You’d never know it was a nonstop suspense thriller, just from the first sentence on the back cover:

“College student Joe Talbert is on deadline to complete a writing assignment for an English class…”

Waaaaait a minute… eight years ago I was a college student chasing deadlines for my English writing assignments! Yeah, I’ve gotta read this.

Joe’s assignment is to interview an elderly person and write a brief biography. Not having any grandparents available, he visits a nursing home. The only resident of sound mind is Carl, a dying, crusty Vietnam vet who also happens to be a convicted murderer.

No. No way. No, no, no, no.

Running out of time, though, Joe has no choice but to work with Carl.

As they get acquainted, something about Carl’s long-ago quick conviction doesn’t ring true. But if Carl isn’t guilty, who is?

With help from an old military buddy of Carl’s and from his neighbor Lila, Joe finds enough threads to start unraveling what really happened.

Allen Eskens nails it. His well-drawn characters live and breathe on the page. All of them–the good, the bad, and the crazy. This story kept me on the edge of my seat as obstacles gave way to very real threats and very real violence. Grittier than what I normally read, I still found The Life We Bury a Great Weekend Read.

Thanks for reading!
Jan