Force of Nature

Author/Guide: Jane Harper

Why a Booktrail?

2000s: Fivewomen go out trekking on a team bonding exercise. Only four make it back

ISBN: 978-1250105639
Genre: Mystery, Psychological, Suspense

Comment

What you need to know before your trail

The hike through the rugged Giralang Ranges is meant to take the office colleagues out of their air-conditioned comfort zone and teach resilience and team building. At least that is what the corporate retreat website advertises.

But when the company employees start off on the trek, only four of the women come back. Where did Alice Russell go? What has happened to her and what do the other women really know?

The mountains have history – there are rumours about a killer who might have hidden bodies out here. One woman has never been found. But the local police have to focus on what they know about the current situation – and that isn’t much.

Company relations seem strained, the employees seem unaware of any kind of problems in the team, but not every one seems to be telling the truth. When you feel lost, afraid and cold, disorientated and hungry, it’s surprising what you are capable of.

it’s also amazing what you find out about those you work with – Alice Russell is the whistleblower and knows all the secrets about the company she works for and the people she works with. Finding her is imperative, finding out why she went missing in the first place is the key to much more.

Locations

Reset

Travel Guide

Australia – Giralang Range

Anyone who has been forced to go trekking on a outward bound, bonding experience weekend with workmates is going to nod in sympathy with much of what goes on here – well some of it – the bickering, the fear when you hear a rustle in the trees, the shock of losing your torch, the sense of loss when you have to leave your phone behind…..Then there’s the lack of food, having to do things in a team, someone not listening and going it alone, someone acting as the boss…

Two teams, one made of of men and women, someone navigating the narrow treks and hidden pathways inthe forest. Three stop of points and the winner is the team who gets back first. Food is in rations, torches and batteries have to be rationed too. Everyone has to muck in, carry their tent, carry some supplies, look after each other….team building…..but there’s always something which goes wrong. when you get lost in a forest, you can get disorientated very quickly, your sense of direction is shot to pieces, but back tracking is even harder. How do you know where you’ve been and where you’re going?

The landscape out here is not your friend, there are dangerous ravines and whistling woods, the branches of the trees scratch and grab you….the weather closes in and traps you, there is hardly any shelter and the road to freedom is arduous and long.

Of course there is no phone signal out here in the wilderness, there is only you and your team members. Search parties are hindered by wind, rain and darkness that envelops you and drags you into the abyss. Raw, brutal landscapes and you have the fight against the elements to deal with……the thick carpet of treetops, the blanket of darkness…..sound proofing against any call for help.

Booktrailer Review

Susan: @thebooktrailer

If you have ever been on a team building exercise day ….you’re going to nod in agreement with much in this book. If you have managed to get out of one, breathe a sigh of relief. If you’re about to go on one….maybe keep this book for when you get back 😉

Received a gorgeous signed proof by the author and because of the love I have for The Dry, I shut out the world and tucked in. WHOAH! What a reading experience that was! Read some in the park beside the trees….haha there’s a top tip right there. Ok so it was on a park bench but in my head I was lost, with a backpack and torch and wandering in the forest late at night.

If you’re worried this second outing won’t pack a punch then you’re wrong. It’s set in the Australian bush and the way Jane weaves and evokes this in the novel is simply stunning. She appreciates and loves nature, if you’ve never been to the bush, every snap of a branch, the rustle of the leaves will make your hair stand on end.

Full review to follow nearer the time – but this is raw, brutal and utterly compelling. Characters well rounded and developed, none of whom I’d like to go on trek with mind and I could feel the heavy clouds, the forest closing in and see the fear on their faces despite the pitch black.

There are some crazy mixed up people working for the company in this novel but just how far would you go to protect someone? LOTS of juicy questions to ask yourself here. From The Dry to the wet, howling winds and dark forests of the forces of nature then Jane Harper has written from the extremes of one weather radar to another. Turns out she should be on your reading radar too if she’s not already.