Jane Harper | THE DRY

I want to preface this review with the fact that I have had THE DRY by Jane Harper on my TBR shelf since the day it came out...and am I ever kicking myself for waiting this long. Flatiron is top-notch when it comes to thrillers, so I should have never waited...and I never will again when it comes to Jane Harper or Flatiron.

Plot (via GoodReads):

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.

Review:

This is a tour de force novel that is not only thrilling, atmospherically chilling, poignant, but it is also the king of novel that will stick with you long after you complete it. The plot to this one is not only tightly woven, but blends together so much amazing characterization with a cold case and a current investigation. What I loved about this was getting a look into characters present day and twenty years ago as the death of our protagonists childhood best friend is picked apart and may or may not be connected with the death of our main characters girlfriend from high school. There is so much packed into this 300 page novel that there is no room for filler, no word to not be devoured, and no character not to love or hate. It's as simple as that.

The characters in this novel are not only superbly written, but each one shines in  their scenes whether they are lovable, villainous, or a cold blooded killer. It doesn't matter, they are all fantastically complex and easy to adapt to the minute they are introduced. Coming from a small town myself, I love that this novel also features the small town as almost a characters in itself. The town is written in a beautifully atmospheric way that makes you feel the heat breathing down your neck, feel the dry grass crunching under your feet, and feel the stars shine down on you as the readers is taken into a beautifully crafted novel that features two mysteries. This novel is part police procedure, part thriller, part mystery, and wholly the type of novel that will keep you up too late and be devastating to close unless finished. 

The ending to this one was not only exciting, action packed, and chilling, but it came out of nowhere as I quickly was mentally putting the pieces together wright along with Federal Agent Aaron Falk. Like a movie, the finale to this one was not only bittersweet, but wrapped up everything exceptionally well. I am excited to venture on to my next Jane Harper novel and get to know Aaron Falk even more than I do now. 

Rating: 4.5/5