The Life We Bury

It’s rare to find a mystery where you care just as much about the protagonist's personal life as much as you do about the crime they are solving. Joe Talbert is an incredibly relatable and sympathetic lead character. His chaotic home life and his protective instinct over his autistic brother, combined with his mother’s issues makes you feel that his struggle was raw and real. Carl Iverson, the dying, convicted murderer Joe interviews, is beautifully layered. Eskens does a brilliant job of making you question Carl's guilt while keeping him deeply human, and intriguing. I loved the plot twist and I will be reading more books by Allen Eskens!

4 Stars. This is a great, fast read. It completely held my attention from cover to cover. SYNOPSIS Joe Talbert is not your average, happy go lucky, 21 year old college student. He has overcome many obstacles to become a student at the University of Minnesota; most of which are related to his mother and her combination of bi-polar disorder and alcohol abuse. He manages to work, make it to all his classes, live on a very tight budget and serve as back up caretaker for his autistic 18 year old brother. When Joe is assigned a paper in his biography class and has to find an older person to write about, he heads to a retirement home and is introduced to a Vietnam veteran who is also convinced murderer and rapists, Carl Iverson, he is hesitant to engage. He decides, at the very least, it will make an interesting biography project. But once he starts digging into the case, he realizes that things are not as they seem. Joined by his new friend/ love interest next door neighbor, he becomes fixated on finding out what really happened on the day in 1980 that Crystal Hagen was murdered and Carl's life changed forever. WHAT I LOVED This is not your average psychological thriller, it has many other elements as well: family struggles, escaping ones past, mental disorders, abuse and love. While the mystery unraveling is the main plot of the story, there were many other things going on in the characters lives. I liked Esken's writing style; he kept the plot going and didn't waste many words describing scenery, feelings, people etc., just enough so the reader gets the idea. I think I've been reading too many books lately where I have to skim page after page of overblown descriptions, it was refreshing to not have that in this book. I liked how none of the characters were perfect but they all had redeeming qualities. All of the characters had their own baggage / secrets, most of the characters (with the exception of a couple) used their past mistakes and struggles to become stronger and better. The plot was very very solid, well thought out and didn't have an excess of well placed 'coincidences' like many other books of this genre tend to have. I really couldn't find any plot holes. Again, loved to plot. It kept me completely engaged. WHAT I DIDN'T LOVE There was only scene in the book I didn't find believable (I'm not going to be specific because it would be a spoiler). Joe, who is normally pretty street smart, does something so blatantly dumb that it was hard to believe and was out of character for him. Ill leave it at that. When you read this book ( which you definitely should if you like this genre even a little), you'll know what I'm talking about. I was able to ignore it and still enjoy the story. OVERALL Don't miss this one. It's completely worth your time.

A young man starts a college assignment that grows into a life lesson and a romantic relationship along with the responsibility of what should be the parents. There's real danger, love and a sense of fulfilling a promise to an old man. This is a Wonderful book I finished in one day and I'll read it again one day just because it's that Good!! You should read this feel good book.

3.5 stars. Nicely paced first outing from Mr. Eskens. The premise unwinds quite well as we learn about Joe, who, for an English assignment, decides to write a biography on someone close to their death. He lands on Carl Iverson a convicted rapist and murderer. Carl is out on parole at a nursing home waiting to die of cancer. As Joe interviews Carl, Joe becomes more and more convinced of Carl's innocence. Joe sets out to get Carl exonerated prior to Carl's impending death. Not a bad plot. Eskens' writing style is relaxed with no apparent overthought or agonizing over each written word which makes the writing flow easily. As each character is introduced there's some coloring in which helps to shape the character and help the reader understand their motivation. I particularly liked the autistic character, Jesse, who is Joe's brother. His helping with the investigation without him even knowing struck a chord with me. Joe's irresponsible mom was more a distraction but not too much. I never quite reconciled Joe's personality with his bouncer job and his ability to physically disarm people easily. I always had him more of a scholarly type buried in books and constantly pushing his glasses back up his nose while gulping down cereal for all meals. If anything we were shown too many sides of Joe via his mom, mom's "friends", brother, employment and girlfriend. His character ended up a little too washed out and became more of the Lifetime Movie hero. Lila, the initially reluctant girlfriend, was somewhat predictable with a past of her own. Staunch anti-Iverson at first, Joe won her over to his side and Lila became pro-Iverson and involved with the investigation. The bad guy in the whole thing was a little tepid. One thing that struck me was how easily Joe convinced total strangers, including crusty old detectives, to trust him and gain their help. It all came off a little tongue in cheek. OK, so, despite all my griping, I really enjoyed the book. I zipped through it in a day or two and never begrudged the time spent reading it. Summary. Great first outing from Allen Eskens. Intriguing plot, Nicely done characters in a mid-western setting. If anything, a little too "Lifetimey" but Mr. Eskens has the talent to rectify that as he becomes more seasoned. I understand he has a new book coming out in Fall of 2015. I will be picking that up anticipating great things.

