Books by Jane Harper
Jane Harper is a prizewinning British Australian crime novelist.
Val McDermid said of Harper (in her interview for the best crime fiction of 2019), “As usual with Jane Harper, she’s very good at drawing people’s past into their present. There is a whole complex of historical events underpinning this story. It’s about the darkest of family histories.
It’s a gripping read. She writes really well. She writes dialogue particularly well. You have the sense when you’re reading her dialogue that this is the way people speak to each other: it’s not overworked, it’s not affected. It has all those shorthand ways we use in speaking to each other, and I think there’s a real sense here of a writer who is growing with every book.”
“I think most people who’ve read her work agree The Lost Man is her best book. The great thing about this book is the setting, it’s so atmospheric. You can really feel the blazing, scorching heat of the Queensland sun. It all feels very dry and dusty. And, again, this is a book where the ending really took me by surprise. It’s perfect! So cleverly done, so well thought through” Read more...
The Best Contemporary Mystery Books
Mark Edwards, Novelist
Force of Nature
by Jane Harper
Force of Nature is Jane Harper's second crime novel featuring investigator Aaron Falk, following her bestselling debut, The Dry. These are crime novels set in Australia, sometimes referred to as 'outback noir.' In this book, five women go out hiking in the bush while on a company retreat.
Exiles
by Jane Harper
☆ AudioFile magazine Earphones Award for an exceptional audiobook
Exiles is by Jane Harper, one of our favourite writers of mystery novels. All have been set in Australia in a genre some refer to as 'Outback noir.' Her last book was The Survivors, set by the ocean in Tasmania, her best book (according to two of our interviewees) is The Lost Man. This book, Exiles, is set in South Australia's wine country. It features Aaron Falk as the investigator, who also featured in The Dry and Force of Nature.
“Jane Harper is an Australian writer of crime fiction who I’m a big fan of. Exiles is set in Australia’s wine country and features Aaron Falk, an investigator who has appeared in some of her other novels. Harper’s books are always atmospheric and well-crafted. As in The Dry, Falk is not investigating in a formal capacity, but in this case goes down south to celebrate being godfather to a friend’s son. Exiles opens with a six-week-old baby in a pram being found on its own at a food and wine festival: the mother has disappeared.” Read more...
Sophie Roell, Journalist
The Survivors: A Novel
by Jane Harper
Nobody does unsettling murder mysteries in small, remote communities—where everyone knows each other and has lots of secrets—as well as Jane Harper. The setting for The Survivors, Harper’s fourth novel, is Evelyn Bay, a small (fictional) beach town on the island of Tasmania, where the ocean provides a menacing backdrop that pervades the story. Prepare to want to read this book in one sitting.
Interviews where books by Jane Harper were recommended
Best Mystery Books of 2021
2021 was fantastic for fans of the mystery genre, with lots of different types of books to choose from. There were also a wide variety of different evocative settings, including Tasmania, Ghana, a ski resort, a retirement village, and the Nevada desert. The year also saw new books in popular mystery series, including the second instalment of The Thursday Murder Club.
The Best Crime Fiction of 2021, recommended by Sophie Roell
If you’re into crime fiction as a form of relaxation, a wide range of books continue to be published, set in places around the world. Sophie Roell, editor of Five Books and a keen reader of the genre, picks out some of her favourites from 2021.
Best Mystery Books of 2023
As a year for mystery books, 2023 was definitely eclectic, with historical mysteries, mysteries that could be filed as supernatural horror, and the Edgar award for best novel going to the story of a serial killer on death row. The year also saw the publication of Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter, which experiments with different formats to engage the reader.
The Best Crime Novels of 2023, recommended by Sophie Roell
From a police procedural set in World War II Berlin to a man pushing his in-laws off a wall in Ningbo, the variety of settings for crime fiction continue to provide a lot of opportunities for armchair travel. Our editor, Sophie Roell, an avid reader of crime novels, picks out some of her favourites of 2023. Read more fiction recommendations on Five Books
The Best Contemporary Mystery Books, recommended by Mark Edwards
Crime writers are often mild-mannered individuals who have learned to delve into the deepest, darkest recesses of their imagination to create their books, says the bestselling author Mark Edwards. Here, he recommends five of the best contemporary mysteries that will keep you guessing right to the final page.
The Best Crime Fiction of 2019, recommended by Val McDermid
It’s been a great year for crime fiction – with soaring sales and global bestsellers emerging from writers all over the world. Crime writing is rightly in the ascendancy, says the celebrated Scottish novelist Val McDermid as she selects the best crime fiction of 2019: five books that stand as great novels in their own right.
