The Dry by Jane Harper (thoughts)

Summary from 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."

My Thoughts:

The Dry was one of those highly anticipated books that I just was waiting to read but then put off reading due to all of the hype.  I really hate when I let that happen because I feel like this was such a great read and one that I should have read sooner.  It was definitely worth the wait though and such an atmospheric read.  I found myself just immersed within the pages almost instantly.  The author was able to just bring the drought this small town was living through to life in such a way that it almost felt like a character itself.  The devastation that the drought had caused and how it had created this underlying tension amongst everyone living in the town just felt so real and awful at the same time.  It was almost like you couldn't fully blame people for their actions but instead it was all blamed instead on the drought.  I really just could not get enough of this book and the mystery that lay within.  I liked that Falk wasn't your typical detective hero.  In actuality he had secrets himself from long ago when he lived there, and it was possible that those secrets had been behind the death of his friend.  There were just so many questions and it kept me reading unable to put the book down.  The mystery itself was well done and wasn't something that I saw coming.  I was flying through the pages by the end just so I could see how it was all going to end.  

This is one of those books that I can easily recommend as I just enjoyed it so much!  It was a memorable read and left me really excited to read more by this author.  The one good thing about waiting so long to read this book is that I already have the second book just waiting to be read.  I'm pumped to pick that one up after loving this book so much!  It was a really good read and I just feel like the author brought the book to life for me.  I can't say enough good things so I will probably just leave you with this:  read it!!  Highly recommended to both fans of mysteries and thrillers.

Bottom Line:  An atmospheric mystery that I just couldn't get enough of!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.  Thoughts are my own!