jemimamc's review
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
bibliobliss_au's review
4.0
4.5 stars. Murder mystery lovers - check this book out! I read it over 2 days and what a fabulous way it was to spend my weekend!
This book is so much fun. I really couldn’t put it down. I was completely caught up in the intrigue, the cast of characters and the mounting drama. Digging Up Dirt was an absolute delight to read!
This is a fabulous, cosy, murder mystery with some great comedic moments. As a protagonist, Poppy is excellent - smart, funny, relatable and with a voice that propels you easily into the story.
There were several things I really loved about this book:
This book is so much fun. I really couldn’t put it down. I was completely caught up in the intrigue, the cast of characters and the mounting drama. Digging Up Dirt was an absolute delight to read!
This is a fabulous, cosy, murder mystery with some great comedic moments. As a protagonist, Poppy is excellent - smart, funny, relatable and with a voice that propels you easily into the story.
There were several things I really loved about this book:
mandylovestoread's review
4.0
Love a murder mystery - and this one is set in Sydney so I had to read it. Digging Up Dirt was a fun, cozy mystery book that I read over the course of a day. Familiar setting, likeable (and some not so likeable) characters and a story to keep you guessing, Digging Up Dirt has something for everybody. I hope that this will be the start of a new series, keen to read more about Poppy and Tol.
Poppy has bought the house of her dreams in Annandale in Sydney., at least it will be when the renovations are done. But when bones are found under the floorboards she had trouble on her hands. Only it is just the beginning. She calls for help before calling the police, but that help turns out to be Dr Julieanne Weaver, a woman that Poppy does not see eye to eye with. Are the bones human or animal> And when can she get her house back? Not soon as it turns from an archeological dig to a crime scene when the doctor is found murdered a few days later. Using her media contacts as a reporter at the ABC, Poppy sets out to find the killer, identify the bones and get her renovations back on track. Not too much to ask is it?
This is book you won't want to put down. It will make you laugh and want to know more. Thanks to Harlequin Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read.
Poppy has bought the house of her dreams in Annandale in Sydney., at least it will be when the renovations are done. But when bones are found under the floorboards she had trouble on her hands. Only it is just the beginning. She calls for help before calling the police, but that help turns out to be Dr Julieanne Weaver, a woman that Poppy does not see eye to eye with. Are the bones human or animal> And when can she get her house back? Not soon as it turns from an archeological dig to a crime scene when the doctor is found murdered a few days later. Using her media contacts as a reporter at the ABC, Poppy sets out to find the killer, identify the bones and get her renovations back on track. Not too much to ask is it?
This is book you won't want to put down. It will make you laugh and want to know more. Thanks to Harlequin Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read.
emilylcamilleri's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
When your builder finds bones under the floor of your heritage home, what do you do?
Poppy McGowan is a likeable, strong-willed, funny protagonist and really carried the story. The way she sees the world and the relationships and interactions she has with the secondary characters had me laughing out loud at times and agreeing with her at others.
The murder mystery storyline really had me guessing right until the very end. The final chapter had so many revelations that I had not seen coming at all. I had suspected some things and the pieces of the puzzle that would expose the killer had been delicately placed throughout the story, I just hadn’t put them together correctly!
It was wonderful to read a story that is set in Sydney. While I live in Melbourne, I did recognise a lot of the places mentioned and it gave me a stronger connection to the setting than in comparison to books based in countries/cities I’ve never been to.
Poppy McGowan is a likeable, strong-willed, funny protagonist and really carried the story. The way she sees the world and the relationships and interactions she has with the secondary characters had me laughing out loud at times and agreeing with her at others.
The murder mystery storyline really had me guessing right until the very end. The final chapter had so many revelations that I had not seen coming at all. I had suspected some things and the pieces of the puzzle that would expose the killer had been delicately placed throughout the story, I just hadn’t put them together correctly!
It was wonderful to read a story that is set in Sydney. While I live in Melbourne, I did recognise a lot of the places mentioned and it gave me a stronger connection to the setting than in comparison to books based in countries/cities I’ve never been to.
siclarke's review
Poppy's builder calls her in a panic when he finds bones under the floorboards. The archaeologists turn up to inspect and quickly determine that the bones are sheep not human. It's a relief for five minutes … right up until one of the archaeologists is found dead in the same spot. And Poppy's the prime suspect.
The story was an interesting and compelling one but for my tastes the romance was overdone and cloying. And while the mystery was enjoyable, the heteronormative gender-stereotyping wasn't to my liking.
An original cosy political whodunnit with a broad array of potential suspects that will keep you guessing to the very end.
The story was an interesting and compelling one but for my tastes the romance was overdone and cloying. And while the mystery was enjoyable, the heteronormative gender-stereotyping wasn't to my liking.
An original cosy political whodunnit with a broad array of potential suspects that will keep you guessing to the very end.
shelleyrae's review
3.0
There’s a real dearth of Australian cosy mysteries so I’m delighted by the publication of Digging Up Dirt by Pamela Hart, introducing television researcher, and amateur sleuth, Poppy McGowan.
Poppy McGowan is nearing the end of renovations of her terrace house in inner Sydney when her builder discovers bones buried in the dirt under her living room floor. To determine if the are animal or human, the Museum of NSW sends Dr. Julieanne Weaver, with whom Poppy has an antagonistic relationship, who arrives with her boyfriend- the handsome visiting archaeologist Bartholomew ‘Tol’ Lang. Weaver quickly agrees the bones aren’t human, but she won’t release the site, declaring the bones may belong to a rare breed of sheep that arrived with the First Fleet. Poppy is frustrated but decides to make the best of the situation, as a researcher for an educational television show on the ABC, at least footage of the dig can be used for a upcoming program. Two days later, Poppy finds herself in front of the camera after the body of Julieanne is discovered in the hole in her house. The police consider Poppy to be a prime suspect so using her research skills and media contacts, Poppy sets out to prove her innocence.
