The Dry

By: Jane Harper

Narrated by: Steve Shanahan

Now a major motion picture starring Eric Bana as Aaron Falk.

It hasn't rained in Kiewarra for two years. Tensions in the farming community become unbearable when three members of the Hadler family are discovered shot to death on their property. Everyone assumes Luke Hadler committed suicide after slaughtering his wife and six-year-old son. Federal police investigator Aaron Falk returns to his hometown for the funerals and is unwillingly drawn into the investigation. As suspicion spreads through the town, Falk is forced to confront the community that rejected him 20 years earlier. Because Falk and his childhood friend Luke Hadler shared a secret, one which Luke's death threatens to unearth....

©2016 Jane Harper (P)2016 W F Howes Ltd

Critic reviews

"You will feel the heat, taste the dust and blink into the glare. The Dry is a wonderful crime novel that shines a light into the darkest corner of a sunburnt country." (Michael Robotham)

"A suspenseful tale of sound and fury as riveting as it is horrific.” (Publishers Weekly)

Wonderful!

I didn’t expect to love this book so much, as had downloaded through audibles featured author for free. I never listen to fiction - more of a business/professional development fan. But I could not stop listening once I started. I listened to the whole 9 hours in 2 days. So many twists and turns, beautifully written, narrated, and so much intrigue. I loved it and am now going to search for more Jane Harper! If you want to a break from the normal and a little escapism - you’ll love The Dry.

Loved it !

O! M! G! One the best stories I have listened to in a long time. I’m now a huge fan of Janes future books, the description of our beautiful country and the characters, the slang, usually when I have 1 huntsman spider in a bedroom there is a 2nd hiding somewhere..

A really polished story

Didn't have huge expectations of this book but was very pleasantly surprised - the story is quite brilliant! I've read and listened to thousands of mystery/thriller novels in my life and they tend to get predictable after a while. This one quite literally kept me guessing and the outcome was a real revelation. I actually felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise more than once! Nice to have the sub-plot tidied up at the end too; not a fan of loose ends.

The narrator is excellent and portrays the various characters perfectly. The tensions and struggles of a country town during a drought are very realistic. I could almost taste the hot dust while listening to this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the first second to the last - there is no 'filler' - every well written word is germane and the pace fast. Will definitely be looking for more from this author and narrator.

Great book

I actually read the author’s third book, The Lost Man, first, and loved it so much.
The book synopsis explains the plot well, I don’t need to repeat it in my review, so I will state what I liked and disliked about this book.
I liked the protagonist, Falk. He was a great character and did things that made sense. When an author forces their characters to do things that are, well, out of character to push the plot forward or funnel the story to their desired conclusion, it feels cheap and makes for a poor story. For better or worse, Falk stayed true to character and felt like a real person.
What I didn’t like-the way the flashbacks were revealed to the reader. Maybe it’s just a personal preference, but I did not like that at ALL. I loved what was revealed and when it was shown, I just didn’t care for abruptly stopping the action to stick in an italicized paragraph of backstory. It made the story feel disjointed. I feel that it should’ve been written like Force of Nature as a parallel story perhaps. Or at least longer scenes. The quick back-and-forth, past-to-present in climatic events was distracting IMO.
But the content was riveting, and I enjoyed the story overall. Great author.

Steve Shanahan was outstanding with the delivery of the story

compelling Australian thriller

The time spent listening to this captivating story went very quickly. Well worthwhile and great narration.

Excellent storytelling

Loved this book.
It really pulled me into its fabric.
The characters felt real, and I could almost smell the dry heat.
The plot kept me hanging till the end.
Brilliant.
Looking forward to the next one.

great book

loved it from start to finish, perfect for driving whilst taking in the dry Australian landscape

Ripping yarn

A great story felt even better because of the reader- If I'd been reading this I'd have read it in one sitting. The setting in a drought in the outback is as much a part of the story as the characters.

My first Aussie crime delight !

I've wasted too much time reading mediocre British crime novels when I should've been sticking closer to home.
Here's hoping the next two Jane Harper books are even half as good as this one !!