The Dry

'Spellbinding' Ian Rankin 'A riveting murder mystery and a beautifully wrought picture of a rural community under extreme pressure' Mail on Sunday Thriller of the Week 'P acked with sneaky moves and teasing possibilities that keep the reader guessing... The Dry is a breathless page-turner' Janet Maslin, New York Times WHO REALLY KILLED THE HADLER FAMILY? I just can't understand how someone like him could do something like that. Amid the worst drought to ravage Australia in a century, it hasn't rained in small country town Kiewarra for two years. Tensions in the community become unbearable when three members of the Hadler family are brutally murdered. Everyone thinks Luke Hadler, who committed suicide after slaughtering his wife and six-year-old son, is guilty. Policeman Aaron Falk returns to the town of his youth for the funeral of his childhood best friend, and is unwillingly drawn into the investigation. As questions mount and suspicion spreads through the town, Falk is forced to confront the community that rejected him twenty years earlier. Because Falk and Luke Hadler shared a secret, one which Luke's death threatens to unearth. And as Falk probes deeper into the killings, secrets from his past and why he left home bubble to the surface as he questions the truth of his friend's crime. Praise for The Dry 'Riveting' Mail on Sunday 'Stunningly atmospheric' Val McDermid A WINNER OF THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS CRIME THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR A CWA GOLD DAGGER AWARD WINNER An Amazon.com #1 Pick for Best Mystery & Thriller

'Spellbinding' Ian Rankin 'A riveting murder mystery and a beautifully wrought picture of a rural community under extreme pressure' Mail on Sunday Thriller of the Week 'P acked with sneaky moves and teasing possibilities that keep the reader guessing... The Dry is a breathless page-turner' Janet Maslin, New York Times WHO REALLY KILLED THE HADLER FAMILY? I just can't understand how someone like him could do something like that. Amid the worst drought to ravage Australia in a century, it hasn't rained in small country town Kiewarra for two years. Tensions in the community become unbearable when three members of the Hadler family are brutally murdered. Everyone thinks Luke Hadler, who committed suicide after slaughtering his wife and six-year-old son, is guilty. Policeman Aaron Falk returns to the town of his youth for the funeral of his childhood best friend, and is unwillingly drawn into the investigation. As questions mount and suspicion spreads through the town, Falk is forced to confront the community that rejected him twenty years earlier. Because Falk and Luke Hadler shared a secret, one which Luke's death threatens to unearth. And as Falk probes deeper into the killings, secrets from his past and why he left home bubble to the surface as he questions the truth of his friend's crime. Praise for The Dry 'Riveting' Mail on Sunday 'Stunningly atmospheric' Val McDermid A WINNER OF THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS CRIME THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR A CWA GOLD DAGGER AWARD WINNER An Amazon.com #1 Pick for Best Mystery & Thriller

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "A breathless page-turner, driven by the many revelations Ms. Harper dreams up...You'll love her] sleight of hand...A secret on every page." --The New York Times "One of the most stunning debuts I've ever read... Every word is near perfect. " --David Baldacci A small town hides big secrets in The Dry , an atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper. After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke's steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn't tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead. Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there's more to Luke's death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "A breathless page-turner, driven by the many revelations Ms. Harper dreams up...You'll love her] sleight of hand...A secret on every page." --The New York Times "One of the most stunning debuts I've ever read... Every word is near perfect. " --David Baldacci A small town hides big secrets in The Dry , an atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper. After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke's steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn't tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead. Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there's more to Luke's death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.