The Dry
- Downloads：1932
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-29 14:16:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jane Harper
- ISBN：0349142114
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A small town hides big secrets in this atmospheric， page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper。
In the grip of the worst drought in a century， the farming community of Kiewarra is facing life and death choices daily when three members of a local family are found brutally slain。
Federal Police investigator Aaron Falk reluctantly returns to his hometown for the funeral of his childhood friend， loath to face the townsfolk who turned their backs on him twenty years earlier。
But as questions mount， Falk is forced to probe deeper into the deaths of the Hadler family。 Because Falk and Luke Hadler shared a secret。 A secret Falk thought was long buried。 A secret Luke's death now threatens to bring to the surface in this small Australian town， as old wounds in bleed into new ones。
Reviews
Julie Fawbert
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Brilliant！
D
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I had to finish it in one sitting。 Satisfyingly creepy in the beginning especially， this is a solid， compelling mystery if you're in the mood for such。 A bit heavy with the tragic aspects for me and a lot of stereotypes in the characterisations， but well-paced， with the requisite red herrings thrown in。 Similar quality to 'The Woman in the Window'。 I had to finish it in one sitting。 Satisfyingly creepy in the beginning especially， this is a solid， compelling mystery if you're in the mood for such。 A bit heavy with the tragic aspects for me and a lot of stereotypes in the characterisations， but well-paced， with the requisite red herrings thrown in。 Similar quality to 'The Woman in the Window'。 。。。more
Theresa Sivelle
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This was a great story about small towns and all their little secrets。 I liked the main characters， with all their faults。
Albert Riehle
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This is a good but not great debut by Jane Harper。 It's a book that has garnered a lot of praise and was highly recommended to me by a couple of trusted sources。 I don't regret reading it。 Not at all。 In fact， I thought it was a largely enjoyable read by a mostly capable writer。 However， it was this particular writer's first book and for me， it showed in a few places。 It's worth reading， but you have to find a way to un-hype it in your mind because the expectations of the reviews for this book d This is a good but not great debut by Jane Harper。 It's a book that has garnered a lot of praise and was highly recommended to me by a couple of trusted sources。 I don't regret reading it。 Not at all。 In fact， I thought it was a largely enjoyable read by a mostly capable writer。 However， it was this particular writer's first book and for me， it showed in a few places。 It's worth reading， but you have to find a way to un-hype it in your mind because the expectations of the reviews for this book don't do it any favors。My biggest issue is that I knew with reasonable certainty whodunit by the halfway point of the book。 I read on， hoping I had been cleverly set up and waiting for the rug to be pulled from under my feet， but in the end， I was disappointed to find out that I had been right。 Sadly， I knew I would be because I recognized all of the red-herrings for what they were as they appeared。 I also had a problem with one of the literary device choices that Harper made。 From early on in the book， and all throughout it， she uses italics to go back in time， to a previous crime that may or may not be related to the current one。 In and of itself， that's okay。 What I thought was odd， however， is that these memories are not of any one particular character， but instead， all of them。 I'm sure it's been done before and it's certainly possible it only seemed odd to me， but that's exactly what it did for me--it seemed odd。 Then， in the final one of these italics memories， it's not a memory at all because it's told from the point of view of a dead character and unlike the others， it seemed to be omniscient narration because the character knew things going on outside of what they witnessed， heard or saw。The good？ It's a well-paced story。 It's an interesting setting。 The characters， while not always dynamic， were strong in the way they each fit the necessary archetypes they are meant to portray。 I thought the dialogue was well-written and realistic and made me miss talking to an old Aussie friend with some of the vernacular used。 The protagonist isn't the typical hero-type。 He's more of a moral compass than anything else。 He could have used some depth and color that came from outside of the arc of the story and the past。 Everyone else is a suspect so it's necessary that we not know everything about them and they retain an aspect of mystery。 This book could have used a little comic relief。 