15 October 2021

The Dry

 

By Jane Harper
Crime | Thriller

My Review

When the bodies of three members of the same family are discovered brutally murdered, tensions run high in the drought-stricken rural community of Kiewarra, Australia. It's believed Luke Hadler shot dead his wife and young son before turning the gun on himself. 

Federal police investigator Aaron Falk returns to Kiewarra for the funeral of Luke, his childhood friend. However, not all the townsfolk are welcoming — believing him responsible for a death twenty years earlier. As Falk unwittingly gets drawn into the present-day investigation, his own long-held secret threatens to be unearthed.

What a fantastic debut novel this turned out to be and why didn't I read it sooner?!! Atmospheric and evocative, I was very impressed. It was beautifully written with strong lead characters. Although the story moved quite slowly, I found myself pulled in wanting to know more about these people and how events of the past and present would conclude. A very enjoyable read indeed. 

Book Source: Purchased copy
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Abacus (1st June 2017)
ISBN-13: 978-0349142111

The Blurb


WHO REALLY KILLED THE HADLER FAMILY?

I just can't understand how someone like him could do something like that.

Amid the worst drought to ravage Australia in a century, it hasn't rained in small country town Kiewarra for two years. Tensions in the community become unbearable when three members of the Hadler family are brutally murdered. Everyone thinks Luke Hadler, who committed suicide after slaughtering his wife and six-year-old son, is guilty.

Policeman Aaron Falk returns to the town of his youth for the funeral of his childhood best friend, and is unwillingly drawn into the investigation. As questions mount and suspicion spreads through the town, Falk is forced to confront the community that rejected him twenty years earlier. Because Falk and Luke Hadler shared a secret, one which Luke's death threatens to unearth. And as Falk probes deeper into the killings, secrets from his past and why he left home bubble to the surface as he questions the truth of his friend's crime.

The Author



Jane Harper is the author of international bestsellers The Dry, Force of Nature, The Lost Man and The Survivors. Her books are published in 40 territories worldwide.

Jane has won numerous top awards including the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel, the British Book Awards Crime and Thriller Book of the Year, the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year and the Australian Indie Awards Book of the Year.

Jane worked as a print journalist for thirteen years both in Australia and the UK and lives in Melbourne.

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