This is a story of a small-town girl in Australia who goes missing after school, and all the twists and turns of small-town people during the investigation of what happened. This has a lot of character development in learning about all the people/players in the town, which I like. You really get a good feel for each person and their lives/motives/involvement. However, I did feel that this was a bit of a slow burn for me, and it took me a bit to get through it. While I loved all the build-up and development, I felt that the story took a bit too long to get to the crux. I would have liked it to be more suspenseful and a faster pace.

The secrets of a small town where everyone knows everyone elsewhere business. Except they really don’t know anything.
Best friends Esther and Ronnie are walking home from school one day and when Ronnie leaves Esther to go into her house and Esther to finish her route home, Esther is never seen again. The whole town is sent into a spin and a panic trying to find out who did this and why and where Esther is in hopes that they find her alive. Everyone is intertwined in each other’s lives, as it often is in poor small towns and therefore everyone has their own theories and suspicion. When the detectives come to town, the lead, Sarah Michaels, has issues in her personal life that are jading her views in her professional line. And her partner seems like a doofus who has no business conducting any sort of investigation whatsoever. As the investigation goes on, and the guilty party is revealed, there’s no “holy cow” moment. It’s just an “yep” and then you keep reading for another what feels like 100 pages. Thus my review will be short lol. It’s too long, too choppy and no thrills for a thriller.
The narrator was enjoyable though. I enjoyed her Australian accent. Really helped to set the location in my head.
Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

In the book Dirt Creek, author Hayley Scrivenor writes about the disappearance of 12-year-old Esther on her way home from school in rural Australia. Detective Sarah Michaels is brought into town to investigate, but it seems that everyone she talks to is hiding something and lying to her. She is determined to find Ester and bring her home, but is it too late? And what secrets are hidden in this small community?
This was a good book that focuses on the interwoven relationships of small communities. The audio-book narration was very well done. I would recommend this book. I received a copy of this audio-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love an action packed thriller with lots of twists, but occasionally I also love a slow burn, one that takes the time to really develop the characters and what makes them tick.

Small-town mysteries are also a personal fav, and so Hayley Scrivenor’s Dirt Creek checks all the boxes. Once I started, there was no stopping until I had all the answers.

Dirt Creek
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: Audiobook
Date Published: 8/2/22
Author: Hayley Scrivenor
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Sophie Lougran
Goodreads Rating: 4.06

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: When 12-year-old Esther disappears on the way home from school in a small town in rural Australia, the community is thrown into a maelstrom of suspicion and grief. When schoolfriend Lewis tells Ronnie that he saw Esther with a strange man at the creek the afternoon she went missing, Ronnie feels she is one step closer to finding her. Who else is lying about how much they know about what has happened to Esther?

Punctuated by a Greek chorus, which gives voice to the remaining children of the small, dying town, this novel explores the ties that bind, what we try and leave behind us, and what we can never outrun, while never losing sight of the question of what happened to Esther, and what her loss does to a whole town.

My Thoughts: This story is narrated by various people. At first, it was hard to keep characters straight, as the story progressed, it get easier identify who was narrated and their role. The narrator was amazing and I loved her accent, especially given that this takes place in Australia, it gave authenticity to the characters. The scenes were described so well, you felt like you were there in Australia on this investigation. The characters were well developed, had depth, had history, were mysterious, and creatively written. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, and just amazing. I loved how the characters lives intersected and were interwoven together. How deep does the secrets and betrayal go? Well, to answer that question, I would recommend stopping what you are doing and purchasing a copy of the book today!!!

I liked this book. The flow was kind of off and the pacing was weird but overall it was entertaining and the narrator was good. I kept guessing the whole time as to what happened to Esther and I didn’t feel that the ending was really shocking. You find out what happens and then there’s still 40 minutes left of the book- could have done without that. So- if you want a book that isn’t shocking and suspenseful but has the element of a mystery/whodunnit then this will be for you

I’m always *trying* to read more aussie authors, so when I saw this on netgalley (and I think I saw it while creeping angus & robertson, as it released earlier at home) I jumped on it. I was kind of hoping for a Jane Harper vibe (prob not fair) and I think it met my expectations. It was very Australian, which I loved with all of my homesick heart. I love a good small town murder mystery and I thought this one was really well done. It was paced a wee bit slowly, but not enough to detract for me personally. Probably because I read it in one day, so it didn’t feel that slow to me. I didn’t see the whodunnit, but I rarely do. I liked all the characters, I liked the writing – I would read more from this author for sure. I enjoyed and recommend it, but take it with a grain of Kristen-loves-everything-australian salt.

the audio was superb!

Dirt Creek is the debut crime fiction novel of Hayley Scrivenor.

"12-year-old Esther disappears on the way home from school. Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels arrives in the small rural town to investigate. She struggles to get traction - people don't know or don't want to talk. Some of the children who appear to have information are held back by parents. Did Esther see something she shouldn't have? Is there a drug problem in the community? Are they related? Can they find Esther before it's too late?"

This is rural crime fiction. Lots of different POVs in this book including a greek chorus of Dirttown's children. There are lots of secrets and red herrings. The ending is sad and depressing but appropriate for the story. This reads like a police procedural with some character stories thrown in. Ronnie is the character you will pull for. Her connection to Lewis will surprise you.

There is a long epilogue after the reveal that could have been shortened. Not a lot of happy moments in this book - the tone is more dark. If you've read any rural Appalachia crime fiction, this book will feel familiar.


Sophie Loughran does a nice job as the narrator and gives the story an Australian voice.
One of the confusing things about the audiobook was the "Greek chorus" I didn't understand what it was until the very end. I kept wondering "Who is this character?" Maybe it's a little clearer in the text edition.

Good pick if you like character-driven crime fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance audio copy of this book.

I have a tendency to avoid mysteries because of the thriller genre, forgetting that sometimes a great, atmospheric, interesting, character-driven mystery can come along and be nothing like the domestic thrillers that are nearly always disappointing. I'm glad I read this one, even though I hesitated to read yet another book about a missing young girl. Dirt Creek is set in a small town in Australia, where everyone knows everyone else and nearly everyone has a secret. I loved the author's narrative choices: we hear not only from the perspective (third person) of several of the involved characters but also from the first person plural perspective of a chorus of kids growing up in the town. This doesn't detract from the important voices of two child characters who are close friends of the missing girl, and it isn't overused or gimmicky as these kinds of structures can sometimes be. The mystery is resolved, we get an ending that provokes thought and emotion, and it's entertaining throughout. I highly recommend the audio -- the narrator does a great job and the Australian accent helps my brain process the setting!

I normally am not a fan of detective heavy books but this was in my opinion was ok. I did not like the slow burn aspect of the book. I listened to the audiobook as well as read the physical copy. The audiobook was ok and it had it it’s moments where it drew me in but now I’m in a reading slump.

On the 6th of November in the rural area of Dirt Creek in Australia twelve year old Esther disappeared on her way home from school. Her best friend Ronnie was devastated.

Ronnie can’t stop thinking about her missing friend and decides she’s going to find her herself. In addition, Detective Sergeant Sarah and Smithy are working the case. In this small town where everyone knows everyone’s business they have each others backs. No one can be trusted.

Dirt Creek is available August 2,2022.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacmillianAudio for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for my ALC of Dirt Creek!

Pub date: 8/2/22
Genre: mystery, crime fiction
In one sentence: When her best friend Esther disappears from their small town in Australia, 12-year-old Ronnie is determined to find answers.

This book is beautifully written, and Sophie Loughran's narration brings Ronnie, detective Sarah Michaels, and Dirt Town to life. It's the very definition of atmospheric - you feel like you've been transported to rural Australia. It's a bit of a slow burn, but the action picked up in the last 25%, and the conclusion felt really fitting! Esther's disappearance affects far more than just her family - it impacts the entire town. The comparison to Jane Harper is spot on, and I'm excited to read more from Scrivenor.

If you listen to this one, I recommend not trying to multitask while you listen - the slow burn makes it easy to tune out, but then you'll miss the perspective shifts, including the voices of the "chorus" of town children.

Dirt creek is a small town in rural Australia were a little girl, Esther, goes missing. The book changes POV from the kids who are Esther’s best friends, to the parents who have grown up in the town, to the outsider detective brought in that has been assigned to the case. Ronnie who is Esther’s best friend takes finding her friend into her own hands and all the small town secrets are uncovered while the detectives are trying to find Esther.

This book was an emotional rollercoaster, the mystery was a slow burn and it kept me guessing until the very end, things were not what they seemed. It was so heartbreaking to read from the kids perspective, because they can’t quite grasp what is happening and they just want their friend back, and many of the kids are dealing with other issues as well. So many dirty secrets come out, and it gets really messy! People are betrayed, spouses aren’t who they say they are and lives get upended while trying to find Esther.

I was sucked into this story right away, the narrator Sophie Loughran did a fantastic job!!! I really enjoyed her voice and the emphasis she gave to this book. I would highly recommend this book if you are looking for a good psychological thriller/mystery.

Thank you to #netgalley and #macmilliamaudio for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Satisfying New Psychological Thriller Alert!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for my ALC! (All the opinions expressed in this review are my own.)

This was recommended to me as an "Australia'' addition to my 12 Women 12 Countries challenge, and I am forever thankful.

