Digging Up Dirt (Poppy McGowan Mysteries, #1) in Aussie Readers

May 22, 2021 Brenda rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, own-read, 2021-release, aussie-authors, cosy-mystery, 5000-2021, net-galley, first-in-a-series, read-on-kindle

Poppy McGowan loved her little home in Annandale, Sydney. Her renovations were going along nicely until bones were discovered under the floorboards. With the only person available at the time to check if they were human or animal being archaeologist Dr Julieanne Weaver – Poppy’s nemesis – Poppy knew things were bound to go wrong. And with Julieanne’s declaration that the site was of historical significance, Poppy’s renovations were immediately put on hold.

When Julieanne’s body was found at the d ...more

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May 29, 2021 Helen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review-copy-from-netgalley

I am a big fan of Pamela Hart’s stories and this one is a little different from what I have read before, a cozy mystery and I was so excited to read it and I was not disappointed at all a renovation, bones found, a murder, a who dun it that I did not guess till the very end, this one had me turning the pages.

Poppy McGowan works for ABC TV researching children’s shows and she loves it she has previously worked for the museum and is thrilled to have bought a house in the inner suburbs of Sydney an I am a big fan of Pamela Hart’s stories and this one is a little different from what I have read before, a cozy mystery and I was so excited to read it and I was not disappointed at all a renovation, bones found, a murder, a who dun it that I did not guess till the very end, this one had me turning the pages.

Poppy McGowan works for ABC TV researching children’s shows and she loves it she has previously worked for the museum and is thrilled to have bought a house in the inner suburbs of Sydney and the renovations have begun, but when bones are discovered under the house Poppy wants to make sure they are not human before calling the police and calls in a favour from her friend Annie who works at the museum for help.

Dr Julieanne Weaver arrives which does not make Poppy happy they have worked together before and friends they are not, enemies would be more like it, she announces that they are the bones of a rare breed of sheep kept during very early settlement and slaps a heritage order on the property and starts an archaeological dig bringing in another archaeologist Dr Tol Lang, who happens to be Dr Weaver’s boyfriend.

Life is turned upside down for Poppy when Julieanne’s body is found at the dig site and she and Tol become number one suspects but being the researcher she is Poppy does not give up searching for the killer and there are a lot of people it could be when they get to the bottom of Julieanne’s life and what she has been doing including political parties connected to a church. Poppy finds herself doing a current affairs spots for the ABC not what she wanted.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is witty, entertaining and there are lots of twists that I didn’t see coming, I loved Poppy and her family they are all wonderful characters and I think that Pamela Hart has hit the spot with her first cozy mystery and I do look forward to more Poppy stories, I do highly recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a great read, one that will have you thinking.

My thanks to Harlequin Mira for my ARC to read and review
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Jun 15, 2021 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it liked it

Shelves: arc-are, netgalley-reviews, aussie-author

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 ar 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. ...more

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Jun 29, 2021 Tien rated it really liked it

Shelves: australian-author, for-review, mystery, cozy-mystery, net-galley, kindle

I don't read very many cozy mysteries but when I do, I enjoyed them immensely. There aren't many set in Australia though (please do correct me if I'm wrong but I just haven't encountered that many whilst they seem prevalent overseas) so this was, to me, such a fresh breath of air. A romp through my beloved hometown filled with its diverse residents and quirky [read: Aussie] humour.

Within a few minutes of reading, I know I'd have so much fun reading this. And I did. In fact, I read this in a sing I don't read very many cozy mysteries but when I do, I enjoyed them immensely. There aren't many set in Australia though (please do correct me if I'm wrong but I just haven't encountered that many whilst they seem prevalent overseas) so this was, to me, such a fresh breath of air. A romp through my beloved hometown filled with its diverse residents and quirky [read: Aussie] humour.

Within a few minutes of reading, I know I'd have so much fun reading this. And I did. In fact, I read this in a single-sitting [ignoring the fact that I had to cook dinner & feed my kids]. The first moment that I loved in this book is when we met Mirha, a minor character who doesn't even have anything to do with the plot, but author's description of her described a friend to a tee that made me so happy lol (you know you are!! x)

"As always, her hijab, loose top and trousers in various shades of turquoise..."

My next encounter with a minor poc character felt a little funny to me. A description of his office noting wedding photo of mixed race parents just felt a little bit unnecessary and therefore, forced into the book. Maybe I'm being a little sensitive noting my background and the usual whitewashed cozy mysteries I'd read. After the read, however, and I've stepped back a little, I noticed that overall, author's just describing the usual cast of diverse people you'd meet in Sydney but for me, this multicultural mosaic stood out a mile away. And I very much appreciated author's inclusivity intent.

On that note, however, I found myself a little bit bashed as well with the religious & LGBTQ+ factors of the novel. While these are somewhat relevant to the plot, I do feel that the way Poppy repeated her perspective several times to be unnecessary and superfluous to the story.

As Poppy is living at home with her parents while renovating her new house, we get to see her parents quite a bit and I do love this family picture especially her mother (guilty...😅)

"Mum wasn't satisfied, but of course she would believe a total stranger before she would believe me. That's what being a mother does to you."

Poppy McGowan is truly an easy protagonist to love and one you can easily imagine of coming across in real life. She's a down to earth, intelligent, modern & sensible woman. I loved that she's not trying to justify [too much] why she's ~~investigating~~ looking into things and that her interaction with the real investigating detectives aren't fraught with too much secrets. In fact, she tried her best to keep those detectives up to date with her findings without betraying too much confidences. I must say that I did guess the murderer because I think those red herrings are too much in your face so I dismissed them rather easily.

Digging Up Dirt is an absolute joy to read; a setting that says home to me (diverse residents, coffee culture, & some sceneries!) and a fast paced mystery that kept me turning the pages. I just couldn't put it down.

My thanks to Harlequin Australia for ecopy of book via NetGalley in exchange of my honest thoughts ...more

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Oct 06, 2021 Lisa Heidke rated it it was amazing

I love Pamela Freeman/Hart’s books - and knew I wouldn’t be disappointed reading Digging Up Dirt, Pamela’s first foray into the cozy mystery genre.
Sydney based Poppy, an ABC researcher and sometime journalist, is renovating her Annandale (Sydney) home when she stumbles across long buried bones under the floorboards. Archeological experts are called in to examine the ‘pit’.
Next thing, a woman associated with the museum is found dead in Poppy’s pit! The dead woman had political aspirations and li ...more

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