Review of HIS FAVOURITE GRAVES by Paul Cleave

 4 Stars

Anyone researching the definition of a thriller will find reference to a fast-paced, plot-driven narrative with unexpected twists, complex, morally-compromised characters, lots of action and suspense, and an exploration of the dark side of human nature.  Anyone looking for an excellent example of a thriller should read His Favourite Graves.

James Cohen, sheriff of Acacia Pines, a small American town, has a plethora of problems:  his father, who suffers from dementia, has moved in after burning down a retirement home in which a resident died; his wife Cass has moved out; his son Nathan is bullying schoolmates; and he has major financial obligations which he cannot fulfill.  When a teenager, Lucas Connor, is abducted, the sheriff sees a way to misdirect the manhunt for the kidnapper in such a way that he can claim the reward money being offered.  His desperation has him engaging in illegal and immoral acts from which there is no return.  Of course, things do not go as planned:  a number of complications arise as does the number of victims. 

Three perspectives are given:  that of the sheriff (first-person), that of Lucas (third-person), and that of the kidnapper (third person).  All sections are told in present tense, and for first-person narration this is sometimes awkward.  Would a person really narrate the following as it’s happening:  “he hits me with the shovel.  I tumble down the rest of the stairs, the gun and the phone flying out of my grip even before I smash into the basement floor”?

The pace is certainly fast.  Everything (and that’s a lot) happens in the span of only four days.  Short, snappy chapters add to the feeling of breakneck speed.  And the various jaw-dropping twists compel the reader to keep turning the pages.

I appreciated the complexity of the characters; no one is purely good or totally evil.  The background of characters makes their actions credible, though sometimes they do seem somewhat over-the-top.  Cohen is a wonderful example of a multi-faceted character; he’s a good man who is respected by his colleagues but he finds himself in desperate circumstances and so makes unwise decisions.  He even knows that his choices are not good ones, but he’s under so much pressure that he feels he has few options.  He acts in a moment of spontaneity and then cannot undo what he has done without major consequences.  It is impossible to totally condemn him, just as it’s impossible to have no sympathy for the other flawed and damaged characters, perpetrators but victims too. 

The book is dark as it touches on subjects like child abuse, extreme bullying, alcoholism, mental illness, and murder.  The darkness even extends to the black humour; one character, when wrapping a body in polythene, muses, “They’ve had it lying around since the renovations were done, and he thinks environmentalists would be happy they’ve found a use for it, rather than seeing it end up in a landfill.”

Besides examining the effects of abuse and mental illness, the novel also explores father/son relationships.  Nathan’s relationship with his father, Lucas’s relationship with his father, and the kidnapper’s relationship with his foster father all impact the sons and thereby influence their actions.  The nature/nurture question comes into play, as does the question of what a father would do to protect his child. 

I have no reservations about recommending this book to people who enjoy intense psychological thrillers.  I would advise readers to read slowly and carefully because the author is a master at misdirection.  Clues are everywhere and every tidbit of information is significant, but the tension is such that readers will feel compelled to read quickly to see what happens next.