Friday, April 29, 2016

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

Nine autistic detectives gathered in the shadow of Cabezon Peak to munch popcorn, sit on Frida, and await para Leon while they discussed hard copy accessibility, Islamic pirates, safety latches on the inside of car trunks, stereotyped drunken mothers, and the response time of police sharpshooters.  Some of their observations were captured on a small hand-held recorder:

Dick Jensen:  I liked the story, I liked the characters, I liked the writing.  An easy read, but the last part ruined it for me:  when the sharpshooter shot the guy in the head and everyone lived happily ever after.  B+

Rob E:  I second all of that – the author wrapped it up too much.  B

Dick Arms:  I was greatly bothered by the coincidences and contrivances.  How did the cops get there so suddenly?  B

Charlie:  Good first effort.  Don’t give up your day job.  B

Ron B:  I give it an A for Entertainment, a B+ for crafting the story.  A good adventure/mystery:  A-

Bob Woods:  I read some, hated it.

Ken Gillen:  Predicable but a page turner.  Enjoyed it!  B+

Mike:  Maybe it had some good parts. Maybe it has some well-written metaphors.  Maybe I learned how to perform a wristlock takedown.  Maybe the code should have been worked on a bit more.  Maybe Carl didn’t have to die the night after he found out he had received exoneration.  Maybe this is a B.


Jack Farrell:  I enjoyed this first novel.  Obviously not great literary work, but I thought it would be a great book to take to the beach.  It did remind me of a John Grisham novel:  engaging, direct, clean.  A page turner.  The characters were not really complex, but not flat either.  B+