Hayley Scrivenor's lyrical debut, Dirt Creek, is the story of a 12-year-old girl's disappearance from the economically depressed Australian town of Durton in 2001. Scrivenor skillfully blends a tense psychological thriller with a solid police procedural, while also weaving in realistic domestic situations as characters grapple with the disintegration of families, friendships and childhood innocence. The points of view smoothly bounce between the police detectives, the various families and the children who learn uncomfortable truths about their parents--adults who try to offer security that doesn't exist.
Esther Bianchi vanishes on her way home from school, shortly after saying goodbye to her best friend, Veronica "Ronnie" Thompson. The girls, along with their 11-year-old friend, the often-bullied Lewis Kennard, are bound together by their insecurities, each trying to protect the secrets of their households from others. The case falls to detectives Sarah Michaels--who has just broken up with her girlfriend--and her partner, Wayne Smith. The insightful detectives explore whether Esther's disappearance is linked to a drug ring or the higher-profile case of missing twins elsewhere in the state.
Scrivenor cunningly delves into small-town life where many residents are somehow related to each other or have unpleasant histories. The children's keen observations about their parents and other adults, and their fears about Esther's fate, force them to grow up sooner than they should. Betrayals, domestic abuse and old feuds bubble up as the town suffers from a grueling heat wave that is "like a snake winding around its victim." --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer