The book had many themes which made me think about personal history and how we deal with adversity. Eskens doesn’t waste words so you get the idea of the character by what they do and say, and you piece it together that way. There’s enough info to keep you interested in the plot but I got invested in the main character. I liked the development of the main character Joe Talbert. It got really interesting and went from mystery to thriller quickly! It was unexpected and I loved the surprise! I loved how the pace completely change at the end of the book. The book just pulled me in right at the begining. Author’s StyleĮskens does a great job in writing a crime mystery from start to finish. Joe and his neighbor and collegse student Lila Nash work together in figuring out if Carl Iverson killed Crystal Hagen. Carl has been in prison for the last 30 years but has been medically paroled to the nursing home because he is dying of pancreatic cancer and only have a few months to live. Carl Iverson, a convicted rapist and murderer of 14 year old Crystal Hagen agrees to tell him his story. He goes to Hillview Manor, a nursing, to see if he can interview one of its residence. Joe Talbert a college student has to write a biography of another person for his English class. This book blew my socks off! I love it so much. I was expecting it to be good and it did exceed my expectations.

I have heard great praises awhile back about it in the bookish community and I am so happy to have finally read it! The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens has been on my To Be Read (TBR) list for ages.