Hayley Scrivenor's *Dirt Town* is more than just another crime novel; it is a haunting exploration of grief, loss, and the dark secrets that can lie beneath the surface of a small town. Set in the Australian outback, the story centers around the disappearance of twelve-year-old Esther Bianchi, an event that shatters the fragile peace of Durton and exposes its inhabitants' vulnerabilities.

Scrivenor skillfully weaves together multiple perspectives, giving voice to several characters, including Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels, the investigating officer; Constance, Esther's grieving mother; and Ronnie, Esther's best friend. Each character grapples with the tragedy in their own way, adding depth and complexity to the narrative.

What sets *Dirt Town* apart is its atmospheric prose and nuanced portrayal of characters. Scrivenor does not shy away from difficult emotions, capturing the rawness of grief and the desperation of those left behind. The setting itself becomes a character, with the oppressive heat and vast Australian landscape mirroring the characters' emotional turmoil.

The mystery unfolds slowly, keeping readers guessing until the very end. Scrivenor expertly balances procedural elements with the story's emotional core, creating a suspenseful and profoundly moving reading experience. Each character is well-developed and relatable, even those with flaws.

The Australian outback is vividly depicted, enhancing the story's atmosphere. Scrivenor explores themes of grief, loss, and community with sensitivity and insight. The mystery is engaging, filled with twists and turns that keep readers on their toes.

Fans of Jane Harper, Chris Whitaker, and anyone who enjoys atmospheric crime novels with a strong emotional core will appreciate this work. *Dirt Town* is a remarkable debut novel that lingers in your mind long after you've finished reading it. It is a powerful and poignant story about the enduring impact of loss and the secrets that can connect a community. Highly recommended.

Atmospheric, avd a solid read that was great to get stuck into. Very enjoyable, avd deserving of its award, I found this small town style story highly enjoyable. Great characters, a taut setting and a good, twisty story.
Highly recommended.

This is a small town crime thriller. It is very atmospheric. The cast of characters are close knit. This is a slow burn which sucks you into the narrative. The writing is brilliant.

It took me ages to get around to reading this book. I think I’ve possibly had an overload of so-so crime fiction and I just assumed that this might fall under the same bracket.
But luckily, my assumptions were wrong.
Dirt Town is a stand-out from so many books in its genre. For me, this was mainly because the crime (although heart-breaking) wasn’t outlandishly sensationalist, convoluted or fiendishly complex. There were no mastermind criminals here with their unnecessarily elaborate plans of murder. No clever media-induced names for the killer. No labyrinthine back stories detailing revenge lists and years-long grudge-holding.
Dirt Town (Durton) could be any small Australian township. It’s inhabitants are all recognisable as personalities that make up any neighbourhood. Sure, there are secrets and lies, but nothing that doesn’t occur in any locale in any part of the world.
The children of Durton are uncomplicated (but often incredibly succinct) in their views of a murky adult life that they’ve gotten an unwelcome glimpse of. And their narratives in the book were my favourite parts.
Hayley Scrivener has written a desolately beautiful book about non-descript lives in a rural stultified town and it’s all the better a read for it.

First book I’ve read by this author. An ok read though a little slow in places. The storyline did leave you guessing right up to the end .

An atmospheric mystery that gives real character to small town, rural Australia. This has all the ingredients of a good thriller - crime, questionable relationships, rumours and deceit.
Like Jane Harper’s The Dry and Chris Hammer’s Scrublands, one of the central characters is actually the location and all that it brings. Hayley Scrivenor has woven it all together brilliantly and she’s an author I’ll definitely be looking out for in future.

Despite the dusty heat of the Australian landscape where this story takes place, this book sent a chill down my spine with its bleak description of the surroundings and the people. When a local girl goes missing, the community of Durton is shaken in their routine, starting to question their daily lives. However, it seems almost impossible to penetrate the lethargy that seems to lay over the city. A sense of hopeless desperation emanates out of every page, culminating in an inevitable ending with shocking finality. What did not really fit into this story was the private drama of DS Sarah Michaels who comes to 'Dirt Town' to investigate the missing girl case. It seemed unrelated to the story-line and IMHO could have also been left out. Overall, a disturbing read that leaves you speechless for a while.

Loved this book. Its a tense page turner with twists and turns but it's also full of defined characters you end up caring deeply about. One of my favourite books of last year.

A significant addition to the 'outback noir' genre, this occupies the space between thriller and dark literary fiction. The narrative is a little too sombre for my personal taste but Scrivenor is undoubtably a talented writer

a bleak slow bun drama which is perfect if you like that sort of thing.
Sadly it did not work for me - I love a bleak book but with a very particular setting (Yorkshire moors lol)

This was an absorbing read. It's an atmospheric small town mystery which grips you from the start right until the end.

