The Dry (Aaron Falk, #1) in Crazy Challenge Connection

Apr 20, 2017 Anne ✨ Finds Joy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, atw-oceania, favorite-mystery

Atmospheric – Tightly woven – Hypnotic

There’s been plenty of buzz for this debut mystery novel by Jane Harper, and I wholeheartedly agree! It's a compelling hypnotic read, well worthy of the praise. What made this book so good for me was its masterful use of atmosphere, and a tension that builds and builds as the story unravels in a slow-burn kind of way.

The story is set in a rural Australian farming community, Kiewarra, suffering the ravages of the worst drought in a century, with “day after d Atmospheric – Tightly woven – Hypnotic

There’s been plenty of buzz for this debut mystery novel by Jane Harper, and I wholeheartedly agree! It's a compelling hypnotic read, well worthy of the praise. What made this book so good for me was its masterful use of atmosphere, and a tension that builds and builds as the story unravels in a slow-burn kind of way.

The story is set in a rural Australian farming community, Kiewarra, suffering the ravages of the worst drought in a century, with “day after day of burning blue sky”. The author does a brilliant job of creating an ever-present tension of the oppressive landscape, the suffocating heat, and the looming desperation of the inhabitants.

The story centers on an apparent murder suicide of a farmer Luke, his wife Karen, and their son Billy. Federal Agent Falk is a childhood friend of Luke’s who had left town years earlier under suspicious circumstances around the death of their teen friend Ellie Deacon. Agent Falk returns to Kiewarra for Luke’s funeral, and stays to assist a local cop with the investigation. As Falk works the case, details are slowly revealed, exposing a multitude of secrets and lies, both old and new.

The author cleverly steers the reader down various paths, with many possible suspects, so you’re never quite sure who is trustworthy and who is lying. The characters are vividly drawn, and the threads that connect them in both past and present are continually being drawn and re-drawn. Each chapter ends suspensefully, resulting in a repeating mantra of ‘oooh, I need to read just one more chapter’ again and again!

The pace is a slow and steady burn for most of the book, but definitely ramps up at the end, with some sizzling excitement that really brings on the heat! The who-dunnit and why of the murder mystery was a surprise for me, and I think likely will be for many other readers.

I listened to this on audio, narrated by Steve Shanahan, and it earned an Earphones Award by Audiofile Magazine. Steve’s Australian accent, pacing, and nuances made for a very absorbing listen.

If you read this and enjoy it as I did, check out Jane Harper’s second mystery, Force of Nature, released in USA on Feb 6th, 2018 ...more

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Dec 13, 2018 Ashleigh rated it really liked it

Shelves: series-books

The Dry follows Aaron Falk, a Federal Police investigator who returns to his hometown of Kiewerra after his childhood best friend dies in an apparent murder-suicide along with his wife and son. Aaron and Luke have had an estranged relationship over the years, after an incident in their teens forced Aaron and his father to move away from Kiewerra. Since then, Aaron has been desperate to put that part of his life behind him and is not looking forward to returning to his hometown. Luke's family ...more

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Oct 01, 2017 Kate rated it liked it

I felt like the book only really picked up in the last 40 pages. Otherwise I didn't find it that captivating ...more

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Jul 25, 2025 ☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ rated it really liked it

Shelves: crime

Rating 3.5 stars
Going back home isn’t always the best thing but Falk was there for the passing of his friend but the family asked for his help as to why his friend would murder his family and the commit suicide. I’m sure Falk was not looking forward to staying longer at his home town after 20 years of those same people running him and his father out but he stay and things become a mess and secrets come out. It does keep your interest and I’d still like to continue with Falk and what’s next for ...more

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May 11, 2020 Chaitra rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: police-procedural, first-of-a-series, crime-fiction, mystery

Technically I’d guessed the solution to both mysteries, and they were not extremely compelling as far as mysteries go, but the ride still pulled me in. I got invested in Aaron Falk, and Kiewarra’s drought and the poor people of the town losing their collective shit. I like Jane Harper, she writes atmosphere very well, and this book is an example of that.

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Sep 20, 2024 Jackie rated it really liked it

Shelves: goodreads-author, award-goes-to, library-books, where-s-your-card, series, serial-eyes, 300-to-400, hear-ye-hear-ye, recorded-books, mystery-thriller

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