Exiles

Aaron Falk is a detective with the Australian Federal Police (AFP). He is the protagonist of Exiles as well as of the previous installments in Harper’s series. Most of the novel is from his point of view, including his thoughts and memories. Falk is described as “tall, fortysomething, short hair” (8), and physically fit. At the beginning of the novel, his identity is deeply connected with his work in financial crimes. Falk knows “an exhaustive amount” about spreadsheets and enjoys working with them (150). He’s also “quite fond of a good long list” (220). He grew up in a small town called Kiewarra. This history connects him to Greg Raco, who is a police sergeant in Kiewarra.

Falk is the godfather of the Racos’ son, Henry. Despite having a complicated relationship with his late father, Erik, Falk becomes increasingly dedicated to this role as the novel progresses. Falk consistently wonders what people think. Strangers call him an “intense bloke” (173). At the beginning of the novel, he has a “largely dormant love life” (96) but becomes romantically involved with Gemma. Falk comes to realize that he cares more about being part of a community than “cracking the case” (219).