The Dry: A Novel

Great mystery which kept me guessing until the end. Will definitely read more from this author! Love the Aussie narrator too

my favorite was toward the end when we found out more about Ellie.
A well written novel.

Really good. I was hesitant at first but happy I gave it a chance. Can’t wait to dive in to Jane Harpers 2nd book.

Fabulously told story. Many twists and turns until the last chapter. Well-written. Highly recommend.

Loved the way the story goes back and forth in time. At times so swift you would miss it if you didn't pay attention. And attention needs to be paid , to details, needs and life. If anything the book teaches that.... apart from being a very good cop/detective/crime story ??

I liked it enough to continue with the series.

This book was set in rural Australia during a drought. Jane Harper has created a novel with great sense of place as I could actually feel the heat and dust in my throat while reading The Dry. The characters were believable and I especially loved the interaction between Falk and Raco, the two police investigators. The excellent plot moved very well with great use of flashbacks for telling the back story from 20 years ago. There were many twists and turns that kept me changing my mind about who the murderer could be. This is a fabulous debut from Jane Harper and I hope to read more books by her in the future. I would highly recommend this book for those who enjoy complex murder mysteries.

I loved it, a great coming of age novel, really captured the atmosphere of a small country Aussie town

Stumbled on this one randomly while searching my next read. What a great find. The interwoven narrative between the past and present grabs you and holds on. Great ending.

The beginning of the book is so slow but by the end it picks up I only finish it because I wanted to know what happened

I know I'm late to the party but I just finished reading The Dry by Jane Harper and can honestly say it is worth the hype. Despite having a copy for 11 months (thanks to my GoodReads Melbourne catch-up in August last year) and watching it win the Indie Book of the Year, Indie Book of the Year Debut Fiction for 2017 and ABIA Book of the Year, I've only just read The Dry now. It happens to the best of us doesn't it? Great books lingering in our TBR pile for too long.Well, it's no secret this is a debut Australian crime fiction novel and other readers agree it's fantastic. Having grown up in a small country town myself, I found the rural setting, the characters and the dialogue instantly Australian and recognisable without being cliche or over the top. The writing is flawless and it's hard to believe this is a debut novel.I can highly recommended The Dry and Jane Harper is definitely an Aussie author to watch. I'll be lending it to my Dad next while waiting with baited breath for the next in the series, Force of Nature.

GREAT Story!!!! It'll keep you on your toes with Suspense!!!

Holy smokes this was so good!! I loved the plot twists and character development. Such a good ending!

Policeman Aaron Faulk returns to his home town for the funeral of his childhood friend Luke Hadler and members of his family. The family were found murdered and it looks like Luke could have done it. Aaron starts to investigate the murders and also brings back memories of his childhood which also includes the apparent suicide of his friend Ellie.This is a debut novel which is being hyped up and it does live up to the hype. The story is solid and flows along quite nicely until all is explained.There are two stories, one the Hadler family murder and Ellie's suicide. The Hadler family murder once revealed is quite plausible and does make sense. The murderer wasn't who I was lead to believe and I guessed all wrong. Ellie's suicide was a different matter. This was solved but for me I would have liked this storyline left open and I never really find out. However the ending does tie everything up and done and dusted.I would highly recommend this book and it is a good solid read. I enjoyed it very much and would read more by this author in the future.

Really good writing. Great imagery. Great twists. Kept me hooked until the end.

An excellent debut mystery novel set in rural Australia during extended drought conditions. Harper creates a vivid picture of the intense emotions that can be brought about by hardship. The crime took place in a small town, making it a type of locked room mystery, which was very well done. Possible culprits came to my mind, with each one being immediately replaced by another, and in the end I wasn't able to solve the mystery before the denouement. Great characters, excellent depiction of the scene and the culture, and a plot that was complex without being too convoluted. I'll watch for more by this author.My copy was an audiobook with an excellent narration by Stephen Shanahan. Australian terms are so unfamiliar to me that I had to text an Australian friend for definitions, specifically for what sounded like "yoot" and "eski". Shame on me! I should have been able to guess.

Looking for a page turner? This is it. Very entertaining, good characters, couldn't put it down. If this isn't being turned into a TV series right now, I'll eat my hat.

