Synopses & Reviews
A Riverbank littered with bodies. A city under siege by crime-solving "experts." One young detective struggles to discover the truth ... and preserve her sanity.
Spokane, Washington: a bustling city split by hurtling white-water falls. During a routine drug bust, Detective Caroline Mabry finds herself on a narrow bridge over the falls, face-to-face with a brutal murderer named Lenny Ryan. Within hours, the body of a young prostitute is found nearby, dumped along the riverbank. Then another. And another. Soon Caroline and her cynical mentor Alan Dupree are thrown headlong into the search for a serial murderer police have nicknamed the Southbank Strangler. But while Caroline hunts a killer, he may also be hunting her.
What follows is a novel that turns the usual serial killer story on its head, that confronts America's burgeoning fascination with psychopathology and murder and stares it down. Through one long, bloody summer, Caroline and Dupree remain one step behind a madman who seems to be communicating by killing women and growing bolder with each new body. And when Spokane is overrun by headline-grabbing FBI profilers, statisticians, and TV producers, the detectives are forced to grapple with the ever hungrier serial murder industry. Before it's all over, Caroline and Dupree uncover some hard truths about their city, their profession, and each other. And Caroline finds herself back at the river, facing an evil far more alarming than the one she thought she was chasing.
Rich with the darkly muted colors of the Pacific Northwest skies, peopled with characters of extraordinary depth and dimension, Over Tumbled Graves marks the debut of a novelist with unusual insight into the human psyche.
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"[Walter's] powerful fiction debut....stands out from run-of-the-mill serial killer novels."The Seattle Times
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"First rate writing speeds us to a perfectly foreshadowed plot twist and a gripping conclusion."The Oregonian
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"Shifting like...currents, the story moves swiftly, promising a fast-paced thriller filled with inner turmoil as well as action." Sun Sentinel
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"[Walter's] first novel is an accomplished character study...A very satisfying debut." Booklist
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"An exceptional crime novel that transcends the mystery of crime and takes a courageous look at an even more profound mystery....Totally absorbing." Ursula Hegi, author of The Vision of Emma Blau
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"An original page-turner in this overcrowded genre." Philadelphia Inquirer
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"Disquieting. Walter('s)...incisive sensitivity...emerges as a bitter metaphor." New York Times Book Review
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"A strong character driven serial killer thriller....Unlike, many entries in theserial killer category, Walter's stays fresh by placing character development above shock value." Publishers Weekly
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“Outstanding. Riveting. Never sacrifices action for emotional impact.” The Washington Post Book World
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“[An] intelligent, gripping, and genuinely scary novel...” Otto Penzler, Amazon.com
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“Breathtaking.Moving.Insightful. Excellent quality of writing.” The Mystery Review
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“Suspenseful,challenging and intelligently written, Over Tumbled Graves is a first novel of considerable depth and insight.” The Dallas Morning News
Synopsis
Rich with the darkly muted colors of the Pacific Northwest skies, Over Tumbled Graves established Jess Walter as a novelist of extraordinary emotional depth and dimension. During a routine drug bust, Spokane detective Caroline Mabry finds herself on a narrow bridge over white-water falls in the center of town, face-to-face with a brutal murderer. Within hours, the body of a young prostitute is found along the riverbank nearby. What follows is a novel that confronts our fascination with pathology and murder and stares it down: As Caroline and her cynical partner, Alan Dupree, are thrown headlong into the search for a serial murderer who communicates by killing women, they uncover some hard truths about their profession ... and each other.
Synopsis
In Over Tumbled Graves, Jess Walter, National Book Award finalist and author of Citizen Vince and The Zero, confronts our fascination with pathology and murder. A thriller of extraordinary depth and dimension, Over Tumbled Graves follows Caroline Mabry, a Spokane police detective searching for a serial murderer.
About the Author
Jess Walter is the author of six novels, including the bestsellers Beautiful Ruins and The Financial Lives of the Poets, the National Book Award finalist The Zero, and Citizen Vince, the winner of the Edgar Award for best novel. His short fiction has appeared in Harper's, McSweeney's, and Playboy, as well as The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. He lives in his hometown of Spokane, Washington.