Poppy digs up no shortage of suspects, Julieanne wasn’t well liked among her colleagues at the Museum, and then there is her surprising involvement with the right-wing Australian Family Party and the Pentecostal Radiant Joy Church. Hart provides plenty of red herrings for Poppy to be sidetracked by, creating an interesting ‘whodunnit’ plot.
I wasn’t keen on the involvement of religion and politics in the story, simply because both subjects tend to distress me. That said, it allows Hart to raise some topical issues including feminism, domestic violence, the status of LBTQIA+, Aboriginal heritage, and obliquely comments on Australia’s current political climate. Poppy uses the media credentials bestowed upon her by the ABC news desk desperate for an exclusive, to involve herself in the two conservative groups, suspecting one of their leaders may be responsible for her death.
Smart, resourceful and quick-witted Poppy is a likeable, well rounded character. As she is living with her staunchly Catholic parents while her home is being renovated we are briefly introduced to her family giving us a sense of her background. I found her work as a researcher to be interesting and think it lends itself well to the practicality of amateur sleuthing.
There’s a touch of romance in the novel, though Poppy is involved with an accountant named Stuart, and Tol is dating Julieanne, the attraction between the pair is obvious from their first meeting. As it turns out Stuart is a prat, and well Julieanne dies, so the situation is not quite as awkward as it could be. I liked the will they/won’t they nature of the relationship, however given that Tol is expected to leave for a long term position in Jordan in a few weeks, there is no guarantee he will become a series regular.
Offering well crafted intrigue, appealing characters and a uniquely Australian setting, I found Digging Up Dirt to be entertaining and engaging cosy mystery. I hope there will be more.
Poppy McGowan is nearing the end of renovations of her terrace house in inner Sydney when her builder discovers bones buried in the dirt under her living room floor. To determine if the are animal or human, the Museum of NSW sends Dr. Julieanne Weaver, with whom Poppy has an antagonistic relationship, who arrives with her boyfriend- the handsome visiting archaeologist Bartholomew ‘Tol’ Lang. Weaver quickly agrees the bones aren’t human, but she won’t release the site, declaring the bones may belong to a rare breed of sheep that arrived with the First Fleet. Poppy is frustrated but decides to make the best of the situation, as a researcher for an educational television show on the ABC, at least footage of the dig can be used for a upcoming program. Two days later, Poppy finds herself in front of the camera after the body of Julieanne is discovered in the hole in her house. The police consider Poppy to be a prime suspect so using her research skills and media contacts, Poppy sets out to prove her innocence.
Poppy digs up no shortage of suspects, Julieanne wasn’t well liked among her colleagues at the Museum, and then there is her surprising involvement with the right-wing Australian Family Party and the Pentecostal Radiant Joy Church. Hart provides plenty of red herrings for Poppy to be sidetracked by, creating an interesting ‘whodunnit’ plot.
I wasn’t keen on the involvement of religion and politics in the story, simply because both subjects tend to distress me. That said, it allows Hart to raise some topical issues including feminism, domestic violence, the status of LBTQIA+, Aboriginal heritage, and obliquely comments on Australia’s current political climate. Poppy uses the media credentials bestowed upon her by the ABC news desk desperate for an exclusive, to involve herself in the two conservative groups, suspecting one of their leaders may be responsible for her death.
Smart, resourceful and quick-witted Poppy is a likeable, well rounded character. As she is living with her staunchly Catholic parents while her home is being renovated we are briefly introduced to her family giving us a sense of her background. I found her work as a researcher to be interesting and think it lends itself well to the practicality of amateur sleuthing.
There’s a touch of romance in the novel, though Poppy is involved with an accountant named Stuart, and Tol is dating Julieanne, the attraction between the pair is obvious from their first meeting. As it turns out Stuart is a prat, and well Julieanne dies, so the situation is not quite as awkward as it could be. I liked the will they/won’t they nature of the relationship, however given that Tol is expected to leave for a long term position in Jordan in a few weeks, there is no guarantee he will become a series regular.
Offering well crafted intrigue, appealing characters and a uniquely Australian setting, I found Digging Up Dirt to be entertaining and engaging cosy mystery. I hope there will be more.
jgwc54e5's review
4.0
Poppy McGowan is renovating her inner Sydney house when bones are found beneath the floorboards. An archaeologist asked to determine whether the bones are animal or human and their significance, is later found murdered in the pit. What follows is a well written mystery which has more depth than appears on the surface. It has a bit of a chick lit tone,( will Poppy dump boring boyfriend for hot archaeologist?) but underneath is some quite interesting stuff about politics, religion, hypocrisy and how the media functions. An enjoyable read.
nickikendall's review
slow-paced
1.0
Thanks to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. This book has a lot of positive ratings on Goodreads, but this was not the experience I had whilst reading this book unfortunately. I didn't realise it was a "cosy" mystery and how I felt about this book could just mean that Cosy mysteries aren't for me. It felt like there wasn't a whole lot happening throughout most of the book, it didn't grab my attention and I didn't like any of the characters either. One of those books you finish and immediately forget what you have read. I may try another cosy mystery down the track and see if maybe it's the cosy mystery genre that just isn't for me. ⭐ #pamelahart #diggingupdirt #netgalley #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads #litsy #thestorygraph #amazonkindle #bookqueen #bookstagram #cosymystery
elsaschuster's review
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75