Graveyard Fields

Graveyard Fields #1

by Steven Tingle

Full of grit and small town secrets, Tingle’s debut is a searing look at the effects of crime for fans of David Joy and Michael Farris Smith.

Davis Reed is plagued by the three “A’s”: anger, alcohol, and anxiety. A former Charleston police officer, turned private detective, Davis hopes to gain some respect, self and otherwise, by writing a book. His subject: the true story of a B-25 bomber that crashed on Cold Mountain in western North Carolina just after the end of World War II.

From the comfort of a mountain cabin in Cruso, NC Davis spends his days popping anti-anxiety pills, drinking copious amounts of home brewed beer, and not writing a book. But when he discovers a set of keys on a mountain trail, he becomes curious, then obsessed, about finding the rightful owner. With the help of his friend Dale Johnson, a 275 pound local deputy who is full time ornery and part time clever, and Dale’s cousin Floppy, a motor mouthed mechanic with a penchant for conspiracy theories and kleptomania, Davis works to uncover the mystery of the keys while navigating a world of small town secrets, shady characters, 80’s heavy metal, and murder.

But Davis has his own secrets and even though he’s escaped to the mountains some bad business in Charleston is beginning to catch up with him. For an anxiety riddled man looking for peace and quiet Davis somehow stumbles into more chaos and crossfire than any amount of beer and pills can alleviate.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook, Detective, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

Audio CD

First published August 10, 2021

About the author

Steven Tingle is a former Certified Golf Course Superintendent (CGCS) and the former general manager of the western North Carolina golf course that his parents built in the late 1960’s and operated for several decades. After leaving the golf industry in 2008 (not by choice; his mother fired him), Steven turned to writing, and his work has appeared in various national and regional magazines. Steven’s debut novel, Graveyard Fields, was published by Crooked Lane Books in 2021. He lives in Upstate South Carolina with his wife, Jess.

StevenTingle.com

Follow Steven on Instagram

Reviews

[Andreas Tornberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Tingle’s debut novel is fast-paced, fun and suspenseful. The story centers around Davis Reed, an ex cop turned PI who tries to escape his past by moving to a small town to write a book. On a walk he finds a set of keys and suddenly Davies finds himself in deep trouble. .

The story is a bit uneven but it has a great start and a thrilling ending. It's the characters that makes this book worth reading. There are some really strong and interesting characters, especially Floppy Johnson who is a kleptomaniac and a conspiracy theorist.

Overall a solid book that definitely is worth the time to read.

Thanks to Steven Tingle, NetGalley, and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

[Carole (Carole's Random Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/

I really enjoyed this book! I went into this book rather blindly and my gamble worked out. I was hooked by this book early on and once I got into the book just a bit, I did not want to put it down. I was really curious about what was really going on and how this group of characters would figure it all out. I am so glad that I decided to give this book a try.

Davis is a former officer turned private investigator and it is safe to say that he has a few issues. After things go horribly wrong in Charleston, he decides to rent a cabin near Cold Mountain and write a book. He doesn’t get a whole lot of writing done though as he spends much of his time with Dale, the man from who he is renting the cabin. When he comes across a set of keys on a trail, he can’t seem to let the mystery behind them go. Before long, Davis along with Dale, who happens to be a local deputy, are busy trying to figure out who the keys belong to and how they ended up on the trail.

The characters in this book were wonderfully done. They all have their flaws, some pretty big flaws at that, but I really felt like they felt authentic. I like that these characters aren’t always serious, they often seem incompetent, and that they were able to surprise me a few times. There were a few moments in the story that I found myself chuckling because I could easily envision some of the crazy things these characters do in their quest to get to the bottom of things. I was drawn into the mystery and I was completely stumped as to how everything would work out.

I would recommend this book to others. I found this to be a well-crafted mystery filled with wonderful characters that I grew to care about over the course of the story. I love that the author even worked a bit of humor into the novel. I will definitely plan to read more of Steven Tingle’s work in the future.

I received an advanced review copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books.

