Jane Harper | The Dry

"The Dry" is a literary crime novel in the style of Peter Temple, telling a story of desperation, resolution and small town prejudice, played out against the blistering extremes of life on the land.

About the Author

Jane Harper has worked as a print journalist for 13 years both in Australia and the UK. She lives in Melbourne and currently writes for the Herald Sun. Jane is originally from the UK and moved to Australia in 2008. The Dry is her first novel.

Jane won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript in 2015 for "The Dry"and the rights to the book have since been sold in more than 20 territories, as well as being optioned for a film by Reese Witherspoon and Bruna Papandrea's production company, Pacific Standard. The book has received glowing reviews and has been described as the best crime fiction novel this year.

The Dry

Scandinavia - with its icy vistas and endless nights - has Stieg Larrson and Henning Mankell to promote its unique beauty on the pages of crime thrillers.

And we, with our parched earth and searing sun, have Jane Harper.

Following rave reviews at home and in the UK, Harper's debut novel Dry - a page-turning murder mystery set in drought-stricken rural Australia - dropped in the US on Tuesday, with the New York Times saying '' it's hard to believe this is her first novel'' .

Film rights to the book - which centres on two murders, 20 years apart in a small town - have already been optioned by Reese Witherspoon's film production company, Pacific Standard, along with publication rights in more than 20 overseas territories. '' It is such an Australian novel, I've been surprised the whole time by how well it's been embraced by other countries,'' said Harper from her St Kilda home. '' I didn't know how well it would travel, if at all, so to have it penetrating a market like the States is obviously any novelist's dream.''

It's not the first time a reviewer has been struck by the maturity and sleight of hand in Harper's first fictional work, which she wrote after taking a 12-week online writing course. She credits that to more than a decade as a reporter, most recently at The Herald Sun.

'' The things you learn [as a journalist] - being able to get the words on a page, being able to get your ideas across clearly ... they are actually still used in fiction ,'' she said. '' You have to try to hook people in and give them a reason to read on.''

Harper quit the paper in April last year to become a full-time novelist , adding becoming a mum - to baby Charlotte - to her list of milestone firsts .

Will she also write her first screenplay, for the film version of Dry, given the opportunity?

'' They [Pacific Standard] did ask actually, if I was interested but I haven't got experience in screen writing,'' Harper said.

That didn't stop her when she wrote the book, but with a baby and novel No.2 in the works, '' my hands are a bit full'' , she said.

The follow-up to Dry is due for release later this year and will involve the return of its protagonist, federal cop Aaron Falk. It will be set again in regional Australia.

'' It's not a direct sequel as such, but it's similar in tone and feel,'' Harper said