"Alice brought this on herself."
Force of Nature
will be released in hardback on 8th February 2018.It is written by Jane Harper and published by Little Brown.I'm really excited to be a part of the Force of Nature blog tour. I've only recently read and reviewed the prequel to this book, The Dry, but I loved it and when I had the opportunity to review the sequel I jumped at the chance.
BLURB
FIVE WENT OUT. FOUR CAME BACK...
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.
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.
It might be sacrilege, but I think I might just like Force of Nature more than The Dry. Only a little bit. But with Force of Nature, even though it's set in the present, Australia, and in the wild, it had a feel of classic detective fiction, with the small group of suspects and, even though they're in the wilderness, it almost feels a little like a Christie house party murder.
It also has a classic feel in that it really scrutinises the characters of the four women who return and Harper explores the relationships between them. They're forced to spend time together in an unforgiving climate and it brings resentments and loyalties to the surface.
It's very much a 'what would I do in the situation' sort of book.
Yet, if you're thinking Force of Nature is old fashioned, it's not. It has the best elements of classic crime fiction but it's a very modern. The characters and their situation, especially the work issues, are very current.
Like The Dry the environment plays a huge part in the story, with the unforgiving landscape giving them a deadline to find the missing Alice. It gives the story an edge, but it's not a breathless book, it ticks along nicely, slowly growing the tension and pressure.
I did guess a couple of plot points, some of which I felt were a little obvious, but there was enough intrigue in the book to keep me reading.
I think Jane Harper has tackled the difficult second book really well and I'm excited to read what she writes next.
My Rating: 4 Stars
I received a copy of Force of Nature, via NetGalley, in return for an honest review. My thanks to the publisher (especially Kimberley Nyamhondera) and the author.
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