Would being lost in the bush bring out the worst in you?y

A corporate team-building exercise involving five women and five men hiking in the remote (no phone coverage) bushland of fictional Giralong Ranges. The men return safely, but four of the women stagger out of the bush days later, bedraggled and injured, saying that their colleague Alice Russell, had walked away from them after they’d become lost the day before. They said they hadn’t seen her since. Aaron Falk and his partner, Carmen help the local police to investigate Alice’s disappearance. As days go by, and with major search-and-rescue operations in place, fears for Alice’s safety escalate.

“She stepped back quickly. Her mouth was gritty and she felt unbalanced, like she’d crossed a line she hadn’t known existed. She thought she wasn’t the only one; she could see her surprise and shame echoed on the faces around her.”

“It’s the panic that gets you. Makes it hard to trust what you’re seeing.”

Quotes from the book.

Reviews:

• The Independent: “A deftly assembled and cleverly paced novel … But it has to be said that this is not as literary a novel as The Dry, the writing less lyrical and the characterisation not quite as rich.”
• Kirkus: “Lacks some of the scorching momentum of Harper’s first book but is nonetheless a spooky, compelling read.”
• Elle Magazine: “Harper’s mastery of pace makes Force Of Nature one of 2017’s best thrillers – and the perfect case against obligatory team-building exercises if ever we’ve read one.”

Awards:2018 Long-listed for ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year

Author’s website: Jane Harper

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