The Survivors: A Novel
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- Create Date：2021-02-03 04:20:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jane Harper
- ISBN：9781250232427
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Editor Reviews
11/02/2020
Sydney physiotherapist Kieran Elliott， the protagonist of this elegiac suspense novel from bestseller Harper （The Lost Man）， has steeled himself for an emotionally turbulent visit to his hometown of Evelyn Bay， Tasmania， where he has returned to help his mother pack up the family home before his dementia-afflicted father moves into a nursing facility。 Then the murder of college student Bronte Laidler， who had been spending her summer break creating art inspired by the area’s rugged coast， upsets the town。 While locals profess that Bronte’s killer must be an outsider， many start wondering—as do the police—whether there’s any connection to a tragedy involving Kieran that tore apart the community 12 years earlier。 That Kieran’s father may have been wandering on the beach the night of the murder raises the stakes。 The distinctively Aussie array of stoic characters who are weathered， and in some cases warped， by their uncompromising environment more than compensates for a denouement that feels psychologically false。 Harper expertly weaves past guilts with present grief。 She remains a writer to watch。 Agent: Daniel Lazar， Writers House。 （Feb。）
Reviews
marw
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The Survivors audiobook， by Jane Harper， narrated by Stephen Shanahan Thirty year old Kieran Elliott and his girlfriend， Mia， have returned to their coastal hometown， Evelyn Bay， to help Kieran's mother pack so that his father can be moved to a long term dementia residence。 Twelve years ago， Evelyn Bay was the site of a sudden devastating storm that took lives， destroyed property， and caused untold psychological damage to numerous residents。 Now， on the heels of Keiran and Mia's return to the town， a young woman's body is found on the beach。 Twelve years ago， a young girl went missing from this beach and was never found。 At about the same time， eighteen year old Kieran almost lost his life because of an unwise decision， several unwise decisions， decisions that led to the death of two men。 The townspeople， his parents， and Kieran， will never forget the role he played during that horrible storm so many years ago。 Visiting his hometown is a kind of torture for Kieran but one he thinks he deserves。 No one can blame Kieran more than he blames himself for the deadly events of that day。 Now， twelve years later， with the dead woman found on the beach， many of the same people of long ago become suspects and/or accusers， as the town rumors run rampant， in person and on Evelyn Bay's social media。 People will say things， behind a screen， that they would never say to a person's face。 This is a very slow story， full of atmosphere， a quiet sense of dread （some of my dread came from Kieran's three month baby being towed along everywhere， in her little baby pouch， scaring the daylights out of me and taking my mind off the story， at times。。。it wasn't the baby that scared me， it was how Kieran packed the baby around like she was a gym bag）。 I haven't spent much time at the coast but Jane Harper allowed me to really feel the location， the ocean， the waves， the caves， the beach， the mood of the only bar， the mood of the people， she made me feel like I was right there， in the story。 Stephen Shanahan did a fantastic job of narrating the story and I plan to listen to two more of his narrations next （Jane Harper books）。 I did have to adjust to the timeline changing back and forth between present day and twelve years ago， without anything to denote the time change but I quickly got used to the story doing so。 Jane Harper， after just two of her books， The Lost Man and The Survivors， ranks up there with my favorite authors。 Now I'm on to audios of The Dry and Force of Nature。 I'm looking forward to the next book that Jane Harper writes and hope it's not too far into the future。 Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC。
Harriet
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Enjoyable summer read。 Not as good as her Aaron Faulk books。
Yvonne
，
