How do you top the Book Club's highest scoring book in 2018?
The Dry, Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk's first outing took that very title when we reviewed it back in April. I personally really enjoyed it for its fresh take on the crime genre. So how does Harper improve on Falk's second outing - Force of Nature?
Initially I was surprised Raco, the local cop who so brilliantly partnered Falk in The Dry, was not present however it did make sense. Falk had returned home from Kiewarra and it was very much back to normal, chasing the money with new partner Carmen. The previous book was referenced however, as was Falk's injuries and I liked the authenticity this added. You could read Force of Nature as a stand alone but when The Dry was so good, why would you want to?
I found the start really gripping. A team building weekend away in the bush goes horribly wrong when one of the team does not return. Is Alice still alive? Has she succumbed to the elements or has she been murdered?
I loved how the narrative flitting between the actual camp weekend and the aftermath. The reason for Falk and Carmen being present in the missing person investigation seemed genuine and added a layer of tension to the plot - had Alice's involvement with Falk been discovered? Was this why she was now missing?
As with The Dry I really appreciated how the lead officer, King, wasn't against Falk investigating. It's nice to see that in fiction some police forces can work cooperatively! I loved the development of Falk's backstory and with the references to Falk's dad and the ex-girlfriend it really felt like we were slowly unravelling him.
Harper can really write about the Australian outback. Whereas we were not in the same location second time out (it was very wet and cold in this book) you really felt a sense of the remoteness and how it immersed you. Not a nice place to be lost in certainly.
As I progressed through the book I suspected just about everyone and everything which is always a sign of a good plot. The tension was there right to the end with the story only revealing its full self right at the end. I also loved the last chapter. All in all, an excellent follow up to an excellent first. More of Mr Falk please!
I'm really looking forward to The Lost Man, Harper's next offering which I will be blogging about on 6th Feb. It's a standalone so there will be no Falk but lots of the outback and a suicide that might just be a murder!
The Dry, Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk's first outing took that very title when we reviewed it back in April. I personally really enjoyed it for its fresh take on the crime genre. So how does Harper improve on Falk's second outing - Force of Nature?
Initially I was surprised Raco, the local cop who so brilliantly partnered Falk in The Dry, was not present however it did make sense. Falk had returned home from Kiewarra and it was very much back to normal, chasing the money with new partner Carmen. The previous book was referenced however, as was Falk's injuries and I liked the authenticity this added. You could read Force of Nature as a stand alone but when The Dry was so good, why would you want to?
I found the start really gripping. A team building weekend away in the bush goes horribly wrong when one of the team does not return. Is Alice still alive? Has she succumbed to the elements or has she been murdered?
I loved how the narrative flitting between the actual camp weekend and the aftermath. The reason for Falk and Carmen being present in the missing person investigation seemed genuine and added a layer of tension to the plot - had Alice's involvement with Falk been discovered? Was this why she was now missing?
As with The Dry I really appreciated how the lead officer, King, wasn't against Falk investigating. It's nice to see that in fiction some police forces can work cooperatively! I loved the development of Falk's backstory and with the references to Falk's dad and the ex-girlfriend it really felt like we were slowly unravelling him.
Harper can really write about the Australian outback. Whereas we were not in the same location second time out (it was very wet and cold in this book) you really felt a sense of the remoteness and how it immersed you. Not a nice place to be lost in certainly.
As I progressed through the book I suspected just about everyone and everything which is always a sign of a good plot. The tension was there right to the end with the story only revealing its full self right at the end. I also loved the last chapter. All in all, an excellent follow up to an excellent first. More of Mr Falk please!
I'm really looking forward to The Lost Man, Harper's next offering which I will be blogging about on 6th Feb. It's a standalone so there will be no Falk but lots of the outback and a suicide that might just be a murder!
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