
Pages: 320
Recommend: Yes!
@janeharperautho @Flatironbooks #readinginsidersclub
#psychologicalthriller #NoRulesJustThrills #MustRead #Tasmania #InExchangeForReview #JustFinished
Kiernan returns home hoping to expel his demons. Instead, a body is found on the beach and it brings back all his hidden secrets.
I am definitely in the minority on this one. I had a hard time with this read. I struggled to follow the narrator and to keep up with all the characters. The story was a slow burn and really did not grip me like I expected. That being said…the ending is worth getting there.
I did have trouble with the narrator’s accent. This usually doesn’t bother me. I just slow down the speed and I do pretty well. But for some reason, this was a hindrance for me.
I received this audiobook from the publisher for a honest review.
I thank NetGalley and Little, Brown UK for providing me an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review.
Although I discovered Jane Harper’s talent in her second novel, Force of Nature, I have been hooked ever since, and I have read all of her books till now. I have no hesitation in recommending her books to any readers who appreciate great writing, complex characters, a good plot, and a talent for bringing to life the landscape and the setting of her stories (all located in Australia, so far) and turning them into an integral part of the novel. In The Survivors, Harper takes us to Tasmania, and although the specific location is fictional, I felt as if I was there, looking into the ocean and contemplating the sculpture of the Survivors slowly disappearing under the tide.
The Survivors of the title make reference to a sculpture symbolising, perhaps, the survivors of an ancient wreck off the coast of the little town where the story is set, Evelyn Bay, a place where everybody knows everybody’s name and stories (that is, apart from that of the outsiders who visit during the touristic season), and where a tragedy took place about a decade ago. It seems as if the inhabitants had moved on from it, from the big storm that caused the deaths of two young men and during which a young girl also disappeared, but like the sculpture of the survivors that disappears under the water but always resurfaces again, some things refuse to remain buried (or submerged). When the body of a young woman —an art student who had come to the town looking for inspiration— appears murdered on the beach, memories are stirred and questions are asked anew.
The novel is a mystery, although like all of Harper’s novels, it is not a frantically paced one, and her choice of narrator (the story is told in the third person from the point of view of Kieran, a young man who barely survived the storm, and who’s been trying to deal with his guilt over his older brother’s death ever since) is particularly clever. Kieran is an insider, in so long as he was born in Evelyn Bay and knows (indeed was one of the main participants in the drama) far too well what happened during the big storm. His family was one of the worst affected by it, and they are still trying to get over his brother’s loss, even if his mother insists in putting up a front. (I liked Verity. She is a survivor, and has to be strong for everybody, always coping with everything, and now also having to look after her husband, Brian, who is suffering from dementia, and she never complains). But he has been living in Sidney, has had a child with Mia (another insider/outsider), and has kept away from the place for a long time, so he can also see things from a different perspective, from a certain distance.
Kieran has come back with Mia and their young baby daughter, Audrey (she behaves like a real baby, and I loved the fact that the author thanks her own baby and a niece for providing her ready material for the character) to help her mother pack the house, as she has decided that her husband needs to go into a nursing home, and she will move to an apartment close by. Kieran and Mia take the chance to reconnect with old friends, Ash, Sean, and Olivia, and although the story is told mostly chronologically, Kieran’s mind goes back to the past, to the time when he met Ash, to their youth, to his life as a teenager in Evelyn Bay, and, eventually, to the events of the day that have stayed with him and changed his life and that of many others. I don’t want to go into the plot in too much detail, but as I said before, there is a murder, and when a female detective from the city comes to head the investigation, a lot of unanswered questions resurface again.
