The Labyrinth

by Steven Arnett

At 3 o’clock in the morning cabin in Wells River, New Hampshire, a man who had called himself John Jones is run over by a car. He had been out walking in the rain miles away from where he lived, and there is no rational way to explain why. A strange drifter, he’d been living in a rundown cabin on Crawford’s Hill for a few months but no one had really got to know him. The local sheriff, Jeremy Wright, searches the cabin but can find only one thing that might help him identify John Jones or that would tell him anything about his life: A pile of manuscript. Could be a novel or could it be an autobiography? There was no easy way to tell, but he knew he’d have to take on the job of reading through it to looks for clues.


The Labyrinth, a romantic adventure wrapped in a thriller, chronicles John Jones’s involvement in a murder when he was 15 years old that shaped his whole life afterward. It tells the story of how he ended up a thousand miles from where he had lived and grown up, in a place where he knew no one and no one knew him. His story ends up getting read by Jeremy, by his precocious 14 year old daughter, Mandy, his widowed mother, Dorothy, and George Teller, his English literature teacher brother-in-law. Each of them ends up with an entirely different picture of who John Jones was and even if that was really his name or if his story was true. They also end up with more questions than answers: Who really was John Jones? Does anyone really have a true identity or does everyone really have a different identity to everyone who knows them or crosses their path in life?

381 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2017

About the author

Steven Arnett was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1951 and enjoys writing fiction and poetry. He attended Michigan State University and the University of Maine. He currently lives in Luxembourg with his wife, Delphine, and daughter, Vivienne.

Reviews

[June Ahern · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Labyrinth is my second novel by Steven Arnett I’ve read and with how much I enjoyed both, not my last. Labyrinth is a unique story. We have a murder, we have a victim that no one in town knows and then we have a manuscript in the victim’s cabin that might be true or fictional or might have been written by the victim or not.

The story opens with the introduction of the two main characters; the rather gloomy town sheriff, Jeremy Wright, a man who gave up his dream future for the betterment of his family and the victim of murder, John Jones, the hermit living in a ramshackle cabin. The investigation the cabin reveals a manuscript of what appears to be about Jones’ life. Is it really? No one in town truly knew anything about Jones to validate or deny its contents. Besides the sheriff reading it to help him know who Jones is and where he came from and whose job it is to find the murderer the manuscript ends up in the hands of his 14-year-old daughter, mother, brother-in-law and Wright’s former English teacher. Each with their own take on what can be a clue to the victim's past and who could have killed him. Many questions to answer: Where did Jones come from? Does he have a family missing him? Why is he hiding out in the mountains? Who’s after him? The story switches to Jones’ voice (as we along with curious characters) read Jones’ recalling the many loves of his life, and there are many! He’s quite a casa nova or is it a man in search of the perfect woman? One thing we learn is that as a teen Jones was involved in a brutal murder. Eventually, this all adds up and the reader's own curiosity is satisfied, but not necessarily as one could predict.

I enjoyed Arnett’s fast pace storytelling, the good murder mystery and believable characters and am ready to read more and Like Death on Michigan Lake, this story enticed me to keep reading night after night until my curiosity was satisfied.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Labyrinth starts intriguingly but then you are pulled down a rabbit hole into a backstory, with backstories in the backstory. Most of it was drinking-drugs-sex-sleep-repeat and at times I had to really force myself to continue. This was mainly because I wanted to find out the "reveal" at the end. Unfortunately there was no reveal. I did like the main character and his struggles, but it was a long book to wade through. The main message is what life can do to you, how you deal with, and how something in your past can haunt you forever.

[Cindy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small town sheriff is faced with the possible murder of John Jones, a recluse who moved into the area a few years ago. Jones lives like a hermit and no one really knows much about him. A manuscript was found in the belongings of Jones and the sheriff hopes reading it will help him discover who John Jones really is and thus locate his family. When the sheriff's daughter goes against her father's orders and chooses to read it, the book becomes the manuscript.
I did enjoy that, the story was well developed and laid out perfectly. However, the since the book began with the death of Jones and the discussion of who was to read the manuscript, I actually expected some conclusion. It mentions that the daughter went to school and discussed the book while making comments how upset her father would be if he found out. The only "ending" was the sheriff stating he checked on the information given in Jones' writing and could not find any proof it was true. I guess I expected a ruling on his death, a response to the daughter's disobedience..in short, I was waiting for an end.

[Vicky Whedbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever hear of a random drifter's death and wonder what their life was like, and what made them shy away from people choosing to live their life off the grid? Were they running from someone or something? Or was it something else?

This book gives a glimpse of perhaps one man's journey. Or was it just a story he made up to wile the hours away?

This book was very well written and kept my interest throughout, although in my humble opinion it ended rather abruptly leaving me wanting to know more, which makes me wonder if there is a sequel in the works?

[Ana Rubio-Serrano, Author · Rating 5 out of 5]

Labyrinth is really a gripping suspense thriller! A great, refreshing story, different to other thrillers. Readers are more interested in finding out the actual identity of John Jones than the motif of his assassination. It's a book impossible to put down that captivate from the very first page, and the story is wonderfully written. It's a must-read: absolutely riveting!

[Emily Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Labyrinth by Steven Arnett is a compelling thriller that unravels the mysterious life of John Jones through the eyes of those who knew him. As his past is uncovered, the story explores identity, truth, and the nature of memory. A gripping and thought-provoking read.