My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Is Alice here? Did she make it? Is she safe? In the chaos, in the night, it was impossible to say which of the four had asked after Alice's welfare. Later, when everything got worse, each would insist it had been them.
Five women reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking along the muddy track. Only four come out the other side.
The hike through the rugged landscape is meant to take the office colleagues out of their air-conditioned comfort zone and teach resilience and team building. At least that is what the corporate retreat website advertises.
Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a particularly keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing bushwalker. Alice Russell is the whistleblower in his latest case - and Alice knew secrets. About the company she worked for and the people she worked with.
Far from the hike encouraging teamwork, the women tell Falk a tale of suspicion, violence and disintegrating trust. And as he delves into the disappearance, it seems some dangers may run far deeper than anyone knew.
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So, is this book as fabulous The Dry? Definitely! Honestly, I found this book to be perhaps even better. There is just something tantalizing thrilling about this story, to follow the investigation led by Aaron Falk as he probes the remaining four women's stories while they search for the missing woman. Interwoven with Falk's story are the women's stories from day one when they are off to hiking as a team-building exercise. Only the five women are hardly friends, and there is tension from start.
Force of Nature is a thrilling page-turner. As always with thrillers is it hard to write a review since the less you know is the best. However, I will say this that both storylines are equally good. You know that something bad will happen during the hike since it's already been established in the beginning of the book that one of the women, Alice, is missing. But, why and where is she? What happened during the hike? What are the women hiding? You can really feel the tension rising among the women as the story progresses and you definitely feel that they are hiding something as Falk interrogates them.
Jane Harper is a fantastic writer and I'm thrilled to have given a chance to read this book. One thing I especially like is the setting of Australia. It's so refreshing to read books set down under. I can't wait to find out what's next for Aaron Falk. This is a series that keep on getting stronger and I'm really looking forward to the next book!
Gorgeous cover. Glad you enjoyed the book.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental