The Dry by Jane Harper

Rating: 5 stars

Category: Thriller

Synopsis: Aaron Falk is heading back to his hometown for the funeral of an old friend Luke. Everyone believes the death was suicide, but something doesn’t seem to quite add up. As Falk is drawn deeper into the investigation, he threatens to unearth secrets that have been all but forgotten.

Meanwhile, the suspicion that is rife throughout the town starts to point towards him – because all those years ago, Luke was Falk’s alibi for murder…

Review:

First Impressions

Lately, I’ve become a little disillusioned with thrillers. I couldn’t find anything that really surprised me or stood out from the crowd. The Dry is exactly what I was looking for and has restored my enthusiasm for the genre!

Plot

I liked the switching throughout between past and present. Rather than being confusing, instead it made for a more deeply intriguing story. The plot was extremely gripping with lots of twists, turns and clever red herrings. As a result, I thought the ending was genuinely unpredictable!

Characters

What really brought the story to life for me was not so much the characters themselves but the relationships between them. The bonds between Falk and his father, as well as the 4 friends Falk, Luke, Ellie and Gretchen were subtle and complex.

Setting

The setting in a drought-stricken, close-knit town in Australia was also something a bit different. Harper powerfully evokes an atmosphere of tension and suspicion. I couldn’t believe this is a debut novel and I would definitely read something by Jane Harper again!

Favourite quote:

“Death rarely changes how we feel about someone. Heightens it, more often than not.”

Read if: you need to restore your faith in thrillers.

Cover image courtesy of Goodreads

If you enjoyed The Dry, you may also enjoy the intelligent, modern thriller I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. Read the full review here!

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Have you read The Dry – what did you think? Do you have any crime fiction favourites that you can recommend? Let me know in the comments – I would love to hear from you!