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alwayslivedinthecastle's review against another edition
1.0
Skimmed the last quarter after I guessed whodunnit. Dull, dull, dull.
spiderhands's review against another edition
4.0
The setting is what sold me on this. I liked the story and the intrigue and the characters well enough, and it was a page-turner true to form - but the setting was awesome. The writing was able to evoke the blistering heat of the drought and the parched landscape, and the tensions rising in the small-town community as a result of it were so believable. And the climax was just--such a horrifying concept, and so well executed.
I liked this a lot. I don't know that I'll necessarily read the rest of the series, but this was a solid thriller.
I liked this a lot. I don't know that I'll necessarily read the rest of the series, but this was a solid thriller.
habbisham's review against another edition
4.0
More reviews at Abmost Fiction
In my opinion a good thriller should be able to engage the reader with an exciting plot, contain strong characters, be well-paced, and have a nice balance between the red herrings and the real details (which should be slipped in without much notice).
Harper manages all of that and a bit more in her excellent and solid debut novel. She breathed life into this rural town that was suffocating due to one of its worst droughts in years. Through her descriptions I could feel the rising heat, as well as sense the escalating tempers of the characters within.
This was a page-turner with the reader slowly getting sucked into the mystery along with the protagonist, Aaron Falk, and there were plenty of twists and turns to keep the interest level high. I also really enjoyed how the flashbacks were handled; they were simply written (with italics to indicate the time change) and spliced through the main plot, giving them a cinematic feel.
The plot structure reminded me of Tana French's In the Woods - a policeman returns to their hometown to investigate a murder and gets sucked back into a past tragedy - and arguably many thrillers follow similar steps. This isn't to say that The Dry feels stale, the settings and characters make the story feel different, even if some aspects feel familiar.
There is a good pool of whodunit contenders that should keep the majority of the amateur sleuths guessing along with plenty of plot threads to be picked up and followed, all potentially being the reason behind the family's massacre.
There was one thing that was missing for me; whereas French and other authors can often have a nasty, bitter streak to their writing, this is something I don't think Harper quite captures.
Harper presents a more shallow look at her protagonist's experiences and his psyche overall, but then again he doesn't suffer anything near what we can only guess at in regards to the protagonist in French's novel.
So if you long for an unravelling character who is struggling with their own nightmares then French will tick your box. But if you prefer your thrillers with all plot threads tied in a neat bow by the end then Harper will be more to your taste
TD;DR - Harper's The Dry is a strong debut with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged while also breathing life into the rural town with its rising temperatures and rising tempers. It packs a punch with it's nicely tight plotting, but for some it may lack that extra bite.
4****(out of 5*****)
In my opinion a good thriller should be able to engage the reader with an exciting plot, contain strong characters, be well-paced, and have a nice balance between the red herrings and the real details (which should be slipped in without much notice).
Harper manages all of that and a bit more in her excellent and solid debut novel. She breathed life into this rural town that was suffocating due to one of its worst droughts in years. Through her descriptions I could feel the rising heat, as well as sense the escalating tempers of the characters within.
This was a page-turner with the reader slowly getting sucked into the mystery along with the protagonist, Aaron Falk, and there were plenty of twists and turns to keep the interest level high. I also really enjoyed how the flashbacks were handled; they were simply written (with italics to indicate the time change) and spliced through the main plot, giving them a cinematic feel.
The plot structure reminded me of Tana French's In the Woods - a policeman returns to their hometown to investigate a murder and gets sucked back into a past tragedy - and arguably many thrillers follow similar steps. This isn't to say that The Dry feels stale, the settings and characters make the story feel different, even if some aspects feel familiar.
There is a good pool of whodunit contenders that should keep the majority of the amateur sleuths guessing along with plenty of plot threads to be picked up and followed, all potentially being the reason behind the family's massacre.
There was one thing that was missing for me; whereas French and other authors can often have a nasty, bitter streak to their writing, this is something I don't think Harper quite captures.
Harper presents a more shallow look at her protagonist's experiences and his psyche overall, but then again he doesn't suffer anything near what we can only guess at in regards to the protagonist in French's novel.
So if you long for an unravelling character who is struggling with their own nightmares then French will tick your box. But if you prefer your thrillers with all plot threads tied in a neat bow by the end then Harper will be more to your taste
TD;DR - Harper's The Dry is a strong debut with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged while also breathing life into the rural town with its rising temperatures and rising tempers. It packs a punch with it's nicely tight plotting, but for some it may lack that extra bite.
