The Survivors by Jane Harper
Narrated by Stephen Shanahan
Publisher & Release: McMillan Audio, February 2, 2021
Setting: Present Day, Evelyn Bay, Tasmania
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Length: 11 hours 57 minutes
Rating: 2.5 Gold Crowns
Book Description:
Coming home dredges up deeply buried secrets in The Survivors, a thrilling mystery by New York Times best-selling author Jane Harper.
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....
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Survivors-Novel-Jane-Harper-ebook/dp/B087ZY8NXX
Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Survivors-Audiobook/1250790883
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-survivors-jane-harper/1136963067
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-survivors-43
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jane_Harper_The_Survivors?id=8hDhDwAAQBAJ
Add to Goodreads & BookBub:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53406465-the-survivors
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-survivors-by-jane-harper-2020-05-04
Vikki’s Musings
Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary audio copy of The Survivors by Jane Harper. I voluntarily agreed to listen and review this recording prior to publication. My opinions are my own, and no one has influenced them.
The Survivors is a mystery thriller set in a small coastal town where everyone knows everything. The novel goes from the present to twelve years in the past which made it difficult at times to follow along. The pacing is excruciatingly slow, and I considered not finishing it on more than one occasion, but I refused to give up.
Kieran Elliott is the main character. He and his girlfriend have come back to Evelyn Bay to help his parents move since his father has dementia. This brings on lots of painful memories for him, and there are hard feelings toward him by some of the townspeople who blame him for the deaths of two of their own.
Stephen Shanahan is the narrator, and while he has a smooth tone, the pitch is very deep, making it difficult to understand him. I normally listen at 1.5 to 2 speed, and I had to slow it down a lot. He did give the various characters a different tone, so it was easy to know who was talking.
Ultimately, I struggled with the story and couldn’t become vested in any of the characters, and although I enjoyed the ending for the most part, it ended quite abruptly. The mystery is intriguing, but it wasn’t strong enough to keep me engaged, but I am in the minority. Many other readers loved The Survivors. Happy reading!
Author Bio:
Jane Harper's debut novel The Dry is an atmospheric thriller set in regional Australia.
The novel won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript in 2015 and rights have since been sold in more than 20 territories.
The Dry was a No.1 bestseller in Australia and has been optioned for a film by Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea's production company, Pacific Standard.
Jane worked as a print journalist for 13 years both in Australia and the UK and lives in Melbourne with her family.
Social Media:
Website: https://janeharper.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janeharperauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/janeharperautho
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janeharperauthor/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jane-harper
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/556546.Jane_Harper