Pay Dirt Road is the debut novel by Samantha Jayne Allen. It is a suspenseful book set in Garnett, TX. Allen describes Garnett so vividly that it is easy for the reader to visualize this story coming to life. This book is a quick read.

This was supposed to be Friday Night Lights meets Mare of Easttown, but I didn't get that.
Yes, this is set is the middle of nowhere, Texas. What I couldn't get was the fact that a group of 20+ year olds were partying out in the middle of nowhere with a keg like they were teens hiding out from their parents. Stuff I did as a teen growing up next door in New Mexico. These adults have jobs, don't they have places like houses or apartments they can party at?
Annie came back home from college, but the only job she could get is as a waitress. Kind of a waste of her degree. Her grandfather, who is retired, is trying to get her to come work in the office of the private investigator's office.
Right as all of this is happening, one of the waitresses goes missing, and there's a hit and run. Apparently it's too much for the police department, so Annie and her grandfather step up and help find the killer.
So this sound like a very action packed story, but you would be wrong. The first quarter of the book was very slow. It picks up after that, so if you can get through that first quarter, you'll enjoy the story. It did take me longer than normal to read, and I had to read a couple of different books while reading this one, just until that slow period was over.

**I received an ARC of this story of the publisher and Netgalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

This book had a lot of promise but ultimately fell flat for me. It was very atmospheric and exquisitely detailed, I could feel the Texas heat and the dust blowing in my face. The characters were kind of flat, I needed more emotion to feel invested. The mystery was perplexing but I couldn't understand some of the characters motives.

This was marketed as Friday Night Lights meets Mare of Easttown. ehhh- not really, for me. This reminded me more of the Celeste Ng book "Everything We Didn't Say." Like this book, "Pay Dirt Road" took place in a small town and dealt with an investigation, but that's about where the similarities started and ended with M of E &FNL - but like "Everything We Didn't say," this had that murder vibe, environmental factors, and rifts in characters based on the crime. I must say that the author perfectly captured the essence of small town life with her colorful depictions: the dirt roads, the classic diner, the bonfires (which you could and hear the hiss and crackle off), the lights from Friday night football games; the cozy but wary feeling of a place that stands frozen in time and rarely ever changes. This was definitely a slow burn, but also held my attention all the way through. I loved the characters and the secrets they were all hiding. The ending was surprising and really well done. Crime fiction and murder mystery fans will enjoy this one. The entire book is very descriptive…the sights, the smells….while the case is slow to unfold. If you want to savor these, it is not a fast read. There really are two stories here. The primary seems to be more Annie’s family and her background history in her small town, with the murder almost secondary. Samantha Jayne Allen has written a terrific mystery and elevated the human dimensions and type of heroes available in the genre. Highly recommend.

I had mixed feelings about Pay Dirt Road. There were things that I liked and others that didn't work for me.

What worked:
o From the first pages, Samantha Jayne Allen gives the reader a vivid, descriptive picture of Garnett, Texas; there's a strong sense of place
o Great premise -- two murders rock a small town to its core
o Main character's Annie's backstory

What didn't work:
o Slow pace of the novel; I read and listened to this book and preferred the audiobook as it kept me more engaged in the story
o While Annie is smart and determined to find her friend's killer, she constantly puts herself in unsafe situations as she investigates; she acts mostly as a solo investigator instead of an apprentice who has two experienced resources available to her
o Poor integration of the environmental aspect of the story (the handling was very superficial)

Overall, Pay Dirt Road is well written and had a lot of potential, but it didn't fully deliver for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a digital copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this voluntary review are my own.

My husband and I listened to this audiobook on a long car ride. Unfortunately, we both felt that it was just okay. It mostly held our interest, but it felt slow and wasn’t all that engrossing. There was a fabulous sense of place, however, with the story taking taking place in a small town in Texas.

The main character, Annie, is a recent college graduate who is waitressing in her home town while she tries to figure out her next move. One of her coworkers goes missing and that forms the basis of the book’s main mystery. Her family has a tradition of law enforcement and her grandfather, a former sheriff, now has a small private investigation company with a female partner. Annie starts to work with her grandfather and partner, but she doesn’t have the experience to safely investigate and puts herself in danger over and over. One thing that I felt was realistic was how Annie felt about something that happened to her when she was in high school. (I can’t give more details without it being a spoiler.) A subtheme dealt with the effects of drilling for oil but its treatment of environmentalism was superficial at best.

If there’s a sequel, we’ll be skipping it. “Too many books, too little time.”

The audiobook was narrated beautifully by Sandy Rustin, who did a wonderful job with all the voices and accents.

Thank you to Recorded Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Pay Dirt Road tells the story of Annie, a recent college graduate feeling adrift who suddenly becomes involved in the family business when a waitress from her diner job goes missing.

