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emileereadsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thank you Netgalley and Recorded Books for the gifted audiobook I read alongside the physical ARC I got from Minotaur.
A pitch perfect portrayal of small town Texas. Annie has ended up back in her hometown after college and is unsure what is next on her life trajectory. When her fellow waitress from the local diner goes missing, she finds herself working with her grandfather, the former sheriff turned PI, to figure out who is responsible. She stumbles into crime solving, clues, and actually the conclusion of this case. Which could be marked as detrimental to this book, but I think it is an excellent series opener because it gives her so much room to grow and develop as an investigator. Sometimes detectives are too on the nose and almost clairvoyant in their crime solving skills, but Annie has grit and I think she is going to have such a great character arc over this series.
shankl's review against another edition
3.0
Pay Dirt Road: A Novel is a southern mystery set in a small town in Texas. A murder, a hasty arrest and a local detective team poke around to find the truth. Annie, the main character, proves herself a worthy detective in the family agency, hence book #2 coming in 2023.
The author has carefully crafted a story with a big reveal at the end, which was not predictable. The oil fields, the honky tonks and Texas football help to build an atmosphere that draws the reader into the small town and its dirt roads. This mystery was a quick read.
Thank you Minotaur Books for the advance reader copy.
The author has carefully crafted a story with a big reveal at the end, which was not predictable. The oil fields, the honky tonks and Texas football help to build an atmosphere that draws the reader into the small town and its dirt roads. This mystery was a quick read.
Thank you Minotaur Books for the advance reader copy.
abookwormwithwine's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Pay Dirt Road: A Novel is Samantha Jayne Allen's debut novel, and while I haven't watched Friday Night Lights, I definitely agree with the sentiment that it has strong Mare of Easttown vibes. That was also a very slow burn as well as being more character-driven, which is exactly how I felt about this book. There is a mystery of course, but there is also a lot of focus on Annie as a character and how she interacts with the other people in this story. I really enjoyed how Allen brought small-town Texas to life, and at times, it reminded me a lot of watching the movie Erin Brockovich.
The audiobook is narrated by Sandy Rustin, and I was really impressed with her voicing for this book. She was perfect for Annie and did a great job enhancing the story for me. She really pulled me in and helped keep my attention on what was going on. Pay Dirt Road could easily be the first of a series, and I would be interested to see more of Annie as I think her character has a lot of potential for growth. I don't know if the end totally shocked me, but one part was pretty surprising, and I really enjoyed the road taken to get there. I would recommend this to fans of slower burns and character-driven mysteries.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The audiobook is narrated by Sandy Rustin, and I was really impressed with her voicing for this book. She was perfect for Annie and did a great job enhancing the story for me. She really pulled me in and helped keep my attention on what was going on. Pay Dirt Road could easily be the first of a series, and I would be interested to see more of Annie as I think her character has a lot of potential for growth. I don't know if the end totally shocked me, but one part was pretty surprising, and I really enjoyed the road taken to get there. I would recommend this to fans of slower burns and character-driven mysteries.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
adanna_h's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
3.0
I had mixed feelings about Pay Dirt Road. There were things that I liked and others that didn't work for me.
What worked:
o From the first pages, Samantha Jayne Allen gives the reader a vivid, descriptive picture of Garnett, Texas; there's a strong sense of place
o Great premise -- two murders rock a small town to its core
o Main character's Annie's backstory
What didn't work:
o Slow pace of the novel; I read and listened to this book and preferred the audiobook as it kept me more engaged in the story
o While Annie is smart and determined to find her friend's killer, she constantly puts herself in unsafe situations as she investigates; she acts mostly as a solo investigator instead of an apprentice who has two experienced resources available to her
o Poor integration of the environmental aspect of the story (the handling was very superficial)
Overall, Pay Dirt Road is well written and had a lot of potential, but it didn't fully deliver for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a digital copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this voluntary review are my own.
What worked:
o From the first pages, Samantha Jayne Allen gives the reader a vivid, descriptive picture of Garnett, Texas; there's a strong sense of place
o Great premise -- two murders rock a small town to its core
o Main character's Annie's backstory
What didn't work:
o Slow pace of the novel; I read and listened to this book and preferred the audiobook as it kept me more engaged in the story
o While Annie is smart and determined to find her friend's killer, she constantly puts herself in unsafe situations as she investigates; she acts mostly as a solo investigator instead of an apprentice who has two experienced resources available to her
o Poor integration of the environmental aspect of the story (the handling was very superficial)
Overall, Pay Dirt Road is well written and had a lot of potential, but it didn't fully deliver for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a digital copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this voluntary review are my own.
fixatedonfiction's review against another edition
3.0
After moving back home to work as a waitress and find direction in her life, Annie decides to work with her grandfather at his private investigation firm, to do paperwork. But when a waitress goes missing where she works, Annie gets more involved than she should.
This book was great and well written, I liked Annie, and I liked most of the side characters. The story flowed really well, and I did not expect the ending.
This book was great and well written, I liked Annie, and I liked most of the side characters. The story flowed really well, and I did not expect the ending.
thereadingraccoon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Book Review: Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen
Pay Dirt Road is a mystery novel about a young woman who returns to her hometown after college only to find herself wrapped up in a local murder investigation.
Annie has returned to her small Texas hometown after college with no idea what to do next. She’s working as a waitress at the local diner and contemplating helping her grandfather out with his P.I. business when a beautiful young co-worker (Victoria) is found murdered. Annie’s first case will be trying to figure out what really happened to Victoria while she faces trauma from her own past.
This was a fantastic new novel with a smart and determined main character. Debut author Samantha Jayne Allen clearly understands the landscapes and culture of Texas as all the characters and interactions felt authentic and set the tone for the mystery. Readers will enjoy the entire extended family that surrounds Annie and the complicated dynamics between them. You really feel for Annie as she looks back on her own past and the worst night of her life as she begins to see parallels to what happened to Victoria, herself and the dangers of being a young beautiful woman.
I highly recommend this slow burn and thoughtful mystery. I hope to see future novels from Samantha Jayne Allen especially if Annie McIntyre is a recurring character.
amykuc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I was excited to read this one, but felt like it was kind of a cookie cutter book. Rich family in a small town, college grad who doesn’t know what to do with her life. And a mystery that’s not very hard to solve. It was an ok read. I did want to finish to see what happened but don’t know if I’ll read any others.
bookmarkedbybecky's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
3.5
Pay Dirt Road is billed as “Friday Nights Lights meets Mare Of Easttown - a small-town mystery about an unlikely P.I. searching for a missing waitress.”
This debut novel offers a good base for the series - detailed descriptions of the Garnett, Texas, and deep character dive into the families of this small town. Annie, our protagonist and amateur P.I., learns many life lessons while solving Victoria’s (the waitress) murder. But the mystery surrounding the murder felt a little predictable and straightforward for an avid thriller/mystery reader. I did enjoy Annie and her venture into the family business, so I look forward to discovering where Book 2 takes her and McIntyre & Associates.
I would recommend this book to anyone who:
✨Loves character-driven mysteries
✨Prefers a slow burn mystery
✨New to the mystery genre
lexi_paws_and_pages's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Murder, and Alcohol
carolsnotebook's review
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