The Life We Bury – Allen Eskens I have discovered a new author that I hold in high esteem upon reading Allen Eskens’ The Life We Bury. I definitely hope to read more Eskens’ work before class dismisses. He is a joy to read, whom heavily engages his plot to serve up the reader a very well-thought, credible, wonderful story. Please put a very heavy emphasis on “wonderful story.” If the reader is looking for a bang-bang, shoot-them-up, high body count, in contention with the next Marvel Super-hero movie, The Life We Bury will not be their cup of energy drink. This guy has game to spare. The book is written with the thoroughness of a thesis paper and Eskens dots all of the I’s and crosses all of the T’s, and then he carefully thinks what could happen, what should happen, what would happen and then derives at the actual theme and what will happen. Wow, what a story, wow what a plot, and wow what a good book is The Life We Bury. Off the record, I should also mention that I had no idea at the wealth of great authors hailing from the Minnesota-Wisconsin-Iowa triangle of the United States. It must have something to do with the weather. This book received great reviews and was in the running for better than five hefty awards. The University of Minnesota, College student Joe Talbot is assigned a brief biography for an English class. Joe must write a brief biography on someone whom is a complete stranger to him. Procrastinating somewhat, Joe finally drums up the idea of going to a nursing home to see what kind of folks are currently in-residence there. So, Joe goes to a nearby nursing home to chat with some of the nurses and aides to see what he can come up with. Joe was not sure what to expect but after some talking back and forth Joe decides on a Vietnam Vet who served a sentence for murder and rape and is dying of cancer. Moreover, the person, Carl Iverson also agrees to this arrangement. Carl has two reasons – he wishes to clear his conscience, and he is innocent. Say what? However, Carl’s time remaining is measured, so Joe needs to get busy on this project. So, thus, with the above situation laid before the reader, Eskens spins out a luscious and wonderful tale. Joe’s neighbor, Lila, gets wind of the assignment and she anxiously wants to be on board with Joe. Joe and Lila team up as two of the most unlikely protagonists imaginable, but it folds together nicely. Unrelated background material of the past, and family, and work also are very interesting reading. Lila tells Joe how to lay claim to the court files of Carl Iverson’s case since they are Carl’s property. Joe acquires these files and he and Lila hungrily delve through these during Joe’s somewhat busy life. Armed with knowledge, Joe and Lila visit Minneapolis Cold Case detective, Max Rupert. He is intrigued but with a heavy backlog, he needs a bit more evidence and information to move this case to the top. He refers them to a Professor Sanden, and things start to happen. The case is re-opened. The interviews with Carl prove to be very worthwhile and interesting. Joe meets Virgil, an old army friend of Carl’s, and really the only living friend that Carl has, and even more leads and information surfaces. By now, Carl definitely appears to be innocent. The only questions are who did murder and rape 14-year old Crystal and will the case be solved before Carl passes? Of course, by this time, Rupert and the Minneapolis police want Joe and Lila to cease all involvement, but of course this falls on deaf ears. I was very impressed with The Life We Bury. Allen Eskens has written a fine book here. I believe that anyone who likes to read this type of a mystery will be delighted with the book, too. Eskens gets an easy 4-1/2 stars on this one, an unusually high rating from me. Thank you, Mr. Eskens.

Twenty-one-year-old Joe Talbert is trying to turn his life around, but the confining cage that has formed around him allows for little movement. He has never known who his father is. His mother is a long-time alcoholic who has become more and more violent, neglectful, and frequently disappears on benders or gets herself arrested. His younger brother, Jeremy, is autistic and needs almost constant supervision. Barely able to afford to do so, Joe leaves his home in Austin, Minnesota, "sneaking off like a boy running away to join a circus," to become a student at the University of Minnesota. The only English class open to him of any interest is a biography class in which he must "interview a complete stranger" because he doesn't want to interview his mom and there is basically no one else in his family who he knows. The thought occurs to him to go to a nursing home to interview a resident there... someone with a long life they can relate to Joe for his required class project, but his plan is dashed when he is informed that most of the residents "cannot take care of themselves. Most of them are suffering from Alzheimer's or dementia or some other neurological condition. They can't remember their own children, much less the details of their lives." There is, however, one exception. The Department of Corrections has paroled a prisoner and sent him to Hillview Manor because he is dying of pancreatic cancer--a convicted murderer who viciously "raped and killed a girl and then burned her body in a shed;" a real "monster" according to the Home's director. Joe Talbert's life is about to take a totally unexpected change of direction. The Life We Bury (2014) is the startling and skillful debut novel by Allen Eskens. Eskens' writing is done with flare. His choices of descriptions are fascinating and vivid and bring to life both time and place. For example, when describing an old apartment building he focuses upon the smell of the place, not the physical structure or its condition. The "odor that permeates" the air gives visitors a "split second of corruption as the taint of decay hits them square in the face." His characters are both realistic and enticing; they are complex individuals whose actions and words often do not reveal their true motivation. The very title of the novel has within it a sense of metaphor. Joe buries "thoughts deep inside, hiding them where they would remain undusted." His mother's drinking and carrying-on reflects an unfulfilled life of deep-seated frustration. Joe's new neighbor, Lila Nash, hides a humiliating past and is an enigma--cold and elusive with Joe, but warm and out-going to his mentally impaired brother. Foremost among the characters with a buried life is Carl Iverson--a former Vietnam veteran and decorated hero who, once accused of the heinous murder of Crystal Marie Hagen actually does all that he can to hasten his trial although doing so is likely to lend itself to him being found guilty. At Hillview Manor Iverson, who is in his mid-sixties but looks "closer to eighty," often refuses his pain medication just as he refuses chemo and spends every day just staring out the window. In Stage Four of his cancer, he may have "less than three thousand hours of life left to live." Surprisingly, after turning down requests for interviews for years, Iverson, knowing he is near death, agrees to be interviewed by Joe Talbert. He tells the young student: "this is my dying declaration. I don't care if anybody reads what you write. I don't even care if you write it down at all... I have to say these words out loud. I have to tell someone the truth about what happened all those years ago. I have to tell someone the truth about what I did." Eskens unveils his story in adroit fashion as Joe, the novel's narrator, learns not only about Carl's past from the dying man, but from transcripts of his trial and a diary written by the victim, some of which is in code--code that was never broken or utilized in the trial. Joe talks to Carl's defense attorney who admits that "it seemed to me that Carl Iverson wanted to go to prison" and also meets a man, Virgil Gray, who served in Vietnam with Carl. Virgil is the sole individual who believes in Carl's innocence--Carl having risked his life to save Virgil in a firefight with the Viet Cong. Further conversations with Berthel Collins, the policeman on the original murder case, and conversations with Detective Max Rupert about the thirty-year-old case further fuels the air of intrigue surrounding Carl Iverson and the sadistic murder of an innocent young girl. Half way through The Life We Bury it becomes obvious that the reader has been plunged into a full-fledged mystery. With Carl's enigmatic declaration that there is a difference between being a killer and a murderer and that he has been both, new evidence that is unearthed, and a second, previously untold terrifying story about an event in Vietnam in which Carl participated, Joe and Lila, become more and more certain that Iverson did not kill the Hagen girl. Even as events escalate in the tension between Joe and his mother over Jeremy's well-being, Joe and Lila set about to discover who is guilty of the teen's murder to clear Iverson's name before he dies. Adding to the allure of Joe and Lila's quest is another long-hidden story about Joe's youth--one that personally, obsessively drives him to uncover the truth. Filled with unimagined revelations, staggering plot twists, unforeseeable violence, and unbridled suspense as time is running out for Iverson The Life We Bury and its readers are propelled by the author to an amazing conclusion--one which is guaranteed to both please and move even the most jaded reader. It is hard to conceive a more satisfying reading experience from a first novel (or many other mystery thrillers) than what Allen Eskens delivers in The Life We Bury. [In his "Acknowledgements" Eskens states a "follow-up novel tentatively titled In the Path of the Beast" is scheduled for release in the fall.]

Surprise ending! It kept me on the edge of my seat! I love a good ending and this was one of them! Easy read!

I liked it! Well written easy to read

Incredible story and perseverance and determination. Pulls you in and keeps you reading…wanting more. Negative experiences in one’s personal childhood can spark a desire in their adult life to do better; to set things right. The main character’s resilience is outstanding.

This book kept you on the edge of your seat. Stumbled across this author by chance and glad I did. Now on to my second book of his.

Um suspense de alto nível. O personagem principal , Joe Talbert , um estudante iniciando a faculdade , tem que fazer trabalho biográfico. Por um acaso do destino , o entrevistado é Carl Iverson, veterano do Vietnam, que cumpria pena de 30 anos por assassinato. Ao longo das conversas entre os dois , e através de pesquisas do estudante , muita coisa é descoberta e com isto a história vai se modificando . O autor tem um estilo muito interessante. Procura não cair no lugar comum . O livro prende o leitor . Ótima leitura e distração para os que gostam do tema .

The book came on time and was in very good condition (new), but I guess it won't stay long this way because it belongs to the kind of books who want to read and re-read. Although the whole plot was not really original (you can quicly guess what's going to happen), the characters that are depicted are really realistic and go under your skin. The hero is not a good-looking guy, Mr. perfect, but he is not a bad-boyish "ugly duckling" either. He is just someone who struggles a lot but try to keep its shit together. He has envy, he can be jealous of his autistic brother, just because he has better looks. And yes, he wants to impress the girl, living next door, who has quite a story herself too. She is not that pretty cheerleader, but she is not that dark lost soul either. She is just someone who had a hard time, but does not blame the world for it. And she has brains too. In all, without saying too much: alone for the main character's backstories, you should definitely buy this book. I di not say on purpose too much, to not spoil the story. But there is way more behind this two persons. The author knows the human nature as it really is (far away from clichés) and knows how to write a good story.

I read the entire book in one sitting. Unlike many thrillers, it had a beautiful literary narrative and thoughtful nuggets of philosophy making it a great read.