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DIRT
Description
Dirt.
A plot of ground in Prescott Park is messing with Cal Hart’s head. Ever since hearing the rumor of what happened on the land now covered by a toolshed, he’s become obsessed with the urban legend. Children don’t just disappear after being pushed into barren soil, not even when that soil is nicknamed ‘the place where nothing grows’. But one did, and so he turns to the local sheriff’s office for assistance. The authorities are adamant that nothing supernatural was at work, and that it was a transient with a long record of arrests that got hold of the diminutive second-grader and lured her away from home. But a town historian disputes the sanitized version of the incident and hints that more sinister forces are to blame—sinister forces that are yet to be named. Because of the confusion and his own need to know, Cal launches his own investigation.
The appearance of a raincoated man complicates everything. He's been watching the children in the park play and burying toys around the area where the child fell. Cal digs up the items in an attempt to understand, but is threatened instead. The man deemed crazy orders Cal to leave the offerings alone, and that if he doesn’t, his children could be next. With the cryptic warning ringing in his ears, Cal steps up the quest for answers as if his life depends on it, and the problem is—it does.
Venture into the world of classic horror. Written with nightmares in mind, if the suspense doesn’t get you, the ending will.
Dirt.
A plot of ground in Prescott Park is messing with Cal Hart’s head. Ever since hearing the rumor of what happened on the land now covered by a toolshed, he’s become obsessed with the urban legend. Children don’t just disappear after being pushed into barren soil, not even when that soil is nicknamed ‘the place where nothing grows’. But one did, and so he turns to the local sheriff’s office for assistance. The authorities are adamant that nothing supernatural was at work, and that it was a transient with a long record of arrests that got hold of the diminutive second-grader and lured her away from home. But a town historian disputes the sanitized version of the incident and hints that more sinister forces are to blame—sinister forces that are yet to be named. Because of the confusion and his own need to know, Cal launches his own investigation.
The appearance of a raincoated man complicates everything. He's been watching the children in the park play and burying toys around the area where the child fell. Cal digs up the items in an attempt to understand, but is threatened instead. The man deemed crazy orders Cal to leave the offerings alone, and that if he doesn’t, his children could be next. With the cryptic warning ringing in his ears, Cal steps up the quest for answers as if his life depends on it, and the problem is—it does.
Venture into the world of classic horror. Written with nightmares in mind, if the suspense doesn’t get you, the ending will.
- GenresHorror
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 12, 2020
74 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 15, 2020
Exciting and absorbing psychological thriller with Supernatural elements, DIRT captivated me from the ugly and ultimately tragic events of the Prologue. I like the unfolding of characterizations and the constant frisson of Suspense, both of the Supernatural and between and among the human characters. My interest was intensely maintained throughout.
June 18, 2021
This was an enjoyable read. If I hadn’t had anything else to do I think I would have finished it faster. It is a psychological thriller with a little supernatural mixed in but it doesn’t dwell too much on the supernatural as others have mentioned. I was also surprised with the ending.
August 16, 2025
I don't know where to start with this one. I'd been hoping it would at least be interesting when it was listed in a Fangoria teletype email, especially given it looks to be self-published, but this was a slog the entire way through. None of the characters are compelling people, and the only tolerable ones are a cabal of old jazz musicians who function more as points of exposition facilitation to keep the plot moving. The plot and the entire structure of the book itself is some of the most lukewarm writing imaginable, and it's forced along by the most miserable characters in existence. Not to mention, even though the supernatural element of the horror could have been interesting, the entire thing really was overshadowed by the cheating spouse plotline. Anyone who has been following my reviews has probably become familiar with this particular grievance of mine by now, but I'm perpetually sick and tired of horror and thriller novel plotlines that involve a cheating spouse being crucial to the mess unfolding. It's old, and furthermore, here it has the strength and consistency of undercooked eggs. I can't even continue the review past this point because the more I think about this, the angrier I'm going to get, so I'm leaving it here with the final note: don't waste your time with this one.
