“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.
An Amazon Best Book of January 2017: I was surprised to realize that The Dry was Jane Harper’s debut novel. The writing is fantastic, and the plot – where many mystery/thrillers fall short these days – was completely unpredictable in the best ways possible. Federal Agent, Aaron Faulk, returns to his hometown in Australia to mourn, and inevitably investigate, his best friend’s apparent suicide. What comes next is a series of twists and turns that will keep you guessing all the way until the end. I repeatedly found myself shocked and pulled in by Harper’s fast paced and engrossing writing. Truly a fantastic read and hopefully the first of many to come from Ms. Harper. –Penny Mann, The Amazon Book Review
Very sharp, very clever – it’s a doozy! A really fantastic read, I thought this was a brilliant crime/thriller. Very sharp writing, it flowed wonderfully with all its twists and turns and mini sub-plots. The descriptive prose of the harsh Australian climate and its impact on the land and its people really rang true and, thank heavens, the author resisted using ‘ockerisms!’ The only clanger with language was when the author described ‘killing an engine’ rather than just ‘turning the car off’. I’m being petty. Australians do not use…
Good Aussie “Who-Dunnit” I read this book in 2 days and couldn’t wait to pick it up again each time. The story line was totally believable and the writing style easy and descriptive. I could feel the heat and smell the dust. I will say that I did not pick the killer…..(that’s not a spoiler because so many possible people run through your mind as the story progresses).
An Outstanding First Novel Jane Harper – The Dry