Good book! Another winner from the author of The Dry and Force of Nature (my reviews on this site) which I’ve read. But The Lost Man does not feature Aaron Falk. It’s a stand-alone and it’s not like most books in the mystery or crime genre, although it does involve a mysterious death and family mysteries are slowly and expertly revealed. It’s not a cozy mystery.

*******
The Lost Man
by Jane Harper
2019 / 345 pages
read by Stephen Shananan – 10h 59m
rating: A / crime
*******

A prologue-type chapter describes an unnamed man dying alone in the desert near a single grave, but nothing more is clear except that he’s discovered by a helicopter.

Chapter 1 opens with Nathan and Bub Bright at the same scene with the corpse. They are discussing this death of their middle brother Cameron Bright. Nathan’s son Zander is also with them but he’s stays in the car.

The living situation of the Brights is rather unusual. Nathan lives in his own house separated from his family’s official compound in the outback of Queensland. His brothers Bub and Cameron along with their families live on the family place along with various employees hired as help for their large cattle ranch. Their father is deceased but their mother Liz lives with Cameron’s family in the big house. Nathan has lived separately for ten years during which time his wife took their son and left. Why?

There are serious problems in the family because although Nathan was eldest, Cameron was the “leader” and Bub is a bit slow mentally. But it’s Nathan who ends up investigating the body finding that there are family members and employees who are suspicious.

I really don’t want to reveal more than that because one detail will lead to spoilers and it gets tangled. Good and tangled – juicy, you might say.