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The Dry (Aaron Falk, #1)

Jane Harper

Start date: July 24, 2022

Finish date: September 30, 2022

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Jan 10, 2019 Ashley Glovasky rated it really liked it

In a nutshell: Aaron Falk, a financial investigator, returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of his childhood best friend, Luke, who allegedly killed his wife, son, and then himself. But is it all what it seems?

Recommendation: If you're looking for a good 'whodunnit'? I suggest you read this one. I couldn't stop reading.

I kept seeing the second book in the series for sale and was interested, but I thought I'd better start with the first one. I wasn't sure what to expect, as to me it seeme In a nutshell: Aaron Falk, a financial investigator, returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of his childhood best friend, Luke, who allegedly killed his wife, son, and then himself. But is it all what it seems?

Recommendation: If you're looking for a good 'whodunnit'? I suggest you read this one. I couldn't stop reading.

I kept seeing the second book in the series for sale and was interested, but I thought I'd better start with the first one. I wasn't sure what to expect, as to me it seemed like the Corman Strike series. But it unexpectantly became one of the most enthralling mystery books I've ever read!

“Above the three coffins, a family of four stared down from a blown-up photograph. Their static smiles were overlarge and pixelated. Falk recognised the picture from the news. It had been used a lot. Beneath, the names of the dead were spelled out in native flowers. Luke. Karen. Billy.”

Aaron Falk left Kiewarra as a teenager due to he and his father being accused of being involved in the death of Ellie, one of Aaron's friends. Aaron is called back 20 years later for the funeral of his old best friend, Luke. But this is no ordinary funeral. It is a horrifying tragedy that the small farming town is reeling from. Luke appears to have killed himself after slaughtering his wife and young son. The residents of the town are shocked, but most understand that times have been dire, as they have been suffering from an awful drought that is killing off all their crops. Circumstances lead Aaron to investigate the case further... did his friend commit this heinous crime? While Aaron seeks to uncover the truth, he faces demons from his past as he is accused by the townsfolk again for what happened to Ellie. This thriller set in a small farming town will keep you guessing.

Usually when I start a book, I can kind of predict how I'll feel by the end of it, especially with a mystery/thriller/whodunnit like this. Is it predictable like The Girl on the Train? Or is it TOO far-fetched like The Woman in Cabin 10? I usually don't know until I read the book. With this one, I was impressed by it all!

I was really into the characters. Usually, protagonists in these types of books are questionable. But Aaron was interesting to me and very likable. I wanted to know more about the townspeople. They were all very colourful and I felt like I really was reading about characters in a small town.

When I found out who the murderer was, it wasn't predictable, or too far-fetched, or anything. I genuinely enjoyed it. I plan to read more of the Aaron Falk series, as well as Jane Harper's new book out this year!
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Apr 26, 2017 Miriam Murcutt rated it really liked it

A well-created and unusual setting, with characters who are engagingly burdened by their pasts. The plot is not complex, but jogs along in a credible way. I would rate this novel as good light reading for planes and trains, etc.

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