The Dry: A Novel

"I love Jane Harper's Australia-based mysteries." —Stephen King
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“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.

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Published Jan 2, 2018

352 pages

Average rating: 7.51

215 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

K Olson
Jan 14, 2025
10/10 stars
This is my kind of mystery! Well drawn characters and lots of possible outcomes for both mysteries. The dual timeline worked really well in this novel and kept the plot interesting. I particularly enjoyed the feel of the Australian outback in the midst of a drought.
abookwanderer
Oct 09, 2025
10/10 stars
Five glowing stars! The Dry had me hooked from the first line. I'm not a huge mystery fan, but I loved the writing style, characters, and setting of this addictive read. I will definitely be picking up the next one in the series.

#popsugarreadingchallenge2019 (advanced prompt #41)
Mrshrl
Aug 04, 2025
7/10 stars
This was very well written and I appreciated the lack of jumping time lines which is an overdone style. There was some but for the most part you're in the present solving the crime. I enjoyed it a lot but the ending was a little lackluster for me.
Harrietaspy
May 04, 2025
6/10 stars
I really liked the mystery for the first half or so of the book but then INB trying to drag out the suspense it became more clear where it was going. The attempts to throw you off the track were a lot contrived too. But I did like the plot and characters and probably will give her next book a chance.
Camzozo
Oct 30, 2024
7/10 stars
Pretty good. Enjoyed the Australian accent!

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