THE LOST MAN

Australian narrator Stephen Shanahan returns for another knockout performance. Jane Harper’s latest audiobook isn’t part of her Aaron Falk series, but it still features the unforgiving Australian Outback, a vexing mystery, and richly drawn characters. Shanahan’s genuine accent is essential for the story’s setting and ambiance. He also shows remarkable range in his portrayal of the Bright family, cattle ranchers whose favored son, Cameron, dies under mysterious circumstances. Nathan, the eldest son, leads the search for answers. Shanahan gives him an appropriately stoic voice but hints at an underlying vulnerability. Nathan’s interactions with his family, achieved by Shanahan with the subtlest changes in tone and pitch, simmer with tension. It’s a slow and bleak affair, but no less enthralling than Harper’s and Shanahan’s previous efforts. A.T.N. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2020 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2019]