Three Graves Full

I love a good mystery and Three Graves Full hooked me even before I opened it because it has a truly unique plot. Jason Getty is a socially-awkward loner who is adjusting to life after becoming a widower. Within the first chapter, readers learn that he has a body in his back yard, a body that he buried after killing a man that “nobody would miss.” After one year of agonizing his every move and stressing that someone will discover his dark secret, Jason decides to move on with life; he hires some landscapers to clean up his front yard. As they labor through the day, Jason begins to feel more comfortable with putting the past behind him, until the landscape contractor finds Jason to tell him that something unusual has been discovered on his property: two buried skeletons (neither of which is the one which Jason buried). Panic washes over Jason and he slowly begins to fall apart, reliving the past. As the investigation into the two bodies unfolds, Jason fears the worst, but assumes that he will not get pinned with these murders. As the detectives begin the investigation, things seem to be going Jason’s way until the lead investigator discovers an unrelated blood pool that leads him to dig further into the matter. Meanwhile, two of the loved ones of the buried dead begin an “investigation” of their own (one hoping to put her fiancees memory to rest and the other hoping to escape before his secret is revealed). This ultimately only leads to trouble in the most twisted and unexpected way. I was captivated by this book and got sucked into it quickly. Jaime Mason’s writing style throughout Three Graves Full is natural and conversational. The descriptive details are powerful, yet worked seamlessly into the plot of the mystery. This book is worth a read and has plenty of fodder for discussion if you are looking for a new book club pick.