What readers think of Dirt Creek, plus links to write your own review.

There are not a lot of places today where folks know each other because the town is small. The disappearance of a child is a nightmare for any parent and perhaps you might think that living in a small town would make finding that child easier. This book shows you how complicated that can be.

This book delves into the secrets of everyone in town and finds connections are not quite what they seem to be. The reader will hear the stories from each character and then you have to figure out who is hiding what. All the characters are quite easy to relate to because they really are ordinary people. In the end there is a twist to the story of this missing child, and it will be a surprise. That is what makes this story so well drawn. It is a terrific start to a new career for this debut writer.

4.5 Australian mystery in a small, drought-ridden town. A 12 year old girl is missing and there are several suspects. Gorgeous writing, fabulous characters -adult and kids- and a plot that keeps the reader guessing. Great debut novel. Can't wait for the second.

Whenever a young girl goes missing there is a heightened sense of urgency. It shakes the foundations of community. Ms. Scrivenor does an excellent job of balancing this with scenic description and character development that keeps us wondering about the outcome.
Her use of a type of Greek Chorus identified as "We" helps clarify her thinking and makes Durton a character in the mystery.
I liked the book and the author presented some interesting ideas. While she tied up many of the characters' stories she left the reader wondering about Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels' future. Perhaps we have not heard the last of her.

Dirt Creek is a fast read and encompasses the lives of several characters who are involved in two dramas - one involving a death and one involving drugs. The stories are skillfully intertwined so that they catch each other at various times in the book. Schrivenor is a polished writer who draws the plot together and completes the book with a surprise ending. This book is definitely worth the read.

This is a very good, well-paced crime novel. When a young girl goes missing, many questions are raised. The toughest issue for the detective is deciding who is telling the truth and who is not. The townspeople have connections with each other and their own little secrets which become obstacles in solving the case. The author, Hayley, creates many pathways and possibilities that are followed to unravel what really happened. I was disappointed in the ending, but I have to admit it was unique and will give the author credit for creating an unusual conclusion.

I love mysteries and especially Australian stories (Jane Harper is a favorite of mine). However, this book didn't come through for me. There were too many characters in the beginning -- I had to make a chart about what children belonged to what parents to keep everybody straight. As much as I empathized with the mother of the missing girl, the drugs theme seems to be in so many stories these days that it wasn't interesting to me. And the ending disappointed me altogether -- what mother would bring her daughter back to live in the community where she had so many bad memories? Sorry, just not for me.

I usually do like mysteries. Yet this one didn't "grab me". The plot seemed good. It was interesting idea to have the lead detective be a woman who had just broken us with with same-sex partner. I just never looked forward to reading it. I didn't have any interest in knowing more about the characters.