EXILES (audio verision) by Jane Harper

4 stars

Kim, the Mom of a one-year-old, disappears from the fairgrounds in a small South Australian wine country town, with her baby discovered alive and well in the baby stroller parking area under a Ferris wheel. Despite a year of investigating and blue car paint found in a railing overlooking a reservoir where Kim apparently got hit by a car near the festival, no body or substantial leads have turned up except for a sediment laden sneaker.

Falk, a seasoned Australian federal investigator, comes to town a year later for the christening of his best friend’s son, and gets drawn into the unsolved mystery of Kim’s disappearance the year prior. The festival, back on, serves as the backdrop both for Falk’s investigation as well as the playing out of complex interpersonal dynamics between Kim’s first and second husbands, her teen daughter Zara from her first marriage, and their close-knit and tight-lipped circle of family friends and community members.

Falk as a town outsider puzzles over the lack of shared information about Kim’s whereabouts during the festival before she disappeared. He questions the local police’s conclusion of suicide, sensing an undercurrent of darkness. He also wonders at a strangely coincidental and also unsolved hit-and-run death of a Dad at the same spot at which Kim supposedly jumped into the reservoir to kill herself.

To solve the crime, Falk has to venture into the community’s psychological heart of darkness and well-kept secrets.

Stephen Shanahan, narrates brilliantly, with his resonant Australian accent and subtle audio clues bringing Falk and his investigation to life!

Thanks to MacMillion Audio and Netgalley for an advanced reader’s audio version of the book.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.