JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor

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.

Hayley Scrivenor’s debut rural crime novel Dirt Town follows the disappearance of 12-year-old Esther Bianchi, who disappears after school on one blistering hot afternoon. Set in a remote New South Wales town nicknamed Dirt Town, Esther’s disappearance ripples through the small town. This close-knit community that parents once considered safe, suddenly doesn’t seem to be.

There is quite a large cast of characters who pivot through the story. Esther’s friends Ronnie and Lewis, who struggle to understand the events of her disappearance, and Esther’s mother Constance, who gravitates towards her best friend Shelley to help process her grief. We also have Sydney-based detective Sarah Michaels, tasked with solving the crime.

“Sarah found that, in general, people were less leery of unmarried, childless female police officers in her line of work than they were of single men. Even if some of them guessed she might be gay, even if that wasn’t their cup of tea, they were less suspicious of her than they were of Smithy.”

Dirt Town is worthy of its praise, offering a suite of complex and three-dimensional characters and presenting an ending that felt fresh and unique.

Hayley Scrivenor perfectly captures the barren landscape of regional New South Wales, moving POV between all of the characters who circle Esther’s disappearance. Because the book blurb tells us Esther’s body will eventually be found, we know where the story is headed. We know, at the end of the four-day plot, Esther will be discovered and we will be close to uncovering her killer.

“Constance’s eyes moved of their own accord to the tall woman’s choppy haircut. The short hair had been dyed an unnatural, fire engine red and was peppered with auburn and blonde streaks. It was one of those haircuts where, however it turns out, at least you can’t be accused of not making an effort.”

Hayley’s writing is observant and taut. Each point of view not only addresses Esther’s disappearance, allowing the plot to propel forward, but we also learn more about that character’s past – their history in the town, their relations with other characters, and their potential involvement with Esther on the day she disappeared.

Whilst I did find the order of events to be a little confusing – Hayley moves between past and present in quite a staccato, chaotic manner – the characters do anchor the story and keep you turning the pages. Hayley’s writing is poignant, with plenty to offer the reader.

“I’d wanted to tell the detective more about Esther. That her parents worried too much about her, not seeing that she could, in fact, do anything. Of course, I couldn’t have said I sometimes pretended that Esther’s dad was my father when he drove us to and from swimming.”

Atmospheric with a tightly wound crime and a pacey plot, Dirt Town is recommended for readers of rural and outback noir, crime thrillers and small-town mysteries. Readership skews 25+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dirt Town
Hayley Scrivenor
June 2022
Pan Macmillan Publishers Australia

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Nora is a cut-throat literary agent at the top of her game. Her whole life is books.

Charlie is an editor with a gift for creating bestsellers. And he’s Nora’s work nemesis.

Nora has been through enough break-ups to know she’s the woman men date before they find their happy-ever-after. That’s why Nora’s sister has persuaded her to swap her desk in the city for a month’s holiday in Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. It’s a small town straight out of a romance novel, but instead of meeting sexy lumberjacks, handsome doctors or cute bartenders, Nora keeps bumping into…Charlie.

She’s no heroine. He’s no hero. So can they take a page out of an entirely different book?

Emily Henry’s Book Lovers follows an unapologetic, cutthroat literary agent as she vacations to a small town, only to run into the belligerent, grumpy book editor that she despises. The book explores the cliche of the small town love story, and the common trope of enemies to lovers.

Perpetually single, Nora is career-driven and thrives under pressure. She loves books — editing them and advocating for them — and she strives for success. She is goal-oriented and never feels she has to apologise for her ambition. On her vacation, when she’s constantly crossing paths with the devious editor Charlie, she realises just how similar they really are. Maybe there’s more to him than she realised.

“It’s late in the day for lunch, so the crowd is thin, and I spot Charlie Lastra near the back, dressed in all black like publishing’s own metropolitan vampire.”

Book Lovers is upbeat and relatable, bringing to life a cast of characters who are fun to read.

The setting is quaint and cosy, and the character banter enjoyable. Nora’s relationship with her sister provides a nice additional layer to the story, exploring family responsibilities and what we owe to each other when each other is all we’ve had.

The chemistry between Nora and Charlie builds over the course of the novel and will please romance readers — whilst the heat builds quickly, an energy of ‘will they or won’t they’ persists throughout the book because their circumstances make it difficult to pursue any kind of relationship.

“I go toward her, wrap my arms around her, and hold tight. She circles me in hers too, her lemon-lavender scent settling over me like a blanket, her glossy strawberry waves falling across my shoulders as she runs a hand over the back of my head.”

Emily Henry’s books suit readers looking for light content — perhaps someone looking for a beach read, or something to take on vacation. You’ll power through this in a short amount of time, and when you’re finished, there are two other Emily Henry books out there for you to discover.

“Happy doesn’t begin to cover it. The image of stern-browned, highly polished Charlie tucked into a plastic Corvette and scowling at his Kindle makes me laugh so hard it’s a struggle to stay upright. He’s probably the last person I could picture in a race car bed, aside from myself.”

Fun and light-hearted, Book Lovers is recommended for readers of romance, comedy and contemporary women’s fiction. Readership skews female, 20+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Lovers
Emily Henry
May 2022
Penguin Random House Publishers Australia

The Island by Adrian McKinty

The Island is the next thrilling adventure from the mastermind behind The Chain, and a family story unlike any you’ve read yet.

You should not have come to the island.
You should not have been speeding.
You should not have tried to hide the body.
You should not have told your children that you could keep them safe.
No one can run forever . . .

Adrian McKinty’s The Island is a psychological thriller set largely on a remote Australian island off Melbourne, after a British family become trapped there during a holiday from hell. When they accidentally kill a local young woman, the chaotic, unhinged family of Australians who live on the island start to hunt them down.

When Tom and his children, along with his second wife Heather, travel to Australia off the back of a business trip, they’re unexpectedly thrust in to a life-and-death cat and mouse chase through remote Australian terrain.

“She could feel herself sinking. She was so thirsty. Everything ached. She was sitting cross-legged on the ground. A blood trail was making its way toward her through the dust. She tried to breathe. Breathing hurt. Her ribs hurt. The air was thick.”

I really wanted to like this book, and there were elements of the premise and the plot that intrigued me, but the writing is flawed and the story thinly developed. The dialogue is cliche and caricature, and there’s very little depth to the characters. Every conversation felt like something out of an action movie, not at all realistic nor believable. The main characters were so one-dimensional I didn’t like any of them – even the young teenage girl read much younger in some sections, like a scared child rather than the impressionable teenager she’s meant to be.

I know Adrian spent some time living in Australia, but this reads like someone who hasn’t spent enough time here. He wrote Australians to be so stereotypical and over-the-top. It’s rare to find an Australia who actually says ‘fair dinkum’ once, let alone regularly in a conversation. Even the British family weren’t overly likeable. The husband, Tom, freaks out about not getting his chosen hire car, but the main character talks about him like he’s an amazing husband and father — her feelings and his personality don’t match up.

“Olivia buried herself in Heather’s chest. She’d never really hugged her before except that one time at the wedding, before Christmas. And that was only out of politeness.”

On top of that, you have characters who make foolish decisions based on false beliefs (like believing, after the locals have killed people they love, that they might actually let them go if they surrender?). Other inconsistencies include the family on the island not actually being very good at tracking or hunting, even though they’re supposed to live and breathe this terrain? And why are the villains so overwritten? Jacko is ridiculous and so is Ma, to name just a couple of them. Unfortunately this just wasn’t the book for me.

“Heather watched helplessly as the children were sat down on the floor, their hands tied in front of them, and a noose run from each one’s neck to a hook in the ceiling. Another rope around the neck tied them to the wall of the shearing shed.”

The Island is suited for thriller and crime readers. Readership skews male, 25+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Island
Adrian McKinty
May 2022
Hachette Book Publishers

The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

In Strasbourg, in the boiling hot summer of 1518, a plague strikes the women of the city. First it is just one – a lone figure, dancing in the town square – but she is joined by more and more and the city authorities declare an emergency. Musicians will be brought in. The devil will be danced out of these women.

Just beyond the city’s limits, pregnant Lisbet lives with her mother-in-law and husband, tending the bees that are their livelihood. Her best friend Ida visits regularly and Lisbet is so looking forward to sharing life and motherhood with her. And then, just as the first woman begins to dance in the city, Lisbet’s sister-in-law Nethe returns from six years penance in the mountains for an unknown crime. No one – not even Ida – will tell Lisbet what Nethe did all those years ago, and Nethe herself will not speak a word about it.

It is the beginning of a few weeks that will change everything for Lisbet – her understanding of what it is to love and be loved, and her determination to survive at all costs for the baby she is carrying. Lisbet and Nethe and Ida soon find themselves pushing at the boundaries of their existence – but they’re dancing to a dangerous tune . . .

Well this was a delight. Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s The Dance Tree explores lust, family secrets and women under the eye of the Church, set against the backdrop of a captivating dance plague overtaking a small Strasbourg village in 1518. The Dance Tree is also about a returned sister, silenced by a past transgression, and a main character constrained by her marriage and her crowded home.

The Dance Tree is a very female-centric story. At its heart is the pregnant Lisbet, who is hoping her current pregnancy will be her first successful one. Her mother-in-law shames her for her past miscarriages and stillborns, and no one will tell her why Nethe, her husband’s sister, was sent away to the mountains for seven years. What crime did she commit and how will her return affect Lisbet’s life? There is also her best friend Ida, who made a substantial sacrifice years ago and is still living with the repercussions.

“The smell comes like a cloud from the river that cuts east of Strasbourg. It is brown and sluggish beneath the sun, and as they near the city proper, the smell grows solid, grows guts and breath.”

Based on true events, Kiran captures the religious condemnation of the time period with clarity. When the dance plague starts, and then spreads, those in charge are wielded even more power to make it stop. The plague frightens them, and then in turn, they begin to frighten the rest of the townsfolk. People are already hungry and desperate and oppressed by those more powerful than them. Over time, their control over the town begins to fracture, and women band together to exert their force over those in charge.

The writing is one of the strengths in the book – Kiran’s ability to capture human emotion through actions and reactions. There is no ‘telling’ in this book; we learn everything we need to know through social interactions and dialogue. We come to understand feelings and emotions through movement and song and tender conversations between the unlikeliest of friends. And as the pages progress, Kiran builds tension and pacing with ease.

“The ground is scattered with leaves and her gifts. She brings the babies magpie offerings and places them at the base of the tree: pleasingly patterned stones, found feathers, flowers pressed and weighted with pebbles. She used to be superstitious about it, making deals and promises with each token.”

Other strengths in the book include female friendship and relationships between family — particularly Lisbet and her mother-in-law — setting, temperature and weather, and capturing lust and love between two people who struggle to part from one another.

Lisbet reflects on how her relationship with her husband has changed over the years, from intense passion to disappointment, and finally, to what feels like complacency. Lisbet feels guilty for not being able to carry a pregnancy, and thus she feels lost and alone, even when surrounded by others. She has much to learn about life and living, and Nethe’s return acts as the catalyst towards this.

“Nethe said in the abbey such judgements between holy mania and demonic possession rested on whether someone was liked or not. Lisbet eyes her, wondering what effect such a pronouncement will have on her. But Nethe has turned to stone again.”

Lyrical, atmospheric and imaginative, The Dance Tree is recommended for literary fiction readers. Readership skews female, 30+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Dance Tree
Kiran Millwood Hargrave
May 2022
Pan Macmillan Publishers Australia

Those Who Return by Kassandra Montag

Amid the desolate wilderness of the Great Plains of Nebraska, a region so isolated you could drive for hours without seeing another human being, sits Hatchery House. Having served as a church, an asylum and an orphanage, Hatchery is now a treatment facility for orphaned or abandoned children with psychiatric disorders. Haunted by patients past and present, only the most vulnerable find a home within its walls.

Dr. Lorelei ‘Lore’ Webber, a former FBI psychiatrist, has almost grown used to the unorthodox methods used at Hatchery House. But when one of her patients is murdered, Lore finds herself dragged into the centre of an investigation that unearths startling truths, shocking discoveries, and untold cruelty. And as the investigation unravels, Lore is forced to confront the past she’s spent her whole life running from – a secret that threatens to undo her entirely.

Kassandra Montag’s Those Who Return is a psychological thriller exploring guilt and redemption within a desolate and remote landscape. Largely taking place inside a mysterious treatment facility, with nowhere to run these characters are forced to accept their fate within the confined walls of this facility.

Protagonist Lore is a physiatrist at the facility, working with disadvantaged children until they are ready to return to their home. Some are evidently more trouble than others — manipulative bullies that prey on the younger children in the group. And so when one, and then two, children end up murdered on the grounds of the facility, there is a long list of potential suspects.

“I hoped it was nothing more than a shadow that had startled her. Carly was scared of everything, so anything could set her off. She was so terrified of going outside that she sometimes wore paper bags over her head.”

Those Who Return features a large suite of characters, which kept me guessing right until the end. I didn’t feel an ounce of predictability about this story, and thought Kassandra brought a unique offering to the psychological thriller genre.

The secluded and remote setting deliberately feels claustrophobic for the reader, building tension and pace with each chapter. We know things are going to get worse before they get better. And Lore did feel like a compelling protagonist — as an ex-FBI psychiatrist still reeling from a traumatic death, she had to battle her demons in her to solve the murders in the book. There was certainly enough richness to her character to carry through the book and keep the story feeling multi-dimensional.

“I reached out and touched her arm and she trembled against my hand, her whole body vibrating like a harpsichord that’d been plucked. She gripped a single tomato so tightly that its juice dripped to the dirt floor in soft plops.”

Whilst the story is a bit slow to start, I did like the time that Kassandra dedicated to setting up the backstory, the characterisation and the dynamic between the children. It allows for an enriched plot and does help the reader later on when the events grow chaotic and start to spiral out of control.

Admittedly, I did feel like Cedar’s presence in the novel felt underdeveloped — his connection to Lore was strong, but he got swallowed by the other characters in the book and I couldn’t help but feel like he was too forgettable.

“Other people couldn’t stop the hallucinations, so what was the point in telling them? Everyone lives with things: obsessions, tragedies, disruptive thoughts. I wanted to believe everything could be treated for all people, but knew there were limits, or at least, limits for me.”

Tense and fast-paced, Those Who Return is recommended for readers of mystery and psychological thriller. Readership skews 25+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Those Who Return
Kassandra Montag
April 2022
Hachette Book Publishers Australia