Samantha Jayne Allen's debut mystery, Pay Dirt Road, drags readers right into small-town Texas. In fact, the setting was the part of the book I enjoyed the most. Unfortunately, I had problems with the rest of it.

When the bad guy is obvious (as in this book), I need something more than the setting to keep me fully engaged, and I just didn't find it here. I'll be honest and say that my reaction is almost completely subjective. Too many of the characters in Pay Dirt Road seemed to think that having a good time meant going out, getting drunk, and doing something stupid. That behavior has never ever floated my boat-- not even when I lived in a town smaller than Garnett with even fewer choices of "fun things to do." So... you can see why my attention would wane.

But I did finish the book because the writer does have talent. I'll just have to apologize and regretfully decline Annie McIntyre's next invitation to come investigate a crime with her.

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Good story, well drawen characters, moves along at a nice pace - I liked it and would recommend it.

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The late Tony Hillerman was one of my treasures. His mysteries set in Navajo country revealed the beauty of the land and the culture, and were driven by unforgettable characters. His passing left a large void in my reading regimen. Samantha Jayne Allen's "Pay Dirt Road" won the 2019 Tony Hillerman Prize given for the best first mystery set in the southwest. Big shoes to fill.

I loved the location setup. The main character, Annie McIntyre, has reluctantly returned from college to her old hometown of Garnett, Texas-- where there did not seem much to do other than watch trains and "doing donuts in the Walmart parking lot". Annie is working as a waitress, just sort of drifting along, when two murders happen on the same day. One victim was a coworker of hers and she feels she could have done something to prevent this tragedy. It just so happens her crusty old grandpa used to be the town sheriff and now runs a private investigation firm-- just the contrivance to pull her into the world of crime solving.

Annie is going to have to be a lot more determined to convince us she has private eye potential. She blunders into some dangerous situations and is not especially clever in her methods. The plot is pretty simple and moves slowly at times, but it is a decent setup for a series-- provided that Annie sharpens her skills. A good debut. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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