Dirt Creek by Hayley Scrivenor is a well-written book bound to immerse you in its story. The premise of a missing child in a small town is a common storyline in mystery novels and because of the commonness of the subgenre, they have to be written well to leave an impact and Dirt Creek is a novel that will leave an impression. There is clear talent in this story and I believe Scrivenor is an author to watch out for because of her capability to take something common and make it uniquely her own and through doing so, creating an engaging read.

Dirt Creek's biggest strength is that it is difficult to pinpoint whose involved in Esther's disappearance. Each character introduced has a suspicious aura surrounding them and honestly, you will suspect everyone and that constantly shifting mindset creates a mysterious read. Combined with fantastic POV switching, Dirt Creek will read with ease leaving you wonder who-dun-it in this rural dirt town.

As I stated, the plot is something we've seen time and time again. The constant publication of this premise indicates we a) enjoy these types of mysteries (I mean, I do - that's why I read them) and b) for a novel of this premise to captivate, it's got to be good. Dirt Creek is good. Throughout this review I say that a lot - this is a good book; it feels redundant to say but any reader knows a good book when you read it, and that feeling is in Dirt Creek. When I recommend this read in the future, I'll say it's a good book with conviction. It's not a good book, it's a good book. Dirt Creek contains a fluid storyline with engaging descriptions and multiple culprits who are all suspicious. This is a good plot and one I think you will enjoy.

The characters in Dirt Creek are great because there is a multitude of them telling the story but, not one individual overpowers another in importance or impact on the plot. The four main viewpoints are Constance, Sarah, Lewis, and Ronnie. Constance is the distraught mother of the missing child, Sarah is the detective assigned to the case, and Ronnie and Lewis are Esther's closest friends.

Because of the vast differences in ages and relation to Esther, the four viewpoints compliment each other helping create a sense of movement. There is potential with each new page for something to happen and that's because of the character's perceptions and understanding of situations. The characters have depth and are worth reading because they enhance the story and when combined with a continuously shifting POV, help create a world of mystery revolving around one girl's disapperance.

It was not an ending I expected and you can take that with a grain of salt. I am awful at pinpointing the culprit / antagonist in mysteries and for Dirt Creek, I wasn't even close to the mark.This is the first novel in a while where the ending shocked me and also provided a sense of vindication. This is an ending that like the rest of the story, is written well and wraps up the plot nicely, even if you were able to pinpoint the involved way before I could. Dirt Creek is a mystery worth an hour of your time, it is a good choice as your next read.

Hot potato, this novel took a turn and ended up somewhere I would have never expected. I was speechless when the big reveal happened - speechless! I couldn't comprehend how she was so nonchalant about killing someone. It was an accident, a terrible situation that could occur for anyone, but it is what she did afterwards that defined her as psychotic. She killed Esther and hid the body; she had no remorse of emotions about it either. I can't figure out if she dissociated from the situation or truly had detachment issues from rational feelings but her choice to hide Esther instead of calling the cops and had no remorse when found out, that indicated to me that she might be a sociopath.

The worst part about it, the worst part, is that she stuck by Constance and was there for her through it all. There was not a single moment where it alluded to Shel being anything but angelic and I never, not once, suspected her. I didn't even think it was her when they found the shovel and black tarp material in her shed. I thought the family had been set up. I thought that maybe Matt, the local cop, had been involved in the drugs and was covering up his tracks by framing the husband - I was so far off. I empathised with Shel, I felt for her, and then it turns out she killed Esther and covered it up? And then she continued to lie and support Constance?!?! Shel would have lied the rest of her life, I mean - that revelation had my emotions swinging at the end.

The emotional turmoil I experienced solidified Dirt Creek as a great book but it predominately was the writing style and switching POV's that kept me engaged. I enjoyed how the story was written but I appreciated the most how it flowed to always provide us as a reader with exactly what we needed throughout. I think it was because of this fluidity that I couldn't pinpoint a killer. I seriously thought it was Matt, then Clay, and for a moment the hotel owner. I never thought it was the husband because that was too convenient and I never, ever, thought it was Shel. Seriously, I can't pinpoint a moment where it alluded to Shel being untrustworthy. She hid the body and would have lied for the rest of her life and not once did it seem she had any remorse or emotion about what she did.

She hid the body. Worse than that though, she supported her friend whose suffering she caused. It is so frustrating not being able to decipher Shel's motives behind the hit-and-run. Did she feel remorse and hid Esther to hide her shame? Did she do it to save Constance from the pain? Did she have no emotion when it happened and therefore, was able to feel comfortable and move on with her choice to bury Esther? I'm honestly leaning towards the last one; because the only reason Shel buried Esther was because she had to babysit her grandkid. Her first thought after hitting Esther was that it messed up her routine; if that isn't a sign of who she was deep down, then I need to go back and study more psychology. I never got the sense either that those thoughts were her dissociating to protect herself from her mistake and protect others from it too and honestly, I still have no clue what to think and that lack of conviction one way or another heavily impacted my emotional response to this read.

Dirt Creek is a messed up and truly good book that I have yet to finalise my thoughts on. If you've read Dirt Creek, what did you think of the killer? I need opinions, this was an intense read that has so much room to be talked about and I want to hear it all.