In The Life We Bury, author Allen Eskens combines literary fiction and suspense to tell the tale of the mystery surrounding a young girl’s murder. The book is set in Eskens’ native Minnesota in the year 2010. However, its events center around the 30-year-old murder of a young girl, Crystal Marie Hagan, which took place in 1980. Told from the first-person perspective of Joe Talbert, a 21-year-old college student at the University of Minnesota, the narrative follows Joe’s story as he unravels the truth of Crystal’s case, helping to absolve an innocent man and bring the real killer to justice.

Eskens practiced law for many years, and his firsthand knowledge of the legal system informs his portrayal of the criminal justice system in The Life We Bury. The book was published in 2014 and was a finalist in the “Best First Novel” category of the 2015 Edgar Awards. This study guide refers to the Seventh Street Books Edition published in 2014.

Plot Summary

Joe has been tasked with writing another person’s biography for his college English class. Having no living grandparents of his own, he visits the Hillview Manor nursing home in search of an interview subject. He meets Carl Iverson, a Vietnam Vet who was convicted of raping and killing a 14-year-old girl named Crystal. Crystal lived next door to Carl with her mother, Danielle Hagen, and her stepfather, Douglas Lockwood, and stepbrother, Daniel Lockwood. On October 29, 1980, Crystal's burned body was found in the shed in Carl’s backyard. Carl was arrested the next day and has spent the last 30 years in jail. Because Carl is dying from pancreatic cancer and estimated to have only a few more months to live, he’s been paroled through the compassionate release program. He has maintained his innocence throughout his conviction. Nonetheless, most of the nursing staff and fellow residents hate him.

Over a period of months, Joe interviews Carl and independently investigates the details of his case. Joe receives help from his neighbor and fellow college student, Lila Nash. Joe has long been attracted to Lila and uses her curiosity about Carl’s case to interact with her. Joe already has doubts regarding Carl’s guilt when he learns about Carl's past in the Vietnam War. A war buddy of Carl’s, Virgil Gray, describes how Carl saved his life. Carl tells Joe a story of how he refused to rape a young Vietnamese girl when commanded to by his senior officer, Sergeant Gibbs—refusing even when Gibbs held a gun to his head. This further convinces Joe that Carl can’t be a rapist.

Joe and Lila, assisted by Joe’s autistic brother, Jeremy Naylor, put together the pieces of the puzzle of Carl’s case. Coded diary entries, photos of the crime scene, and DNA evidence suggest that Carl is innocent. Joe and Lila approach a detective, Max Rupert, with their evidence. Max agrees to reexamine the case and brings on board Boady Sanden, a lawyer who works for the Innocence Project. Joe and Lila discover the real killer is Daniel, Crystal’s stepbrother. Daniel's father, Douglas, helped to cover for his son. Daniel is a serial rapist and murderer, a psychopath who even ends up killing his own father to cover up his crimes.

Throughout the narrative, Joe’s investigation is hampered by his disruptive mother: Kathy Nelson is an emotionally and physically abusive alcoholic, who lives two hours away in Joe’s hometown of Austin. She takes care of Joe’s brother, Jeremy, but often fails in her duties, leaving Jeremy home alone for days at a time. On one occasion, unattended, Jeremy almost burns the apartment down. Joe has long tried to outrun his past and his burdensome mother, but he can’t shake his need to care for Jeremy. After discovering that Kathy’s violent boyfriend, Larry, is abusing Jeremy, Joe brings Jeremy to live with him—even though this will make it impossible for Joe to continue college.

The book’s later chapters are more quickly paced as Joe and Lila end up in a life-or-death standoff with Daniel after having stolen his garbage to obtain his DNA. They are saved thanks to Jeremy, whose phone Joe uses to contact the police. It turns out that Daniel’s DNA matches several other unsolved murders, and there are cash rewards for solving those cases. With the money he receives, Joe can care for Jeremy and continue college. Carl’s conviction is vacated, and he dies peacefully at Hillview Manor, officially an innocent man.