Somewhere in the inky garden the nocturnal insects rattled like white noise. [p. 25]
Aaron Falk, a Federal Police agent, returns to his hometown Kiewarra for the funeral of his childhood best friend. Luke Hadler is alleged to have killed his wife and child before turning the gun on himself: times are hard in Kiewarra, which is suffering from prolonged drought -- exarcerbating the petty feuds and long-standing grudges of small-town life. But Falk isn't convinced by the story of Luke's death. And he's not welcomed with open arms by all the townsfolk. Twenty years ago, their friend Ellie was drowned in the river -- now a mere trickle -- and Falk was blamed for her death. He and Luke provided one another's alibis, but they lied. Falk and his father (his mother's dead) were effectively run out of town by the dead girl's father, who isn't best pleased to see Falk again.
This is a well-plotted murder mystery, with two layers: what happened to Luke and his wife Karen in the last few months of their lives, and what happened to Ellie all those years ago. The characters are strong, the claustrophobic small town atmosphere and the weight of the drought are palpable, the Australian outback -- not a landscape I've ever experienced -- is vividly described, and Harper's prose is sometimes dazzling. I wasn't eager to read another novel about murder, sexual abuse and deceit, but The Dry did engage me from beginning to end.
For Shop Your Shelves Bingo, Summer 2023: purchased 21 MAY 2018, prompt 'heat wave'.
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