The Survivors, by Jane Harper

A small coastal town in Tasmania hosts the action in Jane Harper’s latest murder mystery. Three young people died when a catastrophic storm hit Evelyn Bay more than a decade ago. Kieran Elliot moved to Sydney for Uni not long after and returning to his home town has always been bittersweet. Along with reunions with family and friends come memories, regrets, questions and long-held survivor guilt. Kieran’s father has dementia and this visit, with his partner and baby, is to help his parents pack up their house. The death of a young woman on the beach is shocking and painful for everyone, triggering a wave of suspicion and fear and dredging up old secrets, lies and resentments. Harper once again perfectly captures the light and shade of an insular Australian country town. Evelyn Bay’s population triples in the tourist season, bringing its own pressures, with insecure seasonal employment and inadequate infrastructure. Many satisfying layers reveal damaging family dynamics, convoluted dysfunctional relationships and an underlying culture of toxic masculinity that literally kills. This allows lots of fat and juicy red herrings as the novel rushes to a slightly anti-climactic ending that is tied up rather neatly for Kieran and his family.