.

.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Force of Nature - Jane Harper

Force of Nature by Jane Harper

First Paragraph(s):

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.

The women were late to the rendezvous point.

My Thoughts:

After enjoying Jane Harper's first book, The Dry, last year, I was excited to see another crime novel featuring Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk.  I did like him.  I've listened to both books on audio with Stephen Shanahan as narrator - he does a great job.  Force of Nature takes us to a different part of Australia and the temperature is certainly at the opposite end of the spectrum from The Dry.  It's cold, very, very cold.  Falk and his new partner, Carmen, are working with Alice Randall regarding some criminal activities at her workplace.  She will be their whistle blower and she's given them some financial documentation that they need, but has promised more.  Alice and others at her company, including the top executives, are attending a corporate retreat first though.  I can't imagine going camping in the wilderness with work colleagues, but this is what happens.  The men and women go on separate hikes and everyone is supposed to join up again in a few days.  However, the women are late and they come back without Alice, who has disappeared.  Aaron and Carmen, fearing that someone from the company has learned of Alice's meetings with the feds, join in on the hunt.

As I said, I really like Aaron Falk and I especially like his new partner.  I think she will be a good match for him.  The people on the corporate retreat are a pretty unlikable bunch, especially Alice.  We mostly see things from the women's point of view and the action takes us back and forth from the investigation to the actual events that happen on the retreat.  As in The Dry, the setting is described quite vividly and so it's easy to see how the group could get off course.  I can't imagine a company sending people off with so little preparation, but that's what happens.  I suspected some of the plot twists, but not all.  All I can say is that for many of us, there were 'mean girls' when we were kids and teens and there are 'mean girls' when we are grown up as well.

Will I be looking for Jane Harper's next book?  Absolutely.  We're discussing The Dry at our mystery group meeting in March and I'll be telling everyone to be sure and pick up Force of Nature as well.  This one is recommended. 

Blurb:

When five colleagues are forced to go on a corporate retreat in the wilderness, they reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking down the muddy path.

But one of the women doesn’t come out of the woods. And each of her companions tells a slightly different story about what happened.

Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing hiker. In an investigation that takes him deep into isolated forest, Falk discovers secrets lurking in the mountains, and a tangled web of personal and professional friendship, suspicion, and betrayal among the hikers. But did that lead to murder?

28 comments:

  1. Cold, eh? I'm not going to have to wait until June to read this am I? ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, no, you could read it now. Do you even get very cold weather? ;-)

      Delete
    2. I moved to get away from cold weather. One of my favorite authors wrote a series set in Alaska, and I always read his books while sitting in the pool when it was over 110! LOL

      Delete
    3. Yes, you know my 'read cold books in summer' philosophy. Not because I get cold necessarily, but because our summer is so hot. LOL

      Delete
  2. I really liked The Force of Nature, and there was one plot twist that I really didn't expect. Now, I must go back and pick up The Dry. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely pick up The Dry. It's a good one. And as cold and wet as this one is, The Dry is hot and well, dry.

      Delete
  3. I want to read this title! I love movies and books about Australia, though I rarely get the chance to enjoy them. I was wondering why the men and women split up for a few days... seems a bit extreme if you're all going on a vacation together.

    And that first paragraph, hmm. They first note she's missing, but then immediately think about how mean she was to them. That's intriguing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a corporate thing. Men go on one trail and women on another. Still odd to me.

      Delete
  4. It sounds like I need to start this series!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you want to catch it in the early stages. LOL

      Delete
  5. I have a copy of this one. The premise sounds like something that could actually happen. I hate when companies force bonding. LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I really loved The Dry but was a bit of unsure how it would develop into a series so I'm definitely looking forward to this one! So happy to hear you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it will be an interesting series, especially if she keeps taking us to other parts of Australia.

      Delete
  7. I enjoyed this one but not nearly as much as I had enjoyed The Dry. It was mainly the unbelievability that they would send the group out into the bush without so much as a satellite phone that did for me, I think. But I do like Aaron and his new partner, so I'm still looking forward to seeing how the series develops. Glad you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I thought the new partner was a good addition. As to sending them out without a sat phone, yes, I was a bit skeptical as well, but who knows? Maybe it happens.

      Delete
  8. This is one of those authors that I have to break down and read sooner rather than later. I did not know the two books were part of a series, which is a plus for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Only two so far. Better hurry before there are 4 or 6. LOL

      Delete
  9. I enjoyed THE DRY, too, so I'm looking forward to FORCE OF NATURE. I have it on Kindle -- just need to read it. Glad you liked it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was interesting that the setting was so different from The Dry.

      Delete
  10. I'm so looking forward to reading this! Once I've cleared my library books I'll be sure to dive into this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll be watching for your thoughts on it, Melody.

      Delete
  11. I tried to read/listen this one and it just didn't work for me at all. I was absolutely bummed out at how much I disliked this in fact, but I am going to try again just in case I was being too hard on it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know, if it doesn't work for you, so be it. Move on to one that does. :-)

      Delete
  12. I've had The Dry on my TBR since it first came out but somehow haven't gotten to it quite yet. This one actually appeals to me more. That premise definitely has me wondering.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm about halfway through this book and I'm enjoying it, but it isn't calling to me the way The Dry did. I do like the addition of Carmen to the mix and am glad the author has stopped reminding us of Aaron's burned hand... I'm also having to suspend disbelief that such a dangerous retreat was not better supervised.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that was a little odd, though it's possible that situations (the unsupervised part) like that do exist. Who knows?

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy to hear your thoughts and will respond as soon as I can. Happy Reading!