I’ve mentioned some of the characters, and they are all interesting, although we only get to see them from Kieran’s point of view (although sometimes we can gather some information from their interaction with the main character, or from the comments made by others, which sometimes make us question his opinion and version of events). Kieran is not an unreliable narrator in the standard sense, although he has somewhat blurry memories of some of the events that happened on the day of the storm and immediately after. He was quite traumatised by the events, and Harper creates a realistic psychological portrayal of the character, somebody trying to cope with his guilty feelings and holding onto the hope provided by his partner and the baby. He struggles to follow the clues and at times he refuses to look into things too deeply, although eventually he comes to a shocking realisation. I felt there could have been more time dedicated to his current life and his relationship with Mia (we get a flashback of their meeting and coming together in Sidney, but I wasn’t sure it created a clear enough picture of his recent life, compared to the power of the depiction of the past), although I think the focus on past events, not only his, but also that of other characters (his mother, who still keeps a shrine for her dead son; Ash, who resents any changes made to his grandmother’s house; Olivia’s mother, who can’t let go of her younger daughter’s death; Sean, who has taken up the role of his brother in the business and with his nephew; even the chief of police, who’ll rather leave the force than move to a new team elsewhere) symbolises the fact that they are all stuck in the past; that they’ve never truly moved on, like the Survivors.
There are twists and turns, and red herrings as well; there is a famous author who has come to live there and who seems to have a lot of questions of his own; and the detective in charge seems to know more than she is letting on, but this is not a mystery for people who merely enjoy the pursuit of the clues and the piecing together of an answer. The book’s rhythm is meandering, and a bit like the tide, it ebbs and flows, and there are too many other threads going on to make this a satisfying novel for people who prefer a more formulaic take on the classic mystery and are after a quick and uncomplicated read. The writing style is precious, as usual, and I loved the sense of place and the ragged beauty of the location, the small town (that feels very real, with its fierce loyalty mixed with pettiness, gossip and resentments), and the cliffs and caves. The thrill of the risk, the cold of the water, the dangers hiding in the darkest corners make it very compelling, but it is not a fast page turner. On the other hand, those who try to avoid graphic violence and gore can be reassured there isn’t much here. Everything is explained at the end, and although I can’t say I knew who the guilty party was for certain, I was fairly suspicious by then and wasn’t surprised by the revelation. I enjoyed some aspects of the resolution more than others, but overall I think it works, at least in my opinion.
In summary, this is another great Jane Harper novel. It is not my favourite (although I’m not sure that I have “one” favourite), but I am sure the setting and many of the characters and events will stay with me for a long time. There are sad moments, tragic events, realistic depictions of guilt, bereavement, grief, anger, life with a dementia sufferer, and reflections on the nature of memory, friendship, and small-town living. I recommend it to anybody who likes mysteries that go beyond the formula, to Harper’s fans, and also to anybody who hasn’t read her yet, because you are missing a treat.
Kieran, his wife, Mia and their infant daughter have moved back home to where his parents now live. Getting older and with his dad being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the young family hopes to be able to help them.
But there are bad memories here for Kieran, and for his parents, and for the community. Twelve years ago, 2 men who killed … one was Kieran’s brother … and a young girl went missing .. and it was Kieran’s fault.
When a local girl goes missing, the entire community seems to fall apart. There’s a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of blaming … and somehow it all goes back to twelve years ago…. and more secrets are exposed to the elements.
Does Kieran really know what really happened the night his brother and his brother’s friend died? And how does the murdered woman of today fit in the puzzle?
This was a slow starter for me. The suspense just wasn’t there … it was a typical who-dun-it. The ending was a surprise, though. I never felt connected to the characters and it seems they all spent a lot of time at the local tavern. I have read this author before and enjoyed her writing … this one wasn’t her best. It was an okay read, and I admit, I was disappointed.
Many thanks to the author / Macmillan Reading Insiders Club/ Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime/mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Thank you Librofm, Macmillan Audio & Flatiron Books for a #gifted copy of this audiobook.
3.5/5 Stars
A murder has shaken the small sleepy town of Evelyn Bay, Tasmania. The investigation into the murder not only shakes up the town, but hit also starts to shake up questions about what happened 12yrs ago in “the storm”.
This is a slow burn story. I honestly have a hard time labeling it as a suspense book since there wasn’t much build up to the story, rather it kept a pretty even storyline. I thought that the author did a decent job at setting the small town atmosphere and introducing a wide range of characters with intertwined pasts.
While there wasn’t anything glaringly wrong with the story or the writing, there wasn’t a lot that stuck out to me as exceptional either. There were a few red herring moments sprinkles throughout, but the “big reveal” itself was a bit anticlimactic and just seemed to happen out of nowhere.
