I had some problems with the only other book I’ve read by Jane Harper, but I thought I’d try The Dry, her first and most acclaimed novel.
Aaron Falk, an Australian Federal agent, has returned to his home town for the first time in 30 years. Even though he is returning for the funeral of Luke Hadler, his childhood best friend, he probably would not have come if he hadn’t been urgently summoned by Luke’s father, Gerry.
Falk’s return is not warmly welcomed. When he was 16, one of his close friends, Ellie Deacon, was found drowned, with foul play suspected. A piece of paper with his last name on it was found in her room, and both he and his father were harassed until they left town.
The finding in the current crime is that Luke shot his son and wife and then himself over despair at the impending failure of his farm. The drought has gone on so long that many farmers have failed and along with them, most of the local businesses. The town is a shadow of its former self.
Gerry doesn’t believe his son shot his family. He wants Falk to stay a few days and investigate. Falk reluctantly agrees.
When he begins investigating, he finds that the local cop, Sergeant Raco, thinks some things were missed in the original investigation, which, since he was new in town, was conducted by the police from the nearest large town. Falk and he begin working together despite the local hostility toward Falk.
While he is at it, Falk also tries to find out what might have happened to Ellie. Are the two events related?
This novel was nicely plotted, with believable characters. The setting was so effectively described that at times I felt I could feel the heat and the town under pressure from the environment, old hostilities, and an unthinkable crime.
whatmeread 
This was the second of Harper’s books I read. The first one was Force of Nature, which was even better I think. The Survivors was not so good, but good enough. I have not read Exiles and The Lost Man.
I guess I’ll try Force of Nature next. The only one I read before was The Survivors, which had a lot of holes in it.
I’ve enjoyed most of her books to a variable extent, but this one still remains my favourite. I thought she created the setting brilliantly.
Yes, she did. This is only the second of her books I have read.