The Dry
A Novel
Book - 2017
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"A breathless page-turner, driven by the many revelations Ms. Harper dreams up...You'll love [her] sleight of hand...A secret on every page." --The New York Times
"One of the most stunning debuts I've ever read... Every word is near perfect. " --David Baldacci
A small town hides big secrets in The Dry , an atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper.
After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke's steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn't tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead.
Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there's more to Luke's death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.
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Opinion
From Library Staff
From Library Staff
LPL_ShirleyB
Feb 11, 2020
Australia, #1 in series, gritty police procedural, debut, 2016 pub.
From the critics
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Add Age SuitabilityViolet_Cheetah_131 thinks this title is suitable for 14 years and over
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Add a CommentVery enjoyable read! The mystery was difficult to solve, but looking back the clues were all there.
I had no problem with the first 2 or 3 chapters, then I started skipping ahead. For me it became too tedious, rather redundant and simply, filler. By the last chapter, I didn't care who did it. I'll try a few more print books to see if this one just didn't click or me. As for my normal choice of audiobooks...cannot abide the twanging Aussie after 5 minutes.
Tense moody mysteries set in Australia. Next one also recommended in Oregonian
The protagonist, Federal agent Aaron Falk, is an appealing character. The novel opens as he is summoned back to his small farming hometown community in the Australian Outback after many years' absence for the funeral of a childhood friend, Luke Hadler, Luke's wife and son. Despite misgivings, Falk stays in town at the request of Luke's parents to investigate the circumstances of the deaths : was it a murder-suicide or was somebody other than Luke responsible? Falk harbors a secret about the death of another school friend, Ellie Deacon, that occurred shortly before he and his father were forced to leave town; the townsfolk remember those events and still blame him. Can Falk also unravel the mystery surrounding Ellie's death? Events unspool in the pressure of a killing drought that's relentlessly destroying the fabric of the town.
Author Jane Harper portrays Falk's friends and enemies convincingly. She skillfully creates the foreboding atmosphere of desperation. She concocts a logical, intricate and believable plot. An excellent mystery and remarkably good for a debut novel.
Read this for the Mystery Lovers Book Group. The writing is quite good; I got thirsty just reading about the drought! The protagonist was… okay; I never fully connected with him. The fact that it not a suicide was clear, but the solution to the mystery was a surprise.
Excellent mystery - interweaves the past and present well. Recommend. Kristi & Abby Tabby p.s. fun to listen to with the Australian dialect.
Linda Elwell
I liked this as it is quite hard to guess who the killer is. The clues fall into place nicely.
Discussed at book club on March 4, 2020. My review is on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2892298580 .
The past and the present are intertwined in this atmospheric murder mystery.