Dig Two Graves

by Kim Powers

In his twenties, Ethan Holt won the decathlon at the Olympics and was jokingly nicknamed "Hercules"; now, in his late thirties, he's returned to his ivy-covered alma mater to teach, and to raise his young daughter Skip as a single father. After a hushed-up scandal over his Olympics win and the death of his wife in a car accident five years ago, Ethan wants nothing more than to forget his past. Skip is not only the light of Ethan's life--she is his life. Then, Skip is kidnapped. A series of bizarre ransom demands start coming in that stretch Ethan's athletic prowess to its limits, and he realizes with growing horror that they are modern versions of the Twelve Labors of Hercules, demanded in tricky, rhyming clues by someone who seems to have followed every step of Ethan's career.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 4, 2015

Reviews

[Magdalena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ethan “Hercules” Holt won in his twenties the decathlon at the Olympics. But now thirteen years later is he teaching at his alma mater and raising his young daughter Skip and trying to move on with his life after his wife death five years earlier. But the day after his birthday party is Skip kidnapped and the kidnapper wants Ethan to perform the Twelve Labors of Hercules. If he fails will he never see her alive...

DIG TWO GRAVES is a well-written and intensive thriller about obsession. Ethan and Skip live an ordinary life in a small town and since there are just the two of them are they very close. But the birthday party that Skip had planned didn't turn out as she wanted it to. She was hurt that her father didn't seem to appreciate the movie about his life that she has made and that Ethan had invited Wendy his girlfriend to the party. But, Ethan notices they day after when he comes home after working that Skip has planned to cook dinner for him, but she has never got to it, she is gone...

I think Kim Powers has done tremendous work of writing a thriller that shows just how far a father would go to find his daughter. His love for Skip shines through the book and every obstacle he takes on pushes him closer to finding her and also learning the truth about the kidnapper. In the middle of the all we also have a young man that is looking for the truth from Ethan, is he involved with the kidnapping? I had my suspicious towards the end on whom the kidnapper would be, but that never ruined the reading. And, the ending was heartbreaking.

DIG TWO GRAVES is a great book and a perfect book for anyone that is looking for a good thriller.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised with Dig Two Graves. It was a little slow to start for me, but I am glad I stuck with it because I ended up not wanting to put the book down. Ethan is a professor at a prestigious college where he teaches the classics. He is a single father to a 13 YO daughter, Skip. He is also a former Olympic medal winner. His life is turned around when his daughter is kidnapped.

This will be a hard one to review because I don't want to give away any key plot points. I can say that what I really enjoyed about this book is that it kept me guessing. I enjoyed the "trials" that Ethan was made to go through by the kidnapper. Each trial that he succeeds at brings him closer to his daughter, but makes him lose something of himself in return. The 12 trials of Hercules was a unique idea. There are a couple of twists that were surprising. But the reveal at the end was a big shock to me. I think this book would make a pretty cool movie.

I highly recommend this one, especially to readers who love thrillers filled with rhymes and puzzles. I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!

[Matthew FitzSimmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific thriller set on a college campus that should have gotten more attention when it came out. Beautiful writing with a juicy New England Gothic flavor - if there is such a thing.

[Jennifer Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was with an unfamiliar thrill that I began reading "Dig Two Graves" since I know the author. I was delighted that within the first few pages I recognized names and people we know in common and places we have in common as well (we attended the same college a decade apart). What a cool added depth to a book of fiction written using people and places with which I am familiar! It really made the story come to life for me.

But soon, all the excitement generated from the familiar fell away as I became engrossed in the story. Let me mention here that about all I read are mysteries. I know I should say I read all the non-fiction and self-help and "important' novels - but I rarely do. I enjoy mysteries, even though most are brain candy. I like brain candy! And when the few come along that are not brain candy, well that's a special treat!

"Dig Two Graves" is not brain candy. It made me think about parenting, about children and how we treat them, about what we do we when are most desperate, about what a person who does not feel loved might become. It strengthened my Universalist belief in the inherent worth and dignity of all human beings (sometimes that is really hard to believe in!). And I didn't guess whodunnit right away as I usually do. I feel I should have knowing Kim a little and knowing what/who is most important to him.

*Spoiler alert* It is interesting to me that this story of twins so cruelly separated with one left alone and forgotten was spun by someone whose twin was so cruelly separated from him and yet shall never be forgotten.

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: DIG TWO GRAVES by Kim Powers

Wow! DIG TWO GRAVES is outstanding! I was fully enwrapped from the first page. I wanted to read it in one sitting (but sleep and obligations intervened). I know if I had been alone (and didn't have to walk the dogs LOL) I could have finished in a day. The will was there.

The characters are so alive, it's like they're
in the room with me. The author clarifies their personality and motivations so skillfully that even the "bad guys" are understandable. Probably the very best part of this is the father-daughter interaction of Ethan and Skip--no-holds-barred, here are my emotions, here are my thoughts: if I'm not transparent enough, I'll tell you how I feel. Loved it!!

DIG TWO GRAVES is a must-read thriller. Definitely a Best of 2015.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads. Loved this book. It was so interesting and different. The whole plot was very original. Highly recommend.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ethan "Herc" Holt is known for his 2000 Olympic win, but now he's happy as a professor and widowed father doing his best to raise his daughter, Skip. His latest birthday, also the day he receives tenure at Canaan, ends with an argument that stretches into the following morning when his daughter leaves him on his run with a final flip of the bird. When Ethan arrives home later that day, hoping they can make amends, Skip is gone.

The police are quick to reassure the father, saying that teens go through this kind of thing and she'll likely be home in a few hours. That is until they see the outline of Skip's body painted in fake blood on her bed. No ransom is requested, though. Instead, the kidnapper has set a series of tasks for the former athlete to complete if he hopes to see his daughter again. The tasks, based on the 12 labors of Hercules, are designed specifically around Ethan's own life history. As the hours tick by and the tasks become more complex, Ethan pushes himself to his limits both physically and mentally but still can't figure out who the kidnapper could be or what fate waits at the finish line for both him and his daughter.

I must admit that I went into Dig Two Graves with pretty high expectations. I love author blurbs, especially when they come from authors who a. don't hand them out regularly and b. are authors whose work I love, so seeing that Deborah Crombie and Louis Bayard both highly recommended the title meant that the bar was set a little on the high side for Kim Powers. I wasn't surprised, though, to find that Powers lived up to my expectations after such high praise.

Using the labors of Hercules as a plot device while also making them relevant to a 21st century world was quite clever. The twisting of these labors by the kidnapper and how the subsequent tasks will appear are a large part of the tension of the story - what physical and mental gymnastics our hero will have to undertake in order to get one step closer to saving his daughter. Of course the how and why are also a big part of the mystery - how the kidnapper plotted this vengeance and why. And the what, too. What it all means?!

The who is less of a question if you follow Powers's clues. I will admit to having figured that out quite early on but I do think it's one readers are maybe supposed to tease out earlier than Ethan himself all things considered. That doesn't mean there weren't a few twists along the way, and a few red herrings too.

I love that Powers split the narrative, giving Skip a few of her own chapters. Some might say the wondering would be more intense putting us right in the same boat as Ethan, but I think it made Skip more relatable and actually made her potential fate that much more terrifying. Seeing the kidnapper's actions through her eyes, knowing that Ethan is still working to find them and save her - and that saving her might not even be part of the kidnapper's plot... what could be more intense than that?

Dig Two Graves is a great new mystery that pits a pretty much everyman (with the exception of the whole gold medal winning decathlete thing) against tough odds. It's one that will definitely appeal to fans of Linwood Barclay and Harlan Coben.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former Sydney Olympic gold medal decathlete Ethan “Hercules” Holt is now a professor at his alma mater and trying to enjoy life as a single father to his 13 year old daughter, “Skip”. But out of the blue, Skip is kidnapped and a series of strange ransom demands begin to pour in.

Seems like a pretty straight-forward thriller plot similar to a thousand other titles out there. But this one stands apart from much of the competition due to the fascinating interaction between Ethan and the kidnapper. In many respects this is a psychological thriller but there is plenty of action intertwined and the result is a real page turner. Most of the book is told from Ethan’s first person POV but we also get third person POV sequences from Skip, the kidnapper, and others.

I enjoyed the way the clues were unveiled, a complex puzzle revolving around the twelve labors of Hercules. The identity of the kidnapper, the big mystery element of the novel wasn’t really possible to solve on your own, either for the reader or for Ethan. The clues come faster and faster until near the end when Ethan learns the truth at the same time as the reader. It’s one of those novels that when you finally get to that eureka moment, you realize all of the clues that really were there all along but they were so subtle that you had failed to pick up on them.

For a book to really draw me in I need to believe in the characters, believe that they are responding to events in a plausible and realistic manner. At first I questioned how Ethan was responding to the kidnapping in this book because he was constantly “over-reacting” it seemed to me. I can’t imagine how I would react if faced with the same horrible situation but I just can’t see myself arguing with the kidnapper and getting so pissed off during a ransom call that I would tell them to go “F___ himself”. I mean…talk about endangering the life of your only child. Over numerous telephone calls Ethan alternates between threatening the kidnapper and endless whiny pleading to be swapped for her. But as the tale unwound I came to understand Ethan’s nature better, especially his complicated back story and came to realize that his actions were based on his own experiences.

I did have a minor beef with the police and FBI crew. No leadership of the situation at all on their part. They seemed content to let Ethan call the shots and go off and chase down the clues with only one other cop to accompany him all the way through. I wasn’t expecting a police procedural in a thriller novel such as this but it just didn’t seem realistic for me. Perhaps the author simply chose to let their aspect of handling the case occur offstage in order to keep the focus on Ethan and what he was going through.

In summary, this is an excellently paced psychological thriller. It’s a clever novel, written succinctly and with passion. This is not surprising given the author’s award winning career in the arena of hi-viz television journalism but to see it translated into the world of fictional thriller writing is indeed welcome. I expect we will see much more from this author in the future.

(Special thanks to the author, Mr. Kim Powers, for providing a free copy of this novel in exchange for an open and honest review.)

[David Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kim Powers has moved in an entirely new direction from his previous two books with "Dig Two Graves". This mystery novel provides lots of thrills while also giving the reader a chance to get to know some interesting characters. I won't repeat the plot description since you can find that elsewhere. But I will say that his narrative structure moves the story forward in an interesting way. Mr. Powers breaks the story into many short chapters that switch rapidly among the different players in the mystery. This heightened the suspense for me and kept me anxious to find out what happens next. I loved the connection to the "Labors of Hercules". It was a clever plot element that gave the novel a satisfying cohesion. The last third of the book gets really wild, so hold on to your hat!

I am pretty new to the mystery genre, but Dig Two Graves has made me eager to read more. I very much enjoyed his memoir, "The History of Swimming", and he did not disappoint me with the new book. I eagerly look forward to his next offering.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Received via Goodreads Giveaway***

Breakneck pace, good characterizations, good plot. Hated who the villain was because it's just such a cop out.

[Terri]

Such a great read! Proud of my friend!!

[Gloria Feit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skip Holt’s world as she knew it ended the day her mother died in a car crash [always bringing to her mind a poem she had had to learn in school by Robert Frost]. There is much erudition here, as Skip’s father makes his living “by teaching about the past, the very long ago past. The Classics, Greece, Rome, Latin.” Indeed, the novel begins with a quote from Confucius: “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” And revenge is what this book is all about. “The classics were all about it - - getting revenge, declaring enemies, going to war.”

From the publisher: In his 20’s, Ethan Holt won the Decathlon at the Olympics and was jokingly nicknamed “Hercules;” now, in his late 30’s, he’s returned to his ivy-covered alma mater to teach, and to raise his young daughter Skip as a single father. After a hushed-up scandal over his Olympics win and the death of his wife in a car accident five years ago, Ethan wants nothing more than to forget his past. Skip is not only the light of Ethan’s life - - she is his life. Then, Skip is kidnapped. A series of bizarre ransom demands start coming in that stretch Ethan’s athletic prowess to its limits, and he realizes with growing horror that they are modern versions of the Twelve Labors of Hercules, demanded in tricky, rhyming clues by someone who seems to have followed every step of Ethan’s career. To solve the mystery and get his daughter back, Ethan teams up with a force-of-nature female detective, Aretha Mizell, who carries some secrets of her own. As Ethan races from Labor to Labor, we enter the mysterious abandoned schoolhouse where Skip is being held captive, and we begin to hear the fantastic and strangely heartbreaking story of the kidnapper and his link to Ethan’s past. The clues begin to point not only to Ethan’s athletic career, but to his childhood, and to a family history as troubled and bizarre as those of any of the legendary, mythic character he teaches.

