Today's Read: Force of Nature by Jane Harper

How long could you live in the Australian wilderness if you became separated from your colleagues while on a corporate retreat? What if you were more used to power suits, high heels, and the city than you were to jeans and hiking boots? When a banking executive is reported missing while on a camping trip, search and rescue know they'd better work fast if they're going to find the woman alive.

Later, the four remaining women could fully agree on only two things. One: No one saw the bushland swallow up Alice Russell. And two: Alice had a mean streak so sharp it could cut you.

—Force of Nature by Jane Harper (Flatiron Books, 2018, p. 1; Prologue)

Quick Facts

• Setting: contemporary times; Australia: Giralang Ranges, Melbourne
• Circumstances: Five men and five women from a corporate bank go on a three-day hiking retreat, which is supposed to strengthen bonds and trust. It's the men against the women, and the first group to emerge from the bush is entitled to bonuses and bragging rights. As the book opens, the men are already back at the pickup van waiting impatiently for the women. When they're finally spotted coming off the trail, only four women are in the group. Search and rescue ask federal agent Aaron Falk and his new partner, Cameron Cooper, to help find the missing banker.
• Genre: mystery, thriller
• Characters: Aaron Falk, 38, a federal agent in the financial sector; Cameron Cooper, 38, experienced agent, newly engaged; Alice Russell, corporate banker who was secretly cooperating with the agents as a whistleblower; the other nine people on retreat, all employees or executives at the bank and including two sets of siblings; various other people involved with the search and rescue
• Why I want to read this: I really loved Harper's first book, The Dry, which took place in the small farming community where Falk grew up. The novel had the perfect mix of well-developed characters, a complex plot, a fully realized landscape, and a low buzz of tension. I have every hope that Force of Nature will be just as good.
• What you need to know: I've only just started Force of Nature, but I can tell already that it's possible to start reading the Falk mysteries with this book, but because the series is only two books long (so far), I strongly suggest you start with The Dry. I say this not just so you'll be caught up with the Falk story but because the first book reveals Falk's background and childhood, which inform his character as an adult.
• What about the audiobook? Ahhhh welllll, the audiobooks are both read by Stephen Shanahan, who has a very fluid, natural delivery. His performance is expressive and it's easy to tell the characters apart. I loved his Australian accent, which adds to the setting, and his pacing amped the tension. The unabridged edition of Force of Nature is from Macmillan Audio (8 hr, 56 min). I both listened to and read The Dry and plan the same with the second book.