The Dry

Prologue-Chapter 8

Reading Check

1. Falk drove to Kiewarra to attend a funeral for his friend Luke; he was also motivated by a cryptic message from Luke’s father. (Chapter 1)

2. Falk has been accused of murdering a local girl, his friend Ellie. (Chapter 2)

3. Barb believes Luke is innocent, and Gerry believes he might have killed Ellie. They want Falk to investigate. (Chapter 3)

4. The bullets used to kill the Hadler family were not the same as the ones stored in the house. (Chapter 4)

5. Charlotte, the infant (Chapter 5)

Short Answer

1. It may indicate that Luke had homicidal tendencies, because Falk suspects he may have harmed an animal. (Chapter 3)

2. Luke harmed an animal, his truck is seen driving up to the house on the day of the crime, he was financially burdened, the drought had taken a toll on him, and it is suspected he may have murdered Ellie as well. (Various chapters)

Chapters 9-15

Reading Check

1. He says he was with his grandmother, but his grandmother is surprised by that. (Chapter 10)

2. Dilapidated and impoverished (Chapter 11)

3. Her debt (Chapter 11)

4. His old lighter (Chapter 12)

5. A kiss (Chapter 14)

Short Answer

1. People think Luke killed his family because he was having financial issues, but Falk decides his financial issues weren’t enough to warrant murdering his entire family. (Chapter 10)

2. She has previously had pranks pulled on her because Falk and his father used to live there. (Chapter 15)

Chapters 16-21

Reading Check

1. He says they die. (Chapter 17)

2. He was riding his bike alone away from the river, soaking wet and with a white vehicle following him. (Chapter 18)

3. Grant and Deacon (Chapter 18)

4. They fear their children are in danger. (Chapter 19)

5. A flier with Falk’s face and a phone number to contact with any information about Ellie’s death. (Chapter 21)

Short Answer

1. Luke pretended he had fallen off a cliff, even to the point of not answering when his friends called for him. Luke was selfish in his friendships and cared only about his own feelings and fun. (Chapter 16)

2. She had previously confessed to Mr. Whitlam that they were in financial distress, and one would think she would have wanted her son to stay all night at the Whitlams’ house if she suspected her husband might be a threat. (Various chapters)

Chapters 22-27

Reading Check

1. It has Grant’s name and Falk’s phone number on it. (Chapter 22)

2. They thought she might have been crying. (Chapter 24)

3. Grant accuses Jamie of killing the Hadlers. (Chapter 26)

4. He is inadvertently involved in the fight because he was sitting nearby. (Chapter 26)

5. Dr. Leigh indicates that Deacon has severe memory trouble because of his dementia. (Chapter 27)

Short Answer

1. Falk probably suspects that Luke is reminded of Ellie when hearing about the case. (Chapter 22)

2. Falk wishes his father had stayed instead of running from the small-town bullies, which Falk felt made him look guilty. (Various chapters)

Chapters 28-34

Reading Check

1. It has moved to extreme. (Chapter 28)

2. Deacon says Erik asked him to ease up on Deacon’s threats until the police had fully investigated. Deacon indicates that this meant Erik thought Aaron was guilty. (Chapter 28)

3. The Hadlers were not murdered with Winchester ammunition. (Chapter 29)

4. Gretchen lied about being in a relationship well after Luke left town. (Chapter 32)

5. Whitlam has a gambling problem. (Chapter 34)

Short Answer

1. Gretchen may feel that Luke is not deserving of the attention they all gave him. There is also some guilt about Ellie and the abuse they did not notice at the hands of Deacon. Ellie was struggling, and the group was so focused on Luke that they did not see her struggles. Luke liked to play games with his friends, which took the focus off what was really important. (Various chapters)

2. Falk hates Deacon because he is a bully and is frequently violent toward people, including Ellie. Deacon is responsible for running Falk’s father out of town when Falk was falsely accused, as well as for harassing them before they left. Deacon and Grant are often involved in fights in town. Falk also suspects Grant or Deacon of vandalizing his vehicle. (Various chapters)

Chapters 35-42

Reading Check

1. To cover up funds Whitlam stole from the school for his gambling debt (Chapter 35)

2.  The house camera shows Luke’s truck arriving at his house, but Whitlam had hijacked the truck. (Chapter 37)

3. Karen had confronted Whitlam about the missing school funds. (Chapter 35)

4. Whitlam had stolen grant money. (Chapter 35)

5. A lighter, threatening to start a bushfire (Chapter 39)

6. Deacon (Chapter 42)

Short Answer

1. Luke appears to have been somewhat obsessed with Ellie, wanting to be with her and with Gretchen as well. He probably did not want to be seen with Gretchen to increase his chances of winning over Ellie. (Various chapters)

2. Gretchen felt guilty about not intervening on behalf of Ellie. She and Luke saw Ellie before she died, and they also suspected they might be implicated in the murder. Falk also did not have an alibi, so it served both Luke and Falk to have one. (Various chapters)