As a fan of Harper's previous three novels I was really looking forward to reading this one。 It took me some time to get into it - probably because I expected something similar to her first novels， which is that nature is so very accurately described and supports the creation of tension。 This novel， however， works differently。 After about a third into the novel I was able to get rid of my expectations and enjoy the story of "The Survivors"。 Harper is a master at structuring her novel （flashbacks As a fan of Harper's previous three novels I was really looking forward to reading this one。 It took me some time to get into it - probably because I expected something similar to her first novels， which is that nature is so very accurately described and supports the creation of tension。 This novel， however， works differently。 After about a third into the novel I was able to get rid of my expectations and enjoy the story of "The Survivors"。 Harper is a master at structuring her novel （flashbacks nicely woven into the main plot）， rendering vivid pictures of the sea （unknown to me in this destructive form） and taking the reader deep into the darkest secrets of a community。 Once again， the outcome was not what I expected or guessed - frankly speaking I had only one very vague suspicion and was， of course， wrong。 。。。more
Provin Martin
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‘if you’re here at high tide， you’re not coming out。’This is the message Kieran Elliot hears his whole life when he sets out on adventures in the caves of his hometown in Sydney。 On one adventure， he barely makes it out， and his brother and another man die trying to save him。Years later Kieran returns home to help his mom and dad move。 Kieran hates returning home because he still harbors guilt over how his brother died。 Well visiting home local waitress， work in the tourist season， turns up dead ‘if you’re here at high tide， you’re not coming out。’This is the message Kieran Elliot hears his whole life when he sets out on adventures in the caves of his hometown in Sydney。 On one adventure， he barely makes it out， and his brother and another man die trying to save him。Years later Kieran returns home to help his mom and dad move。 Kieran hates returning home because he still harbors guilt over how his brother died。 Well visiting home local waitress， work in the tourist season， turns up dead。 How does her death connect to Kieran’s past？ When the tides go out， will all its secrets remain？This was an excellent mystery that earned every one of the four stars I gave it。 The author does a wonderful job of care with character development and on executing an intriguing plot。 It kept me guessing until the very end。 This book will not be a waste of your time！ 。。。more
Christy
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First of all， Happy Pub Day！ This was my January BOTM pick and it was a moody one。 Just look at the cover！The Survivors is a very slow burn， character driven mystery set in a small coastal community in Australia。 The struggles of the past resurface when the body of a young female art student is found on the beach， the townspeople are shocked – bringing out buried secrets， lies， and guilt。 Mystery and questions still surround the two young lives lost at sea and the disappearance of a third person First of all， Happy Pub Day！ This was my January BOTM pick and it was a moody one。 Just look at the cover！The Survivors is a very slow burn， character driven mystery set in a small coastal community in Australia。 The struggles of the past resurface when the body of a young female art student is found on the beach， the townspeople are shocked – bringing out buried secrets， lies， and guilt。 Mystery and questions still surround the two young lives lost at sea and the disappearance of a third person during a violent storm 12 years ago。Jane Harper excels in setting the scene with so many vivid details。 I felt like I was a part of the story with the ocean， the waves， the caves， the mood of the only bar in town， and the mood of the locals。 I loved the beach setting and the small-town feel where everybody knows everybody。 Overall the story itself is good， but it never grabbed me。 I didn’t connect with any of the characters which made it hard for me to dive into the slower pace of this novel。 。。。more
Melissa
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Jane Harper is a must-buy author for me since reading The Dry; I fell in love with her work and her ability to transport me across the globe。 And while The Survivors features the wonderful prose I've come to expect from Harper， this book was about 100 pages too long。 In fact， I abandoned it halfway through to pick up another （nonfiction！） book。 The Survivors meandered， the plot sputtered along， and the whole thing left me unsatisfied with a conclusion （but not resolution） hastily wrapped up in t Jane Harper is a must-buy author for me since reading The Dry; I fell in love with her work and her ability to transport me across the globe。 And while The Survivors features the wonderful prose I've come to expect from Harper， this book was about 100 pages too long。 In fact， I abandoned it halfway through to pick up another （nonfiction！） book。 The Survivors meandered， the plot sputtered along， and the whole thing left me unsatisfied with a conclusion （but not resolution） hastily wrapped up in the last 5 pages of the book。Of Harper's canon of work， this is easily my least favorite。 Sometimes I wonder if the writers who gain early acclaim start believing too much in their skill -- they are too precious -- and refuse to listen to their editors。 Or perhaps their editors feel intimidated and don't offer the feedback the writer needs to streamline the work。 "Kill your darlings" dear writers。 We're all better for it。 。。。more
