Force of Nature

October 23, 2017
Australian author Harper follows her bestselling debut, The Dry, with a gripping tale of an elemental battle for survival. Federal agents Aaron Falk and Carmen Cooper are investigating the role of a respected Melbourne accounting firm in an extensive money-laundering scheme with the help of insider source Alice Russell. Then she vanishes during a team-building wilderness expedition that includes the chief executives of the company she has been working to expose. Pressed by their bosses to get the remaining documents needed for the probe and worried that Alice may have met with foul play, Falk and Carmen head for the rugged Giralang Ranges to aid in the search. Once in the bushland, they discover that the beautiful, brainy, but unabashedly cruel Alice had no dearth of enemies, ranging from her bullied assistant to a fellow executive who’s been her frenemy since their years together at an exclusive private school. Although certain plot strands seem contrived, Harper once again shows herself to be a storytelling force to be reckoned with. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House.

July 27, 2017
Jane Harper’s follow-up to her 2016 bestseller The Dry is another well-written, pacey crime thriller. Force of Nature is set after the events of The Dry but can be read as a standalone novel. Federal police agent Aaron Falk is investigating the disappearance of Melbourne woman Alice Russell, who has gone missing during a corporate retreat in the Victorian bushlands. Alice is a whistleblower in Falk’s latest white-collar crime case, and Falk—along with his new police partner Carmen—is trying to figure out if the disappearance is connected. The chapters alternate between the search for Alice and the hiking trip leading up to her disappearance, where we meet Alice and four of her female colleagues, and discover their shifting loyalties. Fans of The Dry will enjoy this gripping page-turner, although it lacks some of the satisfying detective work of her debut. I would also have liked to see more development of Falk’s character and that of his partner, who remains lightly sketched; a scene between the two in Falk’s sparsely furnished apartment left me wanting more. However, the overall premise of the novel is intriguing and the bushland setting is well drawn (I imagined it taking place in Victoria’s Grampians, with a chilling Ivan Milat-style backstory). I look forward to more outings from Falk in the future. Andrea Hanke is editor-in-chief at Books+Publishing