: I thought the narrator for this audiobook was decent. He has an accent which tied well into the book but was still easy to understand and follow along.
Jane Harper never disappoints. As in her other books, a protagonist returning home confronts long-simmering resentment and painful secrets, with tensions pushed to the breaking point by a death in the community. As always, compelling characters and a twisty plot will keep you turning pages well after dark.
The Survivors was a dark and thrilling mystery, one that captivated me from the very first page. I was immediately captivated by Kieran’s pain and concern, and found myself looking for any details hinting as to why.
From there, it really is no surprise that the second mystery caught my attention and held it. Together, they neatly balanced reveals and building tension, culminating in a conclusion full of twists, complex emotions, and a feeling of catharsis.
How could I not enjoy a read such as that? At times The Survivors did make for a heavy read, as Jane Harper explored concepts of grief and guilt, but for me that only helped to ground the entire story in a sense of reality.
Truthfully, my only regret for this novel is the way it ended. Not the conclusion itself, or the revelations. More just that it seemed to end pretty abruptly. The mystery was solved, and then the book ended. No wrap-ups or anything like that. But as far as complaints go, that’s a fairly minor one.
http://www.thebookreviewcrew.com
I listened to the audio book narratores by Stephen Shanahan. Macmillan Audio and Net-Galley gave me an ARC.
12 years ago Evelyn Bay was struck by a huge storm that not only caused psychological issues to many of the town folk but took also took some lives. A young girl also vanished from the beach at this time.
Kieran almost lost his life and thought because of his not so smart choices the caused the death of his brother and another. He has carried the guilt with him for the last 12 years. Returning home with his small family to help his mom move his dad into a care facility the guilt is brought front and center. There was a point where I really struggled with somethings that were said to Keiran by a family member but it happens in life and we all have to move on. There were tender moments between his dad and his baby even though his dad was living in the past.
As we find out what happened to the young girl. I felt so many emotions. I wanted to scream, cry and I wanted Kieran to punch is friend from childhood.
Will the secrets from the past ease some of the guilt or will it make it worse. Will the truth fully come out or will it stay between old friends?
Another new to me author I look forward to reading for years.
Secrets and tragedy in coastal Tasmania: couldn’t put it down
I was totally hooked by Jane Harper’s suspenseful novel The Survivors. The title refers to a coastal landmark in the dangerous coastal waters near a small Tasmanian town but it also aptly describes the residents who survived a tremendous, damaging storm but suffered the tragic death and disappearance of three young locals. Twelve years later a new tragedy hits and the past comes rushing back like the powerful tidal waters. Suspicion and fears churn up and threaten to expose the long-concealed truth.
Recently-returned, new father Kieran, his family and his childhood friends are at the center of the drama and dementia and strained family dynamics give the story an extra interest. The writing’s good and drew me in from the beginning. I loved the plot, the character development and the atmospherics added by the coastal location. Why has another lost her life and does it have any link to the original tragedy? The answer remained out of my grasp right through to the watery climax. For me, the abrupt end was a bit of a letdown but otherwise it was a dynamite book. Jane Harper is a new author for me but, since I truly enjoyed this story and am drawn to books set in Australia and New Zealand, I will definitely be looking for more by the author.
I received a complimentary advance copy of The Survivors from MacMillan in exchange for an honest review.
Kieran returns home after years of being away. His dad is sick and he can’t ignore the fact it has taken a toll on his mother. When he comes home, secrets from a tragedy that happened many years ago are unearthed. Kieran’s brother, Finn, was killed at sea during a storm, as well as his best friend Toby. Many of the locals don’t forgive Kieran that, especially when another person died that night. Gabby was out in the storm as well, and she never came back. There has been speculation for years as to what happened, but only one person knows. How far will they go to make sure the secrets of that night never come out.
With rumors swirling, another young girl is found dead on the beach. The police are investigating this death and have some suspicions that it could lead to what happened to Gabby and the others all those years ago.
Honestly, I didn’t see the ending coming. I had two theories in my head and thought if it were either I would be disappointed. These theories wer born from clues the author left me, and I am happy to say, she led me down the wrong path. I completely hate when obvious clues are left and I have figured out the twist early on in the book.
