Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Dry by Jane Harper

49 reviews

summerlouisereads's review

dark mysterious medium-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? Yes

3.5

I agree with most reviews because everyone’s reviews are near enough the same. It is slow paced somewhere, it can feel to go on and on: but the short chapters make it readable and it is a great read. It took me a long time to read as it wasn’t captivating enough for me, but still mysterious enough for me to not put the book down and give up. 
It is a great book though. 
I only wish that Gretchen and him got together and that the ending was more dramatic: the reveal of the murderer was slipped into the story so easily I was kinda shocked it wasn’t built up more. And when we found out how Ellie died, I wanted her father to go down for that murder and it was like he got away with it and everything he did to Falk after. 
Nice read though, good story line, just too long and too stretched out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Death

wandering_canuck's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Murder, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Physical abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Bullying, Gun violence, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, Suicide, Death of parent, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship

belindas_book_nook_shelf's review

dark tense slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Incest

emfield's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, Violence, Alcoholism, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Dementia, Child abuse, and Excrement

Minor: Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, and Animal death

hannahleewhite's review

fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Child death

Moderate: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, and Suicidal thoughts

xiekaili's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Gun violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Vomit

kirnet's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This book is well written, and the author did a good job of really tying the setting of a rural Australian town in a drought to every bit of tension and motivation in the story. I wasn’t too invested in the main character or his personality, but I don’t necessarily need to be for a mystery. Two mysteries are happening here, and both kept me engaged, but the reveal for both fell flat for me. I think that’s probably to do with the shifting POVs within chapters, where we get to see exactly went down television-style rather than Falk actually puzzling through it himself, which I feel hurt my connection to the character. Overall an enjoyable read, impressive for a debut (I think this is a debut), and I’d be down to read more books by this author in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Child abuse

racheldallaire's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I loved it. Sometimes time-hopping is irritating to me, but Harper did a great job of making it work very well and in a way that moved the plot along perfectly. It kept me guessing and the ending was satisfying. The characters were well developed and I'll keep reading the series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

bek_p87's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This was excellent. The landscape was tangible, the tension gripping, the people real. The horrors numerous and grounded in real life. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse

msagerber's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Death

Moderate: Dementia, Animal death, Sexual assault, and Incest