The Dry by Jane Harper

In a small, drought-scourged Australian town,( with a distinct wild-west feel), three members of the Hadler family are found slaughtered. Who killed the Hadlers?

Jane Harper’s clever trail of clues and red herrings had me suspecting everyone in the town. Yes, I spotted the killer fairly early on - but equally I spotted several others with just as convincing opportunity and motive – I could have virtually built a water-tight case against Mal Deacon’s dog! At one stage, I suspected the hero, until I realised the book was called Aaron Falk #1- which suggested that he was, in fact, innocent.

Harper is one those wonderful writers who draws you into the story without you noticing the writer’s hand. The story speeds along with liberal use of cliff-hangers – one day, I was so absorbed that I almost missed my train stop.

Whereas the story is mainly told from Falk’s viewpoint, it is interspersed with flashbacks, many of which did not involve him. This enabled us to experience things he could not know, but it did feel a bit like cheating. As the story ended I was unsure how much of the truth would come to light and whether the villain would get their comeuppance.