The narration was something I struggled with on this one. I feel like the narrator could have done better making the characters sounding different. I realize that it was mostly from Kieran’s POV, but all in one tone made it really hard for me to know who was speaking when or if he was conversing with a man or a woman.
Thank you to MacMillian Audio, Netgalley and Jane Harper for an early copy of this audiobook.
Jane Harper, author of bestselling books The Dry, The Lost Man and Force of Nature will delight her many fans again with The Survivors. Harper is known for her masterful integration of setting in her novels‒the varied terrain of Australia and its climate is almost a secondary character. She positions her protagonists against a hostile environment, raising the stakes for the mysteries that they attempt to decipher. In her earlier works, the author has steeped her characters in a drought, a desolate desert, and an impenetrable forest. The Survivors leaves the main continent behind and ventures instead to Tasmania, with the ocean and raging storms serving as the antagonistic forces at play. Kieran arrives back to his childhood town with his partner Mia and infant daughter, Audrey. His parents are selling their house to seek support for his father whose dementia has begun to seriously jeopardize his safety. Kieran reconnects with old friends and being back dredges up memories of the traumatic accident that killed his brother and his friend. Kieran has carried the burden of guilt for the loss, since he was the one in need of rescue during a storm that capsized their boat. His mother also seems to grapple with blaming her surviving child, and Kieran deeply senses the distance between them. That storm created chaos for the whole community, and a young girl also disappeared that day. Echoes of that event and the residue of anger that remains still influences the lives of those left behind. The ocean is portrayed as an unrelenting and merciless devourer of youth and potential. The title of the book references a statue commemorating survivors of an earlier shipwreck that has now become a popular diving spot for locals and tourists. It also aptly describes the cast of characters whose life and livelihood are intertwined with the capricious sea. When the body of a young woman is found on the beach, the current investigation reveals secrets and misunderstandings about the events of long ago. Harper skillfully doles out revelations in a way that is believable and unpredictable. The Survivors is nicely paced, with a unique perspective on family dynamics and responses to tragedy. The characters are well-drawn and compelling, even the baby is integrated seamlessly into the action. Jane Harper once again proves that she deserves her reputation as a delightful new voice in contemporary mystery fiction.
Thanks to the author FlatIron Books and GoodReads for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.
The Survivors by Jane Harper is a very highly recommended novel of suspense.
Kieran Elliott, his partner, Mia, and their baby, Audrey, live is Sidney, but have returned to Evelyn Bay, on the Tasmanian coast. He has returned to help his mother pack up the house in preparation for selling it. His father, Brian, has dementia and needs to move into a nursing facility while his mother, Verity, will move somewhere nearby. Kieran and Mia meet that evening with Ash, Olivia, and Sean, at the Surf and Turf, a local eating establishment, where Olivia and her roommate, college student Bronte Laidler, are working. Returning to Evelyn Bay is a rare occurrence for Kieran. Twelve years ago he was involved in a tragedy during a terrible storm that resulted in the death of his brother Finn, and Sean’s brother Toby. Olivia’s younger sister, Gabby, also died that night. Kieran lives daily with guilt, feeling that Finn and Toby died because of him and there are others that share that sentiment.
The next morning Kieran discovers that Bronte was killed the night before. She was an art student who was exploring the area for inspiration over the summer before returning to school. By all appearances she seemed to be well liked. As her murder is investigated, rumors are swirling around on the community web pages, and secrets are exposed, many locals wonder if her murder has any connection to the deaths during the storm twelve years earlier.
Set on a coastal town where you have to respect the tides, with sunken ships off the coast, a statue dedicated to ship wreck survivors in the water, and dangerous sea caves off the shore, the atmospheric setting feels ominous. Adding to the turmoil is the current investigation and the various people who may be people of interest in Bronte’s murder. Harper introduces several suspects and raises doubts on others as the plot unfolds. The writing is wonderful in this carefully plotted and paced narrative. It does start out slow, after the discovery of Bronte’s body, but the pace allows you to catch clues and gossip, from now and from the past. The ending moves quickly, intently, and was unexpected until it happened.