"Let's say this bit of material is trouble. [...] Let's imagine that it's all the things that can go wrong in life, bad marriage, poverty, hunger, doing something unforgivable, whatever. [...] Everyone with a good fortune to be born on this side [...] thinks they're there because they wouldn't ever do the sort of thing that gets you into that kind of mess.[...] All the people on this side confuse making good choices with having good choices. Do you see the difference? [...] Anyone who thinks they're better than the people on the other side needs to take a hard look at themselves. Things happen, and anyone could end up there."  

A 12-year old girl, Esther Bianchi, never comes back home from school in a small town in rural Australia. The investigation begins, and the missing children unit comprised of Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels and her detective constable Wayne Smith (Smithy) arrive at Durton, or the way the local children call it, Dirt Town. The investigation moves slowly, and Sarah is constantly on the edge. Everyone knows that missing children not found within the first few hours, usually are not found alive. Sarah is desperate for a breakthrough, but every single new evidence and eyewitness testimony seems to be leading her in the wrong direction. In addition to that her own personal demons, the recent break up with the woman she loved, are eating at her conscience and disturbing her sleep. In the meantime the whole community seems to be falling apart, shaken by the loss of the young, vibrant girl, loved by seemingly everyone, and the realization of their own collective shame. The oppressive heat, this being the hottest spring that Durton has seen in decades, adds to the sinister atmosphere.  

Told from the perspective of four narrators and a "Greek chorus" (more on that later), Dirt Creek is a "slower" paced Australian small town murder myster, that is as much of a character study as it is a thriller. Notice, I use "slower" because, to be honest, it was fast enough for me. But I read quite a few reviews that mentioned the pacing, and so I think it is fair to note that if you are expecting something like, say, His&Hers - this is definitely not it. There is no breakneck pace here for sure, nor is there an unrealistic "AHA!" moment when "whodunnit" is finally revealed, and it knocks you off your feet (or like in my case, makes you roll your eyes), because it's something you could not have possibly expected. Perhaps this is not a very good comparison, but if I must make one to persuade you to read it then I'd say that Dirt Creek reminded me more of Long Bright River by Liz Moore. Not with regards to the story line, but rather because "whodunnit" does not seem to be the point of the book. It is not hard to guess, and when it is revealed it is more sad than shocking. Much more interesting are the individual characters featured in the book, and perhaps the most interesting is the examination of the deteriorating community as a whole.
 
As I have mentioned the story is told from the perspective of the four characters: Ronnie - Esther's rambunctious best friend, Lewis - the boy from Esther's and Ronnie's class who (WE KNOW!) saw something that could help the investigation, but it is not clear what and why he is hiding it; Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels mentioned above, and Constance - Esther's mother - her parts, understandably, being the most heart wrenching, and hard to read. And then...there is a "Greek chorus" - the voices of the "other" Durton children, which I am confident will, unfortunately, "not work" for many readers. If you have read A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler that came out a couple of years ago you should have a pretty good idea of what a "Greek chorus" in a contemporary novel would look, or rather "sound" like. Yes, it can be confusing at times, but in my opinion, it has a very important role, or rather roles in conveying what the novel is "really" about. It's importance is twofold: first to emphasize the timeless tragedy of losing a young, unrealized life - a senseless, pointless evil that, unfortunately, has always happened and will keep happening for one reason or another as long as the humanity exists.The second role of the "Greek chorus" is to emphasize that Esther's death is not just the "whodunnit's" fault. There is a reason why the the voices of the chorus belong to Durton children. Children are innocent, nothing bad can come out of them or should happen to them. Sarah even mentions at some point in the book how it is always "easy" to gather big crowds for searches when children go missing. And how you always "search harder" for children who are "loved". But the thing is...all the Durton children (even Ronnie, Lewis, and Esther - if they had remained in Durton!) grow up! Adults that are insensetive to the fact that the young girl, on of their own (!) has been raped. Adults who judge a woman by the mistakes she made when she was a teenager, and it does not matter how good of a mother she has become, and how hard she's been working day to day to keep clean. Adults who see the bruises on the woman's collarbone and on the child's arm, and look away because it's "not their business". Adults who do nothing about the neglected, and abused animal even though they drive by it every single day of their lives, and shake their heads. There is, therefore, a comunal fault at the heart of the Dirt Creek. Who has done it to Esther is interesting to find out, but secondary. Why the adults of the Durton are the way they are is what should be at the forefront of your mind when reading this book. Why are WE the way we are?

In conclusion, I loved Dirt Creek. It's not perfect. In particular I had some qualms with the inconsistency of Ronnie's parts which at times seemed very much inline with how a 12 year old (a bit immature 12 year old at that) would think and talk, and at times seemed a bit too "high brow" for Ronnie. But overall I found Dirt Creek to be close to a perfect debut. 