[Jim Thomsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Most of my days were spent on the deck as well: drinking beer, popping pills, and not writing a book. This morning was starting out no different from the rest—me, hungover, taking turns staring at Cold Mountain and at a blank legal pad where I kept hoping a book outline would magically appear."

"During my time on the force and those years as a private detective, I hadn’t cared who was guilty and who was innocent. I just put in my hours and cashed the checks. Instinct never got into the mix. I never once had a gut feeling that told me to dig deeper or look closer. It wasn’t that I couldn’t connect the dots; I just wasn’t all that interested in finding them in the first place. Until now."


GRAVEYARD FIELDS is a less-than-perfect novel that nonetheless pushes most of my readerly pleasure buttons so firmly that I love it anyway. It's a fun florid prose exercise; it's a confidently smooth ride through rough territory; and at its heart is a Beavis-and-Butt-Head bromance so endearingly prickly and junior-high shoulder-punchy that I couldn't help smiling every time Davis Reed, the protagonist, and his landlord, sheriff's deputy Dale Johnson, shared the page.

GRAVEYARD FIELDS sometimes bites off more plot and characters than it can chew — one, a duplicitous would-be romantic prospect for Davis, is so thinly sketched she's practically a tracing. You know when there's a lengthy conversation at the end to tie up loose plot points in a conversation among principals that an author has left a little too much hanging in the wind. At times it feels like a screenplay that's been hastilly backdrafted into a novelization, and as such it sometimes shows its structural scaffolding: "I stared at myself in the mirror and thought about what I’d become. I was not the man I wanted to be. I didn’t want to be a recluse. I didn’t want to be crippled with anger. I didn’t want to be constantly numb. I wanted to be a man who could wake up and feel good about himself instead of a man who didn’t really care if he woke up at all."

But those are minor nitpicks in a novel that was pure pleasure on almost every page.

To me, GRAVEYARD FIELDS' greatest virtue is that its suspense is largely driven by character: As you watch the friendship between Davis and Dale develop on a river of craft beer and 1980s crotch-rock, you find yourself holding your breath in the later pages, terrified that one or the other will deceive the other and turn out to be a bad guy. (I won't spoil that outcome, but it's good.) Especially when Davis has been withholding secrets about his bloody past, and Dale turns out to have blood ties to some of the more suspect suspects in his rural North Carolina mountain town. The plot, about missing gold and maybe drugs and mysterious keys and a growing list of local murders, hums along pretty much as background music to the Davis-and-Dale Show: "Dale was good people, I had to admit it. Most of the time I wanted to punch him in his pudgy face, but I knew that if I were ever in trouble, I could call him anytime, night or day, and he’d show up full of fire and fury. That’s a good friend to have."

And I mentioned the prose. Steven Tingle has a nice twisted eye for figurative language, and here are some of my favorite example:

"His belly hung over his belt like a sack of fertilizer about to fall off a tailgate."

“I don’t like them women that’s all skin and bones,” he said. “It’s like f***ing a pile of paper clips.”

"She was beautiful in an innocent, Applebee’s-waitress kind of way."

"I had always driven fairly slow. My ex-girlfriend Sarah used to say I drove like a grandma on her way to a church social with a Crock-Pot full of collard greens on the passenger seat."

"Just based on his look, he struck me as the kind of guy who thought Road House was the pinnacle of American cinema."

"My buddy Cecil has a ’Stang, but it’s an old five-point-oh and sounds like one of them big motel ice machines when it cranks up."

"A woman loving you is no good reason to love her back.”

"When I walked into the kitchen, Dale was holding a box of cereal. The leprechaun on the side of the box looked like a child predator. In a way he was, I thought."

GRAVEYARD FIELDs is highly recommended for fans of Chris Offutt, S.A. Cosby, Eryk Pruitt, Brian Panowich and a zillion others who write funny, fast-paced crime fiction with a fully realized sense of Southern place.