Kieran is the narrator of the story and it starts out slow, almost as if it is Kieran who needs to practice calming techniques before continuing to observe the investigation and share details. He does have several times where something is bothering him and we have to patiently wait for what it is he observed and noted subconsciously. Almost all of the characters have this careful, measured attitude where various regrets from the past are cohabitating with grief in the present. Harper excels at creating very well-developed, complex, nuanced, and contemplative characters. Even the minor characters feel real, like real people you’d find in a small town. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, but their virtues as well as their flaws are simply there, as is found in anyone, anywhere. There are several scenes where the emotions are so real and so raw it almost takes your breath away. 4.5 stars
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Flatiron Books
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2021/01/the-survivors.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3777021511
The Survivors by Jane Harper is a stormy tale, both literally and emotionally.
I adore Jane Harper’s work, but tread lightly here if you have a loved one with dementia or have dealt with unfair blame from parents.
In the prologue, we get a very quick glimpse into something that happened. When we dive into chapter one, it’s not clear whether that was a scene from the past, or if it’s where the story is going to end up. I though that element set the tone of the mystery wonderfully!
Throughout the book, we get glimpses back into the past that gives us more information about a really awful storm that had hit, and the deaths that occurred during that time.
Our main character, Kieran, is back in his hometown with his girlfriend and infant child, helping his mother pack up her home as she is moving into an apartment while his father will be going to a care home because his is struggling with his dementia. But of course, while he went away from home, the guilt he feels when he’s back in town comes on very strong.
I loved the small town vibes, especially one with a huge summer tourist community as that hits home for me. But of course, with small towns, you also have the negative side affects of living in a small population…
While reading, I couldn’t wait to see how everything was going to play out. My heart broke for many of these characters that were all dealing with various struggles.
I will admit that this mystery was a bit predictable at times for me, however, I did not see the overall reveal coming!
The Survivors is another really twisted mystery filled with amazing characters from Jane Harper! I highly recommend checking this out!
It was interesting, well crafted twisted mystery. It occurs in a place where everyone knows everyone else and people never forget anything. The mystery of what happened years ago remains unsolved and what left open so many questions that it always bubbles right under the surface. There were so many possibilities as to who did it and yet the end will in fact surprise you (mostly). Ms. Harper paints a dark and gloomy setting to this story and with good reason. It is seriously creepy. When years later Kieran and Mia return to visit his parents the past becomes the present. It was a visit that no one will ever forget and both the past and present are brought to into the light. More death and finally resolution to what happened then and now. The ending definitely threw me for a loop. I was somewhat surprised, but more surprised at what happened after. I listened to the audio version. The narration was good, but very slow.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This book has a slow build, but once it picks up the pace, it’s a real page-turner. Atmospheric, with a lovely portrayal of life in a small community, it weaves two tragedies together and the ending is really quite sad. The scene where the victim’s mother confronts the community was both moving and intense. This is another beautifully written book by Jane Harper, and although I didn’t love it as much as her earlier books, it is well worth the read.
Twelve years before this book opens, two people were killed as they attempted to rescue Kieran Elliott and the young woman he was with from a cave in which they were trapped by the storm surge. Kieran got out and the young woman went missing never to be found. During the ensuing years, Kieran has blamed himself for the death of the two young men, one of whom was his brother and the other his brother’s best friend, because if he hadn’t made the decision to go into the cave, the two men would not have been killed. When Kieran returns to the small coastal town, he knows there are people who blame him for three deaths. The day after he arrived in town, the body of young photographer is found dead on the beach. What ensues is the investigation into the artist’s death which raises questions about the previous three deaths.
Jane Harper has written a classic character-driven novel. While it is may be slow-moving in the beginning because she has several characters who she wants the reader to know well, the novel picks up as the book moves toward its conclusion. The writing is such that you’ll soon feel like you know Kieran’s town and its inhabitants.
If you love character-driven novels, you’ll love this book. However, if you love mysteries that are all about the crime and its resolution, perhaps you should skip this book.
My thanks to Flatiron Books and Edelweiss for an eARC.