Suspenseful, gripping, powerful—none of these words seems quite adequate to describe the desperation and tension that radiate from this book. Things build slowly, steadily, to an unforgettable ending. Harper deftly weaves two timelines together, each one, past and present, rife with secrets and haunted by death. Between the drought, the heat, and the bitter feuds, people start acting out in disturbing ways, and the tensions just keep growing. From the start of the investigation to the stunning conclusion, this is one book that I just couldn’t put down.

Well written, gripping story as Aaron Falk returns to his home town for his best friend's funeral and finds himself helping the local police discover how he and his family died, when it looks like murder, suicide. Falk also has to confront the historical death of an a former girlfriend, for which many thought him responsible. Believable characters well fleshed out.

Kiewarra is a hot and arid Australian town that is in the grip of a calamitous drought. Stores have closed and farmers are struggling to stay afloat. In Jane Harper's "The Dry," thirty-six year old Federal Agent Aaron Falk, who was raised in Kiewarra but now lives and works in Melbourne, returns to attend the funeral of a childhood friend, Luke Handler. Luke was found shot to death in his truck, while his wife and child were gunned down in their home.

At the request of Luke's bereaved parents, Aaron agrees to take a short leave and lend a hand to the investigating officer, Sergeant Greg Raco. Before long, Falk suspects that practically everyone he meets is hiding something. Equally disconcerting is the chilly reception Aaron receives from the townspeople because of the still unexplained drowning death of his former friend, sixteen-year old Eleanor Deacon, twenty years earlier.

Harper inserts flashbacks into the narrative that, for a while, raise more questions than they answer. The author's dialogue and character development (except for a one-dimensional bully straight out of central casting) are impressive. Harper depicts Luke as a charismatic but occasionally selfish and thoughtless individual. Aaron, who is intelligent and eager to help, resents the fact that some of Kiewarra's citizens continue to shun and harass him. At least the attractive Gretchen Schoner, a single mother with a five-year-old son, remembers Aaron fondly and seems interested in getting reacquainted. "The Dry" is intense and suspenseful, and the author effectively captures the misery, hopelessness, and anger of Kiewarra's frustrated residents. Although a few of Harper's subplots are contrived and resolved implausibly, this moody and intriguing novel is absorbing enough to pique our interest and keep us invested in the outcome.

4.25/5 After being driven away from Kiewerra, Australia 20 years earlier under suspicious circumstances, Det. Aaron Falk arrives back in his hometown during the worst drought in the century to attend the funeral of his boyhood friend Luke, his wife, and his son. Many in this scorching town believe Luke murdered his wife and son and then himself; it's up to Falk and local Sgt. Raco to find out what truly happened while Falk faces his past.

3,8 stars

This was a good mystery. I think the characters were written well enough, I didn't guess the killer, I was invested in finding out who dunnit.

This wasn't my favorite for a couple of reasons.
1) I felt like the author used some pretty well worn plot points to create confusion. I especially dislike the overused misdirection of having a character not give a decent alibi because they're gay. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about Ellie's story line.
2) I don't feel like there were enough hints toward the actual killer before the reveal, which made it feel a little convenient.

I did like the descriptions of the oppressive small town mired in drought, though.

I'm interested in reading the second Aaron Falk book, as the plot description for that sound more up my alley than this one.

Plot-driven contemporary murder mystery set in Australia. Protagonist Aaron Falk, a federal financial crimes investigator, has returned to his childhood hometown to attend the funeral of a friend who has apparently murdered his wife and six-year-old son, then killed himself. In a secondary storyline, the townspeople still harbor animosity toward Falk for his presumed role in the death of a teenage girl twenty years ago. He becomes involved in an unofficial capacity in the murder investigation in conjunction with the local police official, Sergeant Greg Raco.

The story moves along at a steady pace. The descriptions of the drought and the bushland are well crafted and provide a sense of atmosphere. The author writes in a direct manner. Aaron Falk is the focus, and his character is the most fleshed out. I enjoyed the camaraderie between Falk and Raco. The additional characters are less well-formed. Some are a bit flat while others are stereotypical bullies. The repetition was bothersome, especially regarding details around the horrific death of a small child. I think it is a decently written mystery, but it requires a significant suspension of disbelief and won’t stay with me for long.

Great book that kept you guessing all the way through. Realistic portrait of a small town struggling with drought and stifled with secrets.

Good writing, clever plotting, lightweight - what's not to like?

