The Survivors by Jane Harper

 

Kiernan left Evelyn Bay, Tasmania shortly after the accident.  The accident that killed his brother, Finn and another man.  The accident that everyone thought was Kiernan's fault, that the men had been coming to save Kiernan when he went in the caves known to be unsafe and got caught in the storm.  The men's boat had run into the rocks surrounding the caves and sunk and both men where killed.  In a place as small and insular as Evelyn Bay, everyone knew about the deaths and everyone thought they knew exactly what happened.  Kiernan knows that even his parents blame him.

Another death occurred in that storm; a young girl went missing and her body was never found.  It was suspected that she had been swept into the sea while walking home.  Only her book bag was ever found.

Now Kiernan has returned to Evelyn Bay but this time is different.  He's a grown man now, not a teenager.  He is married to Mia and they have a baby.  He has come home to help his mother move his dad, in the first stages of dementia, into an assisted living situation and to pack up their house for sale.  he meets with his old friends and acquaintances but can tell there are still those who remember the past and still blame him.

Then the unthinkable happens.  Another girl is found, this time murdered.  She was a waitress at the pub where Kiernan had gone the night before with his wife to meet old friends.  Suspicion falls on Liam, the son of the other man killed with Kiernan's brother.  Liam still blames Kiernan but apart from his surly nature, Kiernan can't believe Liam is involved.  

As the investigation into the girl's death unfolds, secrets from that time a decade ago start to emerge.  Why was Kiernan in the caves which were known to be off-limits?  How did Finn know to try to sail past the Survivors memorial to rescue him?  Why was Kiernan's father seen with both girls shortly before their disappearance?  

Jane Harper has created another brooding mystery that could only be set in the Australian and Tasmania lands that she has claimed as her locale.  The tourist town wouldn't exist except for fishing and tourist diving trips but both can be dangerous pursuits, especially in weather that can change in an instance and transform the sea from placid to murderous.  The smallness of the town and the sense that once the town defines you your personality is set for life to them combine with the ruggedness of the environment to create a claustrophobic atmosphere that makes escape seem impossible.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.