Nothing stood out or really wowed me about the story or the case they were solving. It felt like something was missing or wasn’t share about those involved and the ending wrapped up quickly.

This book is on the shorter side so it didn’t take too long to read. I would recommend this to someone looking for a lighter mystery set in a small town.


Thank you @minotaur_books and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Wow, what descriptive writing! I can smell the fields and almost taste the dust swirling up from country roads in rural Texas, where this story takes place.
Samantha Jayne Allen has such a way with words - the dialogue is so authentic, you hear the different inflections in each character's voice. I have never lived in Texas, but she has made this small town so relatable and compelling, I practically stopped everything and just read for the rest of the day.

This book is what I always hope the reading experience will be, especially when I start a murder mystery. I want to feel that I am living and working to solve the crime along with the protagonist.
I want to feel that I care about the victim and know the back story for all the characters and situations leading up the main events.

Highly recommended for an engaging read.

This digital copy was given to me by Netgalley and Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.

Friday Night Lights meets Mare of Eastown? YES PLEASE.

However, I would not compare this book to either of those shows so I felt a little misled. Sure it took place in a small town and dealt with an investigation, but that's about where the similarities started and ended.

The premise of this novel is great - a young waitress goes missing and her body turns up a couple weeks later. Coinciding with the horrific murder was a hit and run that took place the same night the woman went missing. A town is rocked to its core. The local police department is in way over its head and everyone is a suspect. Meanwhile, the town is under siege by huge corporations looking to build a pipeline through the county. Is everything connected or is their little town just not so sleepy after all?

This novel reminded me quite a bit of Everything We Didn't Say with the small town murder and environmental aspects. I didn't enjoy Everything We Didn't Say though so maybe books with the environmental premise just aren't for me.

The first 25% of this book was incredibly slow. There seemed to be a lot of unnecessary character building and I wasn't very invested in the characters so even with the in depth details about them, I had a hard time keeping everyone straight. Once we got to the meat of the story, the pacing improved, but I still struggled to maintain interest.

It took me a minute to catch on to the killer but once I did, it felt glaringly obvious. There were some small twists I wasn't expecting but they were just kind of thrown in at the end in a cleanup chapter which I generally dislike.

All in all this was an okay read but not one that will likely stick with me. However, the writing was well done and the plot had a lot of potential so I will definitely read more from this author.

Thank you to Minotaur and NetGalley for a copy of this novel.

Pay Dirt Road is a small town detective novel set in the southwest. College grad Annie McIntyre returns home from college to ponder her next step and wait tables when a coworker is found murdered. While not close to the victim, Annie feels a sense of responsibility to figure out what happened.

Usually one of my favorite components of small town mysteries is the eclectic cast of supporting characters that help give the story uniqueness - unfortunately in this one, the supporting characters felt one dimensional and just thrown in as more of a distraction. Their backstories were not critical in shaping the story and actually made the plot a bit muddled. I did like the character of Annie herself and would not be opposed to trying the next book, if this becomes a series. Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

Annie moves back to small town Texas after college. She works in a diner and seems to have no ambition. When an acquaintance turns up dead, she helps her PI grandfather and his partner investigate her murder.
I wanted to like this book. It was slow but not so slow that I stopped reading it. The main character, Annie, just did not connect with me. She seemed promising but then made every poor decision and was just blah. She was just too nothing for me. Combine this with a very obvious mystery and nothing very exciting happening, and all my hopes for a memorable and outstanding book faded. OK book, but nothing to brag about here.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review. 2.5 stars

I really enjoyed this debut novel by a new to me author. I loved the characters and how they interact with each other. I hope there’s going to be more to this story and can’t wait to see what happens next!


I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Book Review: Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen

Pay Dirt Road is a mystery novel about a young woman who returns to her hometown after college only to find herself wrapped up in a local murder investigation.
Annie has returned to her small Texas hometown after college with no idea what to do next. She’s working as a waitress at the local diner and contemplating helping her grandfather out with his P.I. business when a beautiful young co-worker (Victoria) is found murdered. Annie’s first case will be trying to figure out what really happened to Victoria while she faces trauma from her own past.
This was a fantastic new novel with a smart and determined main character. Debut author Samantha Jayne Allen clearly understands the landscapes and culture of Texas as all the characters and interactions felt authentic and set the tone for the mystery. Readers will enjoy the entire extended family that surrounds Annie and the complicated dynamics between them. You really feel for Annie as she looks back on her own past and the worst night of her life as she begins to see parallels to what happened to Victoria, herself and the dangers of being a young beautiful woman.
I highly recommend this slow burn and thoughtful mystery. I hope to see future novels from Samantha Jayne Allen especially if Annie McIntyre is a recurring character.

Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen is a slow burn, yet electrifying mystery that has all of the amazing good elements I look for in a book!
A small town setting, with some interesting characters I got invested in.
This atmospheric debut novel was compelling, and the mystery did have a number of satisfying twists along the way.
Beyond the well-crafted mystery, the many fascinating details within this story made me want to keep reading.
I enjoyed this book. And look forward to reading more from Allen in the future.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Minotaur Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

There are two things that I can't resist: a great series and a female investigator/detective. Lucky for me, Pay Dirt Road has both, and I already can't wait for the next book in this series! I can already tell that Annie is destined for lots of adventure!

Thanks for the opportunity to review!
Link to 4/19/2022 Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CciuQZNL0D6/

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen is a debut with promise.

My thanks to #NetGalley and #Minotaur for a copy to review and the ability to post my thoughts.

When Annie McIntyre’s fellow waitress Victoria Merritt turns up missing after attending the same event, a drunken bonfire, Annie asks her grandfather, a former police chief, for help. She is convinced that her friend would never leave the daughter she is always talking about.

As the story unfolds it is easy to visualize the small town of Garnett, Texas, and the characters that live there.

Viable suspects surface as Annie’s determination mounts to locate her friend and solve the mystery. But as she searches for answers she realizes that she will need to confront her own past if she is to move forward with her return to Garnett.

This slow burn definitely worked for me in places, but at the same time, it also struggled to keep my interest. Though the setting captured me quickly and was described beautifully, I needed the story to move and do the same.

When Annie returned from college, she lacked direction. The story had character growth and an interesting story with red herrings scattered throughout. Though this book didn’t completely work for me, I would reach for a second if this develops into a series.

Pay Dirt Road is billed as “Friday Nights Lights meets Mare Of Easttown - a small-town mystery about an unlikely P.I. searching for a missing waitress.”

This debut novel offers a good base for the series - detailed descriptions of the Garnett, Texas, and deep character dive into the families of this small town. Annie, our protagonist and amateur P.I., learns many life lessons while solving Victoria’s (the waitress) murder. But the mystery surrounding the murder felt a little predictable and straightforward for an avid thriller/mystery reader. I did enjoy Annie and her venture into the family business, so I look forward to discovering where Book 2 takes her and McIntyre & Associates.

I would recommend this book to anyone who:
✨Loves character-driven mysteries
✨Prefers a slow burn mystery
✨New to the mystery genre

Annie McIntyre is a college graduate who reluctantly returns to her hometown of Garnett, Texas to work as a waitress. A recession is making it hard to find meaningful work leaving Annie pretty much adrift in a sea of college debt and wasted dreams. However, things quickly change when her new friend and fellow waitress Victoria disappears in thin air. In an effort to discover what happened to her, Annie teams up with her grandfather, the former sheriff and now private investigator, to search for her friend.

Pay Dirt Road is rich in small town atmosphere and characters. The simple plot line is well written with characters that feel authentic. While the pace is a bit slow, there are enough red herrings to keep readers guessing most of the way through. While Brooke tends to blunder her way into trouble without a clue what's she's doing, I like the character growth shown by the end. This story could take place in any dead, small town American town where the biggest thing happening is teenagers cutting donuts in the local Walmart's parking lot on Saturday night. I think Allen has laid the groundwork for a nice, light murder mystery series if she should so choose to do so. As a standalone, Pay Dirt Road would benefit from a bit more depth in my opinion. However, fans of lighter mysteries will enjoy this one.

This series is off to a good start. If it does become a series I look forward to seeing how Annie matures. Returning home from college carrying student debt and no serious job prospects she takes a job waitressing. When one of her co-workers, a single mother, goes missing and is later found dead, Annie teams up with her grandfather to track down the killer. Her grandfather was the town sheriff and now is a private detective. Let's just say Annie has a lot to learn and makes mistakes along the way, ones that put her in danger. She also has to face some of her own issues, hard as that may be to do.
The setting of a small Texas town, the influence of the oil industry and Annie's family all make for a good framework for supporting a decent mystery. For a debut book and to have won the Tony Hillerman Prize for best first mystery set in the SouthWest this mystery shows great potential as a series.
My thanks to the publisher Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This atmospheric debut was compelling, bringing together a murder mystery with an edge of environmental justice concerns. It's a slow burn of a story, and readers really can get a sense of the place and of main character Annie, feeling slightly adrift returning to her sleepy hometown after college and not sure what's next for her. This feels like the start of a series, and it's one I'd absolutely love to continue reading books from this author. There is a lot simmering in this book, and even though it wraps up the main mystery storyline conclusively, there is clearly a lot left to mine in this town and with Annie.