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tessa_talks_books's review
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-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? No
3.5
What's it about (in a nutshell):
Dirt Creek is a modern Greek tragedy-style thriller about the dying small towns in the outback of Australia and the case of a missing 12-year-old girl.
Bullet Point Review:
- This is one of those stories that I more appreciate the incredible talent shown in the storytelling rather than love as a reader, but only because that is how I look at literary works unless they speak to me on a personal level. And I would consider this mystery/thriller literary quality.
- I found the Greek tragedy angle, complete with the traditional Greek chorus marked by "We" in the chapter headings, to be an interesting take on storytelling in a thriller. It adds more to the emotional and atmospheric aspects but doesn't help the mystery/thriller component.
- I enjoyed the poetic nature of the Greek chorus chapters. They were some of my favorite chapters except for the one I mentioned below in trigger warnings.
- I found the mystery incredibly clever and the reveal completely surprising. I didn't even suspect it for one minute, but it is very much in keeping with the story, and I could instantly think back to the clues that were most definitely there.
- I loved how many secrets the townies harbored too. This town needs a whole-town intervention by mental health workers to help them get everything out and start the healing process. There were that many dire secrets.
- There are a lot of characters in this story, and they share the spotlight. But if I had to name the main character, I would say Ronnie – the missing girl's best friend. Ronnie is the only character that I liked in the story. She is a free spirit in the making, has a beautiful heart and soul, and is incredibly brave and independent for one so young.
- The narration by the Greek chorus of the town's kids looking back to 2001, two of Esther's (the missing girl) friends – also 12 years old, the detective investigating the murder, and the friends' mothers provide a complete story for the reader. It's a little confusing, especially telling the difference between the mothers, but I thought the children's perspective was fascinating.
- The pace is medium at best. The incredible atmosphere slowed it down for me, as I often experience, so it wasn't my favorite part of this story.
- The story is set in a small agricultural town in the Australian outback. The atmosphere was oppressive and worked exceedingly well for this story.
- Read if you're in the mood for:
- A medium-paced atmospheric story
- A mysterious, dark, emotional, and tense thriller
- A modern Greek tragedy
- Trigger Warnings: Child and Domestic Abuse and Child Death, plus there is a chapter with horrible animal cruelty concerning a kitten. The reader can easily skip it, though, since I'm warning you, and it's the only time a kitten is mentioned. (This is one of my triggers, and it caught me off-guard. It still haunts me.)
Ratings: 4 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
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
captainolyareads's review
dark
tense
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? No
3.0
It's during the hottest spring in decades when 12-year-old Esther vanishes on her way home from school, her disappearance triggering a series of secrets to come floating to the surface. As Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels sifts through fact and fiction to determine what happened, her investigation is hindered by several members of the small community, even the most well-intentioned like Esther's best friend, Ronnie. When she learns that Lewis, a mutual friend of theirs, knows more than he's letting on about Esther's disappearance, she doesn't understand why he's not willing to go to the police. Even children have secrets of their own, and talking about his, will expose more than just his. Narrated by several POV's, this slow burn, small town mystery tackles what it means when a community is both banded and divided by the secrets it keeps.
I've enjoyed mysteries set in Australia because of the atmospheric tension the arid setting often evokes but Dirt Creek didn't do it for me. I found it difficult to stay invested, both from the sluggish pacing and the characters. There were simply too many to keep track of. One of the POV's was dedicated to Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels, and it felt like she spent more time reminiscing on a former break-up and fantasizing about every woman she met as a potential love interest rather than solving Esther's disappearance. A lot of it came down to unnecessary exposition as well. Lastly, there were several references to animal abuse and torture that I thought were irrelevant to the story.
I've enjoyed mysteries set in Australia because of the atmospheric tension the arid setting often evokes but Dirt Creek didn't do it for me. I found it difficult to stay invested, both from the sluggish pacing and the characters. There were simply too many to keep track of. One of the POV's was dedicated to Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels, and it felt like she spent more time reminiscing on a former break-up and fantasizing about every woman she met as a potential love interest rather than solving Esther's disappearance. A lot of it came down to unnecessary exposition as well. Lastly, there were several references to animal abuse and torture that I thought were irrelevant to the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Bullying
madluck's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Car accident, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Grief, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Child death, and Bullying
Moderate: 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
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
whatmorgsreads's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
*I received a digital copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
ɪɴ ʜᴀʏʟᴇʏ sᴄʀɪᴠᴇɴᴏʀ's ᴅɪʀᴛ ᴄʀᴇᴇᴋ, ᴀ sᴍᴀʟʟ-ᴛᴏᴡɴ ᴅᴇʙᴜᴛ ᴍʏsᴛᴇʀʏ ᴅᴇsᴄʀɪʙᴇᴅ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴅʀʏ ᴍᴇᴇᴛs ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴀ ɢɪʀʟ ɢᴏᴇs ᴍɪssɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ ғᴀʟʟs ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ.
A small town is torn apart when 12 year old Esther disappears in rural Australia. Secrets are exposed and everyone looks guilty, including Esther’s own father.
This novel is told from multiple perspectives, including a collective ‘We’ perspective of unnamed children from the town. This gave the novel a unique spin. At times though, I felt like it broke up the pace of the story. It was a great perspective to have towards the end, though. It is a slow burn mystery that is heavily character driven.
My favorite POV is through the eyes of Ronnie, Esther’s best friend. I felt the most attached to her character. My least favorite POV was Detective Sergant Michaels. While her investigative skills were great, I found it hard to like her character personally.
This novel does mention animal abuse in a few scenes. I really disliked that, but it’s a book. I get it. It’s not real.
I do wish the story had been a little more fast pace, but the multiple perspectives kept the story flowing. This was not a predictable mystery and I was kind of shocked to discover who actually killed Esther.
Sophie Lougran was an excellent narrator.
Overall I think this is a good debut mystery novel that I would recommend to others.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Rape