Ophelia Gartside
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Quite different from her previous books。 A good suspenseful thriller that would make a great holiday read。 Easy to get into and you definitely want to find out why these women are dying。
Daphne Cochran
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This is the first book I have read by this author Jane Harper。 It was well written but it took a bit to get into the story。 The last 2/3 of the book was really good and had this reader guessing as to what happened to Gabby and Bronte。 Overall a good read but you had to persevere to get to the heart of the story。
Meag
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3。5 stars rounded downWhile enjoyable， The Survivors was just not as magical as I had hoped。 It just didn't have that spark and seemed to progress rather slowly。 I would still consider myself a Jane Harper fan though so I am looking forward to what else is to come。Kieran Elliott and his girlfriend， Mia， have returned to their hometown of Evelyn Bay to help Keiran's mother with a move。 Immediately they are brought back to the memories of the dreadful day twelve years prior when Evelyn Bay was hit 3。5 stars rounded downWhile enjoyable， The Survivors was just not as magical as I had hoped。 It just didn't have that spark and seemed to progress rather slowly。 I would still consider myself a Jane Harper fan though so I am looking forward to what else is to come。Kieran Elliott and his girlfriend， Mia， have returned to their hometown of Evelyn Bay to help Keiran's mother with a move。 Immediately they are brought back to the memories of the dreadful day twelve years prior when Evelyn Bay was hit with a devastating storm that took several lives。 Kieran has lived with the guilt ever since because he believes that his actions are what caused some of the deaths。 Now， only having just returned， a body is found on the beach。This one was full of secrets with a few little twists so you may enjoy it as well。 Thank you to Libro。fm for gifting me the audiobook！ 。。。more
Molly Chenault
，
Jane Harper has become one of my favorite authors ever since I discovered The Dry。 She is so skilled at depicting sympathetic--but imperfect--characters and nuanced situations。 The Survivors is set on the coast， which is different from her previous novels。 It's an interesting change of pace， and she's made it just as perilous as the interior of Australia。 This one was definitely a page turner！ Jane Harper has become one of my favorite authors ever since I discovered The Dry。 She is so skilled at depicting sympathetic--but imperfect--characters and nuanced situations。 The Survivors is set on the coast， which is different from her previous novels。 It's an interesting change of pace， and she's made it just as perilous as the interior of Australia。 This one was definitely a page turner！ 。。。more
Rachel Loveless
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Definitely a good read！
Sophie Katzman
，
This book started off suspenseful。 However ， in the middle it fell flat， and I wasn’t very engaged。 The ending was disappointing。 Overall， it has potential ， but it didn’t suit my reading tastes
Shiva
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Beautiful and a bit spooky setting in a small beachtown in Tasmania。 Interesting characters and good character development。 Mystery unfolded well also， though I still think the Dry is my favorite Jane Harper in that respect。
Bridget
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Lots of twists， things I didn’t see coming。 Also， characters that I will be thinking about for a long time！
Vicki
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The Survivors，" by Jane Harper， Flatiron Books， 384 pages， Feb。 2， 2021。Kieran Elliott， his girlfriend， Mia Sum， and three-month-old daughter， Audrey， return to their hometown of Evelyn Bay in Tasmania。 Kieran's father， Brian， is about to move into a care facility for people with dementia。 Kieran is there to help his mother， Verity， get the house ready for sale。 Kieran is a sports physiotherapist。 They reconnect with old friendsAsh， Olivia， and Sean， but tensions linger。 Twelve years earlier， Ki The Survivors，" by Jane Harper， Flatiron Books， 384 pages， Feb。 2， 2021。Kieran Elliott， his girlfriend， Mia Sum， and three-month-old daughter， Audrey， return to their hometown of Evelyn Bay in Tasmania。 Kieran's father， Brian， is about to move into a care facility for people with dementia。 Kieran is there to help his mother， Verity， get the house ready for sale。 Kieran is a sports physiotherapist。 They reconnect with old friendsAsh， Olivia， and Sean， but tensions linger。 