The Dry

Reviews

"Debut author Jane Harper's fine prose and narrator Steven Shanahan's expert delivery combine for a transcendent Australian noir experience."
-AudioFile Magazine

"The setting is so extraordinarily vivid that the overwhelming heat and dusty dryness are almost palpable. This, along with the skillful turns of the plot, make the novel outstanding... the choice of a distinctly Australian reader to tell the story adds to its reality. His semi-voiced, crisp. deliberate speech reflects the mood and authenticity of this audio experience." -SoundCommentary.com

"...narrator Stephan Shanahan’s Australian accent is making me consider jumping ship to audio for the rest of the books!" -BookRiot

“Harper’s devastating debut…spins a suspenseful tale of sound and fury as riveting as it is horrific.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred and boxed review

"One of the most stunning debuts I've ever read. I could feel the searing heat of the Australia setting. Every word is near perfect. The story builds like a wave seeking the purchase of earth before it crashes down and wipes out everything you might have thought about this enthralling tale. Read it!"
—David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Guilty

“A stunner…It’s a small-town, big-secrets page-turner with a shocker of an ending…Recommend this one to fans of James Lee Burke and Robert Crais, who mix elements of “bromance” into their hard-boiled tales.”
—Booklist, starred review

"With The Dry, Jane Harper immediately takes her place among the elites in the mystery world. If this book doesn't garner an Edgar (Best First Novel) or two (Best Novel), there is no justice. Terrific characters, unique and evocative setting, knockout plot construction. This book has it all."
—John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of The Fall

"It’s extremely rare and exciting to read a debut that enthralls from the very first page and then absolutely sticks the landing. Told with heart and guts and an authentic sense of place that simply cannot be faked, The Dry is the debut of the year.”
—C.J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Off The Grid

"Every so often a debut novel arrives that is so tightly woven and compelling it seems the work of a novelist in her prime. That's what Jane Harper has given us with The Dry, a story so true to setting and tone it seemed I fell asleep in Virginia only to wake in Australian heat. It's rare, that sense of transportation, and I loved every minute of it. Thank you, Jane Harper."
—John Hart, New York Times bestselling author of Redemption Road

“From the first paragraph onward, Jane Harper creates a menacing landscape out of which long-held secrets emerge.The Dry is a marvelous novel that once begun is hard to put down, once finished even harder to forget.”
—Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author of Serena

“You will feel the heat, taste the dust and blink into the glare. The Dry is a wonderful crime novel that shines a light into the darkest corner of a sunburnt country.”
—Michael Robotham, New York Times bestselling author of Life or Death

“Every now and then an Australian crime novel comes along to stop your breath and haunt your dreams…There is about The Dry something mythic and valiant. This a story about heroism, the sins of the past, and the struggle to atone.”
—Sydney Morning Herald

“A razor-sharp crime yarn dripping in the sights, sounds and smells of the Australian bush…The storytelling is accomplished, with a bald sparseness to the writing that draws you in and characterization that rings resoundingly true…as the action twists and turns, the pace build[s] to a fantastic finale that will leave you breathless.”
—Australian Women’s Weekly

“A tightly plotted page-turner that kept me reading well into the night…Harper shines a light on the highs and lows of rural life – the loyalty born of collective endurance in adversity, as well as the loneliness and isolation, and the havoc wrought by small-town gossip. She also explores the nature of guilt and regret, and the impact of the past on the present. In this cracker of a book Harper maintains the suspense, with the momentum picking up as it draws to its nerve-wracking conclusion.”
—Australian Financial Review

“The Dry is a page-turner written with a maturity of style rarely seen in a first-time novelist and it’s here the writer excels. Harper’s exploration of the pressures of a small town where people are not able to escape the past is thoughtful and mature. Her plot twists and layering are intricate and subtle and keep you guessing to the end while the townspeople grow on you despite their dirty secrets.”
—The West Australian