4****(out of 5*****)
candacesovan's review against another edition
3.0
Not a bad debut novel. The pacing was slow, which gave the author time to fill out her characters and setting. The drought-ridden area of Australia in which the book is set should count as a character, a particularly brutal one. The story drew me in and kept me involved. I did find some of the person-switches (e.g., the hero picks up a journal written by another character, and instead of reading the first-person account from the journal, we hear a third-person account of what is in it, and then, more confusingly, a third-person account of events the journal's author could never have known or related). Still, not a bad debut.
kellwarner's review against another edition
4.0
It's darker and more bloody than my typical mysteries, but it's very well written with a great sense of place and a very believable plot.
lynnefleming's review against another edition
5.0
It isn’t often that I read a mystery that keeps me guessing until the very end. The Dry by Jane Harper accomplish that. This well written, tightly drawn suspense debut was everything it was cracked up to be. Succinct, believable, and with well developed characters, I highly recommend this gem to all fellow fans of the genre.
galvineyezing's review against another edition
3.0
It took me a few tries to get into this one, but I'm glad I finally did!
fountain_of_book's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
mainhoonemily's review against another edition
3.0
Spoilers for the cold case talked about throughout the book:
As readers we don't see what Ellie wrote, as her story is told in a flashback that fills in details her diary couldn't possibly have included - such as who killed her and why. And unless she wrote down every single thought she has during the flashback, Aaron is still missing almost all the information he would need to be able to feel that the past can be laid to rest. Someone who is running away for her life is not likely to keep a detailed diary of exactly how her father abused her, or what plans she was making for her escape, or why she wrote Aaron's name and the date she was planning to leave and stuck it in her pocket*.
And even if she did detail all of the abuse in her diary, it can't tell Aaron anything about who killed her. Maybe it would make him suspect that killing her was the logical next step when Mal realized she was running away, but the whole thing was a rage-fuelled spur of the moment attack, not something premeditated that Ellie was afraid of and would have spelled out in her journal.
So maybe he walks away believing her death was suicide after all, due to the horrific abuse she was receiving at the hands of her father, but then as the reader I'm left frustrated and unsatisfied because I have more information than he does.
Also it didn't make sense that the entire town would turn against a 16 year old boy - someone they'd all known and liked and known to be Ellie's friend - when Ellie died, when her own father was right there, known to be a violent drunken asshole who'd run off his wife with his abusive ways. Surely it would've been Mal and Grant who were looked at with suspicion, not Aaron?
I liked the main mystery but I wish this part would've been handled differently. Maybe have Ellie's diary come to light sooner, and allow Aaron to read it and piece together what must have happened, and confront Mal about it and find out the truth.
*The note bothered me too because there was no reason to write it. Ellie knew her plans, she had no reason to think she would forget about them, and every reason to not want her father or cousin to find out about them. Why would she write them down? I fully expected to learn that Mal or Grant had written the note in an attempt to deflect suspicion from themselves.
Spoiler
At the end, Aaron finds Ellie's diary, hidden for 20 years. He reads it and walks away seemingly feeling that he now understands what happened. But...how can he?As readers we don't see what Ellie wrote, as her story is told in a flashback that fills in details her diary couldn't possibly have included - such as who killed her and why. And unless she wrote down every single thought she has during the flashback, Aaron is still missing almost all the information he would need to be able to feel that the past can be laid to rest. Someone who is running away for her life is not likely to keep a detailed diary of exactly how her father abused her, or what plans she was making for her escape, or why she wrote Aaron's name and the date she was planning to leave and stuck it in her pocket*.
And even if she did detail all of the abuse in her diary, it can't tell Aaron anything about who killed her. Maybe it would make him suspect that killing her was the logical next step when Mal realized she was running away, but the whole thing was a rage-fuelled spur of the moment attack, not something premeditated that Ellie was afraid of and would have spelled out in her journal.
So maybe he walks away believing her death was suicide after all, due to the horrific abuse she was receiving at the hands of her father, but then as the reader I'm left frustrated and unsatisfied because I have more information than he does.
Also it didn't make sense that the entire town would turn against a 16 year old boy - someone they'd all known and liked and known to be Ellie's friend - when Ellie died, when her own father was right there, known to be a violent drunken asshole who'd run off his wife with his abusive ways. Surely it would've been Mal and Grant who were looked at with suspicion, not Aaron?
I liked the main mystery but I wish this part would've been handled differently. Maybe have Ellie's diary come to light sooner, and allow Aaron to read it and piece together what must have happened, and confront Mal about it and find out the truth.
*The note bothered me too because there was no reason to write it. Ellie knew her plans, she had no reason to think she would forget about them, and every reason to not want her father or cousin to find out about them. Why would she write them down? I fully expected to learn that Mal or Grant had written the note in an attempt to deflect suspicion from themselves.
jillybebe's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best and most well-constructed mysteries I’ve read in years. What a delicious book!