The Dry

A Novel

By: Jane Harper

Narrated by: Stephen Shanahan

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Instant New York Times best seller.

Winner of the CWA's Gold Dagger Award.

Winner of an AudioFile Eaphones Award

"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 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.

©2016 Jane Harper (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Debut author Jane Harper's fine prose and narrator Steven Shanahan's expert delivery combine for a transcendent Australian noir experience.... Shanahan's accent and speech patterns immerse listeners in the Australian countryside. He also consistently sprinkles in little touches - a stifled yawn, a burp after a swig of beer, a nasally voice for a man with a broken nose - that breathe vivid life into the story and characters." (AudioFile)

Outstanding!

It's been a long time since I have listened to a mystery suspense book that was so well written. Not a wasted word nor a dull sentence. I easily gave this book 5 stars all around.
Nothing sloppy or formulaic about this book. Just one hell of an enjoyable book.

Good story with sloppy audio editing

The Dry is a solid mystery with believable characters, a setting that becomes part of the story, and several surprises that are expertly managed.

The reader does a good job although it took a few minutes for my ear to adjust to his Australian accent.

The audio editing is awful though. There are frequent pauses of two or three seconds where there should be no pause at all. Sometimes the reader announces the book title before the chapter title, and sometimes he doesn't. These are little things, but they're distracting and they happen throughout the book.

I would buy another of her novels

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The narrator did a great job and I was pulled into this book pretty quickly and was interested throughout. I am looking out for the next book available here at Audible from this author.

Excellent!

Best book ever! Great storyline, characters and narration. Couldn’t put it down! Can’t wait to read her next book. 5 stars!!

An intriguing visit to Australia

Great story and character development in an interesting location. I feel like I know the town and the people in it. The ending was surprise that I didn't see coming.

Pretty Darned Good!

Where does The Dry rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Well, it is not War and Peace but it is close to Lee Child.

What did you like best about this story?

This is a mystery set in a grim place in Austrailia. The Dry refers to a severe drought which has affected the town and its residents. Tempers were short and when a grizzly murder/suicide (or maybe not) brings a federal agent to town for a funeral, the fireworks begin.

There were very few characters which made listening easy. The author was clever mixing the past and present and I would definitely like to listen to another of her books.

What about Steven Shanahan’s performance did you like?

Very nice, indeed.

Any additional comments?

If you like mysteries, you'll probably fine this a "good listen."

Really good book

I really liked the characters in the story. The two mysteries kept me guessing on who did what. It gets confusing on the flashbacks, it was hard to tell when the story was current or looking back in time. The reader took a couple of chapters to get used to with his accent. Also, you could hear the reader swallow and pause a few times, but overall the reader did a really good job. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

First-rate in every way

Not just a mystery but a novel with well-drawn characters, a believable but hard-to-guess mystery at the center, and a drought-stricken Australia that is as central to the story as another character. I'm anxious to read Ms. Harper's next book.
PS Stephen Shanahan is a brilliant narrator/actor. I will be looking for his future work, also!

Excellent!

Loved this book. Great story, narration, writing. Never had to roll my eyes or sigh deeply because of predictability. Really good.

Complicated but worth it

An intriguing plot. Lots of back and forth from past to present. Once you catch the rhythm (I find listening more challenging than reading sometimes!), it'll hook you.