Last year when I finished reading Jane Harper’s debut novel, The Dry, my first thought was, “I really love this Aaron Falk character… I hope she writes more books that feature him!” My wish came true this year as Jane Harper’s latest book has Aaron Falk out on a new case. This time, instead of the arid edges of the Australian outback, Falk has a missing person case in a lush, dense forest.
Here’s the premise of Force of Nature: Five women go into the woods on a corporate retreat weekend…only four walk back out. What happened out there in the woods? Does Falk need to look at the other women as suspects, or is there a sinister threat lurking in the wooded shadows?
This book will keep you guessing. There are various threads of stories that are expertly and intricately woven together, binding the characters until those threads ultimately get so twisted that they snap from all the tension. Jane Harper has masterfully paced this story to build to its exciting conclusion.
I like that we get a little more of the back story of Aaron Falk interspersed so casually into the new plotline. It doesn’t feel forced or awkward, it’s just a little piece of his past meeting with his present.
I, of course, am hoping that Jane Harper continues Aaron Falk’s story in her next novel. I want to know more about his life, and I enjoy seeing him pull together the bits and pieces of a crime to bring the story to a satisfying conclusion. Do you like reading novels that have recurring character’s like Falk? What’s your favorite?