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There are currently 37 member reviews
for Dirt Creek
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Sue P. (Albuquerque, NM)
Dirt Creek
I hesitated to request this book because I am such a fan of Jane Harper and her Australian novels, and I didn't want to be disappointed. I needn't have worried, because while each author does a painstaking job of depicting the heat and dust and misery of part of Australia, the stories and the characters are strictly unique.
Dirt Creek is almost completely character driven. I've seldom been as mesmerized by almost each individual character as I was with this book.
The story, the hunt for a child murderer, is grim and realistic and heartbreaking on many levels. And the denouement left me thinking, "Oh...my."
It's not a comfortable read, but I will jump right into anything else Hayley Scrivenor publishes.
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Jennifer B. (Oviedo, FL)
Aussie drama
My impression of Dirt Creek is that I was enthralled with this story of small town residents. All of the characters were vital to the revelation of the murderer of a child. The relationships were so entwined with each other and full of bitter secrets. Even the children in this story had their own private things to hide. Without revealing any plot twists I will say that I am looking forward to the next book by the author. Hopefully she is going to continues the story of Detective Inspector, Sarah Michaels, who solves the murder. It would be a very readable series.
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Patricia T. (Fallbrook, CA)
Dirt Creek, by Hayley Scrivenor
Dirt Creek is a crackin' whodunnit, a guaranteed page turner. Set in dry rural Australia, a small town that has superficial similarities to Jane Harper's The Dry, but this is a darker tale. A 12 year old girl has gone missing on the way home from school with her friends. How could this happen in a community where everybody knows everybody? The out of town Detective Sgt, and her colleague, who arrive to work the case have to dig down deep under the surface. It seems that nobody knows or has seen anything, but she gradually peels the layers away, and the town's secrets are gradually revealed. There are a few intriguing red herrings, including a major one that is almost a sub-plot, but the final outcomes are very satisfactory, if a bit of a shock.
A fun read, a brilliant cast of characters, with the young people, school friends of the victim, playing a big part.
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Sonya M. (Takoma Park, MD)
Dirt Creek -- Life and Death in a small Australian town
Dirt Creek was an excellent, page-turner of a mystery. Wonderfully written the story is told through the voices of multiple residents of Durton, Australia, a small outback town west of Sydney. While I had been expecting something along the style of Jane Harper, another Australian mystery writer, this was fascinatingly different. While there is a lead detective, Sarah, an interesting woman spending much time lamenting the breakup with her girlfriend, she is no more central to the story than the other voices. A young girl, Esther, disappears after school. The reader is immediately aware that Esther is dead as her body is found on page two. The crime is slowly unspooled through the multiple voices central to Esther's life -- two of her best friends, her mother, and Sarah the detective. One voice, a collective 'We', creates true atmosphere around the small-town disappearance and establishes the conscience of Durton. Human nature is explored as secrets emerge about the citizens of this small close knit, sometimes related, community. How easily can we live with a lie to save ourselves; and how close are we to success or ruin with one wrong turn or event! Highly recommended.
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Barry E. (Boynton Beach, FL)
Amazing
It's been a long time since a book made me feel like I was on a roller-coaster being bored, then excited to keep going. Disguised as a very good mystery, the author was able to discuss so many current themes of life in a coherent way that I felt mesmerized and jealous at how she put it all together.
Murder, sex, abuse-child and adult, drugs, childhood purity, gay rights intertwined in such an exciting story that you just had to stop and think not only what the author was trying to convey, but how you, the reader felt, about these issues.
I must admit its been a long time since I felt this way about a mystery - an excellent plot, good stimulating questions about life, and great ending.
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MaryJane B. (Lynch Station, VA)
A mystery in a small town in Australia
Dirt Creek is set in a small town of Durton Australia.Its adult inhabitants have known each other since they were children.They remember each misdeed they did to each other and past transgressions are not forgiven.These adults have children they profess to love but often their parenting is inadequate or is physically or verbally abusive. The book is written in varying points of view alternating between the adults and their children. The characters are all richly described. Some delightful and others despicable.
A girl goes missing and Detective Michaels and her partner are assigned to find her.The search for Esther reveals a hidden side of the past of the adults.
The reader is never sure what has happened to Esther or which adult has killed her. The author does an excellent job of having the reader suspect one flawed adult after another and the suspense mounts as we learn which adult was responsible for her death.
I enjoyed this book very much. I am recommending it to my book group. Each character had so many strengths and weaknesses which can lead to many areas of discussion. I was never sure until the end who was responsible for Esther's death. It was a real page turner.
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Portia A. (Monroe Township, NJ)
A Novel Worth Reading
A small town in Australia. A group of people with problems boiling over. A very well written book, worth your time.
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