Description

The slow-burning, brilliantly twisty mystery from Jane Harper, the international bestselling Number One author of The Dry

‘A fantastic crime writer’ – Bella Mackie

In Exiles, Investigator Aaron Falk finds himself drawn into a complex web of tightly held secrets in South Australia’s wine country.

A mother disappears from a busy festival on a warm spring night.

Her baby lies alone in the pram, waiting for a return that never comes.

A year later, Kim Gillespie’s absence still casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather to welcome a new addition to the family.

Joining the celebrations on a rare break from work is federal investigator Aaron Falk, who begins to suspect that all is not as it seems.

As he looks into Kim’s case, long-held secrets and resentments begin to come to the fore, secrets that show that her community is not as close as it appears.

Falk will have to tread carefully if he is to expose the dark fractures at its heart, but sometimes it takes an outsider to get to the truth . . .

Exiles is a New York Times and Sunday Times Top 10 bestseller and the final Aaron Falk mystery. Following on from The Dry, the second novel in the Aaron Falk series, Force of Nature, is now also a film starring Eric Bana and was released in February 2024.

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Praise for Jane Harper

‘An avalanche of suspense’ – David Baldacci
‘Addictive storytelling’ – Ann Cleeves
‘A hugely gifted writer’ – Marian Keyes
‘Exceptional’ – Jane Casey
‘Outstanding’ – C.L. Taylor
‘Spellbinding’ – Ian Rankin
‘A stunningly atmospheric read’ – Val McDermid
‘Brilliantly paced’ – Susie Steiner
‘I devoured it in a day. Her best yet!’ – Liane Moriarty
‘Phenomenal’ – Chris Whitaker

Publisher Review

Once again Harper proves that she is peerless in creating an avalanche of suspense with intimate, character-driven set pieces that are as exquisitely engineered as the inner workings of a Steinway. Harper’s legions of fans will exult in reading Exiles — David Baldacci, bestselling author of Mercy While so much egregiously repetitive, flatly written fare holds sway in the crime fiction idiom, it’s a cause for celebration when genuinely accomplished writers energise things. A prime example? Antipodean star Jane Harper… she remains incontrovertibly the reigning queen of Aussie crime fiction. * Financial Times * I loved Exiles, Jane is a hugely gifted writer and her depiction of the relationships in it is masterful — Marian Keyes, bestselling author of Rachel’s Holiday Harper skillfully ratchets up the tension in this powerful, slow-burning portrait of small-town life. . . high quality, atmospheric crime fiction * The Mail on Sunday * Exiles is the kind of crime novel you move into rather than just reading it – a wholly absorbing set of mysteries, a cast of characters that feels entirely real and a setting so vivid you can practically smell the breeze through the bushland. Aaron Falk is the still centre of the novel, a quiet presence like no other in crime fiction. Exceptional in every way. — Jane Casey, Author of The Burning A truly wonderful read. Rich in detail, landscape and character and deeply satisfying on all levels. — Sarah Hilary, Author of Someone Else’s Skin Exiles is an outstanding crime novel, rich in mystery and atmosphere and full of heart. Utterly immersive, captivating and beautifully written; I lost myself completely within its pages and was bereft when it ended. Jane Harper is a rare jewel of an author and Exiles deserves to be huge. It blew me away. It’s my book of the year so far. — C. L. Taylor author of The Guilty Couple ‘Jane Harper has once again produced an ingenious, moving and hugely satisfying mystery. This is crime writing perfection’ — C. M. Ewan, author of The Interview ‘This is a softer, gentler Harper, but with the same fine writing and addictive storytelling’ — Ann Cleeves, bestselling author of the Vera Stanhope series Falk’s investigation is a terrific one, but what makes the book memorable is Harper’s skill at plumbing personal mysteries – for instance, why a friendship has ebbed, or how not knowing the fate of a loved one affects a family. * New York Times * Atmospheric, beautifully observed and fluently written, this is Harper back at her very best * Daily Mail * Jane Harper is laying the foundations of a very clever plot that is built on character rather than carnage. . . Only a writer sure of her considerable abilities would dare to proceed so leisurely, embedding clues and red herrings, so that the final hundred pages are thrilling and devastating. — The Times Book of the Month A murky, unsolved crime in the past; an Australian setting so dramatic it’s almost a character in itself; a tall, thin Melbourne federal agent with close-cropped, white-blond hair and invisible eyelashes: These are the hallmarks of Jane Harper’s Aaron Falk mysteries * Washington Post * I have loved every thriller Australian author Jane Harper has written, and Exiles is no exception. . . As ever with Harper, the facts begin to lock together with supremely satisfying effect, as Falk gets closer to the truth of what happened to Kim. The Lost Man, set in the vast, scorched outback of Queensland, remains my favourite of her thrillers, but Exiles is now a close second. — Alison Flood, The Observer The possibility of Falk finding love is a tender counterpoint to the murder mystery in this worthy conclusion to one of the most outstanding of recent crime series * Daily Express * If you’re a fan of Jane’s The Dry and The Lost Man, you won’t be surprised to hear this is another must-read, one that you’ll reluctantly leave to do life things like eating and tidying * Belfast Telegraph * The only disappointment in this outing for Aaron Falk is that Harper is adament it is to be his last. A powerful and affecting novel — SJ Watson The tight-knit group has rifts so deep nobody might have imagined * SimpleNews * Atmospheric, beautifully observed and fluently written, this is Harper back at her very best * Mail Online *