The Life We Bury cover art

The Life We Bury

Preview
Free with 30-day trial
A 30-day trial plus your first audiobook free.
1 credit/month after trial—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.

The Life We Bury

By: Allen Eskens
Narrated by: Zach Villa
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $28.99

Buy Now for $28.99

About this listen

College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, 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. Carl 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. Aided by his skeptical neighbor, Lila, Joe throws himself into uncovering the truth. Thread by thread, he begins to unravel the tapestry of Carl's conviction. But as he and Lila dig deeper into the circumstances of the crime, the stakes grow higher. Will Joe discover the truth before it's too late to escape the fallout?

©2014 Allen Eskens (P)2015 Tantor
Amateur Sleuths Crime Detective Dysfunctional Relationships Genre Fiction Mystery Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Murder Exciting Thriller Student Psychological Suspense

Critic Reviews

"More complications ensue, until the novel's satisfying resolution." ( Publishers Weekly Starred Review)
All stars
Most relevant  
The narrator brought to life the feast of words that kept me captivated from start to finish. Descriptive, captivating and somewhat surprising with a well rounded ending. Well done. Would definitely recommend!

Exceptional reading.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The narrator was brilliant. The story was good with twists that I didn't see coming.

narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The story kept me interested from beginning to end, listened to it in one day. You couldn’t help but like the characters. The narration was wonderful, such a lovely easy voice to listen to.
I know I will read this again. 10/10

Excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The narration was interesting and suspenseful and not my usual read … but very well written,

Well written

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, the characters were relatable and I cared about them. the tension was built nicely, even if the ending was a little predictable. Narrator was lovely and talented.

great read - ill go onto the next one

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This book surprised me, not the type of genre I tend to gravitate towards. Yet I was intrigued from the moment it began. Kept me interested throughout, suspenseful well written, the Narration was great very easy to listen too.

Character development

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Very good it’s the best Book I have listened to for awhile bring it in one day give it a listen 🙌🙌🙌🙌

Great 👏🏻👏🏻

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I liked the reader. especially the portrayal of Jeremy. The story builds with enough twists and turns to stay believable.

story builder

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I couldn’t stop listening! The narrator reels you in from the beginning and the twists and turns had me gripped! I even shed a tear at the end! Definitely recommend!

Gripping until the end!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What an amazing story! I am not the one to write reviews but this book demanded it. My first ever finished Fiction book because others I tried to read or listen put me to sleep. Very engaging, detailed and beautiful book. I am just surprised this hasn't turned in to a movie yet. loved it!!

Non-Fiction to Fiction Convert

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.