It’s been a year since Kim Gillespie disappeared without a trace from a local festival in South Australia wine country’s Marralee Valley and the trail has run cold. The local police assume the woman walked away from her newborn baby daughter’s stroller before meeting with foul play.
Detective Aaron Falk was visiting friends Greg and Rita Raco at the time Kim disappeared, and a year later, he is in town again to celebrate the christening of their new son. Kim’s family – also relations of the Racos – are using the festival and gathering to reignite the search.
Aaron is drawn to life in Maralee Valley and its close-knit community, its beautiful landscape, and one local woman in particular. Kim’s friend Gemma Tozer has caught Aaron’s interest, but Gemma is still raw, having lost her own husband in a drunken hit and run accident whose driver was never found. As Aaron learns more about the intricacies of Kim Gillespie’s life, he uncovers fractured relationships with her one-time best friends — a group he suspects might be hiding something. Could the two unsolved crimes somehow be connected?
Exiles is a slow-burning mystery with excellent character development, a gorgeous setting and an oh-so-satisfying ending. Exiles is the third (and sadly, final) entry in Jane Harper’s expertly plotted Aaron Falk series. While it can be read on its own, for maximum enjoyment, start with The Dry, which introduces Falk, and follow his emotional character journey from its beginning.
-Carol
Read it or Weep 