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Ben Jones #1
The Never-Open Desert Diner
A singularly compelling debut novel, about a desert where people go to escape their past, and a truck driver who finds himself at risk when he falls in love with a mysterious woman.
Ben Jones lives a quiet, hardscrabble life, working as a trucker on Route 117, a little-travelled road in a remote region of the Utah desert which serves as a haven for fugitives and others looking to hide from the world. For many of the desert's inhabitants, Ben's visits are their only contact with the outside world, and the only landmark worth noting is a once-famous roadside diner that hasn't opened in years.
Ben's routine is turned upside down when he stumbles across a beautiful woman named Claire playing a cello in an abandoned housing development. He can tell that she's fleeing something in her past - a dark secret that pushed her to the end of the earth - but despite his better judgment he is inexorably drawn to her.
As Ben and Claire fall in love, specters from her past begin to resurface, with serious and life-threatening consequences not only for them both, but for others who have made this desert their sanctuary. Dangerous men come looking for her, and as they turn Route 117 upside down in their search, the long-buried secrets of those who've laid claim to this desert come to light, bringing Ben and the other locals into deadly conflict with Claire's pursuers. Ultimately, the answers they all seek are connected to the desert's greatest mystery - what really happened all those years ago at the never-open desert diner?
In this unforgettable story of love and loss, Ben learns the enduring truth that some violent crimes renew themselves across generations. At turns funny, heartbreaking and thrilling, The Never-Open Desert Diner powerfully evokes an unforgettable setting and introduces readers to a cast of characters who will linger long after the last page.
Ben Jones lives a quiet, hardscrabble life, working as a trucker on Route 117, a little-travelled road in a remote region of the Utah desert which serves as a haven for fugitives and others looking to hide from the world. For many of the desert's inhabitants, Ben's visits are their only contact with the outside world, and the only landmark worth noting is a once-famous roadside diner that hasn't opened in years.
Ben's routine is turned upside down when he stumbles across a beautiful woman named Claire playing a cello in an abandoned housing development. He can tell that she's fleeing something in her past - a dark secret that pushed her to the end of the earth - but despite his better judgment he is inexorably drawn to her.
As Ben and Claire fall in love, specters from her past begin to resurface, with serious and life-threatening consequences not only for them both, but for others who have made this desert their sanctuary. Dangerous men come looking for her, and as they turn Route 117 upside down in their search, the long-buried secrets of those who've laid claim to this desert come to light, bringing Ben and the other locals into deadly conflict with Claire's pursuers. Ultimately, the answers they all seek are connected to the desert's greatest mystery - what really happened all those years ago at the never-open desert diner?
In this unforgettable story of love and loss, Ben learns the enduring truth that some violent crimes renew themselves across generations. At turns funny, heartbreaking and thrilling, The Never-Open Desert Diner powerfully evokes an unforgettable setting and introduces readers to a cast of characters who will linger long after the last page.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 15, 2015
263 people are currently reading
3946 people want to read
About the author
James Anderson
2 books210 followersJames Anderson was born in Seattle, Washington and raised in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. He received his undergraduate degree in American Studies from Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and his Masters Degree in Creative Writing from Pine Manor College in Boston Massachusetts.
Undergraduate thesis: Word-man/Poet: The Poetry and Poetics of Lew Welch
Masters thesis: The Never-Entered Kingdom: Beyond Linguistics in the Rendering of the Literary Child in Adult Fiction
His first publication in a national magazine, a poem entitled Running It Down, occurred at age nineteen, in Poetry Northwest. The poem was later anthologized. His poems, short fiction, essays, reviews and interviews have appeared in Northwest Review, New Letters, The Bloomsbury Review, Solstice Magazine and many others.
In 1974, while still an undergraduate, Anderson founded Breitenbush Books, a book publisher specializing in literature and general interest trade titles. From 1974 to 1991 Anderson served as publisher and executive editor. Breitenbush received many awards for its books, including three Western States Book Awards, juried by Robert Penn Warren, Elizabeth Hardwick, N. Scott Momaday, Jonathan Galassi, Jorie Graham, Denise Levertov, William Kittredge and others. Notable authors published include Mary Barnard, Bruce Berger, Clyde Rice, Naomi Shihab Nye, Michael Simms, William Greenway, John Stoltenberg, Sam Hamill and Gary Miranda.
From 1995 to 2002 Anderson co-produced documentary films, including Tara’s Daughters, narrated by Susan Sarandon. The film, which won Best Documentary at the New York Film Festival, chronicled the plight of Tibetan women refugees as carriers of Tibetan culture in the diaspora.
Undergraduate thesis: Word-man/Poet: The Poetry and Poetics of Lew Welch
Masters thesis: The Never-Entered Kingdom: Beyond Linguistics in the Rendering of the Literary Child in Adult Fiction
His first publication in a national magazine, a poem entitled Running It Down, occurred at age nineteen, in Poetry Northwest. The poem was later anthologized. His poems, short fiction, essays, reviews and interviews have appeared in Northwest Review, New Letters, The Bloomsbury Review, Solstice Magazine and many others.
In 1974, while still an undergraduate, Anderson founded Breitenbush Books, a book publisher specializing in literature and general interest trade titles. From 1974 to 1991 Anderson served as publisher and executive editor. Breitenbush received many awards for its books, including three Western States Book Awards, juried by Robert Penn Warren, Elizabeth Hardwick, N. Scott Momaday, Jonathan Galassi, Jorie Graham, Denise Levertov, William Kittredge and others. Notable authors published include Mary Barnard, Bruce Berger, Clyde Rice, Naomi Shihab Nye, Michael Simms, William Greenway, John Stoltenberg, Sam Hamill and Gary Miranda.
From 1995 to 2002 Anderson co-produced documentary films, including Tara’s Daughters, narrated by Susan Sarandon. The film, which won Best Documentary at the New York Film Festival, chronicled the plight of Tibetan women refugees as carriers of Tibetan culture in the diaspora.
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March 31, 2016
Ben drives a truck over route 117, the people that live there are different and it's his calling to deliver the stuff that they feel they need because no one else will. A couple of odd brothers who live in some abandoned box cars and request barb wire and cases of hormel chili. A guy that carries an actual cross before he delivers his desert sermons and Walt who owns the Desert Diner. That hasn't opened since 1987. Ben is about to lose his home and his truck lease though because he is dead broke. He just doesn't know what to do with himself without the route.
He is on his delivery schedule one day when he stops to pee and spots a woman playing a cello. (He is looking in the window)
He is entranced by her and keeps coming out to the house that she has sneaked into to see her.
He then realizes some weird stuff is going on around him. Like the female mountain biker that he stopped to help that acted oddly. Like the guy that is a producer wanting to do a ride along with him for a trucking reality show. Ben knows he isn't reality star material. He grew up as an orphan who might be half Jewish-half Native American. Could it be his new woman friend is the clue behind all the people poking around in the desert? well duh....
Then you have the reclusive asshole that owns the Never Open Desert Diner, who lost his wife to horrific circumstances long before he actually lost her. How is he tied in with all this?
So how was this book? It's quirky and different and honestly I think the whole mystery thing wasn't even needed. The author could have kept my attention solely with these characters and his stories of the area in the desert that this book was set in.
The old saying about what doesn't kill you makes you stronger is a nice sentiment, but it isn't true, not on 117. Out in the desert what doesn't kill you just pisses you off and will probably kill you the next time.
Booksource: blogging for books in exchange for review.
I didn't realize until I finished the review that my friend Zoeytron had said similar things about the mystery part of this book in her review. I read earlier but I have dang old lady brains and had forgotten. That just proves that the two of us are right! Boo-yah!
He is on his delivery schedule one day when he stops to pee and spots a woman playing a cello. (He is looking in the window)
He is entranced by her and keeps coming out to the house that she has sneaked into to see her.
He then realizes some weird stuff is going on around him. Like the female mountain biker that he stopped to help that acted oddly. Like the guy that is a producer wanting to do a ride along with him for a trucking reality show. Ben knows he isn't reality star material. He grew up as an orphan who might be half Jewish-half Native American. Could it be his new woman friend is the clue behind all the people poking around in the desert? well duh....
