The Dry
Jane Harper
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Published: May 2016 (Macmillan Australia)
Rating: 
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 bleed into new ones.
I recently had the opportunity to listen and review Jane Harper’s The Lost Man after the publisher sent a review audio copy. I really enjoyed my time “in the outback” and decided I wanted to circle back and read Harper’s Aaron Falk series that had received so much praise from readers. I may have had a fangirl moment when I discovered Stephen Shanahan narrated those books as well. I adore his soothing Aussie voice. It truly brings Australia and the characters alive for me.
The Dry is a stunning debut novel sporting the same depth and complexity that we have come to expect from heavy hitter mystery/thriller writers. I could feel the despair and helplessness that invades everyday life for the residents of Kiewarra as they fight to survive. The mystery surrounding the Hadlers’ deaths as well as the Deacon case kept me guessing and tense. I found Harper’s choice to keep the present day POV with Falk but still provided other perspectives in the flashbacks that shaped the Ellie Deacon mystery quite clever. I really enjoyed that creative choice.
Aaron Falk, our protagonist, was a complicated character that seemed to have very little presence in the beginning. Admittedly, he is back in a town that views him as a pariah but I suppose I expected him to hold his head high rather than perpetually be on the verge of fleeing back to Melbourne. Falk grew on me though as the story went on.
As for the audio format, I adored hearing Stephen’s narration. He does such a wonderful job with conveying emotion and highlighting the atmosphere. I struggled a bit with this format after starting as the only indication the listener received about an upcoming flashback was a short moment of silence. Before I realized there was a method to the madness, I was convinced my phone kept pausing the story. As long as you keep that in mind, the audio book is definitely the way to go for this novel. Even better, listen while you read! Definitely give this thriller a try. I just started Force of Nature (Aaron Falk 2) because I’m not ready to let Falk go!
Fun fact: The Dry has been adapted for film and is currently being shot on location! Eric Bana will play Aaron Falk and he is exactly what I imagined Falk to look like.