Twelve years earlier， Kieran's older brother， Finn， and friend， Toby Gilroy， were killed when their catamaran rolled over during the worst storm in 80 years。 Toby was Sean's brother。 Some people blame Kieran for Finn's and Toby's deaths because the two men were going to rescue him from a cave that was filling with water。A local girl， Gabrielle Birch， 14， presumedly drown in that storm， but her body was never found。 She was Mia's best friend。 Her mother， Trish Birch is convinced the police investigation into her disappearance was botched。The morning after Kieran and Mia's arrival in town， Bronte Laidler， an art student and waitress who'd been living in Evelyn Bay over the summer， is found dead at the beach。 Someone saw Brian walking alone near where the murder occurred。Harper combines guilt with grief as the town’s secrets are revealed。 She also explores what it is like to lose a family member to dementia。"The Survivors" isn't as suspenseful as her previous novels， but she is very good at creating a sense of place and of small towns。 All of her books involve a past mystery that is linked to the current story。 They are character-driven。 If you like mysteries and you haven’t read Jane Harper’s books， you should add her to your “to read” list。In accordance with FTC guidelines， the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for a review。 。。。more
Rachel Kleynhans
，
Soooo good， couldn’t put it down！！
Susan
，
Hate stars4。5Outside of the willingness to leave a 3 month old baby just。。 anywhere？ Excellent small-town murder mystery detective drama。
Elene Papazoglou
，
✔️ a book set somewhere you'd like to visit in 2021。 The thought of choosing somewhere overseas for this prompt was too depressing。 Whereas travelling interstate seems far more realistic and I would love to go to Tassie again！ 🌟🌟🌟💫 3。5 stars ✔️ a book set somewhere you'd like to visit in 2021。 The thought of choosing somewhere overseas for this prompt was too depressing。 Whereas travelling interstate seems far more realistic and I would love to go to Tassie again！ 🌟🌟🌟💫 3。5 stars 。。。more
Faith Hurst-Bilinski
，
The Survivors was a good， but not completely engaging or gripping story。 The narrator often had me kind of zoning in and out of the story and I never really felt the thrill of a mystery。
Griffin Kauffman
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I honestly had to force myself to read this book。 The mystery wasn’t as intriguing as I thought it would be and the characters were boring， making it hard to be invested。 I felt there were too many plot points to figure out what was important in the long run， but I still figured out who the culprit was long before it was revealed。 Not a bad book， but not among my favorite thrillers。
Michele
，
This book sucked me into the storyline almost immediately。 It was a creative look at how tragedy can affect and change people。 In the case of this book， an entire community was impacted by the death of two local men years before。 When the main character returns home to help his parents prepare to move， he finds that grief and blame are still thriving in his hometown。 Being back brings forth his own survivor's guilts well。Ms。 Harper is definitely a talented storyteller。 This book is rife with sec This book sucked me into the storyline almost immediately。 It was a creative look at how tragedy can affect and change people。 In the case of this book， an entire community was impacted by the death of two local men years before。 When the main character returns home to help his parents prepare to move， he finds that grief and blame are still thriving in his hometown。 Being back brings forth his own survivor's guilts well。Ms。 Harper is definitely a talented storyteller。 This book is rife with secrets， grudges， jealousy and unrelenting grief。 She manages to keep you guessing about how the original events played out until the very end。 I like how pieces of information are fed to the reader a little at time。 They aren't always completely clear。 Some snippets make you question things even more。 The beauty is how the story all flows together in the end and makes total sense once you see the full picture。I listened to the audiobook and found it to be good。 Initially I had a difficult time hearing the narrator's voice。 It seemed to be quieter than it should have been。 I'm not sure if that's the way all of these were or if it was just my version。 Fortunately， it improved as I went forward。 This story lent itself well to an audio version and it was enjoyable。Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC。 I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own。 。。。more
Amy Lawson
，
I love this author for her beautiful descriptions of Australia。 I agree with my Kate that the mystery was just “so so，” but I still enjoyed the read。
Rose
，
3。75
Mrs。 Kristin
