The Lost Man

'I absolutely loved The Lost Man. I devoured it in a day. Her best yet!' – Liane Moriarty

From the international bestselling author of The Dry and new novel The Survivors.

The man lay still in the centre of a dusty grave under a monstrous sky.

Two brothers meet at the border of their vast cattle properties under the unrelenting sun of outback Queensland.

They are at the stockman's grave, a landmark so old, no one can remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last chance for their middle brother, Cameron.

The Bright family's quiet existence is thrown into grief and anguish. Something had been troubling Cameron. Did he lose hope and walk to his death? Because if he didn't, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects...

For readers who loved The Dry and Force of Nature, Jane Harper has once again created a powerful story of suspense, set against a dazzling landscape.

WINNER OF THE NED KELLY BEST FICTION AWARD 2019
WINNER OF THE DAVITT READER'S CHOICE AWARD 2019
WINNER OF THE ITW THRILLER AWARDS BEST PAPERBACK NOVEL 2019
SHORTLISTED FOR THE INDIE BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2019
LONGLISTED FOR THE ABIA GENERAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019
LONGLISTED FOR THE COLIN RODERICK LITERARY AWARD 2019
LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2020

PRAISE FOR THE LOST MAN

'I read this with the growing realisation that it was not only another superb thriller but a classic work of fiction by one of the finest novelists now working. Man Booker judges for 2019, are you listening?' – New Zealand Herald Weekend Magazine

'I started it at noon and at 2am that night I closed it and totally understood what all the fuss was about. It was even better than The Dry' – The Age

'In The Lost Man, Jane Harper surpasses her achievement in The Dry, her multi-award winning first novel. A broad range of Australian and international readers will be engaged by the strong setting and mystery storyline of the new novel' – Weekend Australian

'Like the country it describes, this is a "big" book, and one likely to cement Harper's place as one of the most interesting Australian crime writers to emerge in the past decade. Her sense of place is acute, but it is her attention to the relationships that are shaped by this unforgiving, magnificent landscape that will linger long after the mystery of stockman's grave is finally revealed.' – Sue Turnbull, Sydney Morning Herald

'In just a couple of years, Jane Harper has soared into the first rank of contemporary crime writers. The Lost Man...returns to the parched landscape she used to such powerful effect in her debut, The Dry...Three generations of women - the dead man's mother, wife and daughters - struggle to come to terms with terrible events, and the family's shocking history holds the key to this super murder mystery' – Sunday Times (UK)

'In The Lost Man as in Harper's previous two novels, place is paramount, a multifaceted character that's in turns brutal and breathtaking.' – Washington Post

'[A] crime masterpiece. The landscape and culture of this remote Australian territory are magnificently evoked as a story of family secrets unfolds. Rarely does a puzzle so complicated fit together perfectly - you'll be shaking your head in amazement.' – People Magazine Book of the Week

'Fabulously atmospheric, the book starts slowly and gradually picks up pace towards a jaw-dropping denouement' – Guardian