What readers think of Exiles, plus links to write your own review.

While there is a mystery (or two) in this entertaining novel, it is really an exploration of community, guilt, and how relationships with others shape and change us. Jane Harper's South Australian wine country is an important character, and Aaron Falk is, as always, someone I am happy to follow around while he figures things out. The middle of the book was a little slow, but the incredibly moving ending makes up for it. Highly recommended for fans of character driven mysteries.

The fifth crime novel by multiple-awarding winning Australian, Jane Harper, will be greeted with cheers by all who loved the first four. This time set in the flourishing wine country of South Australia, she again captures small-town Australia, with its strong, hard-working community, vivid characters, and intense loyalties. A mysterious disappearance gets the plot rolling, embracing the reader in a tightly told tale that grips to the very end. A great read for all who savor finely crafted crime novels.

Exiles is Jane Harper's newest suspenseful mystery featuring federal investigator Aaron Falk. I was immediately drawn into this book right from my first glance at the gorgeous cover art. As we travel to Southern Australia's wine country Jane Harper's evocative landscape seems to come alive. The novel opens with the discovery of a sleeping baby left alone at the annual Food and Wine Festival. The mother has vanished. This story unfolds at a nice pace, allowing the reader to become invested in a wonderful cast of characters. Along the way we are drawn deeper and deeper into the mystery and the secrets held within. This is a story that you'll still be thinking about long after you turn the last page.

Although this is the third novel starring Aaron Falk, enough background story is given so it can easily be read as a stand-alone. A few hints of the previous books may certainly have the reader indulging in Harper's backlist!

I eagerly await each new book from Jane Harper, and Exiles did not disappoint! She returns to following the story of Aaron Falk, the lead character in her first two novels, The Dry and Force of Nature. You don't need to have read these books to enjoy or follow along with this one, but for those who have, the callbacks definitely add to the reading experience.

Exiles centers around the disappearance (and presumed death) of Kim Gillespie who apparently abandoned her infant daughter at an outdoor festival.

As always, Harper does an incredible job of evoking rural Australia--not only the scenery but the ins and outs of life in a small town where everyone's lives seem to be intertwined.

Although Aaron Falk is the main character, the book also looks at events from the perspective of other characters both in the present and in the past. I wouldn't characterize the book as a page-turner, with cliffhangers at the end of every chapter, but the writing and story are so compelling that I found it very difficult to put down. If you're a fan of Louise Penny or Ann Cleeves, you'll love this book!

Harper fans who have missed Investigator Aaron Falk in her last few books will be happy to herald his return in Exiles.

Harper once again takes us to the bushland of Australia, and while not quite as atmospheric as many of her previous volumes, she still manages to invite the reader in with her descriptive prose which paints vivid pictures of the town and its surroundings.

Though Falk is not acting in his official capacity, he still manages to discover a mystery that begs for his attention. In this volume, Harper is able to reveal the human side of Falk through his relationships with the large cast of characters. Though the pace of this novel is slower than some of her earlier works, Harper uses the time to build to a surprising conclusion.

I thought this was Harper at her best. Her readers, old and new, will need to set aside some dedicated reading hours because this is a book they won't want to put down. Hopefully, Falk and company will be brought back again in future efforts.

Wonderful descriptive writing, The winery, the fair/festival, the reservoir, There was so much detail that I could really picture it in my mind. However, I felt it was a little slow, She spent so much time binging in peripheral characters with ties to the crime aka red herrings that it bogged the story down in the center. I kept waiting for it to take off but it was just a steady flow. I did enjoy the relationship of Faulk with the Roco's.

Excellent and mysterious. Loved this book, only had trouble keeping some of the names straight.

Aaron Falk, federal investigator, is back in Jane Harper's newest book Exiles and what a thrilling read. It starts with a tragedy and then a year later the reader is brought back to the exact same location to once again figure out what a close knit group of friends saw and what they might have missed. How do these childhood bonds impact their past, but also their adult lives? Harper allows the story to unfold at a pace that meanders like the Southern Australian bush land. However, the intensity increases with each turn of the page just like the dangers that can be found in this unpredictable landscape. Hold on for a thrilling and unexpected conclusion!