The Dry characters

Appears from the start

A federal financial-crimes investigator who grew up in the drought-stricken farming town of Kiewarra. He returns for the funeral of his childhood friend Luke Hadler, although memories of Ellie Deacon's death and the hostility that drove the Falk family away make the visit painful and dangerous.

Appears from the start

Falk's childhood friend, now dead alongside his wife and young son in what police initially regard as a murder-suicide. A message from Luke's father brings Falk back to Kiewarra and raises the possibility that the official account is incomplete.

Appears from the start

Luke's wife, found murdered at the Hadler farm with her son Billy. Her baby daughter was left unharmed. Questions about Karen's work at the local school and her actions before the killings become central to the investigation.

Appears from the start

Luke and Karen's school-age son, one of the three people found dead at the Hadler property. His killing makes the apparent family murder-suicide especially difficult for those who knew Luke to accept.

Appears from the start

Luke's grieving father. He summons Falk home with a terse reminder of the false alibi Falk and Luke gave after Ellie Deacon died, then asks him to look into the deaths at the farm.

Appears from the start

Luke's mother, devastated by the loss of her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. She and Gerry cannot reconcile the killings with the man they knew and hope Falk will find another explanation.

First appears in chapter 3

The local police sergeant handling the Hadler case. Though the evidence appears to support murder-suicide, small inconsistencies trouble him. Methodical and comparatively free of Kiewarra's old prejudices, he accepts Falk's help with a quiet second investigation.

First appears in chapter 5

A childhood friend of Falk, Luke, and Ellie who remained in Kiewarra. Now raising a young son, she gives Falk a rare friendly welcome and offers a personal view of Luke's life in the months before his death.

Appears from the start

A teenage friend of Falk, Luke, and Gretchen whose body was recovered from the river twenty years earlier. Her death was ruled a suicide, but suspicion fell on Falk after his name was found among her belongings, and the unresolved case still shapes the town's treatment of him.

First appears in chapter 7

Ellie's embittered father, a farmer known for anger and intimidation. He remains convinced that Falk was responsible for his daughter's death and treats Falk's return as a fresh provocation.

First appears in chapter 7

Ellie's cousin and a prominent local farmer. Aggressive toward Falk and under heavy financial pressure from the drought, he becomes an obvious focus when the investigators consider enemies Luke may have made.

First appears in chapter 12

The headmaster of Kiewarra's school, where Karen Hadler worked. He presents himself as an overburdened administrator trying to protect staff and pupils after a shocking local tragedy.