A dust circle surrounds the grave's headstone, made by the desperate man as he tried to stay within its small shadow, but who lasted less than 24 hours in the fierce heat of an outback 'blasted smooth by a 100-year assault from sand, wind and sun'.

"The dead man, Cameron, is one of three brothers who farm on vast cattle properties in the red desert; driveways run to more than 20 kilometres here; neighbours are hours away.

But as his eldest brother, Nathan – a man reviled by the far-flung community, and who lives a life of horrifying loneliness – digs into the mystery, the discrepancies pile up, and he can't stop asking questions.

"[2] Following the book's initial publication by Pan Macmillan in 2018 it was subsequently published as follows:[1] The reviewer in The Guardian compared this novel with the author's previous works: "The landscape of The Lost Man is even more hostile, even more alien and beautiful, as Harper deftly manipulates her small but fully realised cast to a conclusion that chills, despite the outback heat.

"[2] The Kirkus Reviews noted that "Harper's masterful narrative places readers right in the middle of a desolate landscape that's almost as alien as the moon's surface, where the effects of long-term isolation are always a concern.