Exiles
By Jane Harper
Flatiron Books, 9781250235350, January 31, 2023, 368pp.
The Short of It:
This is a light, enjoyable mystery.
The Rest of It:
Federal Investigator Aaron Falk is on his way to a small town deep in Southern Australian wine country for the christening of an old friend’s baby. But mystery follows him, even on vacation. ~ Indiebound
In this mystery, the baby doesn’t go missing, but her mother does. As Investigator Falk is visiting with friends one year after the disappearance, the details of Kim’s disappearance continue to plague both Falk and those who knew Kim, particularly her grown daughter. Kim would never leave the baby like that, parked in stroller at a summer festival, unsupervised and alone. It was completely out of character for her, and yet no one witnessed anything or can remember seeing her that night.
As the family gathers for the child’s christening, they decide to use the time together to try to re-enact what happened that night. They are all desperate for answers and something feels off to Falk. The memories from a year ago are vague but as they all talk through that night, new details come to light.
This is a sleepy little mystery. It’s not fast paced but the characters are likable and the setting of a wine festival was rather enjoyable. I’ve read one other book where Investigator Falk was featured and it was quite enjoyable as well. I’d say that there aren’t any big revelations in this one, but somehow it all comes together nicely. I liked it.
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.
Book Chatter 
Sounds like this could be a nice read on a cold evening.
It was just all around pleasant. No red herrings. No manipulation. Just a good story.
Nice to hear what you thought about this one, Ti. I have it on my Kindle and will get to it at some point. I think I read that this may be her last Aaron Falk book, but you know how it is with authors. Sometimes characters return in other books, even for a cameo.
I read that too but I don’t see why this has to be the last book. It did touch on new things for Falk but I really like the character. Hope he shows up again somewhere.
I’m looking forward to this one. It sounds like it isn’t convoluted, which is refreshing for a mystery! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Ti.
Sounds good but I’d have to start at the first book in the series because I’m difficult.
I tend to like, but not love Jane Harper’s books. I did like Falk as a character though in a previous book so may pick this one up at some point.