The Dry is Jane Harper’s internationally acclaimed debut crime novel, set against the harsh, drought-stricken landscape of rural Australia. The story follows Federal Agent Aaron Falk, who returns to his childhood hometown of Kiewarra for the funeral of his former friend, Luke Hadler, accused of killing his wife and son before taking his own life.
 
As Falk assists local police in re-examining the case, long-buried secrets resurface — including unresolved accusations surrounding the death of a teenage girl decades earlier. The oppressive heat, social isolation, and simmering tensions of the small community create a gripping atmosphere where truth is distorted by loyalty, fear, and memory.
 
Praised for its spare prose, psychological depth, and slow-burn suspense, The Dry blends classic rural noir with contemporary crime fiction.
 
The novel was a New York Times Bestseller, named among the New York Times Critics’ Top Books of the Year and NPR’s Best Books of the Year, and later adapted into a feature film starring Eric Bana.
 
The First Flatiron Books Paperback Edition (2018) represents an early U.S. issue of Jane Harper’s landmark debut.