There is nothing harder than the follow up of an incredibly successful debut novel, so I read 'Force of Nature' with some trepidation.
Fortunately, Jane Harper doesn't disappoint. This is a great follow up, if not better than 'The Dry'. Both have her signature style and incredible sense of place and both books kept me on edge late into the early hours of the morning.
The premise of 'Force of Nature' was highly unusual but totally relatable - who hasn't been on a team building exercise with work colleagues only to wonder who you can trust? In this instance, five women walk into the bush on a similar team-building exercise yet only four emerge - everything goes awry when the team gets lost... what happened to Alice?
Once again, the Australian landscape was very much a character in the book however instead of 'The Dry' we have the wet, windy backdrop and the most miserable conditions for those who are lost, hungry, and distrusting of each other.
The switching of times and points-of-view between chapters helps keep the pace quick and plot moving along.
Definitely, a slower burn than its predecessor, but the complicated plot, the pace of the last half of the book and the vivid descriptions certainly make it addictive reading. It is a great examination of the wild nature of the human condition. It kept me breathless.
Another confronting 5 Stars.


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Force of Nature Mass Market Paperback – 30 July 2019
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Jane Harper
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Jane Harper
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Product details
- Publisher : Flatiron Books (30 July 2019)
- Language : English
- Mass Market Paperback : 448 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250214629
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250214621
- Dimensions : 10.34 x 3.07 x 19.15 cm
-
Best Sellers Rank:
64,268 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 1,960 in Small Town & Rural Fiction (Books)
- 5,588 in Police Procedurals (Books)
- 7,295 in Murder Thrillers
- Customer Reviews:
Product description
Review
Compelling...Harper continues the intense plotting and detail for characters and setting that she established in The Dry.
--Associated Press
All of the novel's characters have been drawn with exceptional complexity, and none more so than Aaron Falk...So much more than a conventional detective, the reflective and compassionate Falk provides the book's moral compass.
--New York Times Book Review
--Florida Times-Union "Force of Nature reinforces Harper's gift for creating characters with complicated relationships and especially for writing about wild landscapes, where anything can happen."
--LitHub "Even more impressive than The Dry...An almost unbearable level of suspense...Nature is a hostile, unpredictable force in both of Harper's novels, but her brilliance lies in making it into a test of horribly fallible human nature."
--Sunday Times "While the plot unfolds at an expertly controlled pace and is resolved in a satisfyingly ambiguous fashion, it is the relationships between the women that drive the novel...Thoughtful, moving, troubling."
--Irish Times
Both novels are intense, deeply intelligent psychological thrillers that explore how our pasts - especially our childhoods - mold and disrupt our lives in the present.
--Christian Science Monitor Riveting, tension-driven thriller...Perfect for fans of Tana French and readers who enjoy literary page-turners."
--Booklist, starred review "Harper's crackerjack plotting propels the story...Harper layers her story with hidden depths, expertly mining the distrust between Alice and her four colleagues, and the secrets that simmer under the surface...A spooky, compelling read."
--Kirkus "Stellar... The briefest dip into the prologue results in stomach-tightening anticipation that begs the reader to continue... [Harper] infuses the narrative with energy and atmosphere as Falk plumbs professional and personal relationships for clues to Alice's fate."
--Shelf Awareness Set against the fascinating backdrop of a wild, rural location in south Australia...Presents an intriguing crime that might not actually exist and potential suspects with realistically complex personalities and possible motives. The two story lines, past and present, collide with a satisfying yet not gratuitous conclusion.
--Library Journal "A gripping tale of an elemental battle for survival...Harper once again shows herself to be a storytelling force to be reckoned with."
--Publishers Weekly "Jane Harper is a must-read writer, and Aaron Falk is the Harry Bosch of the outback. Force Of Nature is a remarkable hybrid of suspense, wilderness survival, memorable characters, and gorgeous writing."
--Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Wish Me Dead "I loved The Dry. Force of Nature is even better. Brilliantly paced, it wrong-foots the reader like a rocky trail through the bush. I adored it."
--Susie Steiner, bestselling author of Missing, Presumed and Persons Unknown "A major voice in contemporary fiction. Like Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series and Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie novels, Jane Harper's deftly plotted mysteries double as sensitive inquiries into human nature, behavior, and psychology. And like The Dry, Force of Nature bristles with wit; it crackles with suspense; it radiates atmosphere. An astonishing book from an astonishing writer."
--A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window "Lord of the Flies in the Australian outback, with grown women in place of school boys. I loved every chilling moment of it. A blistering follow-up to The Dry from one of the best new voices in crime fiction."
--Sarah Hilary, author of the bestselling DI Marnie Rome series "Manages to be two things at once. It's a financially skewed police procedural with a likeable detective with his own personal trajectory at its heart, and it's something of a locked room mystery. The fact that the locked room is neither in a vicarage, nor on an island, but somewhere in the claustrophobic vastness of the Australian bush renders Force of Nature all the more original and engaging."
--Sydney Morning Herald "As thick with menace as the bush that seems to swallow the difficult Alice...Force of Nature cuts between past and present, corporate and domestic, and cements its author as one of Australia's boldest thriller writers." --Australian Women's Weekly The narrative is finely constructed, with perfectly measured pace and suspense. So much so that it reminded me of another master of form, Liane Moriarty...There are echoes of Picnic at Hanging Rock and Lord of the Flies as any appearance of civility slips away and the women lose direction in a hostile landscape.
--The Saturday Paper (Aus) Harper's mastery of pace makes Force Of Nature one of 2017's best thrillers.
--Elle (Aus) Gripping thriller will have readers hooked.
--Sunday Telegraph Force of Nature proves Jane Harper, author of The Dry, is no one-hit wonder. Its premise is instantly gripping.
--Herald Sun (Aus)
About the Author
Jane Harper is the New York Times bestselling author of The Dry, Force of Nature, and The Lost Man. Jane previously worked as a print journalist in Australia and the UK and lives in Melbourne with her husband, daughter, and son.
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4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
2,551 global ratings
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TOP 10 REVIEWER
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14 people found this helpful
Helpful
Reviewed in Australia on 28 November 2017
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I loved The Dry but this one just did not do it for me. The suspense of The Dry was not there. I kept putting it down and picking it up a few days later and by the time I was almost through reading it, I cared not on iota for any of the characters. Also, I was perplexed as to why, in basically a plot-driven book, the cop had to have a few pages devoted to his personal angsty history. I love really suspenseful books and if you are like me you can't go past Security by Gina Wohlsdorf.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in Australia on 2 October 2017
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I loved this book. In my opinion it is better than The Dry which I also liked. The characters were complex and interesting. The mystery was engrossing. The atmosphere of the Australian bushland was beautifully captured. There were satisfying twists and turns to this briskly told story. No waffling, no prolonged dialogue, no flat spots in the whole story. A joy to read.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in Australia on 23 January 2019
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Not really my cup of tea - showing increasing acrimony amongst a group of five female hikers. There was I thought a group of male hikers too, what happened to them?. The Federal Police characters [Falk & Carmen] appeared very subdued with their contribution to the investigation. The theme of the story though was a great idea but I would have like to read more about past missing persons in the bush to add interest to the story. This book is all about peer pressure, personalities & family issues none of which I wish to know about. Sorry!
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TOP 500 REVIEWER
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I am old enough to remember the fear that permeated through Australia with the Ivan Milat case, so having a similar background to the story (all be it with a made up name) increased that sense of urgency and not knowing.
The twists and turns are all intertwined, and some go back decades. Towards the end of the book, the clever structure increased the panic/tempo. Just grand. I also loved the ending. I can't wait for the next Aaron Falk novel
The twists and turns are all intertwined, and some go back decades. Towards the end of the book, the clever structure increased the panic/tempo. Just grand. I also loved the ending. I can't wait for the next Aaron Falk novel
Reviewed in Australia on 4 December 2017
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This is why I don't do corporate teambuilding retreats.
Mandatory fun never is.
Enforced trustbuilding exercises does not build trust.
Women will always be a little like the girls they were in high school.
Snakes may represent original sin, but in the Aussie bush it's ego & arrogance that will get you killed.
I love Harper as a writer. I can't wait to see her books hit the screen.
Mandatory fun never is.
Enforced trustbuilding exercises does not build trust.
