The Lost Man

By: Jane Harper

Narrated by: Stephen Shanahan

Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

2019 Thriller Awards - Winner

2019 LA Times Book Prize - Finalist

2019 Library Journal Best Books of the Year 

2019 Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year

Two brothers meet in the remote Australian outback when the third brother is found dead in this stunning new stand-alone audiobook from New York Times best-seller Jane Harper. 

Two brothers meet at the remote fence line separating their cattle ranches in the lonely outback. In an isolated belt of Western Australia, they are each other’s nearest neighbor, their homes a four-hour drive apart. The third brother lies dead at their feet. Something caused Cam, the middle child who had been in charge of the family homestead, to die alone in the middle of nowhere.   

So the eldest brother returns with his younger sibling to the family property and those left behind. But the fragile balance of the ranch is threatened. Amid the grief, suspicion starts to take hold, and the eldest brother begins to wonder if more than one among them is at risk of crumbling as the weight of isolation bears down on them all.  

Dark, suspenseful, and deeply atmospheric, The Lost Man is the highly anticipated next audiobook from the best-selling and award-winning Jane Harper, author of The Dry and Force of Nature.  

Praise for The Lost Man: 

“What an extraordinary novel: part family drama, part indelible ode to the Outback - a thriller as forceful and atmospheric as a brewing storm. Harper works miracles. We’re lucky to witness them.” (A.J. Finn, number-one New York Times best-selling author of The Woman in the Window)

©2018 Jane Harper (P)2018 W. F. Howes Ltd.

Critic reviews

"All at once enthralling.... Book by book, [Harper is] creating her own vivid and complex account of the outback." (New York Times Book Review)

"Australian narrator Stephen Shanahan returns for another knockout performance...It's a slow and bleak affair, but no less enthralling than Harper's and Shanahan's previous efforts." (AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner)  

“In addition to the complicated, constantly changing plot, with Jane Harper's brilliant writing and Shanahan's outstanding narration we also experience the stifling heat and brutal oppression of the outback, how it keeps hold of those who live there, drives them, protects and sometimes kills them." (SoundCommentary)

Excellent

I love Jane Harper's writing style. It isn't a grip you by the edge of the seat, but a slow steady story where you learn about the characters in the book and about what took place in their lives leading to the core of the story. I'm looking forward to her next book!

As good as The Dry!

I was very excited to see a new book from Jane Harper and it didn’t disappoint. I highly recommend!

sound level level

Jane Harper's books and the narrator are wonderful. The sound level needs to be increased so that the listener can lower the volume. In many places I couldn't get the sound loud enough to know what was being said.

Great story, remarkable narration.

This was my first contact with a work by Jane Harper. What a pleasant surprise. The story flows very smoothly and the plot unfolds naturally. While that happens you learn more and more about the many characters and about life in the Outback. In the end I felt like I had been there, rambled around the place and spoken to the people.

But most of all I was extremely impressed by the narration. I've heard many books and many narrators. Some very good, others not so much so. Most of the time they sound exactly like it is: a person reading a book. Stephen Shanahan didn't. Especially in the dialogues, I could sense he had studied the text and figured out the best way of saying it. I felt like I was hearing a movie performed by a very good actor. Even simple things like "OK. Thanks." are said with a rhythm and an intonation that make it sound absolutely real.

More Please!

I was a tad disappointed at first that Falk was not a character in this story. Jane sure made up for that! Nathan, Liz, Ilse, are all normal people thrust into terrible circumstances. I adore a good thriller and got even more than I bargained for because this story made me experience a wide range of emotions, including my favorite - Hope! Thanks again Jane and Stephen!

Tennessee Williams of the Outback

This was a wonderful and satisfying book, an all-time favorite for me. Characters and plot were richly developed. One of the main characters is the Outback itself, It is difficult to conceive of anywhere else in the world where the events described could have taken place. The Narrator and writing were so good that I felt that I was watching a play rather than listening to a book. In fact, I think Jane Harper can be favorably compared to Tennessee Williams, This book had a whole bunch of Cats on a very Hot Tin Roof!

Beautifully Written & Performed, Un-put-down-able

This really is one of the best books I've listened to in years. I'm not often motivated to write a review, but this is one of those times. This is a compelling, dramatic mystery and I felt a real urgency to see it resolved, but at the same time it's a careful character study and a subtle family drama. The beautifully described Australian outback landscape becomes a character in its own right, and the performance by Stephen Shanahan is absolutely wonderful.

As good if not a tad better than #1.

A great story, well read, that explores the costs of isolation and abuse as it spins a satisfying who dun' it. Not too psychologically mawkish to mar narrative of the outback. Literate well written mystery--highly recommend.

Jane Harper's best book yet!

The Lost Man is Jane Harper's best book yet. Great characters, an interesting and unpredictable story, and exquisite writing make the Australian outback come alive. The narration is excellent. A truly outstanding book!

Australia

In each of Jane Harper's books, the extremes of Australia are an intregal part of the plot. This one is very much a slow building story, and the characters were well developed. Unfortunately, *spoiler*, it's another family dysfunction plot, and the final act was sooo predictable. I appreciate the decision to have an Australian narrator, but the accent takes awhile to understand.