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bre88's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Drug use, and Rape
carolsnotebook's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Annie is back home after college, waitressing at the local diner and hanging out with her cousin and people she knew in high school. Her family is well known in town. Her grandfather used to be the sheriff, but now he owns a private investigation firm, run mostly by his partner, and drinks too much. When another waitress, Victoria, goes missing and is later found murdered, Annie is pulled in, needing to find the truth, and gets her grandfather involved too.
Pay Dirt Road has a good sense of place. It’s small-town Texas where land matters, where it’s hard to keep secrets, where people without papers are afraid of the cops. It’s a place where high school football carries a town’s pride and the VFW turns into a honky tonk on Thursdays. It’s a place Annie both loves and hates.
Pay Dirt Road is a pretty standard mystery and Annie’s not a great investigator. She shouldn’t be. She’s in her early twenties and someone she knows is probably a killer. The story is told from her point of view and she reflects on events in her past as she learns more about Victoria and the crime. I liked Annie, but she annoyed me too, which is fine.
The book doesn’t move at a quick pace, it takes time to dwell and dance and smell the hot cement, but there are definitely tense moments too. The whodunnit was a bit predictable, but we do get enough suspects to make me second-guess myself. It touches on the threats young women face and the expectations others have for them, without lingering or finding a solution.
I listened to the audiobook, which was a good choice. The narrator did an excellent job with Annie’s voice, conveying her stubbornness and uncertainty. The other characters were easy to differentiate. I forgot there was a narrator if that makes sense.
Pay Dirt Road was a good solid read. I’ll be looking forward to the author’s next book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Alcoholism
soobooksalot's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.25
Against the backdrop of grassy fields, big skies and pumpjacks is the mystery of Pay Dirt Road.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for my gifted copy for review!
Annie is a recent college graduate and has returned to her small hometown of Garnett, TX. Unsure of what she wants to do with her life, a waitressing gig is her make-do in the meantime.
When coworker Victoria goes missing after a party, Annie is prompted to pursue her disappearance with grandfather Leroy.
He's the town's former sheriff, and current private investigator.
Author Samantha Jayne Allan lays down the words in a way befitting the rural town she's depicting - this is a slow-burn mystery at heart.
Obvious attention has been paid to establishing the town's characters, and the book seems it could be the start of a series.
The plot kept my attention for the most part, though it did wane at times. Regardless, if there were to be a continuation of the story, I would be quite willing to check it out! Recommended.
For release on April 19.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for my gifted copy for review!
Annie is a recent college graduate and has returned to her small hometown of Garnett, TX. Unsure of what she wants to do with her life, a waitressing gig is her make-do in the meantime.
When coworker Victoria goes missing after a party, Annie is prompted to pursue her disappearance with grandfather Leroy.
He's the town's former sheriff, and current private investigator.
Author Samantha Jayne Allan lays down the words in a way befitting the rural town she's depicting - this is a slow-burn mystery at heart.
Obvious attention has been paid to establishing the town's characters, and the book seems it could be the start of a series.
The plot kept my attention for the most part, though it did wane at times. Regardless, if there were to be a continuation of the story, I would be quite willing to check it out! Recommended.
For release on April 19.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Grief, Murder, and Death
Minor: Rape
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