The novel opens on a late Fall day in New England, the day Ethan turns 39 and receives tenure at the college where he teaches, and where Skip, now 13, has planned a party for him. Suddenly things take a decidedly ugly [well, uglier] turn, one as to which the reader has been given a hint, with a glimpse of a stalker, “the man with a plan,” and things escalate beyond anything the reader might expect. The writing is riveting, with one shocking turn at Chapter 31, and the identity of the kidnapper not known until Chapter 55, with the book ending on a somewhat enigmatic note 50 pages later. A page-turner of a book, it is highly recommended.

[Thee_ron_clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Dig Two Graves, a former Olympic champion turned college professor finds himself the target for revenge from an unknown person.

Professor Ethan Holt's daughter is kidnapped. He begins to receive demands of mythological levels. Holt works to complete difficult tasks and unravel the mystery of who hates him enough to take his daughter from him.

Kim Powers has a solid writing style. I found this book quite easy to get through. Very smooth.

The plot is interesting and keeps you guessing. Well, it did keep me guessing. I hand a fair clue to the identity of the kidnapper, but did not have it completely until the author revealed it for me. Meh. I've never claimed to be a detective.

I would definitely read more of Powers' work.

[Kayla Fugitt · Rating 1 out of 5]

It kept me interested enough to finish it, but I wasnt crazy about it either. I know suspending reality is always a part of reading fiction; however, even taking that into consideration, this book was way too far-fetched for me. I could get on board with the police letting Ethan give into the kidnapper's demands. Ok, fine. This isn't real life. But the whole birth therapy business? I can even get on board with Aaron seeing the therapist, but all of a sudden Ethan remembers smiling at him in the womb? No way. Fast, easy read. Good airplane or beach material.

[Robyn Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I am always a fan of multiple different perspectives within a story, and this one weaved together multiple ones flawlessly. Though the plot twist ending was noticeably foreshadowed , and if paying attention, you could figure it out about half way through. Even with that said, definitely a book I’d recommend to others.

[Anna Contrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was predictable, but still a page turner. I wish the author would eliminate the last chapter, it took a good mystery/thriller and make the character hokey and unbelievable.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars.......I found myself not liking the main character, but that's okay. Plot was interesting, and background was intense.

[Peejay(Pamela) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good thriller. Deserved more attention than it got upon publication.

[E Oxford · Rating 2 out of 5]

So bad.

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise where revenge is taken by making someone go through a modern day version of the 12 labors of Hercules. However, the characters just didn't ring true to me. Really found it hard to believe that the police detective would have allowed much of the events to actually occur.

[Doug MOSER · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dig Two Graves is a not only a terrific read, but it also provides plenty of food for thought. In Kim Powers third book (The History of Swimming: A Memoir and Capote in Kansas: A Ghost Story), a kidnapping is the beginning of a thrilling procedural that finds the protagonist, a college professor, recalling his controversial victory as an Olympic athlete and the labors of Hercules. The writing is graceful, spare, and keeps the reader gripped - more reminiscent of good Stephen King than the usually dull Dan Brown. I don't want to give away any plot points, but Mr. Powers digs deeper than most writers of thrillers, grounding this tale in a web of family secrets, regret, and longing. I didn't want to put this down, but made myself savor it over a week, just to know I could come back to it.

A great summer read, an terrific any-time read!

[Full disclosure: I'd "met" Kim when I read The History of Swimming, only to learn he'd been a friend of my spouse in grad school. But I was a fan first, friend later. Read this, then read his other two books.]

