Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding debut novel!
Review: "Over Tumbled Graves" by Jess Walter is an exquisite, thought-provoking first novel.It is a story of conflict, contrast and choice set amidst a serial killer investigation in Spokane. A drug bust gone awry leads to the discovery of a string of hooker killings, all with an identical signature. Spokane's Major Crime Unit's initial suspect is linked to two brutal non-serial murders as well. The more they learn about him, the more intangible he becomes. The characters are complicated, believable, motivated---their internal dialogue and tensions fueling the plot. Alan Dupree's cynical, sarcastic, acidic wit is a highlight. Competing "celebrity" profilers, the attendant media circus, condescending FBI "assistance" and a mid-investigation change of lead detectives distract and surround the investigation. In the end, it is the Spokane MCU's detailed, tedious, credible investigative work ethic that corners the perp. That final answer is unexpected and complex. A lack of cardboard stereotypes, superb misdirection and smoothly flowing action earn "Over Tumbled Graves" highly recommended status.
Rating:
Summary: Worth Every Superlative
Review: "Over Tumbled Graves" is set on Spokane, Washington, a city which is noted for the waterfalls along the river that runs through it. The opening of the book is set at these falls when a young police detective, Caroline Marby, must chose between saving the life of the drug dealer or shooting the buyer who threw him into the falls. This choice, the choice between death and the preservation of life, is one of many threads that run through this book and make it a rich treat for the tired fan of the serial killer genre. Caroline, with her friend and mentor Alan Dupree, become involved in a hunt for a killer who leaves his prostitute victims strangled and shot, grasping their last payment in their hands. The chain of evidence points to Caroline's escaped drug buyer, Lenny Ryan, as the killer but he remains somehow intangible, appearing and disappearing almost at will, with an agenda which never seems quite clear. As Caroline and Alan investigate, their present relationship as not quite lovers hovers between them. He is married and Caroline has a live-in. The tension between the two reflects the rapids that run through the city, as separation that can never be truely bridged. As the body count mounts, Dupree, who is heading the investigation, is forced to call in FBI profilers. His sarcastic intolerance of these men and unwillingness to use modern investigative techniques puts him at odds with his superiors, and he is eventually removed from the case. This widens the division between him and Caroline as she must pick up many of the threads Dupree left hanging. Dupree, trying to deal with his frustration and a failing marriage, returns to the streets that he started on. The book is also the tale of the conflict between the two profilers. Curtis Blanton, a retired FBI profiler, sarcastic and sharp witted is an almost unwilling participant. For him the case has two low a body count to be worth the efforts of a profiler. Jeffrey McDaniel, on loan from the FBI is condescending and overblown. For him the case is an opportunity to show up Blanton. Neither man adds much to the investigation, although their rivalry quickly becomes the comic relief of the story. Caroline, caught in between the profilers, as she is between Dupree and his replacement Spivey, must piece together the truth out of the tiniest of shreds and suspicions. The final answer is unexpected and complex. To say that Jess Walter is a master of misdirection would be a serious understatement. The action flows beautifully, building slowly from the moment the first body is discovered. Hardly sparse, there is still little waste in the telling, although I wish that Walter had spent just a bit more effort on the setting. Other than the river itself, Spokane and its environs never quite come to life the way the characters do. The story is a melancholy one, turning on tragedy and loss and the tiny steps that lead one from self-interest to evil. Redeeming qualities are found in unexpected places and the reader is left with much to consider in the end. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: If serial killings are your thing, try this 4.5* effort
Review: As far as plot goes, this book holds nothing new. But then, few serial killer novels do, because its very hard to come up with something really original within the genre. However, where this book excells is with its character development. As other reviewers have stated, the characters within this book are drawn very well, with great depth and nice touches of realism. The plot is structured well, and the writing is good, but sometimes it feels slightly underdeveloped. The bits that are developed, are develoepd well, but there is a lot of material here which goes unheralded...He could have said a lot more, and made the plot much more affecting. The sense of place is another strong factor...its described well, and adds to the novel. Overall, this is a worthwhile read. The plot contains nothing to distinguish it from anything else out there, so on that score its decidedly average, but its a very well written book, with some very real and well-develoepd characters. (Although, sometimes, the plot suffers a tiny bit form this...)
Rating: 
Summary: Good 1st effort
Review: Good characterization holds your interest long after the plot unravels.
Rating: 
Summary: Dark Moments and Dark Humour
Review: In Jess Walter's debut novel, it looks like a serial killer is systematically killing prostitutes in Spokane, Washington. It looks even more likely that the killer is the man that Caroline Mabry confronted but had to let get away during a drug bust gone bad. Caroline Mabry and Alan Dupree are the two main protagonists and are both detectives with the Spokane Police Department. They share a past that is slowly revealed to us as they become more involved with the case, and this begins to affect the way they carry out their investigations. This is Walter's debut novel and is a psychological thriller that starts out very well with an action packed and dramatic opening, snappy dialogue carrying plenty of humorous exchanges. But then the story gradually gets bogged down in the middle as the main characters all become very introspective. I had the feeling that we were in suspended animation for a while, waiting for someone to yell "action". However the pace does pick up again as things fall into place and set the scene for a thrilling and somewhat surprising ending. A highlight of the book for me comes from the description of the two profilers whose dislike for each other provides plenty of funny scenes. Their egos and obvious distraction from the case while compiling data for their respective next books add a touch of comic farce to the story. I found this an entertaining book that toyed with the emotions, dark enough to provide a substantial, thought-provoking thriller, yet light enough to provide plenty of amusing moments.
Rating:
Summary: Awsome & Unpredictable
Review: Jess Walter does a superior job in charater development. You not only "feel" these characters, you experience their emotions. And where they take you, through the investigative process, leads to a very unpredictable ending. This book also gives an insight to police detective's lives with humor, sarcasm, reality of 'police politics', and the empty, spent feeling a murder investigation has on the detectives and their families. It also reveals the shocking reality of the criminal mind. This is a winning novel and I can't wait for another from Jess Walter!
Rating:
Summary: Awsome & Unpredictable
Review: Jess Walter does a superior job in charater development. You not only "feel" these characters, you experience their emotions. And where they take you, through the investigative process, leads to a very unpredictable ending. This book also gives an insight to police detective's lives with humor, sarcasm, reality of 'police politics', and the empty, spent feeling a murder investigation has on the detectives and their families. It also reveals the shocking reality of the criminal mind. This is a winning novel and I can't wait for another from Jess Walter!
Rating:
Summary: A great character-driven story
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: This one is different
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: This one is different
Review: 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.
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