The Drop

Author Jane Harper introduced readers to Aaron Falk, fraud and financial crimes investigator with the Australian Federal Police, in her 2016 best selling novel, The Dry. Falk's second outing was the following year in Force of Nature (2017).  Falk disappeared for a while while Harper developed other characters, but he has returned in her latest novel, Exiles (2022). 

Falk is in Marralee, South Australia to attend the baptism of his godson Henry, child of his friend Detective Greg Raco. The christening was due to take place a year prior but it was cancelled abruptly when a local woman, Kim Gillespie, went missing on the opening night of a wine and food festival leaving behind her infant daughter in a pram. One year on, there are still no leads on what happened to Kim that night. Many locals seem to think she may have wandered off and either fallen or deliberately jumped into the deep reservoir. Kim has never been found, but her family, especially her teenage daughter Zara, is not convinced that she would have left on her own accord. 

Falk and Raco subtly begin to investigate. At the same time, as he builds relationships within the community, Falk reflects on his own upbringing in a small town and contemplates whether he is in the need of a tree-change from his bachelor life in Melbourne.  

Harper is an excellent writer with an ability to create a strong sense of place. Here she perfectly crafts a regional town, and the rhythm of the novel slows to the pace of this country life. Harper has infused this community with interesting characters, showcasing the tight-knit relationships of those who grew up in the town, with Falk as the outsider allowing him the means to observe from a distance,

I had hoped that Falk would become a character not dissimilar to Rebus or Cormoran Strike - a smart but not showy detective. While we learn more about Falk in this novel, he comes across as rather vanilla. He is so reserved that he lacks the rough edges that endear scruffy, flawed detectives to readers. Harper has said that this would be Falk's last outing (although she does leave an open door), and that may be for the best as her non-Falk novels have shown she doesn't need him to write a compelling mystery.

The novel was told from Falk's perspective, however, at the end of the book, Harper switches narrative lens and the last two chapters are told from the viewpoints of other characters. While this may have been a neat way to propel the story to its conclusion, I found it jarring to be pulled from Falk's narrative. But other than that minor quibble, I really enjoyed Exiles and would recommend it.

My reviews of Harper's previous novels are available on this blog:

• The Dry (2016) - featuring Aaron Falk
• Force of Nature (2017) - featuring Aaron Falk
• The Lost Man (2018)
• The Survivors (2020)

The Dry was made into a 2021 film starting Eric Bana as Falk. Bana will reprise his role in an upcoming film of Force of Nature, starring alongside Anna Torv, Deborra-Lee Furness and Jacqueline McKenzie.