Revisited: The Dry by Jane Harper

The weather has been so scorching recently, I felt compelled to reread this. I’m not a huge reader of crime fiction, but I couldn’t resist The Dry. It had such a strong sense of place. You can just feel yourself in the middle of drought-hit Australia. Our flawed off-duty detective Aaron Falk is convincing as local anti-hero returned, wrestling with demons from his past, which are well hidden. Falk is asked by the father of his childhood friend Luke Hadler, to return to Kiewarra, after Luke has tragically killed himself, his wife and children. The father refuses to accept it. This journey back into small-town Australia is the last thing Falk wants, he has uncomfortable history there (which we are desperate to unravel) but it seems he owes Luke’s dad Gerry in some way that can’t be denied. Wonderfully evocative, and a refreshing change of location, Jane Harper manages to draw out the mystery with deftness. Excellent read.