Work retreats are awkward. Ice breakers, trust falls, singing kumbaya. The Bailey Tennant team building exercise was even worse. Five woman began a two night hike into the wilderness, but only four come back.
Maybe the fifth woman just got lost and needs to find her way. Well, the problem is the other four ladies each had a reason to hate or harm Alice. She is abrasive, opinionated and condescending. Two women on the expedition are her subordinates who would never give her a “World’s Best Boss” mug. Another is her longtime friend, but there are some clear cracks in that relationship. Oh, and the last is the head of the firm who is secretly being investigated for fraud by the Feds… and Alice is the mole.
Agent Falk is in charge of the investigation against the Bailey Tennant’s owners, and he needs to find his star witness. Harper constructs a fun premise with two timelines: the current search for Alice, and an account of the women on their expedition. This gives great glimpses into what went wrong and keeps the reader guessing on the final outcome.
Force of Nature is part Lord of the Flies and part Big Little Lies. When the group makes a wrong turn, they combust into disarray, fighting over what to do and who to listen to. The gloves come off as each point fingers, fists and deeply personal cheap shots. Nothing is off limits – past transgressions, addictions, kids.
I really wanted to like this book. I enjoyed the premise of a camping trip gone wrong where personal vendettas and drama unfold leading to a whodunit story. However, the book progressed very slowly. It took so long to come to a conclusion, and the book’s main character, Agent Falk, felt weirdly out of place.
So, what happened to Alice? Did she really abandon the group to find her own way? Or did tensions finally reach a breaking point? For those answers, you will have to pick up Force of Nature.
Verdict: Skip it, unless you enjoyed Jane Harper’s first novel, The Dry. (2.5/5 Stars)
Length: 329 pages
When: If you loved Jane Harper’s debut The Dry or want a drama filled beach read
Quote: “Being around Alice was like owning an aggressive breed of dog. Loyal when it suited, but you had to stay on your toes.”
Buy A Force of Nature by Jane Harper HERE
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