Well-woven and meditative, The Distant Dead is perfect for fans of The Lost Manand The Searcher. It’s a story about redemption, in whatever means possible. Although I did find the ending has a twist too many, I understand what the author is trying to convey and I think it was effective. I found myself surprised by the character turns, and it kept me on my toes. The small-town setting feels stifling, where everyone knows everyone and their secrets. I thought the way the mystery is crafted is compelling. His story is heartbreaking yet his resilience shines through.ĭealing with themes like poverty, drugs, and addiction, this book is pretty heavy to read. My favourite character is Sal, a boy forced to grow up faster than he should. Their actions are a result of that pain, and it’s harrowing to read. The characters are all grappling with some form of loss and regret.

Nora’s investigation takes her down the road to Adam’s past when he was a professor at a university until he left abruptly. It shows how Adam and Sal’s friendship developed, and how it all went wrong. The book is told from three POVs – Nora, Jake, and Sal from before Adam’s death. He reports it to Jake, a local firefighter who knows Sal’s family. And it was Sal who finds Adam’s body, burned beyond recognition. But he connects with Sal Prentiss, a neglected and lonely sixth-grader in his maths class. Nora Wheaton, the social studies teacher at the school tries to befriend Adam though he’s not entirely receptive. Adam Merkel is the newest teacher at Lovelock Middle School a quiet, reserved man who keeps to himself. The Distant Dead is a thoughtful mystery that showcases stunning prose and well-rounded characters. It takes longer than you might think, for a man to burn. It danced for a long time, this fire did, singing its fevered song to the night.

It leaped and played among the acacias, golden, laced with orange, and black at its heart.

High above them, in the hills that once rimmed the lake, a fire burned. All of them will collide in a dark tale of loss, revenge, and murder. A middle school teacher searches for answers as she deals with a haunted past. A firefighter wants to help but faces challenges. A boy discovers the remains and becomes a reluctant witness.

The Distant Dead by Heather Young