Review: `Force of Nature' by Jane Harper
“Force of Nature” by Jane Harper begins with Alice going missing from a corporate retreat in the wilderness and builds to a suspensefilled story. Federal police partners Falk and Carmen hear a faint voice on the phone saying, “Hurt her…” Whose voice? Why those words? Author Harper asks but gives no answers.
Four women sit in a cabin, anxious to leave, part of a women's group accompanying a men's group employed by Bailey Tennant, an accountancy company. Also in the group is Breanna McKenzie and Bethany McKenzie, twin sisters. Lauren Shaw and Jill Bailey complete the team. Falk and Carmen drive through the Giralang Ranges of Melbourne and remember a man, Martin Kovac, who murdered three young women who had been camping in the Giralang Ranges years before. The women's group emerges from the van, and Bethany lights up a cigarette, although this is a nosmoking area. Jill Bailey is upset that her brother Daniel is going to be late at the campsite; he's the boss, so it's okay. Bree has the map and compass, and the driver takes a group photo with his phone as the rain starts and darkness descends.
Carmen and Falk reach search HQ, locate Senior Sargeant King, and talk with him. A snake has bitten Breanna, and the local doctors know how to treat it, as it's not poisonous. The hikers have gone off the trail and panicked. Falk tells King they'd been talking to Alice about Daniel Bailey when she took off. The group of women find the first flag to earn $240 dollars each, and all cheer as the sisters hold up the flag.
Later in the dark, they hear shoes tramping on the leaves. Falk tells King that he's investigating money laundering by the Bailey company. The father, Leo, is still active in the laundry. Author Harper weaves the story together in alternate chapters. Falk hated the human misery it caused. He and Carmen wait for documents to pin the crime on the Baileys. Alice may have those. Is that why she disappeared? King worries about Kovac's son, and later, they meet Ian Chase, who runs the Executive Adventure program and claims they have no problems with it. This time, however, the women's group hasn't shown up at the second and third campsites. Chase shows Falk a photo of them to show how happy they are, arms around each other. Falk and Chase walk and come upon Mirror Falls, deep and cold enough to kill one. Falk and Carmen see a lone figure staring at the water.
In the morning, Beth finds three bottles of wine in her bag and wonders how they got there. She's not supposed to drink or even have them.
When Falk is shown to his cabin and opens his pack, he finds his father's maps, which are notated and marked from before he died. They say “danger” and “take care.” Falk is ordered to “get the contracts,” which is important.
On Friday morning, Bree has a headache and is hungover from drinking too much the previous night. At a fork in the road, they turn right after Bree looks at the map, confused. The following week, Falk goes to the hospital to interview Bree, and Beth is there too. She has broken veins, and her hair is flat and messy, with dark circles under her eyes. Bree was bitten by a snake and feels dizzy. Alice had the phone but couldn't get anyone. Alice wanted to keep walking. Falk and Carmen talk with Beth and learn she'd stolen Bree's belongings and tried to sell them to buy drugs. She'd been sent to corrections, then to rehab. They're friends now, and Bree gets Beth a job at Bailey's. When the canister to light the stove falls into the river, Lauren slides down the bank to retrieve it, and she falls into the water. Alice pulls her out and covers her with a jacket. Alice knows the
way to go and follows the river as the map shows. Alice knows what she's doing.
The reason for the retreat is for employees to benefit from the teamwork and for the challenge. Back at their rooms, Carmen goes inside for a hot shower, and Falk goes toward Mirror Falls and runs into Lauren, who is out for a walk in the dark. Lauren tells Falk how she knows Alice; they both attended a school for outdoor activities. This is how Lauren learned to find her way on the retreat and in her life, with pride in herself. Later, the women find a cabin to shelter in, and it turns out to be where the notorious Martin Kovac slept. Suspense builds as they think of the son who might follow in his father's footsteps. Meanwhile, Lauren gets a ride into Melbourne with Falk and Carmen. Falk pulls into Alice's driveway, and Carmen sees Daniel Bailey slowly pull away in his BMW. At Alice's house, Falk and Carmen meet Alice's daughter staying here because her ex-boyfriend has posted
naked images of her online, and she doesn't want to go to her dad's place. Falk arranges for her to go to Lauren's house nearby.
Back at the cabin, the women get into a hassle, and Beth slams Alice on the head, fighting for the phone. Jill is on the floor, and she's wet with blood. Beth is rubbing her head. Falk gets to the cabin and fears the worst for Alice, who has gone outside into the elements. Jill makes sure she has the phone in her jacket pocket. Falk rushes to the Mirror Falls and senses something is wrong. Lauren is leaning close to the waterfall and shivering with cold. He tosses her his jacket, but she slips it off. What does Falk do? Does he save her before she falls into the water?
Where is Alice? Do they find her…alive? Why did she leave? Will mothers do anything to protect their daughters? Author Harper weaves a fascinating story to show the motives of mothers and fathers. Learn more about this from this novel on the new fiction shelf of your local library.