Over Tumbled Graves

By Jess Walter

Book Overview

In Over Tumbled Graves, Jess Walter, National Book Award finalist and #1 New York Times best selling author of Beautiful Ruins 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.

Dark in mood and rich in character, Over Tumbled Graves is the rare thriller that manages to be at once viscerally gripping and provocative on a deeper level. Set in the city of Spokane, the novel follows detective Caroline Mabry as she descends into a nighmarish underworld of violence in pursuit of a suspected prostitute killer named Lenny Ryan. As the bodies pile up, the personal strain becomes unbearable for Caroline and her mentor, Alan Dupree--and the two are forced to confront not only the mounting death toll but their desperate, unconsummated attraction for each other. As her investigation closes in on the truth, Caroline enters an all-male world of serial-killer "experts" for whom chasing violent criminals is like managing a major-league sports team--far more concerned with grabbing headlines, amassing statistics into phony "profiles," and promoting their own careers than with the human beings at the center of the unthinkable crimes they're supposed to be chasing.

Within this most disturbing of boy's clubs, Caroline's abilities are called into question and her career jeopardized. She must swim against relentless currents of doubt to find the truth behind the killings. While her male colleagues focus on confirming their theories about the killer, Caroline turns to the victims, among whom she finds an unlikely ally. When she finally finds herself face-to-face with Lenny Ryan and all that he represents, she must chose between saving her career and standing up for the truth.

The last decade has seen an endless parade of serial killer novels, most following the conventions of The Silence of the Lambs. But this is that rare entry that actually merits the comparison--for both its literary quality and its thoughtful confrontation of the place serial killers have assumed in our culture.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060393866
• ISBN13: 9780060393861
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.2" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

Strong writing

While it has been mentioned in other reviews that the plot of this story is somewhat derivative, I would say that all stories work or don't work due to how the story is told. There are only 12 known plots anyway, right?In this story the female heroine, Caroline Mabry, is dealing both with a serial killer that seems to have made a connection to her, personally, and with her unresolved feelings for her ex-partner. As the body count increases and the police attempts to solve the crime continue to fail, her emotions become more and more frazzled, leading her back to her former partner and mentor. What I think is most important here is that Jess Walter can write: he develops believable characters, his language is years ahead of most mystery writers and he tackles themes of interest and meaning.What's more, he does not shy away from the graphic. There's plenty of sex, drugs and violence in this novel, all describe vividly and without cliche. He knows when to describe a scene in detail and when it's more horrific to just describe the characters reaction to it.

This one is different

Just finished reading Over Tumbled Graves by Jess Walter. He's written before as a reporter but this is his first novel. The lead character is a female detective and she's trying to catch a serial killer. Even though it sounds like the same old stuff, this one is different. I get tired of reading books where the detective sifts through tons of evidence and only follows the good leads, as if they know in advance "who done it". This book has just enough bad leads, wrong conclusions and less than perfect cops to make it interesting. I'm not sure who recommended I read this one, but I enjoyed it and am glad I gave it a try.

Great book!

If you're looking for incredible writing, great character development and a plot that'll make you awaken at 3 a.m., wanting to crawl out of bed and read more then reach for Jess Walter's "Over Tumbled Graves". It's joined my list of all-time favorites.Walter crafts an immensely satisfying mystery that tugs the reader through every twist and turn. You'll race through the pages, unable to put the book down until you reach its conclusion and then, when you do finish, you'll feel saddened that the joy ride has ended. Don't miss this one.

Excellent mystery

This may be Jess Walter's first foray into fiction, but you wouldn't know it from reading Over Tumbled Graves. His writing is immediate and powerful, with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. His reporter's eye is evident in his accurate, detailed descriptions. I also enjoyed his rather jaundiced take of profilers.

A great character-driven story

Jess Walter understands something that escapes many thriller writers: Character comes first. This first novel has a gritty and credible plot about a series of murders in Spokane, Wash., but Walter goes beyond the usual cliches of the genre by building his characters carefully and believably. Det. Caroline Mabry is an intriguing, complicated and wholly sympathetic escort into the world that Walters evokes, a dangerous world of prostitutes, johns and seedy bars. Because we care about her, and about her sometimes partner Alan Dupree, we care even more deeply about the case that consumes her. Walter also does an exceptional job of capturing the flavor of Spokane, a mid-sized Northwest city with a super-sized inferiority complex. The plot may invite comparisons to Spokane's real-life serial killer story, but Walter's story veers off in unexpected ways. An assured first effort by a fine writer.