Exiles (Aaron Falk #3) by Jane Harper

  

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Content:Strong language, Isolating and controlling behaviors, A girl is taken advantage of while drunk

 

At a busy festival site on a warm spring night, a baby lies alone in her pram, her mother vanishing into the crowds.

A year on, Kim Gillespie’s absence casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather deep in the heart of South Australian wine country to welcome a new addition to the family.

Joining the celebrations is federal investigator Aaron Falk. But as he soaks up life in the lush valley, he begins to suspect this tight-knit group may be more fractured than it seems.

Between Falk’s closest friend, a missing mother, and a woman he’s drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths begin to emerge.

This is the third and last book in the Aaron Falk series. I really enjoy his character and wouldn't have minded reading more books featuring him, but at the same time, I respect that the author kept this at just three books. As much as I enjoy the characters in some of the long series I've read, I do sometimes wish the series weren't seemingly endless. This trilogy ended in a really nice way, and I'm happy that Falk gets to be where he is in the end.

As for the mystery, I enjoyed the slow pace of the story. Slow paced mysteries don't always work for me, but for some reason they do with this author. There end up being two mysteries in this book, and for a good portion of the story I was wondering if they were somehow connected. I had a pretty good idea who was involved in one of the mysteries (the hit and run one), but not why. The disappearance kept me guessing a lot more. Although I did suspect the person that did it, that wasn't the only person I suspected. Once the mystery was unraveled and the culprit was revealed, I couldn't help but wonder if I know anyone just like these people, and I just don't see it. I really hope not. I wish I could say more on that subject, but it would be a major spoiler for me to elaborate.

Overall, I like this author a lot. I like the writing style, and that, although things can get a bit dark, it's never too dark. At least not for me. I think I'm going to try reading one of her standalones.

 

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.