The Lost Man

I would give this six stars if I could. Every bit as good as The Dry, which I also loved. A true mystery paired with atmospheric descriptions that put you right in the dusty, dry, arid ranch land of Australia, smack in the middle of two generations of troubled family dynamics. Nathan is the POV character who is living alone on the neighboring property, estranged from his son and his community. The nearby ranch is the old family homestead where his brothers Cameron and Bub, Cameron's wife Ilse and two daughters, his mother Liz and his uncle Harry reside. When Cameron is found dead from the heat far from his car and in the shadow of a local legend's grave, everyone is confounded about what happened. It's not until the final pages that Harper gives us the answer, but not before she's skillfully layered in the family's history and the interweavings of long-buried secrets as well as current-day jealousies and resentments. Bravo.