I'm not asking it to be funny， but a some aspect of humor or lightness to help balance an otherwise dry town， dry protagonist， dry weather and dry title。 I'm all for setting a theme， but the best way to drawn something out is to show it in contrast。Another aspect that bothered me was the constant reference to the protagonist seeing the signs warning about the conditions。 There's a draught。 It's dry。 It's dangerously dry。 Anyone who has ever read a book before knows the fact that he constantly reads the sign warning about the dry conditions， or anyone who has read the title of the book， knows something is coming。 Predictably， it does。 But Harper gives it a unique spin。 I really didn't see it coming and it was a unique choice。 I just wish she'd set it up differently。 It could have been done in a more subtle way or at least in different ways。 The constant sighting of a sign just seemed to over-the-head to me。Look， I did a lot of complaining in this review and it might dissuade you from reading it。 Don't let it。 If I seem disappointed， it's not because this wasn't a good book， but because it could have been a really good book。 Frankly， it felt to me like a book that was just a little editorial guidance away from the being the book that so many seem to love。 For a debut， it was a good effort though and I can see Harper becoming really good as she continues to write。 I liked this one enough that I suspect I'll give the next book in the series a try。 This is a solid， exact 3-star book for me。 No rounding up or down due to half or quarter stars necessary。 This is the definition of a 3-star book and while I don't unconditionally recommend it， I think it's well worth it if you're looking for a quick weekend read or something to take to the beach this summer。 。。。more
Chuck
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Do you like mysteries with a twist ending？ How about a double twist ending？ If you do then ‘The Dry’is for you。
Lisa McTigue
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Sad commentary on life when neighbors are willing to believe the worst in you rather than give you the benefit of the doubt （at the least） or even defend you when you're a suspect。 Can you ever really know someone？？ Will be continuing with this series。 Sad commentary on life when neighbors are willing to believe the worst in you rather than give you the benefit of the doubt （at the least） or even defend you when you're a suspect。 Can you ever really know someone？？ Will be continuing with this series。 。。。more
Alix
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This is a good mystery--no way to guess the ending but it's satisfying， not a stretch--and well enough written。 My main gripe is that the author inserts passages in italics that are omniscient， or rather limited omniscient， but often accessing different characters' minds and memories。 Especially the last of these is disturbing， from a literary-rules standpoint。 And throughout it kind of feels like cheating。 Either make a book omniscient （which is of course hard to pull off in detective fiction， This is a good mystery--no way to guess the ending but it's satisfying， not a stretch--and well enough written。 My main gripe is that the author inserts passages in italics that are omniscient， or rather limited omniscient， but often accessing different characters' minds and memories。 Especially the last of these is disturbing， from a literary-rules standpoint。 And throughout it kind of feels like cheating。 Either make a book omniscient （which is of course hard to pull off in detective fiction， where things need to remain unknown） or don't。 --your friend the lit police 。。。more
Sherry
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I enjoy this Australian author with Aaron Falk and other characters and plots that are psychologically believable。 Harper is clever the way she portrays small town down on it's luck due to long drought so everyone is on edge。 Falk has good reason not to go back:After he and his father were run out of town 20 yrs ago because Luke & Aaron are still suspected for a teen friend’s “suicide” drowning， but he goees because his childhood BFF is dead and Luke’s father compels him to attend the funeral。 L I enjoy this Australian author with Aaron Falk and other characters and plots that are psychologically believable。 Harper is clever the way she portrays small town down on it's luck due to long drought so everyone is on edge。 Falk has good reason not to go back:After he and his father were run out of town 20 yrs ago because Luke & Aaron are still suspected for a teen friend’s “suicide” drowning， but he goees because his childhood BFF is dead and Luke’s father compels him to attend the funeral。 Luke’s parents implore him to look into this family death because the mother believes Frank did not kill his 6-yr old son and his wife， leaving behind only the 13-mo old baby girl。 The town accepts Frank did it out financial desperation because they've all been tempted to escape the same way。 The town’s new police sgt is the only suspicious one investigating on his own time， and he gets Aaron curious too。 Naturally， secrets and lies come together to explain both old and new deaths。 Italics express thoughts of characters to keep reader involved with motives and "means" along with the investigation。 Don't skip any chapters or you'll miss why it ends the way it does。 。。。more