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3。5 ⭐️Atmospheric mystery。 Definitely didn’t guess the ending， but was enjoyable and captivating through out。 A bit slow and repetitive in some parts though。
Sheila Huston
，
This is the first book I’ve read by Jane Harper and I’ll definitely read more by her。 Great story， great setting and wonderful characters。
Jessica Schiavone
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Sadly I didn’t find this book to be all that exciting。 It was a slow read that seemed to drag out at some points。 The end reveal didn’t wow or shock me， I was just glad to finally find out what actually happened。
pawsandpagesbyannie
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The Survivors by Jane HarperNarrated by: Stephen ShanahanPublication Date: February 2， 2020 。Description from NetGalley。。。“Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences。The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home。Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea。 Between them all is his absent brother， Finn。When a body is discov The Survivors by Jane HarperNarrated by: Stephen ShanahanPublication Date: February 2， 2020 。Description from NetGalley。。。“Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences。The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home。Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea。 Between them all is his absent brother， Finn。When a body is discovered on the beach， long-held secrets threaten to emerge。 A sunken wreck， a missing girl， and questions that have never washed away。。。”。Thank you to @NetGalley @macmillan。audio @flatiron_books for the ALC in return for my honest review。。My thoughts。。。This was my first book from Jane Harper， and it was a good one。 A story of suspense emerged from a small town on the Tasmanian coast。 I was glad I listened to the audiobook because the narrator was quite good。 The story was filled with nuances and the narration helped build these up， and also added to the descriptive writing。 The mystery was quite layered，it kept me interested throughout。 。。。more
Sarah Gresh
，
This is most definitely not a fast paced read but in the end I’m glad I finished it。 12 years worth of secrets all came to light in the end and it’s truly remarkable what the aftermath looks like。
Becky Powell
，
This book started out a little slow for me but it quickly picked up and kept my interest until the end。 I absolutely loved that I had no idea who was guilty until it was revealed at the end of the book。 My first Jane Harper book and I was not disappointed！
Ellen ✦ Book Bellas ✦
，
3。5 Stars Jane Harper is an immensely popular mystery writer， so I was excited to listen to an audiobook of The Survivors， a crime mystery set in a the fictional Australian coastal town of Evelyn Bay。 The wild Tasmanian coastal setting is stunning and the book is very atmospheric。There are two mysteries at the heart of this novel。 Kieren has returned to town with his partner Mia and their baby to help his aging parents。 He is not warmly welcomed by everyone as he was involved in a terrible trage 3。5 Stars Jane Harper is an immensely popular mystery writer， so I was excited to listen to an audiobook of The Survivors， a crime mystery set in a the fictional Australian coastal town of Evelyn Bay。 The wild Tasmanian coastal setting is stunning and the book is very atmospheric。There are two mysteries at the heart of this novel。 Kieren has returned to town with his partner Mia and their baby to help his aging parents。 He is not warmly welcomed by everyone as he was involved in a terrible tragedy many years before that claimed the life of his brother and two others。 Kieren has felt enormous guilt over the boating accident and others blame him as well。 Old tensions rise to the surface when another young woman named Bronte suddenly disappears。The book is told in flashbacks as Kieran recalls the events of his youth。 While I really enjoyed the Australian narrator of the audiobook， and felt he added authenticity to the story， I felt his lack of infection sometimes made the flashbacks a little confusing。 It was difficult to keep the events in order。 I would venture to say this might be better read than listened to only because there is a large cast of characters to keep track of。The title of the book has dual meanings because it refers not only to a monument in the town honoring an old shipwreck， but also to the survivors of the youthful tragedy that has affected Kieren and other families in Evelyn Bay。Many readers rave about Jane Harper and her books The Lost Man and The Dry。 While I didn’t fully connect with The Survivors， I loved the beautiful Australian beach setting and the twisty ending。 This is a slow burn mystery that takes it time to reach its conclusion， and will definitely please fans of the crime mystery genre。（Thank you to the publisher for an advanced listening copy provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。） 。。。more
Lynnie
，