The Dry, by Jane Harper
17/60 | Started 03.27.23 • Finished 04.05.23 | 3.5 stars
Aaron Falk is a federal agent from Melbourne, Australia. His ghosts return to haunt him in this mystery thriller from Jane Harper. Upon hearing of the murder of his friend Luke, Falk makes the journey back to his hometown of Kiewarra in searing drought conditions. Little does he know he'll be solving two mysteries in his short revisit, and encounter much persecution along the way.
The novel was entertaining and compelling enough, and I didn't see the end from the beginning, so that goes in its favor. However I can't stand it when it's a flashback that reveals the guilty party, as opposed to the detective type character figuring it out in real time, if that makes sense. Once Falk realized what was going on, the narrative cut to a flashback instead of having Falk talk it through in his own mind, or with another character like Raco. That, accompanied with just your normal run-of-the-mill writing, earned this one 3.5 stars.