Janelle
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Yes， I know I’m pretty late to this one！Set in a fictional country town in Victoria， Aaron Falk returns to attend the funeral of a childhood friend。 The land is in drought， farmers are suffering and it appears his friend has killed his wife and son， then himself。 The early part of the novel is excellent。 It builds the story well， and as a few doubts appear about the murders， Aaron stays to help investigate unofficially。 There’s a past mystery， another childhood friend， Ellie drowned and this led Yes， I know I’m pretty late to this one！Set in a fictional country town in Victoria， Aaron Falk returns to attend the funeral of a childhood friend。 The land is in drought， farmers are suffering and it appears his friend has killed his wife and son， then himself。 The early part of the novel is excellent。 It builds the story well， and as a few doubts appear about the murders， Aaron stays to help investigate unofficially。 There’s a past mystery， another childhood friend， Ellie drowned and this led to Aaron and his father being forced to leave。I felt the book dragged a bit in the middle， the characters aren’t that engaging。 But as the murder story comes to a head it finishes in a rush。 I was most interested in Ellie’s story and it is eventually resolved。 A solid debut novel and I look forward to eventually reading more of her books。 。。。more
Adriana Eckhold-Simpson
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Hopefully the movie is as good as the book。
V
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"I wish you'd been able stay。 Maybe then everything would have been different。"A mind twisting crime novel， following the story of Aaron Falk to keep you awake at night contemplating who is is the defining suspect in the murder of the Hadler family This is the first book i picked up to start my journey of getting back into reading again and I could not have picked a better choice。 I would have given this 5 stars but there were periods in the book where the story seemed to slow down and progress "I wish you'd been able stay。 Maybe then everything would have been different。"A mind twisting crime novel， following the story of Aaron Falk to keep you awake at night contemplating who is is the defining suspect in the murder of the Hadler family This is the first book i picked up to start my journey of getting back into reading again and I could not have picked a better choice。 I would have given this 5 stars but there were periods in the book where the story seemed to slow down and progress very slowly， but once the story picks up， its something you cannot put down！Federal Police Investigator Aaron Falk goes back to his childhood town Kiewarra to investigate the suspected murder/suicide of the Hadler family by his childhood friend Luke Hadler， but are things at cut and dry as the scorching sun that never seems to let down？In a town full of lies， secrets and grudges。 Aaron Falk is forced to confront his past to solve the mystery of the death of the Hadler family 。。。more
Sidney
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Australian thriller。 Hooked me in within the first few pages。 Brutal murder of Luke， Karen and 10 year old son Billy。 Good friend Aaron Falk comes home for the funeral and confronts past demons of another death during his youth that he and Luke were blamed for but never convicted。 Good one！
Kathy
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I give my thoughts on this book in this Weekly Entertainment Wrap Up。 I give my thoughts on this book in this Weekly Entertainment Wrap Up。 。。。more
A。
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2。5 StarsThere's nothing wrong with this book。 In fact， it is well written。 Just not mind-blowing as the majority of reviews suggest。 For me， reading it fell like a chore。 I don't know why。 Maybe I expected too much after reading all those glowing reviews。 2。5 StarsThere's nothing wrong with this book。 In fact， it is well written。 Just not mind-blowing as the majority of reviews suggest。 For me， reading it fell like a chore。 I don't know why。 Maybe I expected too much after reading all those glowing reviews。 。。。more
Huub Nollet
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Weer eens een ouderwets goed geschreven verhaal。 Diverse verhaallijnen en/of aandachtspunten met een verrassend slot， wat pas laat duidelijk wordt。 Had veel moeite om het boek weg te leggen en dat mag je toch wel als zeer positief zien！ Ben benieuwd of het 2de boek ook zo goed is。
Trish
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3。25 stars
Madhuri