[Jammin Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this mystery thriller set in the foothills near Cold Mountain in western North Carolina. The MC, Davis Reed, is a former cop turned PI who is shot while tailing his sister's husband, and goes to a small town named Cruso to recuperate and write a book about a plane crash in 1946. He finds a set of keys while walking a trail, and a lot of action ensues.

I thought the characters were really well developed and enjoyed the "bromance" between Dale and Davis. I also liked the premise of gold hunters and drug dealers, bikers and brewmasters, and small town life.

I received an e-ARC of this book by the author and publishing via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

[Rellim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a wild ride and a lot of fun. Steven Tingle writes characters that border on ridiculous except having grown up in a small southern town myself I recognized many of them. It’s hard to believe that I’d be fond of a disgruntled, disgraced, and chemically dependent “hero” but that’s exactly what happened.

Because this is entirely from Davis’ perspective, I found myself uncovering the mysteries right along with him. With a somewhat insular community where outsiders aren’t readily trusted, his friendship with Dale is unique and humorous. Davis and a reluctant Dale become central in solving murders and more (don’t want to spoil anything). Lots of folks keeping secrets and protecting themselves makes for a lot of twists and turns. Nothing predictable about this book.

I enjoyed the way Tingle wraps things up. I could see this launching a series, but no matter what I’ll be looking for more from this author.

Narration:
I picked this specifically because Matt Godfrey narrated it. His performance was perfection and an ideal match to Tingles’ writing. All these quirky characters - Godfrey gives them all unique sounds and personalities. I am completely in love with his portrayal of Floppy. Brilliant.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Steve Tingle's début novel, the first in a series about a former police officer turned private investigator called Davis Reed who is writing a book. Davis was with the Charleston PD but now he is staying in a cabin in the smalltown of Cruso, in the hills of Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina, where he is meant to be writing a true story as well as hiding out in the woods as a result of an unfortunate stunt. One day he is out walking and finds a set of keys. His curiosity gets the better of him and soon, becoming obsessed, he sets out to marry the keys with their owner with the help of a couple of friends.

With its swift pacing and enjoyably quirky characters, I found this a refreshing, suspenseful and humorous read. The twists had me guessing to the end of this super mystery. Davis is a deeply flawed, prescription pill-popping, homebrew addict who escapes one mystery only to find himself up to his neck in another. I finished Graveyard Fields hoping I will shortly be reading book two.

Disclosure: Thank you to Crooked Lane for providing a digital ARC of Graveyard Fields by Steve Tingle, via Netgalley for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hilarious, suspenseful read! Very few books can get this combination right & this one hit the mark -bullseye. Graveyard Fields was every vit compelling & thrilling & I absolutely LOVED the main characters! Dale, Floppy & Davis are so unusually unique, thier dialogues, mannerisms had me laughing so hard & the plot too had me turning those pages! I don't remember a book that did that to me. I don't think I've had enough of this trio & an looking forward to the next book. What an absolute gem of a book to end the year with! I'm only upset I didn't read this sooner cause I could've used the laughs! Easily one of the very best for 2021!

Thank you, NetGalley, crooked lane books & Steven Tingle for this arc!

[Mru Natu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book started as a scene in an action-packed thriller movie. Davis, a private detective, is following his BIL on instructions from his sister, who thinks he’s having an affair. But little does Davis know he is running headfirst into a major drug racket. The stunt gets him shot in the leg by a mystery man and forces him to hide in the woods in a secluded cabin. But as destiny would have it, trouble follows Davis into the woods. His detective instincts nudge him to get to the depth of his accidental finding of a bunch of keys by the mountain trail and lead him into three more murders, where he becomes the prime suspect.
A flawed central character, some fun characters that made you laugh, especially Dale and Floppy, and a riveting plot. Although, the in-between pages from going to the woods up to finding the keys dragged quite a bit. I was pleasantly surprised when the story picked up speed later, and I was hooked like a fish.
The story involved a realistic portrayal of Davis’s constant guessing games and theories as to what might have happened leading to the mysterious circumstances. Don’t we all do that? Try to guess what might have happened, putting our detective powers to use. I loved this bit in the story.
Quite an engaging read, wouldn’t say it fits the bookish definition of a cozy mystery but, it comes very close, with the small town, intimate community setting, and the amateurish detective in tow.
I definitely recommend this book to mystery lovers. 4 stars out of five.
Thank you, Netgalley and the author, for the book.

