The Dry by Jane Harper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An atmospheric whodunit that is perfectly balanced between police procedural and murder mystery, the question of whether Luke murdered his family kept me glued to the pages, but the real strength of the story comes in the depth and beauty of each character.
Aaron Falk, our protagonist, is particularly compelling, and I’m excited to see this is the start to a series. Aaron is a federal agent who only plans to return to town to attend Luke’s funeral, but then Luke’s father tells him something he feels obligated to investigate. As he does, he’s pulled into his own past, and how it’s connected to Luke.
I loved everything about this book. The writing is excellent, the prose elegant and effortless. Setting the story against the oppressive heat of an Australian drought was incredibly clever and really added to the intrigue and simmering tension.
The Dry is absolutely flawless. It’s subtle and lyrical, it’s engrossing and compelling, but it’s also intelligent and multi-layered, on par with Tana French. I’m excited to read all of Jane Harper’s books now!