When twelve-year-old Esther Bianchi disappears on her way home from school in the small town of Durton in rural Australia, the local community is thrown into a state of grief and suspicion.
The police work is depicted in an unusually realistic way which is not so common in today's detective stories.

I absolutely adore this new 'Australian Noir' genre that's starting to immerge, much like Jane Harper and Chris Hammer, I thought this book would fill a hole while I wait for their new books to be released. I wasn't wrong. Set in the heat of Australia we follow a simple mystery of a missing school girl. I loved the town being it's own character and the occasional voices of its residents I enjoyed the plot and pacing as well as the straightforward storytelling.

This book is so good. It’s a crime thriller but actually it’s so much more. It is about the people and the place. The writing is superb as every character is so well written, and believable, and the small town has a personality all of its own which brings it and the story to life. This books is a really emotional and thoughtful read set alongside a terrible tragedy. A definite must read for 2022.

I really enjoyed this book. In the small town of Durton in rural Australia, everyone knows everybody else's business. So when 12 year old Esther Bianchi goes missing on her way home from school, suspicions are rife. The story is told from the point of view of several characters, including 2 of Esther's school friends. I thought this was an excellent way of telling the story. There are some really good characters in the story and the plot will keep you guessing to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

An original style of writing telling an original small town Australian crime story. I loved it and had trouble putting it down. Unlike other books with an epilogue this book ends in a fresh and interesting way. The characters were so finely drawn I knew them intimately by the end.
Well done Hayley Scrivenor you’ve written a very special book.

Esther Bianchi, 12, and Ronnie Thompson are close friends. They reside in Durton, which is a little dull but alright. The locals refer to it as Dirt Town or Dirt and Hurt. Esther disappears after school one day. While the entire town goes out to seek for her, everyone is aware that it may have been their neighbor or a friend who kidnapped the young woman. Esther's whereabouts are the responsibility of Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels, but the inquiry stumbles at every step. Someone in Durton is aware of Esther's whereabouts. The small, close-knit town has someone who knows the truth.

The book has an incredibly strong feeling of location, vivid scene setting, a multi-layered viewpoint that really shines, a small town claustrophobia, and a page-turning plot.

This sits in the area of crime fiction I don't normally tiptoe into, small-town tragedy stuff - but the setting (a small Australian town) interested me. It also has an interesting structure, told by a number of the townsfolk, including some kids, the lead police officer and a chorus of "WE" at the end of each section. A child goes missing, and the framing device makes it clear that she will not be found alive - the book is set in 2001 which pretty much removes mobile phones, and modern attitudes (the lead cop is a lesbian who isn't very out to her colleagues and assumes the town won't understand if she ever brings it up).

Scrivenor (the most modern of pen names surely) handles the technicalities of her structure well, Whilst she doesn't do a lot stylistically to differentiate between her different viewpoint characters (she wisely uses third person), she makes their life experience difference clear, and their needs and goals explicit. So we do understand when a child protagonist with-holds certain bits of information, and we also see the damage the unfolding of the crime does across the community. There is a possibility that a structure like this, which rules out some suspects by virtue of them being protagonists, would be a weakness - but there are plenty of possible solutions. The final outcome whilst a little convoluted smack more true than it would on paper because you have got to know the town.

On the other hand the structure - particularly the chorus - does want to elevate what is a pretty meat and potatoes procedural. I don't think I have come away from the book with a particular insight into 2001 rural Australia - the flavour is of any hick town really. So whilst I think it works pretty well as a crime and mystery story, I don't think it has much more to offer. That is enough for my occasional foray into the genre, but this didn't give me anything else to get over the sadness at the heart of the story which is why I don't visit the genre very often.

Durton, better know as Dirt Town to it's residents, is not the nicest place to live and being a small town, means everyone knows everyone and their business.

When one of the local schoolchildren doesn't arrive home after leaving school, the community are shocked. DS Sarah Michaels is called in as an expert in these situations and heads up the search for Esther whose best friends Ronnie and Lewis really want to help, but are scared to speak up.

This was an atmospheric, slow-burning small town mystery with believable characters who all give off a little untrustworthy vibe making it difficult to work out who has done what. This story is told from several different viewpoints, but I particularly enjoyed hearing from Esther's friends perspectives.

An excellent debut that I recommend if you are in the mood for a slow-burning mystery!

A very impressive Australian novel; quite harrowing in how one "event" can irrevocably change people's lives. The cast of characters so real and yet non stereotypical. Great work.