Late to the party on this book but I was not disappointed. Parts of this book reminded me of times from my childhood in a country town. Wasn't sure whodunnits til the reveal. A great Aussie story!

Kiewarra is a hot and arid Australian town that is in the grip of a calamitous drought. Stores have closed and farmers are struggling to stay afloat. In Jane Harper's "The Dry," thirty-six year old Federal Agent Aaron Falk, who was raised in Kiewarra but now lives and works in Melbourne, returns to attend the funeral of a childhood friend, Luke Handler. Luke was found shot to death in his truck, while his wife and child were gunned down in their home.

At the request of Luke's bereaved parents, Aaron agrees to take a short leave and lend a hand to the investigating officer, Sergeant Greg Raco. Before long, Falk suspects that practically everyone he meets is hiding something. Equally disconcerting is the chilly reception Aaron receives from the townspeople because of the still unexplained drowning death of his former friend, sixteen-year old Eleanor Deacon, twenty years earlier.

Harper inserts flashbacks into the narrative that, for a while, raise more questions than they answer. The author's dialogue and character development (except for a one-dimensional bully straight out of central casting) are impressive. Harper depicts Luke as a charismatic but occasionally selfish and thoughtless individual. Aaron, who is intelligent and eager to help, resents the fact that some of Kiewarra's citizens continue to shun and harass him. At least the attractive Gretchen Schoner, a single mother with a five-year-old son, remembers Aaron fondly and seems interested in getting reacquainted. "The Dry" is intense and suspenseful, and the author effectively captures the misery, hopelessness, and anger of Kiewarra's frustrated residents. Although a few of Harper's subplots are contrived and resolved implausibly, this moody and intriguing novel is absorbing enough to pique our interest and keep us invested in the outcome.

An apparent murder-suicide draws Melbourne-based Federal Police Investigator Aaron Falk back to his hometown of Kiewarra. Twenty years ago Aaron and his father left town after fingers pointed to teenage Aaron’s involvement in the death of his friend Ellie Deacon. Luke Hadler, a friend of both Ellie and Aaron, had helped Aaron when suspicions had been directed at him all those years ago. In the present day Luke, a farmer facing financial hardship on account of persistent drought, allegedly shot his wife and young son before turning the gun on himself. The only survivor of that tragedy is Luke’s thirteen-month-old daughter who was unharmed and is now with Luke’s parents. Luke’s father does not believe his son was capable of such a heinous act and asks Aaron to help find the truth. Aaron’s return to Kiewarra isn’t a pleasant one. Besides grieving for his friend, he faces much adversity from people who remember Ellie and the rumors surrounding her death all those years ago. Helping Aaron is local law enforcement officer, Sergeant Greg Raco who is relatively new to the area. Working together they do a deep dive into the lives of Luke and his family, friends and associates- both past and present- to identify probable suspects and follow any lead that could shed a light on what truly happened to Luke Hadler and his family.

Did Luke really kill himself and his family? Does Luke’s death have any connection to the cold case from years ago? Who could have had a personal grudge against Luke in his present life and why?

I know I’m late to the party but better late than never! The Dry by Jane Harper is a solid, atmospheric whodunit, with excellent characterizations and consistent (medium) pacing. The vivid descriptions of the heat-scorched arid terrain and the small-town dynamics of a struggling community add to the intensity of the plot. The fluid narrative is skillfully constructed as it moves between the present-day mystery and the cold case from twenty years ago. As for the ending, I did not see that one coming! I love it when my theories are proved wrong (it does have to be convincing though)! Aaron Falk is an interesting character and I’m glad that the author has developed a series around him. I can’t wait to read the remaining books in this series.

Ok, I read this five years ago so my review is based on my memories from then. This was a cracking read with a sadly pretty ludicrous ending. Endings are hard, I know, so I am pretty forgiving. I liked the main plotting, mystery, characterisation very much and looked forward to reading future novels by Jane Harper.

This is the first book I've read by this Author, and I'll definitely be reading the second book in the Aaron Falk duology.

The characters were written such a way as to make them wholly believed and, apart from the main antagonist, you could feel their emotions coning off the page at you as you read.

The novel is well paced, and keeps you thinking you may have solved the mysteries contained, only to go into a new chapter and realise that you were wrong. When the conclusion starts to unfold, it is not rushed and keeps moving at the pace the Author has maintained throughout the book. This is one I would highly recommend reading.