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4。5 rounded offI was expecting great things from this book and it delivered。 An atmospheric slow-burn mystery that makes you feel the heat and the irritation that brings with it， I think I'm sort of glad that I read this on my visit to India in the summer。 Felt like I was living in the book at times。 Aaron Falk isn't well defined， not yet anyway but that helps in this case。 We get to take see everyone from his calm and analytical POV。 Initially， I didn't like the flashbacks as they seemed to be 4。5 rounded offI was expecting great things from this book and it delivered。 An atmospheric slow-burn mystery that makes you feel the heat and the irritation that brings with it， I think I'm sort of glad that I read this on my visit to India in the summer。 Felt like I was living in the book at times。 Aaron Falk isn't well defined， not yet anyway but that helps in this case。 We get to take see everyone from his calm and analytical POV。 Initially， I didn't like the flashbacks as they seemed to be like typical YA romance but it gets better and comes together very well。I'm looking forward to reading more of Harper's books。 。。。more
Sarah Bischoff
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THAT ENDING OH MY
Renee Whitfield
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This book was recommended to me and normally， I don’t read a lot of crime fiction set in Australia but this book is a masterpiece。I can’t imagine being an author and having my debut novel be perfection， and that is what the “The Dry” is。 What an extraordinary talent Jane Harper possesses to weave a story such as this， she puts you into the heart of Australia while the intrigue and plot twists keep you on the edge。 I read this book in literally 1 sitting， could not put it down。 Highly recommend
Jennifer
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Audiobook read。 Enjoyed it。 A bit hard as an audiobook with the Australian readers accent。 Sometimes the reader would speak in a lower voice or whisper and that was frustrating while listening to in the car。 Otherwise enjoyed the characters and the setting was amazing。
Jean
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Gripping， great crime novel with the expected suspense but also the fascinating complex relationships found in small towns。 The Australian landscape and back story provided a different slant than the usual British or American setting。
Kamilla
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Great thriller。 Kept me up all night to finish it。
Melissa Wilson
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4。5。 Just brilliant
Kai Charles（Fiction State Of Mind）
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The audio version on this book is a MUST LISTEN！！ A cop returns for a friends funeral and gets drawn into the investigation 。 He also faces the ghosts of an old accusation of murder that tore his family apart。
Julie
，
Well written and good ending
Kathleen
，
Very good mystery but read only a few days ago and can hardly remember the story line， had to read other reviews to get it。
Melissa Perret
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Great mystery novel with a strong sense of place and atmosphere。 This is the second Jane Harper I've read this year， and I'm so impressed with her ability to set a scene and use her tone to convey all sorts of emotions。 It's not a five star for one reason- the killer reveal was just ok。。。 I think she did a good job writing in their motivations， but I'm not convinced they could have pulled off everything they did with only a few hours to plan （I'm using the plural intentionally here to avoid spoi Great mystery novel with a strong sense of place and atmosphere。 This is the second Jane Harper I've read this year， and I'm so impressed with her ability to set a scene and use her tone to convey all sorts of emotions。 It's not a five star for one reason- the killer reveal was just ok。。。 I think she did a good job writing in their motivations， but I'm not convinced they could have pulled off everything they did with only a few hours to plan （I'm using the plural intentionally here to avoid spoilers！）。 。。。more
Mackenzie
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Captivating。 Definitely kept me guessing the entire time
Melanie Ashton
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Found the constant jumping between past and present confusing and annoying。 Worked better in the movie than the book。 I did like you weren’t sure who the murderer was。 But some things just didn’t make any sense。 Eg uncle and son going hard after him。
Ray Woodrow
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Great read， great debut novel， good use of back story。 I thought the fire scene was a little unrealistic， but all in all an excellent story。 Good twist near the end， didn't pick it myself。 Top marks， Jane Harper。 Great read， great debut novel， good use of back story。 I thought the fire scene was a little unrealistic， but all in all an excellent story。 Good twist near the end， didn't pick it myself。 Top marks， Jane Harper。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Dry
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Dry&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Dry&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0