The Life We Bury (Max Rupert and Joe Talbert Book 1)

Name: The Life We Bury (Max Rupert and Joe Talbert Book 1)
Price: 1.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.3 (45807 reviews)
Author: Allen Eskens

by Allen Eskens

Mystery Thriller Literary Fiction

4.3 (45,807)

4.3 stars from 45,807 reviews. One of the highest rated Mystery Thriller books we track.

303 pages~5.1 hr readPublished 2014-01-01

$1.9980% off peak

Last checked: Jun 7, 2026

Price history: $1.99 – $9.99

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Price range: $1.99 – $9.99

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Perfect for you if...

You enjoy mysteries where the central question is genuinely ambiguous and the investigation pulls you deeper into moral complexity.
You like character-driven thrillers where the protagonist's personal struggles matter as much as the plot twists.
You appreciate stories that interrogate the justice system and ask uncomfortable questions about guilt and redemption.

Maybe not for you if...

You want a fast-paced whodunit where the culprit's identity is the main engine of suspense.
You prefer escapist reading without heavy themes like trauma, dysfunction, or systemic injustice.
You need romance or lighter subplots to balance darker subject matter.

About this book

College student Joe Talbert undertakes a writing assignment requiring him to interview a stranger and write their biography. At a nearby nursing home, he meets Carl Iverson, a dying Vietnam veteran who was convicted of rape and murder and spent thirty years in prison before receiving medical parole. As Joe writes about Carl's life, he struggles to reconcile Carl's military service with his crimes. Joe and his skeptical female neighbor Lila begin investigating Carl's conviction, seeking to uncover the truth. However, Joe faces obstacles from his dysfunctional mother, guilt over his autistic brother's vulnerability, and a troubling childhood memory. As Joe and Lila examine the circumstances surrounding Carl's conviction more closely, the stakes escalate. Joe must determine whether he can discover the truth before facing serious consequences.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

$1.99 – $9.99

Currently on sale at $1.99 — 80% off peak. Price has dropped 5 times over the last 6 years. Goes on sale roughly every 166 days. Typically stays discounted for 4 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

Currently #2,736 in the Kindle store — a top-10K bestseller. Climbing the charts — 75% improvement recently.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

Currently 4.3★ from 45,807 reviews

Gaining approximately 277 new reviews per month. Reader interest is accelerating. Rating has remained stable at 4.3 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $1.99. It typically returns to around $9.99.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.