Dirt Town
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Dirt Town
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Narrated by:
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Sophie Loughran
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By:
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Hayley Scrivenor
About this listen
My best friend wore her name, Esther, like a queen wearing her crown at a jaunty angle. We were twelve years old when she went missing.
On a sweltering Friday afternoon in Durton, best friends Ronnie and Esther leave school together. Esther never makes it home.
Ronnie's going to find her, she has a plan. Lewis will help. Their friend can't be gone, Ronnie won't believe it.
Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels can believe it. She has seen what people are capable of. She knows more than anyone how, in a moment of weakness, a person can be driven to do something they never thought possible.
Lewis can believe it too. But he can't reveal what he saw that afternoon at the creek without exposing his own secret.
Five days later, Esther's buried body is discovered.
What do we owe the girl who isn't there?
Character-rich and propulsive, with a breathtakingly original use of voice and revolving points of view, Dirt Town delves under the surface, where no one can hide. With emotional depth and sensitivity, this stunning debut shows us how much each person matters in a community that is at once falling apart and coming together.
Esther will always be a Dirt Town child, as we are its children, still.
WINNER OF THE ABIA GENERAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023
WINNER OF THE 2023 CWA ILP JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER AWARD
WINNER OF THE LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FOR LGBTQ+ MYSTERY 2023
WINNER OF THE DAVITT AWARDS DEBUT CRIME BOOK 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 MARGARET AND COLIN RODERICK LITERARY AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE NED KELLY AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT CRIME FICTION 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2023 FOR DEBUT FICTION
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ABIA THE MATT RICHELL AWARD FOR NEW WRITER OF THE YEAR 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE DAVITT AWARDS ADULT CRIME NOVEL 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE DANGER AWARD FOR FICTION 2023
FINALIST FOR THE 2023 ITW THRILLER AWARDS FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL
Critic Reviews
"A heart-wrenching mystery, Hayley Scrivenor's remarkable sense of place brings Dirt Town to life. A stellar debut." (Jane Harper)
"Dirt Town is a remarkable debut, Hayley Scrivenor masterful in her deft handling of the tensions underpinning a small regional town, and the complex characters that populate it. You will not be able to put it down." (Hannah Kent)
"I loved this. What wonderful writing. Scarily good!... Masterful. Australian crime has a new star. The characters of Dirt Town are rich, raw and beautifully realised. One of the crime books of the year. Intelligent, nuanced and compassionate." (Chris Hammer)
What listeners say about Dirt Town
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 24-08-2022
Great listen
Easy and captivating to listen to. I breezed through this, highly recommend for anyone who loves suspense and crime
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- R Earl
- 23-11-2023
A masterpiece of Australian writing!
I was so sad when the book ended. A moving, beautifully written & descriptive book that I’m sure I’ll revisit many times. The author built solid characters, all with their own nuances & the narration was superb!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 08-02-2023
Guessing till the end
I loved this story and all the people of dirt town I loved hearing from their different perspectives. It had me guessing until the end
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- HERMZ
- 05-11-2022
Dirt Town
A full and rounded poke around a small Australian town, it’s inhabitants and into their contained lives. A tale that weaves them all together around the hole that tightens as the case gets solved. I liked it.. thoroughly.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Hannah
- 21-07-2024
Keep Listening
I felt like both the writer and narrator took a few chapters to get warmed up, but then they both found their voice. An enjoyable listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 24-07-2024
Had me guessing
Brilliant story and extremely well performed. Intriguing and great characters. Hard to stop listening and really look forward to next one!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jodie Templeton
- 07-09-2022
Good read
Was good story, kept me engaged although the storyline went up and down on subjects that weren’t really required. Ending was a bit of a shock and didn’t really sun up parts of the story.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-09-2022
Great story telling...loved the suspense
Great story telling. Took time to warm up to the narrator but then enjoyed.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 13-12-2023
Authentic.
I really enjoyed the book. The characters felt real and authentic, and it's cleverly written, leading you in different directions. I didn't like the style of narration, but it didn't spoil the experience.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Rachel
- 16-06-2023
Really good
Really well written, great story. I enjoyed it but it’s pretty grim- fragile people living out their lives in a depressing place. I found it all a bit sad.
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