[exncgal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow going at first, especially for a science major who never got into the classics. And the kidnapper's creepiness really got to me in the early chapters. Once I stopped reading the book at bedtime, I enjoyed the twisty plot. It did seem a bit forced in places - TJ, I'm talking about you here! - and I think I missed something with Ethan's confession to him (despite rereading that page or two a few times).

I haven't read any of Powers' previous books, but I really liked his writing style. The characters seemed like real people, for better or worse. I got a kick out of Detective Mizell (am I remembering her name correctly?) and I'd love to see her again. Skip too - what a kid!

Not to toot my own horn, but I guessed who the kidnapper was before it was revealed... which was ironic, as I'd been watching "Sherlock: The Abominable Bride" earlier in the day when Holmes himself proclaimed "it's never twins, Watson." I beg to differ, my dear Holmes.

Overall, a good story with excellent writing and a few forgiveable flaws.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethan Holt has been training for the Olympics his entire life, not all his doing a lot of it is his crazy father who keeps pushing him to be the best. we fast forward to learning about even as an adult and parent. Ethan teaches at the local school and one day thing take a turn for the worse. his daughter skip is abducted and Ethan is given all these crazy clues in order to find her. This book is an absolute page turner. You are literally sucked into the book at the very beginning and do not want it to end. there is so much suspense and mystery and yes quite a bit of history, but it's done in a nice way so you don't even realize you're learning. I was shocked at how much I loved the story, I cannot wait to read more by this author. I even loved the surprise mystery guest when he was revealed.

[Vicki Carbone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I requested this book through a giveaway and ended up receiving it directly from the author. This is a truly compelling read. "Herc" Holt, so nicknamed after having won the Olympic Decathalon, is now a classics professor at the small Massachusetts college where once he was a student. He is also a widower and the father of a 10 year old daughter, Elizabeth (Skippy). After Skippy is kidnapped, he receives a series of messages from the kidnapper directing him to successfully complete modern versions of the 10 labors of Hercules in order to save Skippy. He does, despite the interference of his young TA, whom, it turns out, is the son of the man he named for doping in the Olympics. Ultimately, we discover that the kidnapper is Herc's twin, abandoned at age 3 at the insistence of the father for whom perfection was a necessity. Why isn't Aaron perfect? Read the book. Thank me later.

[Peacejanz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confucius said, "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." Now you have an idea what this book is about. It is supposed to be a mystery but it is really a complicated teaching of ancient Greek mythology; the story of Hercules completing the Twelve Labors or ten labors or seventeen labors (it became so boring, so rote that I lost track). The hero of the book teaches classics, the past, at a college and should know the labors of Hercules. There are so many "cute" things in the book such as the hero's nickname -- you got it, "Hercules." I did finish this book but I wonder why. This is a first novel by Powers and I suspect it will be the last one I read.

[Charles Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This great read takes about a quarter way through for it to ignite and then there is not stopping it. Powers weaves a great scary story in with classic Greek literature and goes off at a sprint. You will finding yourself hanging on for dear life!

I should add this is an adult read in the sense of the suspense and the action. But also the ending is just not what you might never imagine. I did not see the ending coming.

Prepare yourself if you read this. Intense is not quite strong enough! I'd give it six stars out of five!

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powers gives us a serviceable thriller in which a former Olympic decathlon champion, now working as a classics professor, has his daughter kidnapped by someone who wants revenge for a past slight. To get his daughter back, he has to decipher a series of clues that lead him through adventures that mimic the feats of Hercules. If you can suspend disbelief enough to go along with the whole idea, it's an entertaining fast read.

[Chet · Rating 3 out of 5]

.....well, they can't all be winners. This book takes a premise and applies early-20th century mindset to a story set in the early 21st century. Implausible in many places it really stretches credibility to the breaking point in my opinion. Hopefully my next choice will pan out better. As always, support your local library!!

[Jill Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dig Two Graves was very entertaining. Fast paced with interesting characters. I have to say i was really impressed with how easy it was to visualize the story without a lot of excessive description. It was a neat and tidy read that held my interest. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Bravo Kim!

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always love it when a book is based on classical myth; however, as a thriller this was only so-so. I figured it out about halfway through and the rest was just voyeurism. The final action scene was high on emotional drama but the physical action, not so much.