Several years ago, I read Jane Harper’s The Dry – and I was hooked. Could not WAIT for her next book! The Dry, Force of Nature, and The Lost Man (all of which featured Federal Investigator Aaron Falk) were all five-star reads…and while I admit to being “an easy grader,” they all really were terrific. 2021’s The Survivors featured a different protagonist, and while I’m fairly sure it wasn’t one of my top picks last year, it was full of the same beautiful writing, stunning depiction of setting so vivid it became a character on its own, and plot surprises featuring interesting characters that the reader comes to KNOW. Well, buckle up – thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley, who provided a copy in exchange for my honest review, I scored a copy of Ms. Harper’s latest, The Exiles. 

Aaron Falk is back (YAY!) and heads for a small town dep in Southern Australian wine country. Vacation? Not exactly,  as he has traveled there for the christening of an old friend’s baby. When he arrives, the weekend is notable for another reason: it is the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of Kim Gillespie. Kim was at a music festival, and she vanished right after tucking her sleeping baby into the stroller. Aaron and  his old buddy Raco can’t stay away from such  a juicy story. 

Falk finds the valley where he is visiting nearly irresistible as  he is welcomed into the group of bereft friends and loved ones who all miss Kim and can’t figure out why she would have abandoned her baby – if she actually did. But of course things aren’t as they initially seem: Falk’s closest friend, the missing mother, and a woman Aaron is strongly attracted to all combine to make the mystery more and more compelling.  

Okay, you get the idea. And while I LOVED the experience of reading this, and I CANNOT wait for the next chapter in Aaron’s story, I wasn’t wild about the ending. Which (spoiler alert) is NOT the ending! So I am going four stars, with hopes for things to go my way in the next book…although it could be argued that the fact that I care enough about these characters who are REAL PEOPLE to me means it’s a five-star read. Whatever, just READ IT!