Try free for 30 days

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Dirt Town cover art

Dirt Town

By: Hayley Scrivenor
Narrated by: Sophie Loughran
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

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

©2022 Hayley Scrivenor (P)2022 Macmillan Australia Audio

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)

More from the same

What listeners say about Dirt Town

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    171
  • 4 Stars
    68
  • 3 Stars
    31
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    158
  • 4 Stars
    58
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    152
  • 4 Stars
    67
  • 3 Stars
    24
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great listen

Easy and captivating to listen to. I breezed through this, highly recommend for anyone who loves suspense and crime

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story telling...loved the suspense

Great story telling. Took time to warm up to the narrator but then enjoyed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Absolutely love this one.
The writing is intensely descriptive. So much detail, it makes you see and feel every scene, every person. Brilliant story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great story

I enjoyed this story and look forward to the authors next book. The reason I rated the story at 4 rather than 5 was that it jumped backwards and forwards which was sometimes a little confusing. I am happy to recommend it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.