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There are currently 37 member reviews
for Force of Nature
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Betty B. (Irving, TX)
Lost in Australian Bushland
Force of Nature author, Jane Harper, reintroduces us to Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk, the main character in her first novel, The Dry, one of my favorite books. Falk is drawn into the investigation of a woman who fails to return from a three day wilderness hike with four other co-workers. The missing woman is the whistle-blower in his latest case. It takes Falk's investigative skills to find out what happened during those three harrowing days. I was glad to learn more about Aaron Falk and hope there will be future books in this series. While I didn't think Force of Nature was quite as good as The Dry, Harper is such a good writer that this is still a very good read.
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Rebecca K. (Chicagoland)
A workplace teambuilding conspiracy
This is the first novel I've read by Jane Harper and I enjoyed it. I liked the switching time periods to explain the present time and then flashing back to the actual teambuilding camping excursion. The coworker drama is very realistic - from petty dislikes to hating a supervisor. The entire situation takes place in the shadow of a serial killer who may or may not have surviving family hiding in the area. The twists and turns in the novel were largely unexpected and surprising. The ending was a big surprise for me - I never would have guessed what happened and who was responsible.
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Brenda D. (Lincoln, CA)
Force of Nature
A team-building exercise for a corporate group -- extreme camping in the Australian wilderness -- goes so wrong. "It wasn't one thing that went wrong. It was a hundred little things." And it's Aaron Falk, the wonderful Federal Police Agent from "The Dry" who is involved in finding the missing camper who just happens to be his inside contact in a financial case he is investigating. Along the way, Aaron begins to understand his past, his relationships, about holding grudges and about forgiveness.
This is a slow simmer of suspense -- the author builds layer upon layer until the end where you are completely surprised. Her structure is interesting in that you have the present narration of the ongoing search and then she weaves in the very recent events that actually took place. It would make a great movie. I have so enjoyed both of her books and look forward to many more.
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Kate G. (Bronx, NY)
Now Australia is wet and cold
In her debut novel, The Dry, Jane Harper introduced us to Aaron Falk, a federal police officer who deals with financial white collar crime. He was called back to his hot, dry hometown to help solve a murder. In the sequel, the weather remains a large force in the novel, and she again tells a great story. Five women, who all work for the same company in many different roles, are sent out into dense, cold, wet woods as a teambuilding experience. Only four return. Agent Falk and his partner have been investigating this company and the missing women was their contact person, passing documents and making their case. I kept reading until late in the night to reach the end and its satisfying conclusion. I am so glad Jane Harper has found a US publisher and I am waiting eagerly for number 3!!
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Diane D. (Madison, ME)
Force of Nature
In Force of Nature, Jane Harper writes a compelling mystery with an intriguing cast of characters and a dramatic Australian setting. As a reader, I was drawn in immediately to the corporate retreat gone awry! A very enjoyable, fast-paced read with some twists and turns!
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Julie G. (West Hartford, CT)
Force of Nature
I was very excited to receive a copy of Jane Harper's new book because I so enjoyed her first, The Dry. Unfortunately this book didn't measure up. I wish she had focused more on Falk, a returning character; instead Harper spent a lot of time on the back stories of the other characters in the novel, and while this may have been to add to the plot mystery, the back stories seemed somewhat contrived and didn't hold my interest. I was much more interested in the parts of the novel about the detectives and I found myself skimming through the other parts. Hopefully future books will spend more time on Falk.
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MaryJane B. (Lynch Station, VA)
Force of Nature
This book, like The Dry, takes place in Australia with Federal agent Aaron Falk in charge. During a corporate retreat in the Giralang Ranges, four women have gone missing. Agent Faulkner and his partner Carmen Cooper have been called in because one of the missing women, Alice Russell was the subject of their case. They have been assigned to get to the bottom of irregular financial practices of Alice's company Bailey Tenants. Eventually three of the women come out of bush with scratches and a snake bite. Alice is missing and the women have no idea where she is. Alice they say, left with her phone in the middle of the night.
The story is told in two strands one being the investigation by Falk and Carmen and the other follows the women as they argue and at times physically fight over food, the way to get out of the bush and old disagreements they brought with them on the trip. If the company thought this was going to be a bonding experience for employees, it was a failure.
At first I was intrigued by the story. The description of the weather, difficult terrain were vivid. The petty arguing and the dredging up of old grievances from years before became annoying. The women not only argued about grievances among them, but also their children. I felt relieved when the story turned from the lost women to Falk and Carmen solving the crime.
Harper does a good job with building suspence at the end of each chapter, but I feel there was too much of it.
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