The Survivors by Jane Harper

Jane Harper's new novel does not disappoint. She is the master of suspense. Her stories start with what does not look like a crime, but turns out to be. There is an underlying fear of something you can not pinpoint. Kieran and his wife Mia are visiting their childhood village by the sea. Kieran is traumatised by what happened to his brother and his friend all those years ago, dying while trying to rescue him from the sea. 

"A body on a beach.

Secrets that have been waiting to be uncovered for twelve years.

And a family torn apart by guilt and trauma..."

Kieran's father suffers from dementia and he has come home to help his parents. The relationships has been strained ever since the death of his brother, who was the favourite son. He is enjoying seeing his old friends again.  When all seem to be well, the village is once again exposed to a sudden death. A young girl, Bronte, temporarily working at the local pub is found dead on the beach. They are all shocked, and the village is in denial that it could be anyone local. The more the police investigate, the more they are convinced that it is someone local. While investigating the murder, further evidence of the old accident surfaces, making the police reconsider the events of the accident twelve years earlier. 

As usual Harper keeps us in suspense and guessing until the very end. The story starts out a little bit slow, but soon takes off and you are totally absorbed. We are only given small hints at a time, and I probably, at different times, thought most of them were a suspect. However, things are not always what they seem, and the ending came as a surprise.

What I love about Harper's books must be that all the characters are so normal. They live normal lives, but at a certain point they are exposed to something which makes them behave out of context. Most of them are very agreeable people. Her look into the psychological minds of people, their actions when they are exposed to something threatening, is so skilful. An excellent read.