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 … 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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One of the best books I’ve ever read. Atmospheric with a slow build that was never brining. I loved it .
It was a very well written book. It was hard to get into the story at first, but worth hanging on because it got much better.
I couldn’t put it down. I just wanted to see what would happen next. And now I hae a really good reason to never go camping.
This was a great mystery set in a new part of the world for me. Wholly compelling story that never slows or gets dull. Just a great read.
I didn’t know what to expect from this book as I had heard about it from a number of sources but never read a review. I was really impressed by it. For a first book, it was so accomplished and engaging. I’ve now bought the next book from Jane Harper.
I was in Melbourne recently and spoke to a bookseller about a number of titles, including this one. He couldn’t explain it but he said it seemed to take on a life of its own, selling very well.
I would have a terrible case of author envy if I allowed myself such a luxury. I learned one thing I didn’t know from reading the book – that AFP officers are called Federal Agents which I confirmed with a friend whose brother had worked for the AFP. And was the name Falk a nod to the American actor who played TV cop Columbo back in the 1970s? Only Jane Harper can provide the answer to that.
Engrossing story, characters and place. Highly recommend.
Excellent
Different and informative. Good cast of characters with vivid glimpses of the Australian bush.
i enjoyed reading this book. it was a good mixture of local history and intrigue.
Good, easy read book.
I read this book in two days and it was a real page turner. The first book written by this author and absolutely amazing. The plot takes you back in time to feed you snippets of information that add to this intense plot. This will get a grip in you from the first page; always making you second guess.
Great book…New author written better than well…this was worth reading…looking forward to seeing the next book and reading …Worth getting!
Unbelievably good for a debut book – the writing is excellent and the story compelling.
Very different topics set in down under. i can’t wait for her future books/
I love her stories
I’m easily bored and distracted when reading but this held my attention. When I couldnt read I was often thinking and processing about what I had read. Brilliant.
I think her first was her best! Very unpredictable, lots of character building. I’ve only read her first two books. I look forward to reading her 3rd book.
The Dry is an absorbing read and the heat of the weather radiates off the page. The pacing of the plot was steady, the characters weren’t one-dimensional and the mystery had a few mild twists and turns. It was so nice to read a suspense thriller where the narrator can be trusted and you actually are cheering for them.
Very good book! Grabbed me right from the very beginning. Keeps you guessing right up until the end. What really happened this family?!
I enjoyed the storyline with evolving characters – suspense and clear descriptions of this part of Australia.
Interesting. Don’t read many books set in Australia since the Thorn Birds.