The Lost Man -- Jane Harper

Australian novelist Jane Harper’s latest mystery, The Lost Man, introduces new but still relies on the author’s familiar themes of family, hardship, resilience and survival. Set in a desolate part of Queensland, the story revolves around the mysterious death of one of three brothers, whose car, and body, are found miles apart in harsh, desert-like terrain. Harper, a former journalist, is masterful at sowing false leads in her readers’ minds, creating doubts about what sort of deceptions could have led to a man dying of dehydration in an area he knew well, and weaving together strands of evidence as the story evolves. Her greatest gift: You never figure out what happened until the very end.