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There are currently 37 member reviews
for Dirt Creek
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Margot P. (Mandeville, LA)
Small Town Tragedy
I have read quite a few novels about how the death or disappearance of a child affects a community but this one is a cut above. It takes place in a small Australian town where everyone is connected to each other creating a claustrophobic atmosphere of doubt and suspicion. Past crimes surface to pollute the waters and the collective narrative voices make it abundantly clear that there will be no escape from the tragedies. Certainly dark and depressing but there are some glimpses of redemption for a select few. Interesting female detective that perhaps will appear in future novels as her story is left open ended.
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Barbara F. (Santa Monica, CA)
Wow—an Ingenious 'Who Done It' from Down Under
As a bibliophile, during the pandemic it's been a challenge to find novels that hooked me from page 1–-Dirt Creek did. As Jane Harper, another terrific Australian author, wrote about the book—'it's a stellar debut', and that was one of the things that amazed me—how impressive Hayley Scrivenor's first novel is!
A small nondescript town in Australia's outback, full of colourful characters —including Detective Sarah Michaels wrestling her own demons—and a few other characters, Scrivenor masterfully succeeded to keep me wondering how the tragedy happened in the first place.
Though Esther—the central character around who the story unfolds is 'gone'—she is still always present as I held my breathe wondering till the end was the culprit. It often becomes obvious in mystery/suspense novels 'who done it'—but not in Dirt Creek, a terrific debut in the genre.
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Janine S. (Wyoming, MI)
Amazing read
This is an interesting book and an amazing read. It is interesting for its structure and an amazing for its beautiful prose and engaging storytelling. While a murder mystery on the surface, it is also a story about a small town and its people and how the death of a 12-year-old girl impacts and changes them.
Set in rural Australia, the book starts with the discovery of the body of Esther Bianchi who has disappeared four days previously. Alternating between time and characters, the book tells the story of what happened to Esther through the characters affected by her disappearance. The arrival of Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels and her partner, Smithy, in Durton, coming from working on another child disappearance, finds them in a town in a state of shock, grief and suspicion.
Durton seems to be a hole-in-the-wall town, possibly even a dying one. And, it is populated by a set of disparate characters each with secrets and something to hide. As the story unfolds, we come to know Ronnie, Esther's best friend who is sure Esther is about to return at any moment and keeps trying to find her to bring her home. Lewis, another of Esther's friends, though, has seen something which he is reluctant to share.
As Sarah and Smithy work to uncover clues as to what happened to Esther, they uncover abuse and drugs underlying the lives of Lewis's family and Ronnie's aunt and uncle, Shelly and Peter Thompson. What is most intriguing about the book is the Greek chorus found in the chapters entitled WE. These act as the voices of the other children of Durton and what they see shining a spotlight on what ties people to places like Durton and how what people do or may not do affects community. But, while an interesting feature of the novel, the solving of Esther's death remains always in focus as can seen in Sarah Michaels's role as she works to solve the disappearance. A very intriguing and insightful novel that keeps your interest.
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Loren B. (Appleton, WI)
Couldn't put it down !
When I read the blurb for " Dirt Creek " I was eager to read it because reminded me of the plot of "Broadchurch " which I had enjoyed very much.
This novel was everything I had been hoping it would be. The author's style brought the characters and plot to life and made this an unputdownable read. I hope to read more by this author in the future.
Highly recommended!
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Kimberly C. (Ypsilanti, MI)
Terrific debut novel
The first chapter of Dirt Road totally grabs you and lets you know Hayley Scrivenor is a marvelous writer. She weaves a compelling story of a missing girl and the adults and children who surround her. This is a well-conceived mystery and a powerful debut novel.
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Charlene D. (Saugus, MA)
Dirt Creek
Dirt Creek caught my interest on page 1 and held it from beginning to end. The story was character driven location being one of the characters. If you like a mystery with a twist at the end, then this book is for you. It's one of those books that you can't put down. One of things that I enjoyed the most was the way each chapter was entitled with the name of one of the characters in the book and that chapter was their perspective on what was happening. I did think that Sarah, one of the main characters, was underdeveloped. I also didn't think that the story of the breakup of her relationship added anything to the story or helped me know her any better. This is a book I'll pass on and I hope to see another book by this author.
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Sandy P. (Chandler, AZ)
who we are when no one is looking
A great read! I could feel the heat of Australia and taste the dust in my mouth as I read about Dirt Town. My heart could also feel the fun and the angst the kids of this small neighbor were experiencing. The excellent writing took me straight into the story. The adult characters also had back stories that were relatable and meshed with the children. I went through anger, sadness, empathy and love of the characters and pondered the authors question "who are we when no one is looking?" Highly recommended!
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