College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for a journalism class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With only three weeks till the deadline, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe's life is ever the same.
Iverson is a dying Vietnam veteran--and a convicted murderer. 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.
As 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. 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.
Thread by thread, Joe unravels the tapestry of Carl's conviction. But by the time Joe discovers the truth, it is too late to escape the fallout.
Read about the authors writing process HERE.
Learn more about the other books he's not yet published (though he has a 3 book deal).
Learn more about the author HERE.
Praise for the book:
"[A] masterful debut.... [A] satisfying resolution." ~ Publishers Weekly
“Set against the backdrop of a brutal Minnesota winter, The Life We Bury is much more than a satisfying, suspenseful novel. This story kept me turning the pages, and it touched my heart. The characters are as real as my next-door neighbors, the story compelling, and the writing superb.”
~Suspense Magazine
“Eskens’s first-person narration grabs the reader and never relinquishes its hold."~Library Journal
“The tension builds to an all-stops-out finale that works on every level. Thriller fans should keep their eyes on Eskens; he’s a comer.”~Booklist
“Eskens' debut is a solid and thoughtful tale of a young man used to taking on burdens beyond his years—none more dangerous than championing a bitter old man convicted of a horrific crime.”
~Kirkus Reviews
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