alanahay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
nerdyrev's review against another edition
4.0
I purchased The Dry within weeks of its release and simply sat on it. It was added to the TBR pile that kept getting bigger and The Dry sat for almost a year. A week or so ago, I wanted to read a good mystery/thriller and there was The Dry just staring at me. I cannot believe I sat on this one for so long because it lived up to all the rave reviews.
In an Australian small town, a man shoots his wife and child leaving one child alive and then shooting himself in the head down the road. It seems an open and shut case, but the man’s father doesn’t think it is all that simple and ensures the man’s childhood friend comes back to town with the simple note “I know you lied and Luke lied.”
Aaron Falk returns to the town who had driven off he and his father years ago. Aaron and Luke were the prime suspects of the death of a young girl back in his teens. The town has not forgotten.
As Falk looks into the death of his friend, he begins to see patterns which connect deeply to his past. As he investigates, the town begins to also remember his past and aggressions begin to gain and gain. Falk is now on a timeline to solve this mystery before the anger from the past catches up to him.
I will warn readers, this is a slow moving mystery. There are no great shootouts or car chases or anything like that. This is a slow simmer in a small town who remember years ago and holds resentment no matter how long time has past. This is more of a character study of small town life than deep mystery.
That does not mean the mystery is irrelevant. The past mystery will overtake the present one the more Falk remembers, but that was perfectly fine in this book. The past mystery will show how the town really doesn’t care that Luke and his family died. For them, it is sweet justice.
The characters are incredibly alive in this book. This town lives and breathes. You can almost feel the dryness of the land and the farms surrounding it. The simmering tension just gets to the reader the more the book goes on. Even the ending plays into this a bit.
I really enjoyed this one, but again, it is a slow burn. I gave this one 4 stars.
stevendemo7's review against another edition
5.0
A MUST read. Thrilling and suspenseful with a true plot twist embedded within every chapter. I kept thinking I figured it out and Jane Harper proved me wrong time and time again. She knows how to thicken a plot until its unbearable; I was ready to see how The Dry would explode. I was not disappointed. Kudos.
kirnet's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is well written, and the author did a good job of really tying the setting of a rural Australian town in a drought to every bit of tension and motivation in the story. I wasn’t too invested in the main character or his personality, but I don’t necessarily need to be for a mystery. Two mysteries are happening here, and both kept me engaged, but the reveal for both fell flat for me. I think that’s probably to do with the shifting POVs within chapters, where we get to see exactly went down television-style rather than Falk actually puzzling through it himself, which I feel hurt my connection to the character. Overall an enjoyable read, impressive for a debut (I think this is a debut), and I’d be down to read more books by this author in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Child abuse
kristina_k's review against another edition
5.0
*I won a copy of “The Dry” by Jane Harper in Goodreads' Giveaway and am posting an honest review*
To me, a good mystery is the one that keeps you guessing till the very last. Well, this book delivers and then some! From a non-conventional setting (rural Australia) to thoroughly developed characters, this book is very well written and the story pulls you in from the very first lines.
And did I mention a mystery within a mystery, a mystery from Falk's past? I found it as gripping as the main storyline and the ending as unexpected. Overall, a very enjoyable read.
Looking forward to see what Jane Harper will do for her next Aaron Falk novel.
To me, a good mystery is the one that keeps you guessing till the very last. Well, this book delivers and then some! From a non-conventional setting (rural Australia) to thoroughly developed characters, this book is very well written and the story pulls you in from the very first lines.
And did I mention a mystery within a mystery, a mystery from Falk's past? I found it as gripping as the main storyline and the ending as unexpected. Overall, a very enjoyable read.
Looking forward to see what Jane Harper will do for her next Aaron Falk novel.
sorman0110's review against another edition
3.0
This is a debut by a new author, set in Australia during a horrible drought. The author does suspense and setting very well, as I could feel the heat and despair that she built with her descriptive writing style.
Unfortunately, the reveal of "who done it," was bland and boring. The story completely sucked me in at the beginning and kept me riveted until it was over three-fourths finished!
In my opinion, the ending could have been so much meatier, as well as interesting. After I found out who the killer was and reason behind it, I just felt let down. :( Oh well, I will try her next Aaron Falk mystery, so not all is lost. ;-)
Unfortunately, the reveal of "who done it," was bland and boring. The story completely sucked me in at the beginning and kept me riveted until it was over three-fourths finished!
In my opinion, the ending could have been so much meatier, as well as interesting. After I found out who the killer was and reason behind it, I just felt let down. :( Oh well, I will try her next Aaron Falk mystery, so not all is lost. ;-)
along500's review against another edition
2.0
Ehhhhhh, I'm just not a huge fan of mystery/thriller novels.
They purposely lead you down every path to keep you on your toes and it's just not for me. That's usually where you find the weird holes where things don't add up and those are a deal-breaker for me.
It was kind of fun, but the ending just wasn't as juicy as I'd hoped
They purposely lead you down every path to keep you on your toes and it's just not for me. That's usually where you find the weird holes where things don't add up and those are a deal-breaker for me.
It was kind of fun, but the ending just wasn't as juicy as I'd hoped
afox98's review against another edition
4.0
Set in a small town in Australia during a drought, this book is like a slow burn with some twists at the end. Aaron Falk returns to his hometown after years away for his childhood friend’s funeral. Believed to be a suicide after killing his wife and child, his friend’s death brings up memories and raw feelings from a suspicious death 20 years before. Not particularly fast paced, the story is drawn out to fill out the characters and fill in the gaps from Aaron’s past. Great read.
rachlawley's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ktxx22's review against another edition
5.0
This book is FIRE!! Sooo good there was a lot of back and forth and usually that can be overtly confusing but it was so perfectly executed here that it’s an easy 5/5 ! I really liked the characters in this and how everything unfolds in the end. I was truly surprised. Didn’t see the ending coming until it was right there and I was SHOCKED! Read this book if you need a good thriller!!