Women will always be a little like the girls they were in high school.
Snakes may represent original sin, but in the Aussie bush it's ego & arrogance that will get you killed.
I love Harper as a writer. I can't wait to see her books hit the screen.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in Australia on 7 October 2017
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Another Aaron Falk novel based around an investigation into a corrupt family business, this story contains everything you know is bad about corporate team building weekends. It confirms my belief that they are a totally bad idea. From dysfunctional families to a bush walk gone wrong with a serial killer thrown in for good measure, this is a great read.
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Reviewed in Australia on 26 April 2018
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First up – I adored The Dry, it was such a surprisingly outstanding novel on so many, many levels. I just devoured it. So it was with much eager anticipation I read this latest novel…….and after just now finishing it………ummmmmm Meh is the very best I can say.
I cannot believe it’s the same author to be honest. This novel lacks most things that made The Dry such a fantastic read. There is little sense of suspense or intrigue. The protagonists are simple stereotypical caricatures that fail to hold much interest. The plot is leaden, full of red herrings and a few flaws. I will admit the last 20% did pick up the pace as it raced to a conclusion but ultimately, I found the ending just such a letdown as it did not address any of the few interesting plot twists that exist.
While the Dry was a delightful surprise Force of Nature is sadly disappointing
I cannot believe it’s the same author to be honest. This novel lacks most things that made The Dry such a fantastic read. There is little sense of suspense or intrigue. The protagonists are simple stereotypical caricatures that fail to hold much interest. The plot is leaden, full of red herrings and a few flaws. I will admit the last 20% did pick up the pace as it raced to a conclusion but ultimately, I found the ending just such a letdown as it did not address any of the few interesting plot twists that exist.
While the Dry was a delightful surprise Force of Nature is sadly disappointing
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Female Reader
4.0 out of 5 stars
Atmospheric tale of missing hiker in Australian mountains
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 December 2017Verified Purchase
This is a follow up to The Dry. Aaron Falk, the sympathetic fraud cop is involved in the search for a missing hiker who was taking part in a company team building exercise. Well written, twists, human interest. Calling this a detective story or a thriller is to underestimate it. Looking forward to her next book.
32 people found this helpful
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Orna G
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scary!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 March 2018Verified Purchase
This is a gripping, edge of the chair sort of read. Having thoroughly enjoyed The Dry, her previous book, I was greatly anticipating this. It did not disappoint. The hero, Falk, is the same policeman as in The Dry and I felt that anyone who had not read it first might have been at a slight disadvantage. However, Force of Nature is a terrific stand-alone story. Basically, five women enter an impenetrable forest as part of a team building exercise. Only four return. Personally, I would not have wished for any of these five neurotic women to be my friends, as it was difficult to sympathise with any of them and I wouldn't have been upset if they had all disappeared. But this is a five star book in my opinion and well worth reading if you like to be scared.
23 people found this helpful
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Kee Lady
3.0 out of 5 stars
Ok but not as good as The Dry
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 December 2018Verified Purchase
Five female work colleagues set off on a team building exercise in the Australian Bush. Only four return. The missing woman is Alice Russell, the whistle blower in Aaron Falk’s latest case. Could this be the reason behind her disappearance? Alice was not popular with her colleagues and as the investigation develops, Falk uncovers how suspicion and mistrust plagued the group.
I really enjoyed Jane Harper’s debut novel The Dry and I was keen to see if Force of Nature would match its quality and success. It appears to have matched its success but not quite its quality. The beginning is promising and Harper builds some nice anticipation, teasing the reader with numerous possibilities for Alice’s disappearance. I was therefore expecting some thrilling revelations but sadly, this is never realised, as a number of threads are revealed as nothing more than red herrings with no conclusion. The real reason behind Alice’s disappearance was painfully underwhelming although the final scenes add some much-needed drama into an otherwise pedestrian plot. Perhaps it is a case of second book syndrome but I am hoping it is third time lucky for Jane Harper with The Lost Man.
