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Will be released next week on January 10th!
Synopsis first, then my review:
“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.
My Review:
I really enjoyed The Dry. This one is a slow burn that takes place in a town where there is no water to put out the fire. The characters in The Dry are all well written and most are three dimensional. You can really see the small town dynamic playing out and the history that is created between friends beginning at a young age. The secrets that they keep for and from each other have stayed with them throughout their teenage years and resurface when Aaron Falk returns for the funeral of his one time best mate Luke and his family. They were all killed by Luke in a murder suicide and everyone assumes it is because he finally had it with the massive drought causing financial problems for his farm and family. But Aaron along with Luke’s parents really believe that this isn’t the case. They believe that Luke and his family were murdered. But why would someone kill this seemingly wonderful couple and their beautiful young son? Aaron wanted to come in to town for the funeral and leave right away because of his past there. He was always looked at as a suspect in the death of his good friend Ellie when he was a teenager. His Dad moved them far away from where they grew up because of the harassment they endured at the hands of the townsfolk and especially from Ellie’s father and cousin. Now that Aaron has returned and is staying a bit longer in order to investigate his friends death, he needs to watch his back. He is met with the same harassment he faced as a teenager only this time, it seems deadly. Did Luke’s death have anything to do with the sudden death of their friend Ellie all those years back? Was Luke involved in something he could no longer run from? Or was he just a man at the end of his rope looking for an easy yet horrible way out?
I really enjoyed this book. It was a good mystery and it kept me guessing the whole way through. I enjoyed being led down different paths and meeting different characters who may or may have been involved. This book was really great at marrying the past mystery of Ellie’s death with the current deaths of Luke and his family. This was a very good read and I highly recommend it!
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