Then you have the reclusive asshole that owns the Never Open Desert Diner, who lost his wife to horrific circumstances long before he actually lost her. How is he tied in with all this?
So how was this book? It's quirky and different and honestly I think the whole mystery thing wasn't even needed. The author could have kept my attention solely with these characters and his stories of the area in the desert that this book was set in.
The old saying about what doesn't kill you makes you stronger is a nice sentiment, but it isn't true, not on 117. Out in the desert what doesn't kill you just pisses you off and will probably kill you the next time.
Booksource: blogging for books in exchange for review.
I didn't realize until I finished the review that my friend Zoeytron had said similar things about the mystery part of this book in her review. I read earlier but I have dang old lady brains and had forgotten. That just proves that the two of us are right! Boo-yah!
December 3, 2015
This is a mystery novel unlike virtually any other--original, and captivating with a very intriguing cast of characters. At the center of the book is Ben Jones, a thirty-eight year-old trucker who runs a one-man outfit, hauling freight up and down an isolated highway in the middle of the Utah desert.
The illegitimate son of a Jewish mother and and American Indian father, Ben lives alone, has no friends to speak of, and is at the end of his rope financially. He hasn't made a profit in years, if ever; he's drowning in debt, and the finance company is about to repossess his truck and put him out of business. But in spite of it all, Ben can't bring himself to abandon the route and the odd collection of desert rats who make up his customer list. It's his life, and it's all he's got.
Principal among his customers is Walt Butterfield, the owner of the Well-Known Desert Diner. Walt served his last meal years ago and then abruptly closed the restaurant. Fading billboards advertising the place can still be seen along the highway and occasionally an unsuspecting tourist will pull in to find the place closed, but the locals know it as the Never-Open Desert Diner.
Walt, like many of the others who choose to live in this beautiful but remote part of the world, is a hard man of few words. And, like many of the others along Ben's route, more than a few mysteries surround him.
Just as Ben is approaching the end of his rope financially, a mysterious woman appears in the desert and uproots the lives of both Ben and Walt. Ben is strongly attracted to the woman, but as he becomes entangled in her life he finds himself enmeshed in a mystery that dates back years and that almost inevitably is going to put him is serious danger.
To say much more would be to give away too much. Suffice it to say that this is one of those books that draws you in slowly. It takes a while to figure out exactly where the story is going, but that's not really a problem. While you're figuring it out, you're perfectly content to ride along with Ben and watch the tale unfold. James Anderson tells a great story and does so beautifully. It's a book and a group of characters that will remain with the reader long after you've turned the last page and put it back on the shelf.
The illegitimate son of a Jewish mother and and American Indian father, Ben lives alone, has no friends to speak of, and is at the end of his rope financially. He hasn't made a profit in years, if ever; he's drowning in debt, and the finance company is about to repossess his truck and put him out of business. But in spite of it all, Ben can't bring himself to abandon the route and the odd collection of desert rats who make up his customer list. It's his life, and it's all he's got.
Principal among his customers is Walt Butterfield, the owner of the Well-Known Desert Diner. Walt served his last meal years ago and then abruptly closed the restaurant. Fading billboards advertising the place can still be seen along the highway and occasionally an unsuspecting tourist will pull in to find the place closed, but the locals know it as the Never-Open Desert Diner.
Walt, like many of the others who choose to live in this beautiful but remote part of the world, is a hard man of few words. And, like many of the others along Ben's route, more than a few mysteries surround him.
Just as Ben is approaching the end of his rope financially, a mysterious woman appears in the desert and uproots the lives of both Ben and Walt. Ben is strongly attracted to the woman, but as he becomes entangled in her life he finds himself enmeshed in a mystery that dates back years and that almost inevitably is going to put him is serious danger.
To say much more would be to give away too much. Suffice it to say that this is one of those books that draws you in slowly. It takes a while to figure out exactly where the story is going, but that's not really a problem. While you're figuring it out, you're perfectly content to ride along with Ben and watch the tale unfold. James Anderson tells a great story and does so beautifully. It's a book and a group of characters that will remain with the reader long after you've turned the last page and put it back on the shelf.
March 11, 2016
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
Sometimes I read blurbs to books and think they sound like something I would like.. sometimes I'm wrong and I don't like them as much, other times I'm shocked at how much I love them. This is one of those books. I fell in love with the book and so many of the characters. It's not some big action book, it's not some big romance book, it's just a book about the lives of people that are pretty much living off the grid or trying to get by. It's about things that go horribly wrong, people are hurt, killed... All I can say for sure is this book reached out and touched me. I don't care if other people love it or hate it, reading is about what you love and what you don't like.
This book is about Ben Jones, a private trucker who has been making deliveries on Route 117 in the desert for 20 years. He takes things to people off the beaten track, people that are real, people that are just living however they choose. Ben's company, Ben's Desert Moon Delivery Service, is just him and his truck. He has a contract to deliver for FedEx and UPS and other various things anyone else needs shipped. Ben has so many customers that he knows so well, I mean after so long you would, wouldn't you?
One of the main characters in the book on Ben's route is Walt Butterfield, he own's the Well-Known Desert Diner and he lives in a hut connected to the diner. Walt hasn't opened the dinner in years because of a very tragic event.
Walt's motorcycle collection totaled nine of the finest and rarest beasts ever to have graced the roadways of America and Europe. Among them was his first, a 1948 Vincent Black Shadow. It was the same motorcycle he was riding, his new Korean War bride hugging his thin waste, the day he first rode onto the gravel of what was then called The Oasis Cafe. He was twenty years old. She was sixteen and spoke no English. They bought the place a year later, in 1953
Now Walt is in his 70's and mean as a snake and not someone you want to mess with. Every now and then he invites Ben in and makes him something to eat. But just don't make him mad or you will get your arse handed to you :-)
On down the road you have another bunch of characters.
The Lacey brothers, Fergus and Duncan, lived a mile off 117 in two sand-scoured red boxcars that had been welded together and placed on top of a foundation of gray cinder blocks. I didn't know how long the brothers had lived there or where they had come from, or their ages, or what they did, if anything, outside of running a scrawny bunch of cattle and horses. They never offered and I never inquired. How boxcars got out in the middle of the desert when there were no train tracks within seventy-five miles was a bit of a mystery. I mused upon it when it occurred to me, which was probably too often.
Another character that I loved was John.
Ahead in the distance I saw John's ten-foot wooden cross bobbing along the shoulder just as my rig wound around the curve. John's appearance meant spring had officially arrived on 117. He was just coming up on the turnout to Desert Home, so I pulling in front of him. With a cold bottle of water in hand, I waited a few minutes for him to arrive. He kept a strict schedule. If he had time he would stop and rest the cross.
All of these characters have stories of their own, things that happened to them, crusades they are on, hiding from the world or what have you.
One of my favorite characters is Ginny. She is a seventeen-year-old pregnant girl that works the night shift at Wal-Mart and goes to college. Her mom kicked her out when she found out she was pregnant and the mom and step jerk/boyfriend whatever moved. I won't go into how she got pregnant. She is a friend of Ben's because he used to date her mom when Ginny was little. She is a very smart girl and helps Ben in so many ways in the book and he repays her ten-fold, it makes me so happy for her.
Along the route, Ben stopped at Desert Home to use the bathroom and found out there was an abandoned community there that he wasn't aware of. When he went to one of the house's he sees a woman there, in a most funny way, but I digress. This would be Claire, she is in hiding and they fall in love at one point.
I have to say this book is full of such heartache and happiness. It seems like more heartache though. I felt for these people, they felt like old friends, people I would like to know, just some where out there.
I leave you with a few more EXCERPTS
John and his cross appeared in the distance. We were closing on them fast. The bright eastern sun threw a disfigured shadow from the cross back toward us. Josh leaned slightly forward into the windshield, uncertain what he saw, or if he was seeing anything at all. We sped past John and his mobile cross. Josh's head whipped around. "What the hell was that?"
"What?"
Josh's eyes were fixed on his side mirror. "That!"
"What?" I said. We dropped into a slight hollow and began rising onto another straightaway. I made a big deal of looking into my side mirror. "I don't see anything. What did you see?"
