Graveyard of the Gods

by Richard Newman

Although the extra cash helps keep him solvent, hog farmer Gene Barnes isn’t proud of his role in disposing of the occasional body for an old Marine buddy mixed up with who knows what. Gene definitely doesn’t want to know and has been warned not to ask. That is, until he recognizes one of the bodies he’s about to feed to the hogs. Now he’s got plenty of questions and none of ’em have good answers. When Gene sets off to find the truth, he travels a landscape of loss of family, loss of the American small town, and loss of his own moral compass. From his farm in Carmi, Illinois, to Metropolis, the home of Superman, he travels through a Graveyard of the Gods only to discover revenge, and redemption comes at a high price.

In his debut novel, poet, playwright, and River Styx editor Richard Newman tells a humdinger of a tale that begins in the cornfields along the silty banks of the Wabash River and brushes with ghosts of his family’s past, the nursing home where his deranged mother lives, Ohio River pirates near Cave-in-Rock, and the destruction of the small-town American and the Midwestern family farm through corporate greed before a final showdown in Garden of the Gods park of the Shawnee National Forest.

217 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 20, 2016

Reviews

[CL · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought since I live in Illinois and some of this story is based in Illinois it would be a good read. I guess the subject matter was more off putting than I thought it would be but I should have been prepared form the book blurpette. And I guess I thought it would be more story than gory. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gene Barnes lives by the silted banks of the Wabash River. He was a marine in the past, but
now runs the family’s pig farm. Business isn’t great, so he helps out an old buddy out by
disposing of bodies every now and again. Where they have come from and why, Gene takes
the cash and knows it is best not to ask. Until one day, he recognises one of the bodies.

Now he has questions, lots of questions.

You can read the reast of the review here

[Mike]

Great set up that never really pays off or goes anywhere.

When I first started reading Graveyard of the Gods by Richard Newman I thought I was in for a delicious rollercoaster ride of bizarre crime fiction, maybe a country noir-ish tale with a splash of dark humor... And it fits the bill to a point but it never really grabbed me. For whatever reason it came out flat and uninteresting.

I would say that if you're a fan of country/rural noir then you should go ahead and give it a try, maybe it will resonate with you - it's not awful or anything like that. This one is just a case of reader and book not being in sync.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

[S A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this literary mystery novel, which intertwines local (Southern Illinois) history with the main character's family history and current predicament. And while I appreciated the way the local history was threaded into the story and amplified Gene's present day, I could have used a touch less of it. But other than that, I found the story to be highly compelling and the prose to be superb, blending exquisite description, exposition, and main-character introspection with realistic dialogue and scenes. Maybe I don't read enough novels like this, but unlike other reviewers here, I did not find the ending predictable. I have a bit more to say on that subject, but I don't want to hint at spoilers so I'll leave it for other readers to decide. If you're looking for a formulaic whodunnit or detective procedural, this is probably not for you. But if you enjoy Cormac McCarthy or Paul Auster, I highly recommend picking this one up.

[A. C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course no one wants to fall victim to cliche, and that’s precisely why I liked this book; It cuts through the hackney idiom of the “flyover states”, and reminds us that not all is what it seems when we glance down at the picturesque farms and the seemingly routine and unremarkable life of Middle America from above.

When you follow Gene through his journey you realize that hidden there, too, and in plain sight, is the same corruption that finds its way into all of society, despite the veil of innocence that fogs our mind when we drive by small-town America.

I can’t wait to read this again on my next cross country roadtrip through the Midwest and wonder what really happens behind the scenes in that rustic town off the interstate in the middle of nowhere.

[Lanie Tankard · Rating 2 out of 5]

My review of GRAVEYARD OF THE GODS, in which macabre fiction meets weird noir:

http://www.thewoventalepress.net/2017...

[Catalina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The macabre fascination of hogs eating humans, the mafia sucking the last droplets of blood out of the dying small American towns, moral dilemmas as "you don't realize you are doing something wrong until it affects you personally", a murder investigation, walking down memory lane -- this book should have made for a very nice, interesting, enjoyably read yet somehow it didn't!!
It started so well, I was on edge, constantly oscillating between being repealed and enthralled. But after a promising start featuring his military years and how he came about working in his line of business, the plot went downhill fast. What was suppose to be a captivating investigation into the murder of his brother, it turned into such a boring drive to Miller's town filled with memories and local history I couldn't give a damn about. Everything was topped up with the most banal murder motive, "I already knew what was going to happen" type of pages that I really contemplated giving up on this book. If I am honest I don't even know how I manage to finish it. At least the end did bring some of the initial emotions, the same macabre and grotesque imagery that so fascinated me in the beginning.
To add to my grievance, Gene annoyed me to no end. I disliked his hatred towards Miller fueled only by envy(actually Gene didn't seem to care much about anyone!), taking Miller's girlfriends was a bit creepy and damn was he kind of stupid or what??!!
It is a real pity this novel wasn't constant in its imagery. I would have really loved to see the same fire as in the beginning and the end being kept ablaze throughout the book, that would have kept me on the edge of my seat and increased the number of stars on my review!

[Elite Group · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, but predictable thriller

Gene Barnes lives by the silted banks of the Wabash River. He was a marine in the past, but now runs the family’s pig farm. Business isn’t great, so he helps out an old buddy out by disposing of bodies every now and again. Where they have come from and why, Gene takes the cash and knows it is best not to ask. Until one day, he recognises one of the bodies.

Now he has questions, lots of questions.

Barnes journey to discover the truth takes him from Carmi to the city of Metropolis; on the way there he confronts the ghosts of his past. What he finds shocks him. As word gets out that he is seeking answers to the murder, he realises that seeking justice and revenge means that his own life is threatened.

It is an okay thriller overall, but it is not a particularly pleasant read at the beginning, but it does pick up in the middle. The plot is okay, with a good mix of tense moments and twists, but as I find with most thrillers it is a tad predictable. As a pulp fiction holiday read it would be fine. Some will love this, but it is not my thing really.

Paul

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Graveyard of the Gods* could be described as a "redneck noir," and I think that's accurate, especially if you throw "literary" in there somewhere. The writing and characters are excellent, and the story pulls you through in the "Dear Lord, what'll happen next?" kind of way you'd want out of a detective thriller. The villains are sufficiently sinister and heartless, the protagonist damaged, not necessarily blameless, but, at end, good. There's a little bit of everything in this book: family drama, guilty romance, commentary on the disintegration of a traditional, often-romanticized way of life, and, of course, murder, intrigue, corruption, and violence. While you may learn more about the history of southern Illinois that you might have ever expected to know, *Graveyard of the Gods* is a really fun romp through the underbelly of the small town, rural midwest.

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

The narration of this book was dry, it was as if I was reading a textbook for school. And okay, yes, there was plot progression and all that, but the plot was just so damn predictable. I pretty much knew what was going to happen next before it happened, especially the romance. Of course he'll have a moment of weakness and get together with his dead brother's partner, of course!

I did not enjoy reading this book, it honestly was a waste of my time.

I was sent an ARC by Amphorae Publishing Group (thanks!). This is my honest review.