Review: Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Gallery Books (February 12, 2013)
ISBN-10: 1451685033
Source: Publisher

Over a year ago, Jason Getty killed a man, burying his body in his own back yard.Jason spends every waking moment thinking about the body and its potential discovery. Just as he gets close to accepting his crime will go undetected, the police uncover two bodies buried on his property, neither of which is the body Jason buried. Jason is desperate to keep the police from discovering the body. His attempts to lay low are thwarted when the wife of one of the victims begins to snoop around the property. Add Detective Tim Bayard, a small town detective who can’t get rid of his suspicious feelings about Jason’s involvement and Jason has his work cut out for him.

Three Graves Full is a novel full of potential. Interesting and engaging storyline, intense plot and eloquently written prose. Unfortunately, all this vast potential was left unmet. It is clear in Mason’s writing that she is a truly talented writer. Unfortunately, the cookie-cutter characters and uneven and inconsistent writing left this reader craving for more.

I’m a fan of incredibly descriptive prose…when appropriate. In reading Three Graves Full there were scenes in which I thought the writing to be a bit too descriptive and others where it wasn’t descriptive enough.

Additionally, I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters. The point of view alternated between each of the main characters, providing the opportunity to develop each individual. Jason’s character was created to generate sympathy from the reader, yet I couldn’t care less as to what happened to him. Unfortunately, the only character I found a connection with was the incredibly intuitive dog belonging to the small town detective.

Bottom line: While this novel wasn’t a winner for me, the fact that Mason’s writing is so strong lends me to believe that subsequent novels will have marked signs of improvement. My feelings about this title won’t prevent me from reading Mason’s future works. If you are looking for a psychological thriller with a tinge of dark humor, this is the title for you.