Thrillers & Suspense
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Exiles: A Novel
FROM NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AND AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR JANE HARPER COMES EXILES, A CAPTIVATING MYSTERY ABOUT A MISSING MOTHER
"I love Jane Harper's Australia-based mysteries." ―Stephen King
"Once again Harper proves that she is peerless in creating an avalanche of suspense with intimate, character-driven set pieces...Harper's legions of fans will exult in reading Exiles."
―David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Federal Investigator Aaron Falk is on his way to a small town deep in Southern Australian wine country for the christening of an old friend's baby. But mystery follows him, even on vacation.
This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of Kim Gillespie's disappearance. One year ago, at a busy town festival on a warm spring night, Kim safely tucked her sleeping baby into her stroller, then vanished into the crowd. No one has seen her since. When Kim's older daughter makes a plea for anyone with information about her missing mom to come forward, Falk and his old buddy Raco can't leave the case alone.
As Falk soaks up life in the lush valley, he is welcomed into the tight-knit circle of Kim's friends and loved ones. But the group may be more fractured than it seems. Between Falk's closest friend, the missing mother, and a woman he's drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths begin to emerge. What would make a mother abandon her child? What happened to Kim Gillespie?
"I love Jane Harper's Australia-based mysteries." ―Stephen King
"Once again Harper proves that she is peerless in creating an avalanche of suspense with intimate, character-driven set pieces...Harper's legions of fans will exult in reading Exiles."
―David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Federal Investigator Aaron Falk is on his way to a small town deep in Southern Australian wine country for the christening of an old friend's baby. But mystery follows him, even on vacation.
This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of Kim Gillespie's disappearance. One year ago, at a busy town festival on a warm spring night, Kim safely tucked her sleeping baby into her stroller, then vanished into the crowd. No one has seen her since. When Kim's older daughter makes a plea for anyone with information about her missing mom to come forward, Falk and his old buddy Raco can't leave the case alone.
As Falk soaks up life in the lush valley, he is welcomed into the tight-knit circle of Kim's friends and loved ones. But the group may be more fractured than it seems. Between Falk's closest friend, the missing mother, and a woman he's drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths begin to emerge. What would make a mother abandon her child? What happened to Kim Gillespie?
Editorial Reviews
"Once again Harper proves that she is peerless in creating an avalanche of suspense with intimate, character-driven set pieces that are as exquisitely engineered as the inner workings of a Steinway. Harper's legions of fans will exult in reading Exiles."
―David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Falk's investigation is a terrific one, but what makes the book memorable is Harper's skill at plumbing personal mysteries."
―New York Times Book Review
"Investigator Aaron Falk arrives in Australian wine country for his godson's christening, postponed from last year when the community was rocked by a woman's disappearance. There are clues they've missed, planted deftly by Harper in the relationships and psyches of her nuanced characters."
―People
"Another all-consuming mystery from Harper...Fans will relish Falk's intuitive "spider sense" moments here, and they will be amazed at the simultaneously shocking and tender ending."
―Booklist, starred review
"With this book, Harper may well have given her legions of readers exactly what they have been waiting for: a beautifully observed crime novel about regional life featuring the reticent and endearing federal policeman, Aaron Falk...Quietly and inevitably, the secrets and deceptions are unraveled as Falk finds himself deftly woven into the weft of this small community. In Exiles, Falk may at last have come home."
―Sydney Morning Herald
"Stellar…Writing at the top of her game, Harper effectively uses whodunit tropes to explore her characters' hidden lives. Readers interested in literate and nuanced mysteries will be eager to see more of Falk."
―Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Jane Harper's lyrically written, immersive and slow-burning mystery Exiles is a powerful send-off for beloved character Aaron Fa...
―David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Falk's investigation is a terrific one, but what makes the book memorable is Harper's skill at plumbing personal mysteries."
―New York Times Book Review
"Investigator Aaron Falk arrives in Australian wine country for his godson's christening, postponed from last year when the community was rocked by a woman's disappearance. There are clues they've missed, planted deftly by Harper in the relationships and psyches of her nuanced characters."
―People
"Another all-consuming mystery from Harper...Fans will relish Falk's intuitive "spider sense" moments here, and they will be amazed at the simultaneously shocking and tender ending."
―Booklist, starred review
"With this book, Harper may well have given her legions of readers exactly what they have been waiting for: a beautifully observed crime novel about regional life featuring the reticent and endearing federal policeman, Aaron Falk...Quietly and inevitably, the secrets and deceptions are unraveled as Falk finds himself deftly woven into the weft of this small community. In Exiles, Falk may at last have come home."
