This story takes place in the fictional Australian town of Kiewarra. Aaron Falk has returned to his hometown, after living in Melbourne, to find the town really struggling. There has been a massive drought and the town is holding on by a thread. Unfortunately he returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of his childhood friend. His friend Luke is accused of killing his wife and son and then turning the gun on himself. Aaron’s homecoming is received badly by many in the town. When he was a kid his friend Ellie drowned in the nearby river and he was thought to have killed her. Aaron and his father had to leave their home to live life away from the terrible treatment they endured due to the suspicions surrounding Ellie’s death. When he returns he finds that nothing has changed and he is met with hostility.

He soon starts to assist the local police in finding out what happened to Luke at the request of Luke’s parents. This is where the story gets really good! Aaron doesn’t believe that Luke would ever harm his own family and wants to find out the truth. The path that takes them to find out out the truth about Luke also helps them find the truth about what happened to Ellie all those years ago. I was shocked at the ending and couldn’t believe the truth about what really happened to Luke and his family and even more heartbroken to find out what happened to Ellie and who was really responsible.

This book really delves into how quickly people can turn on each other during difficult times. Between the drought and the deaths the town has a hard time surviving. This was such a good book and definitely recommend that you check it out!

If you are interested in purchasing The Dray: