MYSTERY

Pay Dirt Road

Minotaur: St. Martin’s. Apr. 2022. 304p. ISBN 9781250804273. $27.99. M
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DEBUT After graduating from college, Annie McIntyre returned home to her family, friends, and history in Garnett, TX. A small town hit by drought and recession, Garnett is desperate for the money from a company buying drilling rights. Annie is just as desperate for a purpose, a lost young woman who works as a waitress in the town’s café, and parties at night with her cousin. At a community bonfire one night, she recognizes Victoria, another waitress, who is stumbling drunk, but Annie is too busy stopping her cousin from picking a fight to help her work friend. When Victoria’s strangled body is found on Annie’s grandfather’s land, Annie realizes that the dead woman could have easily been herself. Annie’s grandfather Leroy is co-owner of a private investigation firm that has been hired by a suspect’s family to prove he’s not guilty. Annie latches onto the investigation as a way to deal with her own demons and prove she’s not a victim, nor a drunk loser with no future.
VERDICT Annie’s brooding voice stands out. Fans of Southwestern atmospheric mysteries will appreciate this debut with a strong sense of place by Allen, winner of the 2019 Hillerman Prize.
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