Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This debut effort by Jane Harper has been lauded as nearly perfect. And critics are nearly correct. The novel is as close to perfect as one can get in terms of plotting, character, and setting. Truly, it is a wonder to read (and I DO recommend you read it!). So why 4 stars instead of 5? I'll get to that in a moment. The story is set in a small rural town in Australia (wonderfully described....feels like you are there), Federal Agent Falk returns from his job in Melbourne to his hometown for the funeral of his childhood best friend, now dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after killing his wife and young child (leaving their infant alive, though). Small towns usually contain small minds and judgement has been passed. It's not comfortable. So it's with considerable trepidation that Falk agrees to a request from the deceased's parents to look a little closer into the deaths. This present-day mystery is cleverly woven with the last questionable death that occurred in the community decades earlier, one that Falk was suspected of contributing to. As you may have seen from my status updates, I did NOT guess the culprit until revelation was imminent in the story. And that is a very good thing (who likes a mystery where you've known whodunit for hundreds of pages before it's revealed?). Just about everything about this novel was a very good thing. Which brings us back to my 4 stars rather than 5. I deducted one star simply because in 3 or 4 months, I probably won't remember the plot or characters. Some books - even if they aren't technically perfect - just have soul. They resonate with you. You remember them years after you turned the last page and still grab them for re-reads. The Dry just wasn't one of those books. I still recommend it (highly) because of the enjoyable experience of the actual read. And you might experience more "soul" in it than I did.