"I love Jane Harper's Australia-based mysteries." --Stephen King
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM IFC FILMS STARRING ERIC BANA
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"A breathless page-turner, driven by the many revelations Ms. Harper dreams up...You'll love [her] sleight of hand...A secret on every page." --The New York Times
"One of the most stunning debuts I've ever read... Every word is near perfect." --David Baldacci
A small town hides big secrets in The Dry, an atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper.
After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke's steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn't tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead.
Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there's more to Luke's death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.
Show more"I love Jane Harper's Australia-based mysteries." --Stephen King
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM IFC FILMS STARRING ERIC BANA
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"A breathless page-turner, driven by the many revelations Ms. Harper dreams up...You'll love [her] sleight of hand...A secret on every page." --The New York Times
"One of the most stunning debuts I've ever read... Every word is near perfect." --David Baldacci
A small town hides big secrets in The Dry, an atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper.
After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke's steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn't tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead.
Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there's more to Luke's death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.
Show moreJane Harper has worked as a print journalist for 13 years both in Australia and the UK. She is originally from the UK and moved to Australia in 2008, where she lives in Melbourne and writes for the Herald Sun. The Dry, her debut novel, won the 2015 Victorian Premier Literary Award for an unpublished manuscript.
"Ms. Harper is not one to drop a fact...without using it later. She
has jampacked her swift debut thriller with sneaky moves that the
reader has to track with care... It's hard to believe this is her
first novel... The Dry is a breathless page-turner, driven by the
many revelations Ms. Harper dreams up...."
--The New York Times, Janet Maslin "One of the most stunning debuts
I've ever read. I could feel the searing heat of the Australia
setting. Every word is near perfect. The story builds like a wave
seeking the purchase of earth before it crashes down and wipes out
everything you might have thought about this enthralling tale. Read
it!"
--David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The
Guilty "Leads down a convoluted page-turning trail to an explosive
ending. It will have you wearing out the pages flipping back
looking for the well-disguised clues. You may find this is the best
mystery you have read all year."
--Florida Times-Union "A stunner...It's a small-town, big-secrets
page-turner with a shocker of an ending...Recommend this one to
fans of James Lee Burke and Robert Crais, who mix elements of
"bromance" into their hard-boiled tales."
--Booklist, starred review "Devastating debut...a suspenseful tale
of sound and fury as riveting as it is horrific."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review "A nail-biting thriller...A
chilling story set under a blistering sun, this fine debut will
keep readers on edge and awake long past bedtime."
--Kirkus, starred review "The Dry is one of the most talked-about
debuts of the new year....Harper's story is tightly plotted and
moves briskly, the tension as brittle and incendiary as the
dried-out crops on the Kiewarra farms. But it is the beautifully
evoked landscape and the portrayal of a gloomy outpost on the edge
of a desert that are the stars of the show."
--BookPage
"A thrilling procedural that pays off on every level."
--Shelf Awareness "Harper writes with precision and creates a tense
atmosphere on the brink of combustion."
--Real Simple "With The Dry, Jane Harper immediately takes her
place among the elites in the mystery world. If this book doesn't
garner an Edgar (Best First Novel) or two (Best Novel), there is no
justice. Terrific characters, unique and evocative setting,
knockout plot construction. This book has it all."
--John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of The Fall
"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
"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. It's rare, that sense of transportation, and I
loved every minute of it. Thank you, Jane Harper."
--John Hart, New York Times bestselling author of Redemption Road
"From the first paragraph onward, Jane Harper creates a menacing
landscape out of which long-held secrets emerge. The Dry is a
marvelous novel that once begun is hard to put down, once finished
even harder to forget."
--Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author of Serena "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, New York Times bestselling author of Life or
Death "Elegant...After two decades away, a federal agent returns to
the small farming community he grew up in. The old crime still
looms, but he gets roped into solving a new one. You won't sleep
until he does."
--Redbook "A winner destined for widespread appeal...a beautifully
constructed, chilling page turner that you won't soon forget. It's
a multilayered, stiletto sharp read...that packs a punch as
blistering as the Australian sun it's set under." --Open Letters
Monthly "Fans of Tana French or Laura McHugh won't want to miss
this tense but probing thriller."
--BookPage "Every now and then an Australian crime novel comes
along to stop your breath and haunt your dreams...There is about
The Dry something mythic and valiant. This a story about heroism,
the sins of the past, and the struggle to atone."
--Sydney Morning Herald "Poised to be one of the season's biggest
hits."
--Elle.com, The 25 Most Anticipated Books by Women for 2017 "Told
with heart-breaking precision and emotional power...If you read
only one crime novel this year, make it this one."
--Daily Mail "A razor-sharp crime yarn dripping in the sights,
sounds and smells of the Australian bush...The storytelling is
accomplished, with a bald sparseness to the writing that draws you
in and characterization that rings resoundingly true...as the
action twists and turns, the pace build[s] to a fantastic finale
that will leave you breathless."
--Australian Women's Weekly "A tightly plotted page-turner that
kept me reading well into the night...Harper shines a light on the
highs and lows of rural life - the loyalty born of collective
endurance in adversity, as well as the loneliness and isolation,
and the havoc wrought by small-town gossip. She also explores the
nature of guilt and regret, and the impact of the past on the
present. In this cracker of a book Harper maintains the suspense,
with the momentum picking up as it draws to its nerve-wracking
conclusion."
--Australian Financial Review "The Dry is a page-turner written
with a maturity of style rarely seen in a first-time novelist and
it's here the writer excels. Harper's exploration of the pressures
of a small town where people are not able to escape the past is
thoughtful and mature. Her plot twists and layering are intricate
and subtle and keep you guessing to the end while the townspeople
grow on you despite their dirty secrets."
--The West Australian
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