[EDIT: Actually no, one last thing. If you read this, the character of Micah is said to be five years old. Potocki seems to want to set Micah up as being more knowing and intentional and intelligent than his age in a way that feels like she's trying to have him parallel Danny Torrence from "The Shining", but Micah's vocabulary throws this out of alignment. While I already take issue with the fact she always writes his dialogue with a pronounced lisp in a way that feels ableist, it goes beyond that. His vocabulary and diction and linguistic development all feel like he should only be two or three years old. He doesn't talk like a five-year-old, he talks like a toddler. And I'm tired of that too.]
[EDIT: Actually no, one last thing. If you read this, the character of Micah is said to be five years old. Potocki seems to want to set Micah up as being more knowing and intentional and intelligent than his age in a way that feels like she's trying to have him parallel Danny Torrence from "The Shining", but Micah's vocabulary throws this out of alignment. While I already take issue with the fact she always writes his dialogue with a pronounced lisp in a way that feels ableist, it goes beyond that. His vocabulary and diction and linguistic development all feel like he should only be two or three years old. He doesn't talk like a five-year-old, he talks like a toddler. And I'm tired of that too.]
November 21, 2020
I received a free copy of this book from Hidden Gems Books in exchange for an honest review.
Prescott Park in Six Hills holds a secret in a plot of dirt nicknamed "the place where nothing grows". Accountant and new resident Cal Hart has heard the legends if the dirt, and he finds himself fascinated by it. In his quest to discover the truth behind the stories, he finds himself further and further enmeshed in it. From the raincoated man who Cal assumes is peeping at kids in the park to the toolset at the barren plot of dirt the mystery just keeps growing.
Does the dirt really kill everyone who touches it? Why have so many people disappeared in Six Hills? Are Cal's children next?
This horror mystery is almost 500 pages of sheer intensity that could have been edited down by 100 pages and the story would have been tighter and easier to get through. It also could have had at least one portion of the mystery edited out, as the storyline started to get a little muddled in places with several side characters brought in to give a single thing to the plot that could have been given by another character or have been summed up in 3-5 pages instead of several chapters.
With slightly better editing and a less convoluted storyline, I feel this book could have easily been a five star read. The author's style I'd engaging and interesting, and I truly got the sense of horror that was meant to build as the story went on. That's a fairly rare find in horror novels, so pick this one up if you are into that creeping sense of dread that continues to rise until the very end. Just don't get discouraged if things seem to drag on a little in some of the 493 pages.
Prescott Park in Six Hills holds a secret in a plot of dirt nicknamed "the place where nothing grows". Accountant and new resident Cal Hart has heard the legends if the dirt, and he finds himself fascinated by it. In his quest to discover the truth behind the stories, he finds himself further and further enmeshed in it. From the raincoated man who Cal assumes is peeping at kids in the park to the toolset at the barren plot of dirt the mystery just keeps growing.
Does the dirt really kill everyone who touches it? Why have so many people disappeared in Six Hills? Are Cal's children next?
This horror mystery is almost 500 pages of sheer intensity that could have been edited down by 100 pages and the story would have been tighter and easier to get through. It also could have had at least one portion of the mystery edited out, as the storyline started to get a little muddled in places with several side characters brought in to give a single thing to the plot that could have been given by another character or have been summed up in 3-5 pages instead of several chapters.
With slightly better editing and a less convoluted storyline, I feel this book could have easily been a five star read. The author's style I'd engaging and interesting, and I truly got the sense of horror that was meant to build as the story went on. That's a fairly rare find in horror novels, so pick this one up if you are into that creeping sense of dread that continues to rise until the very end. Just don't get discouraged if things seem to drag on a little in some of the 493 pages.