[Darcia Helle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to be nice. Really, I do, especially since it’s the holiday season and all. My apologies because I’m about to be the opposite of nice.

Davis, our main character, is a drunk cop-turned-PI-turned writer, who doesn’t detect or write, and is addicted to prescription pills. The other characters are cliche rednecks.

Davis and all the cops are too stupid to wear badges and carry guns. They ignored obvious evidence and laughed off red-flag situations, requiring flashing neon arrows and danger signs before they started connecting dots.

We mosey along with an overly simplistic plot, relying solely on the stupidity of bumbling cops to string things out for an entire book. This, with the help of beer.

We spend an unreasonable amount of time on homebrewed beer. All the people in or passing through this town drink only these specialty beers, and most of the characters make their own. People are either drinking said beer or talking about it. Often both at the same time. If the plot had something to do with beer, this would’ve been tolerable. But it didn’t. So who cares about the beer? Not me.

But, hey, other readers have loved this book, and you might too.

*I received an ARC from the publisher.*

[Kevintipple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graveyard Fields by Steven Tingle

Sometimes a line in a story or book resonates deep inside the reader. This one did.

“’Davis, I’ll tell you something. They ain’t nothin’ worse than missing a woman.’” (Page 146)

Former Charleston Police Officer Davis Reed is missing a woman and much of his life due to pills, alcohol, anger and anxiety issues. He has fled home for a change of scenery and an attempt to focus himself. For the next six months, he is living in a cabin in Cruso, North Carolina, with the intention of writing a book. The book is to be on the true story of the B-25 plane crash at nearby Cold Mountain. There were no survivors in the crash just after WWII. The fact that he has no experience writing, beyond police reports and whatever he did for his private detective gigs, does not deter him from the book writing plan.

The ongoing and routine day and night drinking as he makes various beers in the basement and his significant pill addiction deter the wring process. As does his bad leg and the pain in it and general goofing off. Davis Reed is not a writer. He is drifting through the days haunted by his past and one fateful night when his world changed.

He is also somebody who cannot stop obsessing when he sees something odd. Finding a ring full of keys is the trigger for an all new and escalating obsession. Finding the keys where he did was odd enough. What keeps happening with the keys is even odder. Those keys are the first in a long line of dominoes that eventually lead to a violent confrontation in the mountains of western North Carolina.

A highly atmospheric and massively complicated read, Graveyard Fields by Steven Tingle unfolds at a steady and escalating pace. Filled with occasional wisecrack, more references to the heavy metal music of the eighties than you can shake a stick at, and a cast of eccentric characters, the book is a complicated and fun mystery read. It is also one of those novels where characters are cussing constantly and that will annoy some readers. So too will be all the constant discussion and thoughts regarding home brewing of beer. Neither was an issue for this reader.



My reading copy came from the Lakewood Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2021

[Pamela Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a mystery/thriller set in the foothills of Cold Mountain in western North Carolina. The main character, Davis Reed, is an ex-cop turned private investigator who tries to escape his past by moving to a small town to “write a novel”. While dealing with anger issues, alcoholism and addiction, Davis finds that there is intrigue, friendship and lots of danger in this small town.

I really enjoyed this story! This is a fast-paced, fun book to read on a rainy weekend. I thought the characters were really well developed and are quite interesting! My favorite being a kleptomaniac and conspiracy theorist!! This is the author’s debut novel but I found that he has an impressive style of writing. The reader is plunged straight into the mystery of Davis’ life before moving and before long another intrigue pops up! I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery/thriller!

“Maybe I had something to prove. Or maybe I was procrastinating on my book. Or maybe the angel on my shoulder was giving me a distraction to try to lower my beer and pill intake. Whatever the reason, my gut was telling me to go to that house.”

** Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review! **

#PamelaReads2021 #100BooksIn2021 #GraveyardFields #MysteryThriller #NetGalleyARC

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks #netgallery for the read. I lived this book. Good story, dark humor, themes of friendship and betrayal. The author lived in the area so great attention to the descriptions of the area. As someone who grew up in Western North Carolina, I loved this.

[Dj · Rating 3 out of 5]

first book

A solid first book, slow to start but very interesting. In particular, I thought the characters became very interesting from beginning to end.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great audiobook! I had no idea that this would be funny! The banter between the characters was hilarious! I had a good time with it from beginning to end!

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this 10 stars I would.

[James Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davis Reed is an alcoholic, pill-popping former private detective, who moves to a secluded cabin in the mountains, under the guise of writing a novel. What he finds in the small town is intrigue, friendship, and lots of danger.

I really enjoyed Graveyard Fields. This is Tingle's debut novel, yet he writes as though he is a seasoned pro. His writing is very impressive. We are thrust straight into the mystery of what happened in his life before moving, and before long, another intrigue arises.

I worried to begin with that I wouldn't like our narrator. I was concerned that he was going to be a clichéd, romantic alcoholic hero. But Tingle is better than that. I felt comfortable living Davis's life. I enjoyed reading about Davis's relationship with his friend, the local deputy Dale Johnson, who is larger than life in all ways.

Most importantly, Tingle knows how to handle a mystery. There are enough breadcrumbs for us to wonder, but the reveals are excellent.

I will happily read whatever he writes next!

Thanks to Steven Tingle, NetGalley, and Crooked Lane Books for this copy.

[Maria-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davis Reed is a character that slowly grows on you. Yes he has his faults, anger issues, drinking too much, addicted to pain killers and does a lot of stupid things but deep down he is not a bad guy. The story has many twists and turns that keeps you guessing. To avoid his current problems he hides in a cabin on Cold Mountain in North Carolina “to write a book” is the story he tells the locals. Needless to say there isn’t much writing done. He gets involved with the local population with a very interesting cast of characters. Some parts of the story will have you shaking your head; others will have you laughing out loud. The story is finishing with a surprise and very satisfying ending. Hope there will be a second book about Davis Reed.

[Laura Hundley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many things Davis Reed wants to escape when he travels to Cold Mountain in NC. His past with the Charleston police dept is high on the list. While in the mountains of NC Davis wants to write a book about a B-52 bomber that crashed but he cannot seem to get out of his habits such as drinking and dealing with his anxiety. He finds a set of keys on a trail one day that he is determined to find who the owner is. Maybe he just might find more than he bargained for. With the help of the 275 pound sheriff and his cousin they set out on a mystery that will take them somewhere that no one expected. Are you up for the challenge? I love this book and the characters that the writer has created. They are each different and have a uniqueness to them that brings the story alive. Do not guess to much though because you are never sure where they will lead you.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author for giving me this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Mackenzie Schley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A small-town mystery filled with larger than life characters. Tingle brings a certain life to the characters he’s crafted in this mystery. Living in a small town myself, I could so very easily imagine Floppy and Dale Johnson and all of the rest. The star of the show, Davis Reed, is certainly along the lines of a man who is wrestling with his inner demons. He can’t seem to really manage his anger, drinking, or prescription drug use as he adapts to his cabin near a small town after essentially fleeing Charleston. And yet, when a mysterious set of keys appears he can’t let the mystery go. As he struggles with his demons and a mystery that seems to only get more tangled rather than less, you start to genuinely like this rough-edged character and his sidekicks. The mysteries were interesting, the characters entertaining, and overall it was a good introduction to new character.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Graveyard Fields - Steven Tingle

I’m going to be very honest here. This book took me forever to finish because I just couldn’t get invested in the storyline, at least what was supposed to be a storyline.