―Sydney Morning Herald
"Stellar…Writing at the top of her game, Harper effectively uses whodunit tropes to explore her characters' hidden lives. Readers interested in literate and nuanced mysteries will be eager to see more of Falk."
―Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Jane Harper's lyrically written, immersive and slow-burning mystery Exiles is a powerful send-off for beloved character Aaron Fa...
Readers Top Reviews
SnapdragonAndrew
It must be difficult to write a novel in which all the characters are nice, decent people, yet interesting enough to hold readers’ attention. This time, Aaron is in South Australian wine country for an annual food and wine festival and the christening of the little son of his police mate Greg Raco. Aaron is to be one of the godparents. Greg’s niece Zara is going to do an appeal at the festival, asking everyone for information about her mother Kim, who disappeared exactly a year ago. Kim had moved to Adelaide and married one of the high school gang she’d grown up with after finally splitting definitively with Zara’s dad Charlie. Her new baby Zoe was six weeks old at the time. For about 80% of the book everyone is both enjoying the festival but still worrying about Kim and the effect her disappearance has had on Zara in particular. Also part of the story is the unsolved death of the dad of Zara’s friend Joel 6 years previously and Aaron’s attraction to Joel’s stepmum Gemma, who organises the festival. Both mysteries are solved in the end of course, and what has happened to the two victims is familiarly banal as well as tragic. Harper handles both extremely well and it’s then that we feel grateful for the long, slow buildup. And for the fact that practically everyone in this book is a good person. Plus it’s great to read the realistic romance between Aaron and Gemma.
Heidi (but books
I have been (not so) patiently waiting for another Aaron Falk novel, and finally it is here! Of course I had to rush out and get it as soon as it hit the shelves. Harper has once again chosen an atmospheric setting for her novel, this time in a picturesque wine growing region of SA. As usual, her descriptive writing transported me straight into the landscape, and I could picture it all vividly, yearning to be part of the cosy dinners and glasses of wine Aaron enjoys with his friends. Despite the idyllic landscape, it’s not all peace and happiness here, because at the heart of the story lie two unsolved mysteries: the hit and run of a respected local accountant, and the mysterious disappearance of a young mother at last year’s wine fair. Even though the deaths have been ruled unconnected, in a small town like Marralee everyone is related or connected in some way. Falk, who is visiting to attend the christening of his good mate’s son, cannot help but observe different people’s reactions to the anniversary of the young woman’s disappearance. And of course Falk’s sharp mind immediately picks up a few discrepancies along the way … EXILES follows in the vein of Harper’s previous novels – slow burning, character driven and atmospheric. The clues are metered out carefully, for the reader to slowly join together the dots just as Falk does, and yet I was still surprised by the final reveal, which is why I am not a detective! I enjoyed the insights into Falk’s personal life just as much as the unravelling of the mystery, and whilst I hope that he will finally find companionship and happiness, I am also loathe to let him retire back into the ether of fictional characters. I hope this is not the last we will see of Falk!
Jan Eggleton.
What a story. So real. So possible. So sympathetic. Both this book and 'The Dry' have been 2 of my favorite books EVER. I've read so many trashy thrillers to empty my brain since retiring and since Covid, this story just filled me up with feelings again. Fabulous feelings. Loved loved loved it.
A. AssociatesJan
I’ve recently discovered Jane Harper. Keeping all the characters straight in your head is an enjoyable challenge to the readers’ powers of comprehension. Once you accept that it will all come together in the end, you can relax and let the plot unfold. Great stuff. World class.
carolynfromozA. A
Aaron Falk is back in the final book of Jane Harper’s mystery trilogy. Still with the Australian Federal Police financial division based in Melbourne, he has made time in his heavy workload to attend the christening of his friend police sergeant Greg Raco’s son Henry. Falk and Raco have been friends since the events of The Dry six years ago and Raco has asked Falk to be Henry’s godfather. The christening in Raco’s home town of Marralee Valley in the South Australian wine region was originally scheduled for a year ago but cancelled when Raco’s brother Charlie’s ex-wife KIm disappeared suddenly at the town’s wine and food festival, leaving her six week old baby alone. With the investigation into her disappearance still open, Raco and Falk find themselves taking another look at the investigation and unravelling the secrets and lies of a small town and its people. The mystery builds slowly as Aaron gets to know Raco’s family better, including her new husband Rohan and her and Charlie’s daughter Zara. The beautiful countryside and peaceful valley and the possibility of a romance has Falk assessing his own work obsessed life. An older unsolved death also bothers Falk and has him looking for answers to what happened then. With many layers to unravel this has a different pace and flavour from the first two books in the series, but is an engrossing read and a fine way to finish the series.