I really enjoyed Jane Harper’s debut novel The Dry and I was keen to see if Force of Nature would match its quality and success. It appears to have matched its success but not quite its quality. The beginning is promising and Harper builds some nice anticipation, teasing the reader with numerous possibilities for Alice’s disappearance. I was therefore expecting some thrilling revelations but sadly, this is never realised, as a number of threads are revealed as nothing more than red herrings with no conclusion. The real reason behind Alice’s disappearance was painfully underwhelming although the final scenes add some much-needed drama into an otherwise pedestrian plot. Perhaps it is a case of second book syndrome but I am hoping it is third time lucky for Jane Harper with The Lost Man.
12 people found this helpful
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M. Sumner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Stunner from Jane Harper
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 April 2018Verified Purchase
From the author of The Dry another exhilerating read featuring Federal Agent Aaron Falk. Falk and his associate Carmen are investigating serious money laundering by the Bailey family in Melbourne. He has coerced a whistleblower, Alice Russell, to obtain evidence. Alice works for the family.
Alice and four other women who work for Bailey are sent on a team building exercise in the outback, a hike in the bush intended to teach resilience. Five women set out on the muddy track. Only four come out the other side. Alice is missing.
Harper builds tension as the plot moves between the last days of the hike and Falk's endeavours with other searchers to find the missing woman. Four women tell Falk about their relationship with Alice, a tale of suspicion and disintegrating trust. Who is telling the truth?
A brilliantly paced plot wrong-footing the reader at every turn. It's another stunner from Jane Harper.
Alice and four other women who work for Bailey are sent on a team building exercise in the outback, a hike in the bush intended to teach resilience. Five women set out on the muddy track. Only four come out the other side. Alice is missing.
Harper builds tension as the plot moves between the last days of the hike and Falk's endeavours with other searchers to find the missing woman. Four women tell Falk about their relationship with Alice, a tale of suspicion and disintegrating trust. Who is telling the truth?
A brilliantly paced plot wrong-footing the reader at every turn. It's another stunner from Jane Harper.
10 people found this helpful
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Bluecashmere.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning story.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 May 2019Verified Purchase
I read Jane Harper’s trilogy in a strange order, starting with The Dry, jumping to The Lost Man and then returning to Force of Nature. Probably this resulted from slightly less enthusiastic reviews on the whole for the middle novel. In any event, I am now even more convinced that Jane Harper is a particularly fine writer and much as I was bowled over by The Lost man, I think I have to acknowledge that I enjoyed this novel most of all. The narrative structure is handled with masterful control, the identities of individual characters seem to me to be more fully fleshed out and the detectives, Falk and Carmen and their relationship is at its most convincing.
The story evolves from five women, led by Jill Bailey, senior executive of Bailey and Tennants company, who ventures into the Australian outback on an endurance and bonding exercise. The four other members of the party, all mature women, some with children at home, are the twins Beth and Breanna, Lauren and Alice, in whom Falk has an interest concerning other matters altogether. One of the girls goes missing, the launchpad for almost all that follows. We shift back and forth between the search party and the events that reveal the women and the events that lie behind the disappearance of one of them. These shifts in location and time are handled most skilfully, ratcheting up the suspense until the dramatic climax. The novel is part psychological thriller, part whodunnit, but much more than either. The personalities and backgrounds of the key figures give depth to the novel, and the unself-conscious evocation of the natural world in which the women have to survive and negotiate their path provides a powerful background to the narrative.
I found this to be an exceptionally fine novel, as indeed are the other books in the trilogy. Thoroughly recommended.
The story evolves from five women, led by Jill Bailey, senior executive of Bailey and Tennants company, who ventures into the Australian outback on an endurance and bonding exercise. The four other members of the party, all mature women, some with children at home, are the twins Beth and Breanna, Lauren and Alice, in whom Falk has an interest concerning other matters altogether. One of the girls goes missing, the launchpad for almost all that follows. We shift back and forth between the search party and the events that reveal the women and the events that lie behind the disappearance of one of them. These shifts in location and time are handled most skilfully, ratcheting up the suspense until the dramatic climax. The novel is part psychological thriller, part whodunnit, but much more than either. The personalities and backgrounds of the key figures give depth to the novel, and the unself-conscious evocation of the natural world in which the women have to survive and negotiate their path provides a powerful background to the narrative.
I found this to be an exceptionally fine novel, as indeed are the other books in the trilogy. Thoroughly recommended.
9 people found this helpful
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