Exiles by Jane HarperMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Aaron Falk is back in South Australian wine country to celebrate the christening of his friend Greg Raco's son, Henry. Rescheduled from last year, when once local Kim Gillespie went missing from the town's festival, Aaron is glad to see the Raco family. But soon he finds himself sucked into Kim's disappearance and, as he grows closer to Raco's friends and family, he starts to ask his own questions and delve deeper.
"The little things you could have done differently, that was the stuff that haunted you."
EXILES is a lovely character-driven mystery. You must be prepared for a slow burn and a quiet thriller. This story does not offer a ton of twists and thrills (though there are definite surprises), but it builds carefully and deliberately, with each detail giving meaning to the tale. As always, Harper writes so beautifully, and every character is wonderfully written and developed. It was a pleasure to read about Aaron again (this is the final and third book in his series, though it can stand-alone).
The plot revolves around character motivations and insights, as Aaron is working on reconciling his job and the hours he spends on it versus its reward---something I can truly relate to. You get to know him, the Raco family, and the small town where the festival is held very well. While much of the focus of the book is on Kim and her disappearance, it also covers Aaron and his decisions about his future path forward and it looks back at the time when Kim and Greg Raco and his friends were teens. There is also mention of another tragedy in the small town, which Aaron explores as he grows closer to Kim's eldest daughter. The story is quite atmospheric, between the small town setting and the gorgeous Raco vineyard.
Overall, this is a dark and slow-moving mystery with in-depth and developed characters. It delves deeply into relationships and family. It was wonderful to see Aaron Falk again (though I found the ending... intriguing). 4+ stars.
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