"Okay," Josh said. "If that's the way you want to play it. But when a Jew starts seeing Jesus carrying his cross through the desert, I'm telling you the apocalypse can't be far off."
••••
Mr. and Mrs. Jones had kindly offered me lessons on any instrument I wanted. I'd never mentioned my love of bagpipes to anyone before. A Jewish Native American half-breed orphan playing bagpipes wasn't the sort of impression I ever wanted to make.
"Didn't stick with it. No one in the neighborhood was sorry when I gave it up. Most of the pets took off. Some never came back.
••••
He reached to steady himself on a mirror post. I could see the butt of a handgun beneath his short leather jacket. "You think you're going to need that?" I asked.
Walt gave my question more thought than I expected. "I hope not," he said.
"Don't shoot anyone accidentally," I said.
He jumped down and glared up at me. "I don't shoot people accidentally," he said. "I shoot them on purpose."
*I would like to thank Penguin Random House Publishing and Blogging For Books for a print copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
Sometimes I read blurbs to books and think they sound like something I would like.. sometimes I'm wrong and I don't like them as much, other times I'm shocked at how much I love them. This is one of those books. I fell in love with the book and so many of the characters. It's not some big action book, it's not some big romance book, it's just a book about the lives of people that are pretty much living off the grid or trying to get by. It's about things that go horribly wrong, people are hurt, killed... All I can say for sure is this book reached out and touched me. I don't care if other people love it or hate it, reading is about what you love and what you don't like.
This book is about Ben Jones, a private trucker who has been making deliveries on Route 117 in the desert for 20 years. He takes things to people off the beaten track, people that are real, people that are just living however they choose. Ben's company, Ben's Desert Moon Delivery Service, is just him and his truck. He has a contract to deliver for FedEx and UPS and other various things anyone else needs shipped. Ben has so many customers that he knows so well, I mean after so long you would, wouldn't you?
One of the main characters in the book on Ben's route is Walt Butterfield, he own's the Well-Known Desert Diner and he lives in a hut connected to the diner. Walt hasn't opened the dinner in years because of a very tragic event.
Walt's motorcycle collection totaled nine of the finest and rarest beasts ever to have graced the roadways of America and Europe. Among them was his first, a 1948 Vincent Black Shadow. It was the same motorcycle he was riding, his new Korean War bride hugging his thin waste, the day he first rode onto the gravel of what was then called The Oasis Cafe. He was twenty years old. She was sixteen and spoke no English. They bought the place a year later, in 1953
Now Walt is in his 70's and mean as a snake and not someone you want to mess with. Every now and then he invites Ben in and makes him something to eat. But just don't make him mad or you will get your arse handed to you :-)
On down the road you have another bunch of characters.
The Lacey brothers, Fergus and Duncan, lived a mile off 117 in two sand-scoured red boxcars that had been welded together and placed on top of a foundation of gray cinder blocks. I didn't know how long the brothers had lived there or where they had come from, or their ages, or what they did, if anything, outside of running a scrawny bunch of cattle and horses. They never offered and I never inquired. How boxcars got out in the middle of the desert when there were no train tracks within seventy-five miles was a bit of a mystery. I mused upon it when it occurred to me, which was probably too often.
Another character that I loved was John.
Ahead in the distance I saw John's ten-foot wooden cross bobbing along the shoulder just as my rig wound around the curve. John's appearance meant spring had officially arrived on 117. He was just coming up on the turnout to Desert Home, so I pulling in front of him. With a cold bottle of water in hand, I waited a few minutes for him to arrive. He kept a strict schedule. If he had time he would stop and rest the cross.
All of these characters have stories of their own, things that happened to them, crusades they are on, hiding from the world or what have you.
One of my favorite characters is Ginny. She is a seventeen-year-old pregnant girl that works the night shift at Wal-Mart and goes to college. Her mom kicked her out when she found out she was pregnant and the mom and step jerk/boyfriend whatever moved. I won't go into how she got pregnant. She is a friend of Ben's because he used to date her mom when Ginny was little. She is a very smart girl and helps Ben in so many ways in the book and he repays her ten-fold, it makes me so happy for her.
Along the route, Ben stopped at Desert Home to use the bathroom and found out there was an abandoned community there that he wasn't aware of. When he went to one of the house's he sees a woman there, in a most funny way, but I digress. This would be Claire, she is in hiding and they fall in love at one point.
I have to say this book is full of such heartache and happiness. It seems like more heartache though. I felt for these people, they felt like old friends, people I would like to know, just some where out there.
I leave you with a few more EXCERPTS
John and his cross appeared in the distance. We were closing on them fast. The bright eastern sun threw a disfigured shadow from the cross back toward us. Josh leaned slightly forward into the windshield, uncertain what he saw, or if he was seeing anything at all. We sped past John and his mobile cross. Josh's head whipped around. "What the hell was that?"
"What?"
Josh's eyes were fixed on his side mirror. "That!"
"What?" I said. We dropped into a slight hollow and began rising onto another straightaway. I made a big deal of looking into my side mirror. "I don't see anything. What did you see?"
"Okay," Josh said. "If that's the way you want to play it. But when a Jew starts seeing Jesus carrying his cross through the desert, I'm telling you the apocalypse can't be far off."
••••
Mr. and Mrs. Jones had kindly offered me lessons on any instrument I wanted. I'd never mentioned my love of bagpipes to anyone before. A Jewish Native American half-breed orphan playing bagpipes wasn't the sort of impression I ever wanted to make.
"Didn't stick with it. No one in the neighborhood was sorry when I gave it up. Most of the pets took off. Some never came back.
••••
He reached to steady himself on a mirror post. I could see the butt of a handgun beneath his short leather jacket. "You think you're going to need that?" I asked.
Walt gave my question more thought than I expected. "I hope not," he said.
"Don't shoot anyone accidentally," I said.
He jumped down and glared up at me. "I don't shoot people accidentally," he said. "I shoot them on purpose."
*I would like to thank Penguin Random House Publishing and Blogging For Books for a print copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
July 25, 2016
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
3.5 Stars
The amount of ratings on Goodreads combined with my own experience reading The Never-Open Desert Diner has me thinking the marketing for this book failed epically. Here’s my advice to anyone sitting on the fence about this one. Don’t read the synopsis and ignore the “mystery” moniker and you will probably have a fine time.
While there was a bit of mystery to be unraveled, readers specifically looking for a mystery novel might find themselves disappointed. For me the mystery was an interesting addition, but it was pretty easy to figure out. The driving force behind this story was the ensemble cast of characters that reminded me of another quirky location I used to enjoy visiting . . . .
So you can choose to read the blurbs and find out what is the driving force that brings Ben and Claire and Walt and the Lacey Brothers and a pregnant teenager and a stranded motorist and a reality T.V. producer together, or you can just go with the flow and know that the truck driving main character is going to take you quite a ride . . .
Maybe it was the fact that I was poolside while reading (or that I was poolside without children so I was able to read it cover to cover without interruption) that made me enjoy this so much. Or maybe it was simply the fact that I’ve read so many crummy books this year that the decent ones really stand out. Whatever the case, I’m fairly sure that The Never-Open Desert Diner is worthy of 3 Stars minimum, but since it took me on such a strange little trip my 3.5 is getting rounded up.
ARC provided by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 Stars
The amount of ratings on Goodreads combined with my own experience reading The Never-Open Desert Diner has me thinking the marketing for this book failed epically. Here’s my advice to anyone sitting on the fence about this one. Don’t read the synopsis and ignore the “mystery” moniker and you will probably have a fine time.
While there was a bit of mystery to be unraveled, readers specifically looking for a mystery novel might find themselves disappointed. For me the mystery was an interesting addition, but it was pretty easy to figure out. The driving force behind this story was the ensemble cast of characters that reminded me of another quirky location I used to enjoy visiting . . . .
So you can choose to read the blurbs and find out what is the driving force that brings Ben and Claire and Walt and the Lacey Brothers and a pregnant teenager and a stranded motorist and a reality T.V. producer together, or you can just go with the flow and know that the truck driving main character is going to take you quite a ride . . .
