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hknox's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I didn’t realize the author was Australian until a few chapters in, which then made more sense considering the vocabulary used.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Rape, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse
dckathleen's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A little girl disappears in a rural Australian town. The story is told from various pov. It's a mystery and a reflection on relationships and small town life, on keeping secrets, and how kids experience things. It was sad but good.
Definitely some trigger warnings to consider here.
Definitely some trigger warnings to consider here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Homophobia, and Animal cruelty
prittypeaches's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This is a bleak book... if you are here on Storygraph you know, but this is one that you should check the triggers for.
Written like a near-history historical fiction (set in early 2000s small town Australia), it's a very dark thriller - like Southern Noir only it's Outback Noir. It's great if you like to be reminded of Dunkaroos and Nokia 3310s while you read your thriller novel.
This book was long and a bit slow in setting out. I didn't know going in how I'd deal with a child missing/dead but it was hard work. I'm glad I read it but I'm not sure I can recommend it unless people want to read dark and bleak. There are many crimes in this book that keep the bleakness coming throughout, is isn't ONLY a book about a missing girl case.
Written like a near-history historical fiction (set in early 2000s small town Australia), it's a very dark thriller - like Southern Noir only it's Outback Noir. It's great if you like to be reminded of Dunkaroos and Nokia 3310s while you read your thriller novel.
This book was long and a bit slow in setting out. I didn't know going in how I'd deal with a child missing/dead but it was hard work. I'm glad I read it but I'm not sure I can recommend it unless people want to read dark and bleak. There are many crimes in this book that keep the bleakness coming throughout, is isn't ONLY a book about a missing girl case.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Car accident, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Murder, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Bullying
Minor: Animal death and Alcoholism
goodin10tions's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I would compare this story to "My Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold" in that the subject matter is very difficult. A missing child. Some of the triggers to watch for are: Child abuse, abduction, physical abuse and rape. Now having laid that all out, I found that Sctivenor takes us on a journey! I could picture all the characters in the community and the desolate Australian small town setting.
I didn't figure out the story twists until the end but by then I really only carried about the characters. I would have given it a 4 star but the subject matter was too tough for me. I will be reading her again!
I didn't figure out the story twists until the end but by then I really only carried about the characters. I would have given it a 4 star but the subject matter was too tough for me. I will be reading her again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Domestic abuse
serendipitysbooks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Dirt Creek is set in a small Australian town and is centred around the disappearance of twelve year old Esther who never makes it home from school one day. It unfolds via multiple points of view including a couple of her friends, her mother, a detective sergeant in charge of the investigation, and a Greek chorus representing the local children. I found this to be a propulsive read with the twists and foreshadowing at the end of chapters enticing me to continue reading, even though I already knew Esther’s fate, since it was revealed in the first chapter. The fact that many local secrets were revealed over the course of the investigation kept my interest high as well. The small town vibe felt very realistic. Socially it reflected my experiences growing up in a small town, and physically I felt transported to rural Australia with the heat, dust and wide empty roads. Not all authors get children right but I felt the depiction of Ronnie and Lewis, their reactions and understanding were spot on. Like Lewis I have an intellectually disabled sibling and that aspect of the book was handled sensitively, yet still felt fully authentic. This was not a faced paced, tense, dramatic, gore-ridden mystery/thriller that will get your heart racing. It was slower paced, focussed very much on character and community and I liked it all the more for that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Child death
Moderate: Homophobia and Rape
shutupiamreading's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Child death, and Car accident
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Addiction, Homophobia, and Drug abuse
nataliii's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Mysteries of any kind aren’t usually what I gravitate towards in my very moody reading habits, but a few things in the blurb stood out to me so I thought I’d give it a try. I’ve been drawn to Australian narratives recently, past and present, and while some reviews mentioned that they didn’t feel a sense of place in this story, I have to disagree. To me it felt both familiar and foreign, small town where everybody knows your name + Aussie quirks (from an American point of view here ✔️). While the action lost me here and there, this story really succeeded in its heart and had some beautiful, heart-breaking emotional pops that made the book for me. The voices of the children were well done and the Greek chorus super eerie, and the adult were all just so sad (so real).
The missing child element was really difficult - I don’t think I can read another story like this for a long while.
Thanks to NetGalley and FlatIron for a digital ARC of this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Rape
Minor: Rape
library_dreamer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Child death, Rape, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Ableism
booksbytheglass's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
this one was not for me … but I appreciated it greatly!
there was a lot that I wanted to love about this one: the missing (kidnapped probably murdered) person, the small town suspicions, the sketchy family, I could go on and on
however, the writing of the plot was not it for me. the dialogue was few and far between, with the switching POVs telling their side of the story rather than in conversational writing.
I would have loved it more if the mystery held more of an impact and allowed the reader to figure it out for themselves. instead, the story was unfolded bit by bit and spoon fed to the readers 😅
not to mention the kids who were friends with missing child esther had the WORST memories and literally could not understand that withholding information was life or death for their “friend”
I WAS SO IRRITATED THE ENTIRE TIME 🥴
overall, it had great potential, but the writing wasn’t the correct style to fit the themes of the book, in my opinion.
thank you to netgalley and flatiron books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 2 stars
wine pairing: brazil sauvignon blanc
there was a lot that I wanted to love about this one: the missing (kidnapped probably murdered) person, the small town suspicions, the sketchy family, I could go on and on
however, the writing of the plot was not it for me. the dialogue was few and far between, with the switching POVs telling their side of the story rather than in conversational writing.
I would have loved it more if the mystery held more of an impact and allowed the reader to figure it out for themselves. instead, the story was unfolded bit by bit and spoon fed to the readers 😅
not to mention the kids who were friends with missing child esther had the WORST memories and literally could not understand that withholding information was life or death for their “friend”
I WAS SO IRRITATED THE ENTIRE TIME 🥴
overall, it had great potential, but the writing wasn’t the correct style to fit the themes of the book, in my opinion.
thank you to netgalley and flatiron books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
rating: 2 stars
wine pairing: brazil sauvignon blanc
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Child death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
goodreads_connoisseur's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, and Rape