November 18, 2020
This book is written in a clear and easy to read style. Although it is a horror story, it is about so much more, and it never delves deeply into the paranormal. The characters are very realistic, and before the story ends, all the depravity of the human spirit is on display. The dirt is a spot in the town of Six Hills, within the pioneer park, where the soil is bare because nothing will grow there. As the book continues, it becomes a locus of evil,. a place where people vanish. I received an advanced copy of this book from Hidden Gems. After reading it I decided to leave a review. The horror in this story is more about the depravity of humans than the paranormal, although there is an element of evil immortality in play. Even if you don't go for the unnatural, I think you will like this story. Wow could I relate to the surprise ending.
March 18, 2021
Good
I enjoyed the story. Great plot. Good pacing. Good character development.
Why 4 stars and not 5?
There was not 1 character I really liked. Perhaps that was the intent of the author, but to one degree or another, they all made me feel uncomfortable.
And for that, I can't really recommend the book to others, but I would read other books by this author.
I enjoyed the story. Great plot. Good pacing. Good character development.
Why 4 stars and not 5?
There was not 1 character I really liked. Perhaps that was the intent of the author, but to one degree or another, they all made me feel uncomfortable.
And for that, I can't really recommend the book to others, but I would read other books by this author.
February 3, 2023
Dirt
A gripping mystery that grabs you on page one. Great characters, well developed . My only complaint is the constant use of the F word. So many adjectives in our language and this one is used at least once or more per page. I won't read anymore of your. There are too many authors who find better words to describe everything.
A gripping mystery that grabs you on page one. Great characters, well developed . My only complaint is the constant use of the F word. So many adjectives in our language and this one is used at least once or more per page. I won't read anymore of your. There are too many authors who find better words to describe everything.
February 8, 2023
Abysmal
The characters were weak, the storyline a load of rubbish. I had high hopes after reading the reviews but it seems I must expect too much from a writer. It was long drawn out, over complicated and hard to finish. Sorry but I will not be trying to read any other works by this author. Read it at your peril.....
The characters were weak, the storyline a load of rubbish. I had high hopes after reading the reviews but it seems I must expect too much from a writer. It was long drawn out, over complicated and hard to finish. Sorry but I will not be trying to read any other works by this author. Read it at your peril.....
November 19, 2020
Wow!
I was intrigued from the synopsis of the story, but once I got into the story, it I was completely hooked.
And hooo boy...that ending. I was NOT expecting that!
All around, my favorite kind of horror. Good, supernatural horror.
I was intrigued from the synopsis of the story, but once I got into the story, it I was completely hooked.
And hooo boy...that ending. I was NOT expecting that!
All around, my favorite kind of horror. Good, supernatural horror.
February 3, 2023
Exciting From Page One to the End
This book will keep you hanging on for dear life. Well written, thrilling and full of suspense. Cal is an awesome character, great dad, great hubby but man don't piss him off. I highly recommend this book.
This book will keep you hanging on for dear life. Well written, thrilling and full of suspense. Cal is an awesome character, great dad, great hubby but man don't piss him off. I highly recommend this book.
December 16, 2020
Great read. In this book all is not as it seems, bad things are good ( kinda) and surprises abound. Kept me pretty much mesmerized until the end.
April 12, 2021
I could not put this book down...so many twists and turns that really draw you into the story and the ending turned out completely different than I had expected...I definitely recommend!!
April 30, 2021
The scared ground
A good book, but it gets carried out too long. By taking it, out it starts to drag. Very many twists
A good book, but it gets carried out too long. By taking it, out it starts to drag. Very many twists
May 8, 2021
Great read.
This story is captivating. it pulls you in to where you wish it to just keep going. Has alot of twists in it that just keep you wanting to read.
This story is captivating. it pulls you in to where you wish it to just keep going. Has alot of twists in it that just keep you wanting to read.
July 9, 2022
Starts off slow but builds into a great suspenseful story. Very Stephen King like.
October 31, 2025
DNF
I got halfway through and not much happened . SLOW BURN and I do not have the patience to keep reading books that do not interest me.
I got halfway through and not much happened . SLOW BURN and I do not have the patience to keep reading books that do not interest me.
November 7, 2025
This book had so much promise with an interesting concept but it fell short with at times silly writing. Not a fan of the writing style which at times felt manic and odd.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews