The Survivors is good, but not quite in the same league as The Last Man, which I thought was quite outstanding.
This time, Jane Harper takes us to the other end of the continent – to the shores of Tasmania – but in many ways the structure is similar to The Last Man; a small community is disrupted by a death and the resulting upheaval and investigation brings some old feuds, tragedies and secrets to the surface. The protagonist, Kieran, is damaged by guilt and grief over an incident twelve years ago for which he blames himself and both this and another tragedy at the time become involved in the current investigation.
Harper is a very fine writer and she does much of this very well. The central section was excellent and had me completely hooked. Her character analysis is very good – I especially liked the heartbroken mother who retreats into a rigid placidity and self-help phrases. However, I thought that the opening was something of a slog and the denouement a little pat and sudden. The ending particularly seemed to have some of the contrivance which is common in mysteries and I think Jane Harper is better than that. Her sense of place is again well done, but not as brilliantly evocative as the killing conditions in The Last Man.
This is certainly a rewarding read. It’s not Harper’s best but still very recommendable.
(My thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC via NetGalley.)
No comments:
Post a Comment