Average Bufph Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Jane Harper
2016
WINNER ABIA BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017WINNER ABIA GENERAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017"I devoured it in just over 24 hours ... Spellbinding" Ian Rankin"A breathless pageturner ... A secret on every page" The New York Times "One of the most stunning debuts I've ever read ... Read it!" David BaldacciWHO REALLY KILLED THE HADLER FAMILY?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 twenty years earlier. Because Falk and his childhood friend Luke Hadler shared a secret, one which Luke's death threatens to unearth ...MORE PRAISE FOR THE DRY"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 (US)"Every so often a debut novel arrives that is so tightly woven and compelling it seems the work of a novelist in her prime. That's what Jane Harper has given us with The Dry, a story so true to setting and tone it seemed I fell asleep in Virginia only to wake in Australian heat." John Hart, New York Times bestselling author of Redemption Road"It's extremely rare and exciting to read a debut that enthralls from the very first page and then absolutely sticks the landing. Told with heart and guts and an authentic sense of place that simply cannot be faked, The Dry is the debut of the year." C.J. Box, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Off The Grid"Australian author Harper's debut is a stunner. Recommend this one to fans of James Lee Burke and Robert Crais..." Booklist"I can't remember another first novel that was greeted with such unanimous enthusiasm from readers and reviewers all over the world. I share the universal approval of this book; it is gripping, atmospheric and original" Jessica Mann, Literary Review UKWinner of the 2015 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished ManuscriptWinner of the 2017 Indie Book Awards Book of the Year
Jane Harper's 'The Dry' offers a stark contrast to the urban crime novels I usually favor. Set in the arid outback of Australia, the narrative grips you with the desperation of a community in drought and the complexity of human relationships strained to their limits. Harper's attention to detail in the setting and her ability to weave a tight narrative make this a worthy read. The psychological elements are compelling, though the procedural aspects are somewhat secondary to the character dynamics. It's a reminder that crime can occur anywhere, not just in the concrete jungles.
