Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Dry

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Dry by Jane Harper

71 reviews

annie_brewer's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Read via audiobook (Wavesound from W. F. Howes Ltd)

A solid mystery! Really enjoyed the small town atmosphere, very accurate of rural Australia.

I appreciate that the police work was mostly just collecting the information through questioning. The barrier to get people talking was excellently conveyed, but the solving of the case felt achievable once all the information was acquired. This seemed like a very accurate representation of how cases with limited resources could be resolved albeit doesn't provide the reader with an overly satisfying revelation.

I did find that Falk was a very average protagonist. He seemed to not have any motivations, nor large personality flaws, and was overall a bit underwhelming. The secondary characters were also a bit basic, but maybe were written to be reserved to add to the tension within the novel in regards to the drought, financial struggles and the distrust of the protagonist.

This was quite a slow paced read, but the duel timeline mystery of Falk's past was very interesting and kept me hooked.

Excited to read the next installments! Hopefully we learn a bit more about Falk and he becomes more developed.

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jess2obsess's review

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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grebegirl's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Really well written. The little clues are weaved in so seemlessly that although I didn't personally pick the killer it didn't come out of nowhere.

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wandering_canuck's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

5 intense stars!!

I read this in one sitting. I was captivated from the opening sentence to the last word. I picked up this book only because it was a prompt for a reading challenge and I expect it to make my top 10 of 2024.

Exceptional writing. Harper builds a vivid landscape, where the

This is how a mystery-thriller should be written. The story was well fleshed out. Harper avoids the pitfalls of convenience and coincidence to make the story fit the outcome. Two whodunits within one novel, and both told in a way that left you guessing until the end. Though there are no loose ends left to be tied up, I never once felt I was being led by the hand. Her writing kept me engaged and I happily buckled in to ride out the story until the very end.

This book was simply brilliant and would make a great book club read. I'll definitely pick up another of her novels. She has me hooked!

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