Reviews

Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen

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kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition

3.0

I liked this but I didn't love it. It's told in first person from the point of view of Annie, a twenty-two year old woman who has returned to small-town Texas after four years at a prestigious out of state liberal arts college. And, hey... this book actually was told from the same point of view FOR THE WHOLE BOOK, I'm not even kidding. Annie's co-worker at the local diner, Victoria, is found dead and partly buried near the property line of Annie's family's property out in the country. Annie's grandfather and his partner work as independent investigators, and Annie is inspired to work with them to uncover the truth about Victoria's death. It's kind of creepy, and very introspective as Annie considers what she's doing back in her hometown and what decisions she needs to make about her future. This is a character-driven, suspenseful book. I read it in one day. I might read another by this author.

jeffreyb721's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Kind of wandering and hard to follow. Not my favorite style but the human element feels very real and raw.

annettesanroman's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

2.0

Really slow and confusing character arc
Unsure of characters goal
Age of protagonist was confusing - high school or college?
Slow plot- didn’t even introduce PI agency until nearly halfway and wasn’t a focal point at all, misleading plot

kbranfield's review against another edition

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4.0

Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen is an intriguing small-town mystery.

After college graduation, Annie McIntyre finds herself right back in her hometown in Texas. She is working as waitress and living with her cousin, Nikki Avery, when a co-worker goes missing. Annie and Victoria Merritt both work as waitresses and she is worried when Victoria fails to show up for her shift. They were both at the same party the night before on the land adjacent to her grandfather Leroy’s property. Annie has just started doing office work for Leroy and his partner Mary-Pat Zimmerman at their private investigation company. Although Mary-Pat wants them to stay out Victoria’s case, Annie and Leroy cannot help but trying to find out what happened to her.

Annie is quickly reminded of things in her past she would rather forget as she reunites with t foremer classmates she once knew. She has mixed emotions about meeting up again with Wyatt Reed, her teenage boyfriend who broke her heart when he ended things with her. Equally confusing is seeing Justin Schneider again. He is tangled up in a part of her history that she would rather not resurrect.

Although much about the town has stayed the same, the arrival of an oil company is a new complication. Many of the roughnecks are strangers but Justin’s brother Troy works for the company. Annie discovers he has a previously unknown connection to Victoria but does he have anything to do with what happened to the missing waitress? And then there is the hit and run accident that occurred the same night that Victoria disappeared. Is it just a coincidence these two events happened near one another?

Pay Dirt Road is an interesting mystery that is initially a little slow-paced. Annie is very reflective as she tries to learn the truth about what happened to Victoria. Her family is a dysfunctional but she is fiercely loyal to her loved ones. She is a somewhat impulsive and sometimes confrontational as she searches for answers. The storyline is engaging and the setting springs vividly to life. With outstanding plot twists, Samantha Jayne Allen brings this suspenseful mystery to an action-packed conclusion.

rwarner's review against another edition

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5.0

Interesting characters, a plot that twists and turns, imagery that puts you on location -- this book is a great read. Mysteries within mysteries keep you guessing!

sticks_33's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

I felt like this book didn’t know what it wanted to be: a coming of age story? An ecological thriller? A redemption story? A gal-pal feel good tale ? Or a thriller-mystery? Unfortunately, in adding so many of these elements, it didn’t do any of them well.

Worth a listen on a car trip, perhaps. On 1.5 speed.