Mindscape in Words: Force of Nature. (Mindscape Reviews #9)

Hello Readers!

I’m back with another book review. That’s 3 in a row & I am proud of myself! This time I read a mystery thriller named ‘Force of Nature’ by Jane Harper. I decided to read it because it was in the list of ‘unputdownable books’ & yet it took me a long time to finish it. But, that’s my fault, because the book stands true to be on that list! Since I read it over a period of months, I lost track a few times which is why I don’t exactly remember a few details, so this post will be a bit bizarre & just a little bit influenced from Goodreads.

~~INTRODUCTION~~

‘Force of Nature’ is a mystery thriller fictional novel written by Jane Harper. This is the second book she has written with Aaron Falk as one of the main detectives. The base story is set in the Giralang Ranges, which is basically a forest. A group of ladies & another group of men who work at BaileyTennants are supposed to take this particular corporate retreat with the motto of team building, working under pressure & what not.

Interestingly, 5 ladies start their journey in the forest, but after a few days, only 4 ladies come out. To quote the book, “It wasn’t any one thing that went wrong, it was a hundred little things.”

~~CHARACTERS~~

There are 2 detectives; Aaron Falk & Carmen Cooper. They make a great team. I didn’t think any of them were exceptionally Sherlock Holmes-talented, but I suppose that’s what made the story believable & more real.

There are five women executives. Jill Bailey who heads the family-run business, along with her brother Daniel Bailey. Alice Russell, the missing woman, is at a senior position. Lauren Shaw is in middle management. There’s a pair of 2 sisters, Breanna & Bethany McKenzie who have a complicated relationship. Bree works as Alice’s assistant while Beth works at a senior role.

The five ladies chosen are not so fond of each other. Also, they are chosen for some reasons involving anger issues, substance use or insubordination and so on. So, you can only imagine how snarky & fake the initial part of their adventure can be when they are trying to figure out the route. And, also, you can imagine how frustrating yet entertaining the next part would be when they are lost in the woods.

~~STORY LINE~~

The novel is divided in 2 parts which goes back & forth throughout. There’s the past, where the ladies are in the forest & there’s the present, where detectives are trying to find the missing Alice Russell! In addition, there is another suspense for Alice’s story. Alice had been working undercover to get the contracts & hand them over to Falk & Carmen to expose the Baileys for money laundering.

The author has written it so brilliantly with the timing from the past connecting it to the present. She has also left tons of cliff hangers in the past & then jumped to the present in the next chapter where there is another cliff hanger. So, you can imagine how much of an amazing roller-coaster show it is to read it.

Along with Alice’s missing status linked to the missing contracts, there is a lot going on. There is tension between the sisters. There is very little trust between them all. There’s the history of a serial killer in those Ranges dating 2 decades back. There’s an abandoned & creepy cabin. There are a lot of fights, verbal as well as physical. There is an angle about the relationship between parents & children. So, all in all, it is incredibly thrilling, entertaining & unputdownable.

What happens to Alice Russell?

Is she dead or alive?

Did one of the other women kill her or is she still alive out there?

Is the son of that serial killer behind it?

~~OVERALL THOUGHTS~~

I really regret that I didn’t binge-read this book, but I’m going to correct that mistake when I read Jane Harper’s ‘The Dry’. Given my excitement throughout the review, you can guess that I totally loved the book. It was unpredictable which I liked the most. It had a lot of characters with focus on each which was also good. The story was a bit slow in the beginning, but it speeds up in the remaining 40% of the novel. Surely, I have read better mystery novels, but since I read this after this & this okayish Young Adult novels, I was grooved to it! I have rated it at 4/5 on Goodreads!