It starts out like an action-packed mystery thriller and then spirals into wasted time discussing home brewed beer. I don’t know how we got here, but we did. And it was brutally boring.

Trigger warnings: alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and obsessive foul language.

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley & Crooked Lane Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#BookObsessed #Bookaholic #BooksOfInstagram #Book #Reader #Bookaholic #BookReview #FabBookPicks #Reading #TBR2021 #TBRAugust #TBR #BookWorm #Bookish #BookNerd #Bookshelf #Literature #BOTM #BookOfTheMonth #ReadersOfInstagram #ReadingTime #BookClub #ILoveBooks #FabBookPicks #Arc #ArcReview #CrookedLaneBooks

[ALAN BANKS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davis Reed is an ex cop, turned PI who tries to escape his past by moving to a small town to write a book, but he soon get sidetracked when he finds a set of keys and goes about trying to find the rightful owner of these keys, but this then leads to more drama and Chaos for Davis.

I found this book to be slow paced at times, but I really like the lead character Davis who has many flaws including an alcohol and prescription pill addiction for his anxiety and a short fuse which gets him into a lot of bother.. I also liked his relationship with his friend Dale Johnson who is a local deputy. There are a few twists and turns in this book and rally enjoyed the 50 or so pages of this book.

All in all it was a god debut novel from Steven Tingle

I’d like to thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

[Ilona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Davis Reed escapes to a cabin on Cold Mountain in North Carolina “to write a book”, in reality he pops pills and drinks home brewed beers, to leave behind issues that involves his brother-in-law and bad apples in the Charleston police department. He befriends a local sheriff deputy, Dale, who also loves home brews and has a love for 80’s music. Davis finds keys, and that unlocks a mystery he cannot help but wants to solve no matter the trouble he gets himself in. I love Floppy (Dale’s cousin, mechanic and local conspiracy theorist), he just makes me laugh.
Looking forward to reading book 2, and find out if Davis can put some his demons to rest.
Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like books with seriously flawed main characters...and Davis Reed certainly fits the bill. He is a former cop who was working as a PI when he discovered his sister's policeman husband in some very shifty business. Now he's in rural North Carolina, supposedly writing a book, but mostly popping pills, home brewing, and drinking beer with his landlord, Deputy Dale Johnson. A set of keys found on a mountain path set Davis on a path to serious trouble. My favorite character in Graveyard Fields is Deputy Johnson's scruffy mechanic cousin, a kleptomaniac, conspiracy theorist, and bit of a windbag who reveals hidden talents in the nick of time. Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a truly enjoyable read.

[Paul Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superbly written debut where a sometimes comedic relationship blossoms between small town deputy Dale and the books protagonist Davis when he rents Dales secluded cabin up in the mountains of North Carolina. Davis a deeply flawed but likeable ex cop/private eye, pill popping, craft beer obsessive escapes one mystery only to become embroiled in another. The story unfolds to an 80’s Metal soundtrack and brilliantly observed characters that bring to life this enjoyable thriller, I do hope there’s more Davis and Dale stories to come from Tingle.

[Eva Leppard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fabulous book. I don’t think I’ve ever consciously sought out a crime book but the title sucked me in, and I stuck around for the lightening fast pace and the enjoyable narrative. Definitely a great read (helped by the fact that I read this whole thing over 2 days laying by a pool) with enough twists and turns to make the yell ‘omg no way’ on more than one occasion. I’ve pledged to look for more crime stories after this one!

[Linnea · Rating 1 out of 5]

From beginning of Chapter 6, “Got a list of priors as long as my dick.” First of all, anyone who says that has a short dick. Secondly, all the main characters are old, fat, white, sexist, xenophobic, beer-guzzling, redneck, alpha male dinosaurs. Gross! This one’s going in the trash where in belongs.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

Graveyard Fields by Steven Tingle is an engaging mystery with an eclectic cast of characters.