Few words on audio...I started reading Dirt Creek, and then quickly switched to audio which was a 100% good decision for me! The narrator's, Sophie Loughran's, Australian accent made the whole experience of the Dirt Town (the title that I am convinced fits the book just SOOOOO much better) just so much more authentic. Because let's be honest...this: ""Some people muttered that the town was dying.There was less and less work and more and more drugs." - could be applied to just any small, "dying" town in rural US. Or in many other countries for that matter. Other than the occasional eye openers, such as this one: "Sometimes our parents would let us camp. We woke up in the morning when the tent grew too warm for sleep. We pushed our heads out of the opening, where the smell of kangaroo poo waited for us"  ....I mostly felt like I was in the US while reading this book. That changed quickly once I switched to audio! For that reason I HIGHLY recommend listening to Dirt Creek. 

Rating: between 4 and 5 Stars!

Twelve-year-old Esther goes missing after school one day in rural Australia. This is not something that happens in this small town. As the investigation unravels, dark secrets in the town surface that may or may not be connected to the child's disappearance.

I thought this novel was a wonderful mystery that left me fully engaged from start to finish. I suggest this one to all who love murder mysteries.

CW: Child abuse, child death, rape, animal abuse, homophobia, domestic abuse, ableism

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was really well done -- the solution may have been a little too pat, but the character development was excellent.


Review copy provided by publisher.

A well told story in rural Australia of a community of families who all knew each other well. Except that there were some secrets that don't come out until young Esther goes missing after school one day. Her best friend Ronnie is sure she will be home soon. Her friend Lewis saw her with a man he didn't know. Detective Sarah Michaels has to sort through the small town ways & assumptions to find the truth of what really happened to Esther. It is a slow burn mystery that kept me listening, anxious to find out the truth.

Dirt Creek
Hayley Scrivenor
Twelve-year-old Esther is missing. Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels is the lead investigator; she is a Missing Persons Specialist and sent to Durton from Melbourn. The whole community is worried and filled with apprehension of each other. Schoolmates of Esther, Lewis and Ronnie are determined to find their close friend. Lewis believes he saw Esther walking through the woods surrounding the creek the afternoon she disappeared. Ronnie can’t figure out why Lewis hasn’t told the police. From the outside Durton, also known as Dirt Creek, appears to be a picturesque community, a great place to raise a family. But upon closer inspection the towns people are not so innocent; they have secrets, dangerous secrets and the rural town itself seems almost evil. The deeper the police investigate the more is revealed.
Author Hayley Scrivenor allowed suspense to slowly build. The story is told from several points of view including Detective Michaels, Ronnie, Constance, and Lewis. The characters are well fleshed out and each, including the secondary characters. Each character shares a distinctive notion on Esther’s vanishing. The setting is 2001 Durton Australia. While I liked Sarah she seemed to spend a lot of time fixating over the end of her relationship with Amira. Constance, Esther’s mother, wife of Stephen, sinks into a deep depression seems more willing to listen to a friend than support her husband. Clint is filled with violence. Poor Lewis and Campbell have a deep secret he is afraid will come to light. Ronnie loves Esther like a sister and puts herself in danger while attempting to find her friend. Tragedy often brings people closer to gather and sometimes destroys friendships. This is a mesmerizing story of people making blunders, people making mistakes, people facing trials and not always facing them well.
This tale has animal as well as domestic abuse.

This audiobook was superb and kept my interest from beginning to end. The author is extremely engaging and the plot had many twists and turns which left me speechless. I was very surprised to know that this was a debut.
Very well written. Extremely poignant and haunting.

5/5 stars

This one was just meh for me. I liked the complex relationships the layered characters. How everyone was hiding secrets but it felt like it dragged a bit and was longer than it needed to be. It wasn’t as profound or moving as I felt it was sold.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of the best books I’ve read recently, and though I don’t think any of my words will do it justice, I’m going to try.

Esther disappears one day on her way home from school. Her friend sees her with a strange man walking by the creek — or does he? Why is just one of her shoes in her fathers car? There are so many pieces to this puzzle that don’t quite fit right, and Esther’s disappearance brings out some dark secrets in this small town. Nothing is what it seems, and Esther’s best friend Ronnie is determined to bring Esther home.

This book follows many characters, including an anonymous Greek chorus. Though this may lead to confusion, Scrivenor does it with ease, filling in the blanks by focusing on the various people involved in this. The prose was absolutely beautiful, and I found myself growing increasingly attached to the characters. The ending was simultaneously heartbreaking and beautiful. I have nothing but good things to say about this book.