This is a slow burn crime story. While I am quite comfortable with slow pace, it feels quite different from the earlier two as the pace for nearly 60% of the book is far slower than in the other two books. What I did not much like though is the introduction of some character behaviours in the later part of the book, which is now usual in psychological thrillers and is becoming a silly & painful pattern. The plot elements are however, very strong and I liked how the last sections closed on the two mysteries in the book. The descriptions of the locales, as in the previous books is excellent. Aaron Falk’s character, as in the previous books is very well developed, nuanced and a treat to read.

Last year, Aaron Falk was in South Australia to be godfather to Henry, Greg and Rita Raco’s new baby. It was the week of the Marralee Annual Food and Wine Festival, and nobody I know would pass up a festival celebrating wine in South Australia! This is a softer, gentler Harper, but with the same fine writing and addictive storytelling." Ann Cleeves Aaron Falk has a lot of baggage, which he is also working to resolve. And I became more than a little frustrated with him over his indecision and often inept pursuit of Gemma when it seemed clear they should get together. But Falk, a mixture of subtlety and pathos, is a character I liked immediately and seems a real person. Harper also expertly fleshes out the rest of the cast who seem like people I can easily imagine might inhabit rural Australia. All are relatable and I felt like I got to know all the characters well by the end of the book. Unlike other Australian authors I’ve read, who use descriptions of the Australian landscape to establish a sense of place, Harper relies more (at least in this book) on using the Australian manner of speech in both dialogue and inner thoughts of the characters to accomplish that. It’s effective and makes the reader aware the story takes place in Australia, yet perhaps not as effectively as Australian writers, who descriptively transform the sense of place into almost a character in its own right. The Australian Mystery Road movies and television series are good examples of this. And I’ve read several novels where the authors used similar techniques in their prose. Harper’s technique isn’t necessarily bad, just different. learn about the seemingly dangerous reservoir; get depictions of the annual teen drinking party, where the kids get blotto; and more. And here’s another fact for you. It took nearly six months to find my dad in that water, but in the end they still found him. Take a guess how many people in the past fifty years have drowned in the reservoir and never been seen again?’The police found Kim's shoe in a reservoir near the fairgrounds, and concluded the missing woman committed suicide. However Kim's body was never found, and Kim's teenage daughter Zara - from a previous relationship with Charlie Raco (Greg's brother) - refuses to believe Kim killed herself.

Kim Gillespie had been part of the extended Raco family for close to twenty-five years, Falk knew. Since that long-ago autumn afternoon when she’d first ridden her bike past the Racos’ house, teenage ponytail swinging, until the night last year when she’d disappeared under the bright festival lights. The christening had been immediately canceled after Kim went missing. It had taken the Raco family a full twelve months to reschedule. The pram was parked alongside a few dozen others in the Marralee Valley Annual Food and Wine Festival's designated pram bay, fighting for space in the shadow of the ferris wheel with a tangle of bikes and scooters and a lone tricycle. It had been left in the far corner, the foot brake firmly on. DISCLOSURE: I borrowed my copy of Exiles, by Jane Harper and published by Pan Macmillan Australia, from Waitomo District Library. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. 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. In this third book in the 'Aaron Falk' series, the Australian detective helps investigate a woman's disappearance. The book works fine as a standalone.

Aaron Falk returns

Yeah. Well, no, the appeal, actually.” Rohan looked tired as he fastened his daughter into her car seat. “But we’ll go to the christening as well.” While the mystery of Kim’s disappearance might be the narrative hook on which this crime novel hangs, what renders it so engaging is Harper’s keen observation of people and place captured in swift glimpses. Meeting his godson after a year, the toddler fixes Falk with a “glassy accusing gaze”, while his little sister Eva shyly slides a glittery hairclip into Falk’s hand. This is what small children do. Falk is clearly touched by this young family and their kindness as he contemplates an alternative country lifestyle on Charlie’s vineyard miles away from his workaholic existence in Melbourne.