Davis Reed is a former police officer turned private eye with an anger issue he self-medicates into submission. He has been living with his sister Laura and her cop husband Greg Evans when a reluctant favor to Laura quickly spins out of control. Now estranged from Laura and recovering from a gunshot wound, Davis heads to a rural town in the North Carolina mountains to ostensibly write a book. In reality, he thinks about writing much more than he actually puts pen to paper. Davis continues his mind-numbing pill popping while swilling beer with his landlord Deputy Dale Johnson. Life gets exciting pretty quickly after Davis finds a set of keys on a mountain trail. Much to Dale’s dismay, Davis insists on returning the keys to the rightful owner. But his search for the owner becomes dangerous as his quest takes a very shocking turn.

Davis is frustrating yet unexpectedly likable as he fails to follow through with many of his plans. Which is why it is so surprising when he cannot be dissuaded from trying to find the owner of the keys. Dale is an unlikely sidekick since he is not interested in his friend’s quest. But Davis knows how to convince the Deputy to go along with his ill-thought-out plans.

Davis is incredibly complacent yet oddly contemplative as he waits for answers about what happened in Charleston. His one friend on the force keeps him informed about the investigation. Davis also hopes for Laura’s forgiveness about his role in the situation that happened because of his inability to control his anger.

Graveyard Fields is fast-paced mystery with a vibrant setting. Davis is a deeply flawed yet appealing character. The secondary cast of characters is quite colorful. The storyline is entertaining and moves at a steady pace. With clever misdirects,  Steven Tingle brings this suspenseful mystery to a very exciting conclusion.

[Leane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The setting of this debut is something that may save this novel for some readers. It is full of the gritty realities of modern rural life in a small North Carolina town near the Blue Ridge Parkway with some of the natural beauty documented. I loathed the CHs and had very little empathy for the main CH, Davis Reed. His anger management problem is never really explained although something in his youth is hinted at. I need more motivation to forgive his self-pitying and trigger-haired violent tendencies. His relationship with his landlord/town deputy Dale is a toxic bromance that revolves around pathetic crude misogynistic quests and banter, heavy metal hair band music, and a worship of IPAs and the making of their own beer. The plot was a more convoluted than intriguing. Dale's cousin Floppy was a somewhat cringey comic relief, and Sheriff Byrd, and all of the women stereotypes. I confess to speed-reading to the end after I hit page 143. I think Panowich, Woodrell and Wiley Cash are better bets if you yen for gritty, realistic Appalachian drama.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hopefully the first of a series. Davis Reed, a mediocre private investigator living in Charleston, SC, flees to a cabin in the woods of Cruso, NC, after he's involved in a violent and unresolved scene involving his brother-in-law, during which Davis is shot in the leg. Ostensibly he's there to write (another) book about Cold Mountain, where he soon hears that a large stash of gold bars may have been dropped in 1946. Actually, he lives on Xanax and beer (some of which he brews himself) and he doesn't write a word but quickly becomes obsessed with a set of keys he finds while near a trailhead, much to the annoyance of his new, crude friend and drinking buddy, Dale Johnson, the cabin's landlord and a local police officer. The novel itself is fairly coarse, but our hero, and I use the term loosely -- he describes himself as "an alcoholic, pill-popping, temperamental slacker" -- has insight, humanity, humour, and quite a bit of good luck on his side. I'd love to read another.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded up to 3 1/2 stars. Thank you to Sara J Henry and Random House for a hard copy of the finished book. This is a great mystery. Davis Reed is a former Charleston police officer and a private detective, now in the middle of nowhere in Cruso, NC recovering from a gunshot wound he received while trying to expose his brother in law's corruption in the Charleston Police Department. He is alone, but has assistance in the form of craft beer and Xanax. He rents a cabin from a large Sheriff's deputy who may like craft beer more than Davis does and soon he has a new friend. Davis wants to write a book about Cold Mountain and the military plane crash that occurred in 1946 that killed all the soldiers on board. He never quite gets there after he finds a set of keys that seem to be the clue to a missing person. This debut kept me turning the pages and while I think Davis probably needs rehab, the ending was great. Hoping Steven Tingle has a next in the series in the works.