The tension builds to an all-stops-out finale that works on every level.

Eskens jumps effectively between both plots, as Joe and his neighbor, a young woman with her own troubled past, are drawn into Iverson's case and begin uncovering details that some would prefer to keep buried. Meanwhile, his alcoholic mother is incapable of caring for Joe's autistic brother, leaving Joe faced with sacrificing his education to protect his brother. Carl Iverson, who spent 30 years in prison for rape and murder and is now dying of cancer, isn't what Joe had in mind, but he accepts the challenge and, soon enough, sets out to prove the man's innocence. University of Minnesota freshman Joe Talbot visits a nursing home looking for someone to interview for an English assignment in which he must compose a brief biography of a stranger. The premise of this gripping thriller isn't entirely believable a college student transforms himself into a supersleuth but in the rush to turn pages, readers will be glad to give debut author Eskens the benefit of the doubt.

Will Joe discover the truth before it's too late to escape the fallout? Booklist Review But as he and Lila dig deeper into the circumstances of the crime, the stakes grow higher. Thread by thread, Joe unravels the tapestry of Carl's conviction. Joe, along with his skeptical female neighbor, throws himself into uncovering the truth, but he is hamstrung in his efforts by having to deal with his dangerously dysfunctional mother, the guilt of leaving his autistic brother vulnerable, and a haunting childhood memory. With only a few months to live, he has been medically paroled to a nursing home, after spending thirty years in prison for the crimes of rape and murder.Īs Joe writes about Carl's life, especially Carl's valor in Vietnam, he cannot reconcile the heroism of the soldier with the despicable acts of the convict. Iverson is a dying Vietnam veteran-and a convicted murderer. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe's life is ever the same.

With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. Please call your local branch to reserve this title for your club.īag Contents: 10 copies + 1 large print + 1 audiobook SummaryĬollege student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class.

The lives we bury book