Maybe it was the fact that I was poolside while reading (or that I was poolside without children so I was able to read it cover to cover without interruption) that made me enjoy this so much. Or maybe it was simply the fact that I’ve read so many crummy books this year that the decent ones really stand out. Whatever the case, I’m fairly sure that The Never-Open Desert Diner is worthy of 3 Stars minimum, but since it took me on such a strange little trip my 3.5 is getting rounded up.
ARC provided by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
March 23, 2016
A copy was furnished to me by Net Galley in exchange for a review.
Secrets smolder amongst the sparse sprinkling of souls who live in the areas off Highway 117. These folks are off the beaten path, off the grid, for reasons best kept to themselves. With no mailboxes, no real addresses, there is no postal service, UPS, or Fed Ex delivery available. Ben Jones, owner and driver of Ben’s Desert Moon Delivery Service, has made their oddball deliveries for years.
The inhabitants found along this route don’t have much truck with people. The old Lacey brothers live in a couple of old boxcars that have been welded together. Fergus and Duncan are men with calico colored hair and few words. As they are not inclined to conversation, any exchange with them is apt to be a nod, a narrow squint, and a big ol’ slab of silence. The periodic deliveries to them never vary - three bales of barbed wire and ten cases of Hormel canned chili.
Walt Butterfield, owner of the Well-Known Desert Diner (now dubbed the Never-Open Desert Diner), is taciturn to a fault. Why isn’t the diner ever open? What is Walt hiding? Does it have anything to do with the tombstone out back, the one with three dates? Don't expect him to tell you.
The tone of this novel was a little different. I liked it best when there was nothing much happening. The mystery and its resolution were alright, but mostly I just enjoyed spending a bit of time with these people in the wide open spaces there on Highway 117.
Secrets smolder amongst the sparse sprinkling of souls who live in the areas off Highway 117. These folks are off the beaten path, off the grid, for reasons best kept to themselves. With no mailboxes, no real addresses, there is no postal service, UPS, or Fed Ex delivery available. Ben Jones, owner and driver of Ben’s Desert Moon Delivery Service, has made their oddball deliveries for years.
The inhabitants found along this route don’t have much truck with people. The old Lacey brothers live in a couple of old boxcars that have been welded together. Fergus and Duncan are men with calico colored hair and few words. As they are not inclined to conversation, any exchange with them is apt to be a nod, a narrow squint, and a big ol’ slab of silence. The periodic deliveries to them never vary - three bales of barbed wire and ten cases of Hormel canned chili.
Walt Butterfield, owner of the Well-Known Desert Diner (now dubbed the Never-Open Desert Diner), is taciturn to a fault. Why isn’t the diner ever open? What is Walt hiding? Does it have anything to do with the tombstone out back, the one with three dates? Don't expect him to tell you.
The tone of this novel was a little different. I liked it best when there was nothing much happening. The mystery and its resolution were alright, but mostly I just enjoyed spending a bit of time with these people in the wide open spaces there on Highway 117.
March 15, 2016
Posted to The Literary Lawyer.ca
Striking Setting, Confused Plotting
The Never-Open Desert Diner is billed as a literary crime mystery. If slow and plodding is all it takes to be considered "literary" then it hits the mark. It had all of makings of an excellent novel. A striking setting, a unique and interesting protagonist, a mysterious love interest and, initially the buildup of intrigue. In the end, the novel was a victim of its own potential and unraveled at a disastrous pace.
Plot Summary
Ben Jones is a Native-American, Jewish truck driver. His unique heritage is matched by his unique job. He operates a delivery business along a solitary stretch of desert highway. His customers have chosen lives of solitude as they seek to escape their own demons. While on delivery run, Ben encounters Claire, a beautiful musician living in a secluded and abandoned home. As their friendship blooms, Ben is confronted by her murky past and finds an uncomfortable spotlight on himself.
My Take
This is the second novel I have read in the past month in which a striking setting is marred by its plot. Yet unlike, The Quality of Silence , the setting is not an immersive experience. The desert setting was rife with possibility that failed to come to fruition. There was an effort to contrast the hidden and damage inhabitants with the concealing harshness of the desert but I was never made to feel part of the setting or part of the lives of any of the characters.
Where the setting failed, the characterization was equally flawed. As happened throughout the novel, the author confused an interesting element with interesting plot development. Take the character's history for example. He was a Native American Jewish orphan. From the outset we know that because of this, he has never fit in and it isn't until the end that this history plays a role, but only in epilogue. This happened time and time again throughout the story. Where elements should have felt poignant, they instead felt like gimmicks.
These are not my biggest complaints. Although I had the above complaints, the writing was solid and the story was creating intrigue. That was until the wheels fell off. At around the 3/4 mark, dead bodies started appearing, evil organizations appeared without warning, characters were given confusing freedoms, conflicts were resolved with sudden natural disasters and the desert world became cartoonish. Without a doubt, this was amongst the most confounding resolutions I have read in a long time. The reader is left confused as to why a previously methodical story is concluded with a circus show.
Final Thoughts
It may be that the author was aiming for some striking symbolism. When I was confused by literary unicorns in the desert other readers may accept these misplaced items and attribute meaning to their existence. While the author had initial control of his story, he lost control as he was forced to navigate the rougher terrain. I can see the potential in the author's writing as he clearly has skill with the pen but a good author can take the oddities and incorporate them into plot so that the reader can accept them as necessary.
Not everyone will agree with my take. If, despite my thoughts, you are interested is seeing what this has to offer, it is available for purchase on March 22, 2016.
Content Advisories
Whether you are concerned about a younger reader or you are sensitive to adult content in novels, I attempt to provide you with some information to make an informed reading decision. 1 is Low and 5 is High.
Sex - 3
Characters have several sexual encounters. Their encounters are mildly graphic and they contain some descriptions of the woman's body. There are several moderately graphic descriptions of a rape (Also under Violence)
Language
F-Words - 12 Mild Obscenities - Approx 75 Religious Exclamations - 5
Violence - 3.5
There are moderately graphic descriptions of a physical attack and a rape. It occurs on multiple occasions. A character is essential cut in half because of an accident. Several other characters are killed in an accident. Two characters engage in a physical altercation and each suffer superficial injuries. A character suffers nearly fatal injuries from an auto accident.
Striking Setting, Confused Plotting
The Never-Open Desert Diner is billed as a literary crime mystery. If slow and plodding is all it takes to be considered "literary" then it hits the mark. It had all of makings of an excellent novel. A striking setting, a unique and interesting protagonist, a mysterious love interest and, initially the buildup of intrigue. In the end, the novel was a victim of its own potential and unraveled at a disastrous pace.
Plot Summary
Ben Jones is a Native-American, Jewish truck driver. His unique heritage is matched by his unique job. He operates a delivery business along a solitary stretch of desert highway. His customers have chosen lives of solitude as they seek to escape their own demons. While on delivery run, Ben encounters Claire, a beautiful musician living in a secluded and abandoned home. As their friendship blooms, Ben is confronted by her murky past and finds an uncomfortable spotlight on himself.
My Take
This is the second novel I have read in the past month in which a striking setting is marred by its plot. Yet unlike, The Quality of Silence , the setting is not an immersive experience. The desert setting was rife with possibility that failed to come to fruition. There was an effort to contrast the hidden and damage inhabitants with the concealing harshness of the desert but I was never made to feel part of the setting or part of the lives of any of the characters.
Where the setting failed, the characterization was equally flawed. As happened throughout the novel, the author confused an interesting element with interesting plot development. Take the character's history for example. He was a Native American Jewish orphan. From the outset we know that because of this, he has never fit in and it isn't until the end that this history plays a role, but only in epilogue. This happened time and time again throughout the story. Where elements should have felt poignant, they instead felt like gimmicks.
These are not my biggest complaints. Although I had the above complaints, the writing was solid and the story was creating intrigue. That was until the wheels fell off. At around the 3/4 mark, dead bodies started appearing, evil organizations appeared without warning, characters were given confusing freedoms, conflicts were resolved with sudden natural disasters and the desert world became cartoonish. Without a doubt, this was amongst the most confounding resolutions I have read in a long time. The reader is left confused as to why a previously methodical story is concluded with a circus show.
Final Thoughts
It may be that the author was aiming for some striking symbolism. When I was confused by literary unicorns in the desert other readers may accept these misplaced items and attribute meaning to their existence. While the author had initial control of his story, he lost control as he was forced to navigate the rougher terrain. I can see the potential in the author's writing as he clearly has skill with the pen but a good author can take the oddities and incorporate them into plot so that the reader can accept them as necessary.
Not everyone will agree with my take. If, despite my thoughts, you are interested is seeing what this has to offer, it is available for purchase on March 22, 2016.
Content Advisories
Whether you are concerned about a younger reader or you are sensitive to adult content in novels, I attempt to provide you with some information to make an informed reading decision. 1 is Low and 5 is High.
Sex - 3
Characters have several sexual encounters. Their encounters are mildly graphic and they contain some descriptions of the woman's body. There are several moderately graphic descriptions of a rape (Also under Violence)
Language
F-Words - 12 Mild Obscenities - Approx 75 Religious Exclamations - 5
Violence - 3.5
There are moderately graphic descriptions of a physical attack and a rape. It occurs on multiple occasions. A character is essential cut in half because of an accident. Several other characters are killed in an accident. Two characters engage in a physical altercation and each suffer superficial injuries. A character suffers nearly fatal injuries from an auto accident.
February 7, 2017
I read this book because it interested me when I saw it on the Tournament of Books long list, and I had not heard of it before. I enjoyed it far more than I expected!
Things to like:
-various people puzzles like the woman in the house and the diner owner
-the small universe of a one-man trucking organization on a small stretch of highway
-the characters were all there for a reason
-the use of landscape
-the ending
Things to like:
-various people puzzles like the woman in the house and the diner owner
-the small universe of a one-man trucking organization on a small stretch of highway
-the characters were all there for a reason
-the use of landscape
-the ending
March 1, 2016
I'd rate this 4.5 stars.
Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for making it available!
This book snuck up on me and both charmed and utterly fascinated me.
Ben Jones has been a trucker in Utah for some time now, traveling up and down Route 117 in the desert. It's a fairly solitary existence he's eked out for himself—during his workdays he interacts periodically with some of his customers, but there's a reason they live off of a little-traveled road in the desert, and most are not really the type for socializing beyond general niceties.
Along Ben's route is a somewhat-famous diner, often used as scenery in movies. The diner is rarely if ever open, ever since the diner's owner experienced a painful tragedy there a number of years before. But Walt, the diner's cantankerous, tough-as-nails owner, and Ben have a lukewarm relationship, and he is one of the few people Ben might consider a friend.
One day on his route Ben comes upon a solitary home that was probably used as a prototype for a never-built housing development. It's a beautiful home, and it catches his attention, although not as much as the beautiful woman he sees inside the house, silently playing the cello. She fascinates him, and he wants to get to know her, even as he knows it probably would be a mistake. And when he learns that this woman, Claire, is hiding from her husband and events in her past, he is convinced even more that he should avoid her. But she has gotten under his skin, and he wants to be with her.
He can't get Claire out of his mind, and she is slowly warming up to him. Then he suddenly begins catching the attention of mysterious people, including a woman appearing in different guises in the fairly solitary desert community and an earnest, young reality show producer who has allegedly taken interest in Ben. He worries about Claire being found by those who are looking for her, but he should worry more about himself, because he unexpectedly winds up under suspicion of several crimes.
What, or whom, is Claire really running from? What brought her to the desert? And what happened in the diner all those years ago? The Never-Open Desert Diner is a book about secrets and the danger they bring, and it's also a book about loneliness, how it can be both comforting and depressing. It's also a book about love—romantic, parental, filial—and the lengths we go to in order to protect it.
James Anderson is an excellent storyteller and he created some really memorable characters. Ben was really fascinating, as were many of the supporting characters in this book. I loved how Anderson gave us some insight into a number of these people, fleshing them out as more than just people wanting to protect their solitude. This is a mysterious, insightful, thought-provoking book that definitely evoked some emotions as well. I really enjoyed this one.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for making it available!
This book snuck up on me and both charmed and utterly fascinated me.
Ben Jones has been a trucker in Utah for some time now, traveling up and down Route 117 in the desert. It's a fairly solitary existence he's eked out for himself—during his workdays he interacts periodically with some of his customers, but there's a reason they live off of a little-traveled road in the desert, and most are not really the type for socializing beyond general niceties.
Along Ben's route is a somewhat-famous diner, often used as scenery in movies. The diner is rarely if ever open, ever since the diner's owner experienced a painful tragedy there a number of years before. But Walt, the diner's cantankerous, tough-as-nails owner, and Ben have a lukewarm relationship, and he is one of the few people Ben might consider a friend.
One day on his route Ben comes upon a solitary home that was probably used as a prototype for a never-built housing development. It's a beautiful home, and it catches his attention, although not as much as the beautiful woman he sees inside the house, silently playing the cello. She fascinates him, and he wants to get to know her, even as he knows it probably would be a mistake. And when he learns that this woman, Claire, is hiding from her husband and events in her past, he is convinced even more that he should avoid her. But she has gotten under his skin, and he wants to be with her.
He can't get Claire out of his mind, and she is slowly warming up to him. Then he suddenly begins catching the attention of mysterious people, including a woman appearing in different guises in the fairly solitary desert community and an earnest, young reality show producer who has allegedly taken interest in Ben. He worries about Claire being found by those who are looking for her, but he should worry more about himself, because he unexpectedly winds up under suspicion of several crimes.
What, or whom, is Claire really running from? What brought her to the desert? And what happened in the diner all those years ago? The Never-Open Desert Diner is a book about secrets and the danger they bring, and it's also a book about loneliness, how it can be both comforting and depressing. It's also a book about love—romantic, parental, filial—and the lengths we go to in order to protect it.
James Anderson is an excellent storyteller and he created some really memorable characters. Ben was really fascinating, as were many of the supporting characters in this book. I loved how Anderson gave us some insight into a number of these people, fleshing them out as more than just people wanting to protect their solitude. This is a mysterious, insightful, thought-provoking book that definitely evoked some emotions as well. I really enjoyed this one.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
December 27, 2015
Excellent read and memorable. In fact, this and "Last Night at the Lobster" are the only two I can remember in recent years that nail the working class "day" in any faction of a minutia - any true detail of reality.
But do not assume that it is a simple tale. It's also, for me it was, a difficult read. Simplicity is complex here. Very! And with all that description and movement to changes of location within the Utah 117 Route and outback desert canyon and arroyo? Mirage or real? This is not a fast mystery read. Quite the opposite. It took me twice as long as a usual book of this length- any genre.
Action? Most of that is absolutely in the last half. Be prepared for a slow and meandering customer and route personage and a first half that exquisitely sets a stage.
Ben Jones exists multiplied by thousands. Hoping to keep that small business open another month, or at least this week? Waiting for the repo or man coming with locks. Distracting yourself with dreams of other pursuits or other sharing around the next bend. Which is mostly day-dreaming make believe and without a path to any possible completion from where you are.
This is also a superlative study of Utah desert association and cultural approach- Mormon influence mixed with scores of people wanting isolation for numerous reasons. Some of them truly based upon personality alone. But certainly not all of the loners have reason of that direction.
Definitely in the top 5 for my 2015's new talent in this genre. And it is placed in a far wider category than just "Mystery" or gimmick Sherlock. Not completely averse of violence either- but this is absolutely not within any grit territory level in that groove. And you are never left hopeless either here- it's fairly easy on the emotive prone.
Highly recommend this read. Be patient. And not as touchy or grouchy to habits as Ben or Walt.
But do not assume that it is a simple tale. It's also, for me it was, a difficult read. Simplicity is complex here. Very! And with all that description and movement to changes of location within the Utah 117 Route and outback desert canyon and arroyo? Mirage or real? This is not a fast mystery read. Quite the opposite. It took me twice as long as a usual book of this length- any genre.
Action? Most of that is absolutely in the last half. Be prepared for a slow and meandering customer and route personage and a first half that exquisitely sets a stage.
Ben Jones exists multiplied by thousands. Hoping to keep that small business open another month, or at least this week? Waiting for the repo or man coming with locks. Distracting yourself with dreams of other pursuits or other sharing around the next bend. Which is mostly day-dreaming make believe and without a path to any possible completion from where you are.
This is also a superlative study of Utah desert association and cultural approach- Mormon influence mixed with scores of people wanting isolation for numerous reasons. Some of them truly based upon personality alone. But certainly not all of the loners have reason of that direction.
Definitely in the top 5 for my 2015's new talent in this genre. And it is placed in a far wider category than just "Mystery" or gimmick Sherlock. Not completely averse of violence either- but this is absolutely not within any grit territory level in that groove. And you are never left hopeless either here- it's fairly easy on the emotive prone.
Highly recommend this read. Be patient. And not as touchy or grouchy to habits as Ben or Walt.
March 5, 2020
A superb novel where solving the mystery isn't the objective.
More of an amiable character study along the lines of Harold Adams' "Carl Wilcox" crime series.
"Carl Wilcox" in Adams' series (set in the dustbowl era) is an itinerant sign painter roaming across depression era South Dakota.
This novel's "Ben Jones" is a barely-makin' it independent truck driver trying to break-even before the loan officers repossess his one-truck operation, Ben's Desert Moon Delivery Service. He drives up and down 117 in Utah 5-6 days a week delivering various goods to the characters - all of them desert rats, every last one- who populate this novel.
Author James Anderson is just brilliant, allowing the stories behind each character on Ben's route to slowly unwind, taking the reader on a leisurely, pleasurable read.
If you remember the "Carl Wilcox" series by Harold Adams from the 1980s and enjoyed it, you'll absolutely love this one.
In a note at the beginning of the book, there's a list of authors to whom he dedicates this novel in memoriam "for creating characters who became some of the best friends I've ever had..."
Among the authors he lists are John D. McDonald (Travis McGee), Stephen J. Cannell (James Rockford), Robert B. Parker (Spenser), James Crumley (Milo Milodragovitch), and Ross Macdonald (Lew Archer) -whose work James Anderson's 1st novel resembles.
Highest Recommendation!
More of an amiable character study along the lines of Harold Adams' "Carl Wilcox" crime series.
"Carl Wilcox" in Adams' series (set in the dustbowl era) is an itinerant sign painter roaming across depression era South Dakota.
This novel's "Ben Jones" is a barely-makin' it independent truck driver trying to break-even before the loan officers repossess his one-truck operation, Ben's Desert Moon Delivery Service. He drives up and down 117 in Utah 5-6 days a week delivering various goods to the characters - all of them desert rats, every last one- who populate this novel.
Author James Anderson is just brilliant, allowing the stories behind each character on Ben's route to slowly unwind, taking the reader on a leisurely, pleasurable read.
If you remember the "Carl Wilcox" series by Harold Adams from the 1980s and enjoyed it, you'll absolutely love this one.
In a note at the beginning of the book, there's a list of authors to whom he dedicates this novel in memoriam "for creating characters who became some of the best friends I've ever had..."
Among the authors he lists are John D. McDonald (Travis McGee), Stephen J. Cannell (James Rockford), Robert B. Parker (Spenser), James Crumley (Milo Milodragovitch), and Ross Macdonald (Lew Archer) -whose work James Anderson's 1st novel resembles.
Highest Recommendation!
April 11, 2019
“The Never-Open Desert Diner” is one of those books I want to tell everyone about (and I will!) There is crime and mystery involved, but to limit the description to that does a severe injustice to the book. Mr. Anderson writes unforgettable characters, and the plot is a little like those winding desert roads because you find yourself totally compelled to discover what’s around the next bend. There are profound observations about life, death, grief, love, isolation, making a life in harsh conditions and tragic circumstances, and the importance of human connection. But in the midst of all those weighty topics, there is plenty of humor (who knew that Butter Brickle ice cream was an aphrodisiac for Mormon wives!) The descriptions of what some might see as a bleak and sere landscape were so hauntingly beautiful that I’m ready to take another trip to that stretch of desert. Near the end of the story one of the characters says “the desert is home to light,” and that light is profoundly present in this absolutely unforgettable novel.
Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.
Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.
Read
March 14, 2016Have decided to stop reading this one. It has taken a turn to the weird, doesn't make sense, and I dislike some of the scenes, actions.
March 13, 2016
I didn't think I'd like The Never-Open Desert Diner by James Anderson. It's desert almost-noir tone seemed like it would become irritating. The characters seemed like they would be stereotypes.
But I was (happily) surprised. Although the tone sometimes did irritate me and the characters were slightly stereotypical, I loved the book.
The desert is presented beautifully, one of the truest characters in the entire novel. And Ben Jones, a self-employed trucker about to lose his truck and his business, became a friend to me. A classic loner, abandoned as an infant, possibly half-Jewish and half-Native American (although just as possibly not), he lives alone, seemingly friendless, interacting only with the people he delivers to.
The never-open desert diner is the scene of a terrible tragedy. Walt, the old man who owns the diner is a survivor of that tragedy. And that tragedy becomes intertwined with Ben's life.
One night he hears a cello and discovers a woman. He falls in love. The book is also a beautiful love story but like all noir stories, the woman is mysterious and, possibly, not as angelic as she seems. There's a soon-to-be-ex-husband searching for her, possibly accompanied by some dangerous men.
I read this book in one sitting. Once I got into it, I was completely charmed. I loved the atmosphere, I loved the characters, I loved the familiar noir territory it covers.
I thank LibraryThing for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review. I strongly recommend this book to people who enjoy noir mysteries, especially those set in amazing desert locations.
But I was (happily) surprised. Although the tone sometimes did irritate me and the characters were slightly stereotypical, I loved the book.
The desert is presented beautifully, one of the truest characters in the entire novel. And Ben Jones, a self-employed trucker about to lose his truck and his business, became a friend to me. A classic loner, abandoned as an infant, possibly half-Jewish and half-Native American (although just as possibly not), he lives alone, seemingly friendless, interacting only with the people he delivers to.
The never-open desert diner is the scene of a terrible tragedy. Walt, the old man who owns the diner is a survivor of that tragedy. And that tragedy becomes intertwined with Ben's life.
One night he hears a cello and discovers a woman. He falls in love. The book is also a beautiful love story but like all noir stories, the woman is mysterious and, possibly, not as angelic as she seems. There's a soon-to-be-ex-husband searching for her, possibly accompanied by some dangerous men.
I read this book in one sitting. Once I got into it, I was completely charmed. I loved the atmosphere, I loved the characters, I loved the familiar noir territory it covers.
I thank LibraryThing for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review. I strongly recommend this book to people who enjoy noir mysteries, especially those set in amazing desert locations.
July 5, 2019
“Quanto a me, tra inferno e paradiso, Dio poteva anche rimettermi sulla 117. Non mi sarei opposto, anche se gli avrei educatamente chiesto di coprire il costo della benzina e di assicurarsi che i clienti mi pagassero, puntualmente se possibile. Non era il paradiso e non era l’inferno, solo un rettilineo che gli passava in mezzo. Forse aveva qualcosa di entrambi. Era solo la 117.”
Una storia indimenticabile ambientata in un luogo inospitale e duro, bruciato dal sole e percorso da venti soffocanti. Una strada che finisce improvvisamente è il mondo di Ben. Giornate sempre uguali, fatte di consegne a persone poco ospitali. D’altra parte, per vivere nel deserto o ci sei nato o ti vuoi nascondere. Il romanzo di Anderson è un canto alla solitudine, al silenzio, ma anche all’amore e all’amicizia che inaspettatamente si fanno strada tra rocce e polvere.
Una storia indimenticabile ambientata in un luogo inospitale e duro, bruciato dal sole e percorso da venti soffocanti. Una strada che finisce improvvisamente è il mondo di Ben. Giornate sempre uguali, fatte di consegne a persone poco ospitali. D’altra parte, per vivere nel deserto o ci sei nato o ti vuoi nascondere. Il romanzo di Anderson è un canto alla solitudine, al silenzio, ma anche all’amore e all’amicizia che inaspettatamente si fanno strada tra rocce e polvere.
July 17, 2018
Out in the High Utah Desert
Anderson’s Never-Open Desert Diner is one of those amazing books that defies categorization. His writing is so compelling that it doesn’t matter what shelf you stick it on. You might say the main character is independent trucker Ben who treks back and forth across Highway 117 all the way till it ends at Rockmuse delivering to the shut-ins and hermits that left the crowded coasts behind to burrow into their lonely dwellings, nursing whatever wounds the crazy world has inflicted upon them. Cantankerous folks all of them and more than willing to chase outsiders away with a double-barreled shotgun.
Try to find this lonely stretch of Highway on a map and you’ll soon get frustrated cause a little artistic license was taken. You’ll find the town of Price, but no Rockmuse and no 117 branching off from 191. And, for Heaven’s sake, don’t go out there bothering people. They are not looking to get on the front pages. Often, they are just seething with quiet rage.
The setting in these desolate lands is almost another main character. It’s a world set apart, almost at the edge of civilization. Often, there’s no cell service or GPS.
There’s kind of an underlying mystery, but there’s also a tender love story and the truth behind why the diner has been closed all these years that’ll just rip your heart out. Again, a most enjoyable read, but real hard to pin down and categorize. Already, Anderson has a sequel out: Lullaby Road. And, perhaps, he’ll have more for us down the road.
Anderson’s Never-Open Desert Diner is one of those amazing books that defies categorization. His writing is so compelling that it doesn’t matter what shelf you stick it on. You might say the main character is independent trucker Ben who treks back and forth across Highway 117 all the way till it ends at Rockmuse delivering to the shut-ins and hermits that left the crowded coasts behind to burrow into their lonely dwellings, nursing whatever wounds the crazy world has inflicted upon them. Cantankerous folks all of them and more than willing to chase outsiders away with a double-barreled shotgun.
Try to find this lonely stretch of Highway on a map and you’ll soon get frustrated cause a little artistic license was taken. You’ll find the town of Price, but no Rockmuse and no 117 branching off from 191. And, for Heaven’s sake, don’t go out there bothering people. They are not looking to get on the front pages. Often, they are just seething with quiet rage.
The setting in these desolate lands is almost another main character. It’s a world set apart, almost at the edge of civilization. Often, there’s no cell service or GPS.
There’s kind of an underlying mystery, but there’s also a tender love story and the truth behind why the diner has been closed all these years that’ll just rip your heart out. Again, a most enjoyable read, but real hard to pin down and categorize. Already, Anderson has a sequel out: Lullaby Road. And, perhaps, he’ll have more for us down the road.
March 13, 2017
Find this and other Reviews at In Tori Lex
This was a quirky exploration of people with dark secrets and memorable flaws. Ben Jones is an engaging protagonist, who feels comfortable with people hiding themselves because his own history is a mystery. He was left by his Mother and raised by adopted parents, but theorizes he is Native American and Jewish. Ben makes light of the bizarre people he encounters while delivering packages, to people who don't keep actual mailing addresses. The peculiar characters surprised me with their motives and actions. For example a preacher who carries a huge wooden cross along the highway, and has pretend smoking breaks with Ben when he sees him.
While I enjoyed the character descriptions it was hard for me to relate to the characters or situations described. Walt is a elderly man who has endured tremendous personal tragedy, and shows affection through violence and silence, Ben has a tenuous relationship with him. Claire, Ben's love interest, is eccentric cello musician. Ben and Claire fall for each other fantastically, which I enjoyed reading about. These characters stumble upon each other early on, but the plot moves slowly and doesn't pick up steam until the last third of the book. The well described characters, unique setting and story line kept me interested, but not empathetic. I appreciated the author's inclusion of non-white main characters and illustration of why it's important not to trample on otherness. But the author wasn't able to make wonderful characters come together to form a wonderful story.
This isn't a book that ties up all of its loose ends, but the ending still was satisfying. The desert setting allowed the author to take advantage of the rough terrain and create fantasy in the real world seamlessly. The mystery elements only become important towards the end of the book, so I would describe this more as a character study. I enjoyed the book and was fascinated by the people described, but some things read more like filler than necessary. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy character driven contemporaries, that don't shy away from tragedy.
I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
This was a quirky exploration of people with dark secrets and memorable flaws. Ben Jones is an engaging protagonist, who feels comfortable with people hiding themselves because his own history is a mystery. He was left by his Mother and raised by adopted parents, but theorizes he is Native American and Jewish. Ben makes light of the bizarre people he encounters while delivering packages, to people who don't keep actual mailing addresses. The peculiar characters surprised me with their motives and actions. For example a preacher who carries a huge wooden cross along the highway, and has pretend smoking breaks with Ben when he sees him.
"Like most people who said they wanted change, all I wanted was enough change to keep everything the same, only better."
While I enjoyed the character descriptions it was hard for me to relate to the characters or situations described. Walt is a elderly man who has endured tremendous personal tragedy, and shows affection through violence and silence, Ben has a tenuous relationship with him. Claire, Ben's love interest, is eccentric cello musician. Ben and Claire fall for each other fantastically, which I enjoyed reading about. These characters stumble upon each other early on, but the plot moves slowly and doesn't pick up steam until the last third of the book. The well described characters, unique setting and story line kept me interested, but not empathetic. I appreciated the author's inclusion of non-white main characters and illustration of why it's important not to trample on otherness. But the author wasn't able to make wonderful characters come together to form a wonderful story.
"That was the thing about curiosity, especially about people: the real questions never had answers that meant anything for very long. Pretty soon you had a bunch of new questions."
This isn't a book that ties up all of its loose ends, but the ending still was satisfying. The desert setting allowed the author to take advantage of the rough terrain and create fantasy in the real world seamlessly. The mystery elements only become important towards the end of the book, so I would describe this more as a character study. I enjoyed the book and was fascinated by the people described, but some things read more like filler than necessary. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy character driven contemporaries, that don't shy away from tragedy.
I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
January 6, 2018
4 stars
I ended up reading this book because it was the debut book by James Anderson. I have his next book Lullaby Road, which I don't think is a series, however it's main character is the same one as his first book. So decided to do my homework and learn as much about Ben Jones, truck driver, as I could.
In this book Ben is about bankrupt. His rig is about to be repossessed, he really has nothing material to his name. He runs route 117 in the Utah desert. Basically he is an errand boy for the odd, eccentric people who live along this route, picking up and delivering whatever it is they need. The one person that he can really call his friend is the rough, gruff Walt who owns the never open desert diner - which is actually never open. The story will explain why the diner is never open, along with how Ben finds the Desert Home and how he meets Claire.
This book has a cast of characters that moves the story along. It has romance, violence, and suspense woven throughout its pages. You will agree with, question, and disagree with the characters. They will appeal to you, anger you, bewilder you and charm you. This is a very good debut novel, well worth following up with Anderson's next effort.
I ended up reading this book because it was the debut book by James Anderson. I have his next book Lullaby Road, which I don't think is a series, however it's main character is the same one as his first book. So decided to do my homework and learn as much about Ben Jones, truck driver, as I could.
In this book Ben is about bankrupt. His rig is about to be repossessed, he really has nothing material to his name. He runs route 117 in the Utah desert. Basically he is an errand boy for the odd, eccentric people who live along this route, picking up and delivering whatever it is they need. The one person that he can really call his friend is the rough, gruff Walt who owns the never open desert diner - which is actually never open. The story will explain why the diner is never open, along with how Ben finds the Desert Home and how he meets Claire.
This book has a cast of characters that moves the story along. It has romance, violence, and suspense woven throughout its pages. You will agree with, question, and disagree with the characters. They will appeal to you, anger you, bewilder you and charm you. This is a very good debut novel, well worth following up with Anderson's next effort.
October 22, 2018
Questo dovrebbe essere un noir e lo è. Ed è un noir, pur delicato e leggero, sorprendente sotto certi punti di vista (ad esempio il personaggio dell'eroe non è certo il tipico eroe dei gialli della letteratura nordamericana), ironico e drammatico insieme. Ma ciò che mi ha più coinvolta è stata una storia d'amore originale, vera, che sfiora il racconto marginalmente ma che ne è fulcro e motore; ciò che invece più mi ha deliziata è l'ambientazione, amando io il deserto, così evocativa: un deserto che dona e prende, che tutto copre come un velo di pace.
Il diner nel deserto.
James Anderson
Traduttore: C. Baffa
Editore: NN Editore
Pagine: 315
Voto: 4/5
Il diner nel deserto.
James Anderson
Traduttore: C. Baffa
Editore: NN Editore
Pagine: 315
Voto: 4/5
March 23, 2016
Maybe due in part to my recent move to the desert, I found i really connected to this novel. Not the experiences, but the landscape. This is another novel in which the landscape is as much a character as the people are. A beautiful but unforgiving character.
The people in the story are formed by their relationships with the desert. The characters are well-developed and never overdone or larger than life. I can picture them clearly. The writing paints a vivid picture overall. The story is solid and the prose is subtle and gorgeous. I found myself completely immersed; thinking of the story and quotes from the novel even when I wasn't actively reading.
I highly recommend this to anyone who love well-crafted literary fiction.
Thanks to Crown/Penguin for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
The people in the story are formed by their relationships with the desert. The characters are well-developed and never overdone or larger than life. I can picture them clearly. The writing paints a vivid picture overall. The story is solid and the prose is subtle and gorgeous. I found myself completely immersed; thinking of the story and quotes from the novel even when I wasn't actively reading.
I highly recommend this to anyone who love well-crafted literary fiction.
Thanks to Crown/Penguin for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
July 2, 2015
THE NEVER OPEN DESERT DINER
James Anderson
A debut novel so original and creative you wonder where the author has been all this time.
A broken down truck driver, the cantankerous owner of the diner and a woman playing a cello without strings in a deserted and unfinished home development are a few of the brilliantly portrayed characters. The deserted highway through the Utah desert becomes almost a character amid all the real life ones.
As the truck drivers interest in the woman with the cello grows the mysteries and secrets begin to multiply and are handled beautifully by the skilled author.
A noir and desert novel that truly enchants that is a joy to read.
James Anderson
A debut novel so original and creative you wonder where the author has been all this time.
A broken down truck driver, the cantankerous owner of the diner and a woman playing a cello without strings in a deserted and unfinished home development are a few of the brilliantly portrayed characters. The deserted highway through the Utah desert becomes almost a character amid all the real life ones.
As the truck drivers interest in the woman with the cello grows the mysteries and secrets begin to multiply and are handled beautifully by the skilled author.
A noir and desert novel that truly enchants that is a joy to read.
November 4, 2016
Was different from my normal literary fare . A dark, macho storyline dealing with a lone cargo delivery man working as a one man private business, about to sink as the lonely desert region of Utah is inhabited sparsely by misfits and loners who are not much in need of delivered goods and the bigger companies are.eating up the young'uns.
Ben Jones encounters a mysterious but lovely woman serendipitously while traversing the lonely rutted tracks with his heavy cargo truck. His first encounter is a disaster, but later ones are more favorable. He ponders upon the lovely woman who plays cello, often naked, and her relationship with the eccentric owner, Walt, proprietor of.the Never Open desert diner.
Walt has a tragic story which perhaps made him who he is, so have the few other inhabitants of the Utah desert, especially the two.ragamuffin brothers, John- the Jesus Christ incarnation and Ginny,the plucky, loyal, pregnant 17 year old who is Ben's loyal friend.
Things boil out into a maelstrom of violence, bodily injury and hurt, when strangers arrive.at scene, and most of them not being who they pretend to.be.
I was mesmerised by the cruel and non compromising desert,its fatal loveliness and the taut telling of a dark tale.
I cannot say I enjoyed it: was too gruesome and a bit depressing. I can say for sure that reading this was a rich experience.
Ben Jones encounters a mysterious but lovely woman serendipitously while traversing the lonely rutted tracks with his heavy cargo truck. His first encounter is a disaster, but later ones are more favorable. He ponders upon the lovely woman who plays cello, often naked, and her relationship with the eccentric owner, Walt, proprietor of.the Never Open desert diner.
Walt has a tragic story which perhaps made him who he is, so have the few other inhabitants of the Utah desert, especially the two.ragamuffin brothers, John- the Jesus Christ incarnation and Ginny,the plucky, loyal, pregnant 17 year old who is Ben's loyal friend.
Things boil out into a maelstrom of violence, bodily injury and hurt, when strangers arrive.at scene, and most of them not being who they pretend to.be.
I was mesmerised by the cruel and non compromising desert,its fatal loveliness and the taut telling of a dark tale.
I cannot say I enjoyed it: was too gruesome and a bit depressing. I can say for sure that reading this was a rich experience.
April 21, 2015
About halfway through this book, I knew that I was enjoying it, but wondered if it was really going anywhere. I am glad to say that the second half did get going somewhere. This book is really well crafted, it flows nicely. The protagonist, Ben Jones is an absolute keeper. He carries the story well. There are a couple of terrific side characters too, from a single 19 year old pregnant mother to a 79 year old former Marine. The plot is not as strong as the characters or the writing style, but the desert backdrop gives it a wonderful canvas to work with. A very good debut.
December 6, 2017
Onvan : The Never-Open Desert Diner - Nevisande : James Anderson - ISBN : 1101906529 - ISBN13 : 9781101906521 - Dar 304 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2015
February 23, 2020
We travel a lonely stretch of desolate highway…State Road 117…in northern Utah. The highway sees it’s share of loners…drifters…ranchers, and the few “natives” that live along this road and get almost all their life supplying supplies from Ben Jones. Jones is quiet a character in himself…a half-Indian, half-Jewish independent trucker with a dry sense of humor. Ben isn’t what you would call highly or even slightly, “observant” ...but he does notice a single building standing in what was to be housing development and the woman that appears to be occupying the “such as it is” dwelling. He diffidently notices her the second time he sees her as she is naked, sitting on the porch with a stringless cello and a gun which she is diffidently pointing at him. The cast of characters and the happening continue in this vein until the last page. Think of this as a somewhat “bent”... certainly different...mystery/romance. Of the many strange characters you will meet along the pages is the one I liked the most… and from whom the book takes it’s title… the widowed septuagenarian owner, operator of the diner…an empty but well-maintained relic much like its owner, who we find has many secrets… one of which is literally too awful to comptemplate.
August 17, 2016
The Never-Open Desert Diner is a standalone mystery novel written by debut author James Anderson. It is a story that follows a trucker: Ben who makes deliveries to people who choose to live in the barren Utah desert. Off the grid? Um…yes. Ben is pretty much these people’s only contact with the world outside of the desert. They ask for stuff, Ben brings them stuff. It’s a routine that works for everyone involved. But when a beautiful cello player: Claire enters the scenario, everything goes haywire.
Although The Never-Open Desert Diner is marketed as a mystery, it didn’t seem like a traditional mystery to me. Yes, there were lots of questions that needed answers but what I thought was focal about this book was the imagery. In a Utah desert setting that is thought to be completely void of life, Mr. Anderson brings everything to life and that was my favorite thing. Being a former truck driver, book publisher, and an award-winning documentary producer all helped I’m sure. So while this wasn’t an over-the-top awesome mystery in my opinion, I certainly did enjoy it overall. The writing was good and I highlighted several quotes that I'd like to hang on my wall - cross-stitch style to keep in line with the theme ;) Also, I have visited the American desert several times and Mr. Anderson brought some of those memories back to life for me so for that I thank him. If you enjoy a variety of adult fiction, then check it out!
My favorite quote:
“In all those stories about people who sold their souls to the devil, I never quite understood why the devil was the bad guy, or why it was okay to screw him out of his soul. They got what they wanted: fame, money, love, whatever—though usually it turned out not to be what they really wanted or expected. Was that the devil's fault? I never thought so. Like John Wayne said, "Life's tough. It's even tougher when you're stupid.”
Although The Never-Open Desert Diner is marketed as a mystery, it didn’t seem like a traditional mystery to me. Yes, there were lots of questions that needed answers but what I thought was focal about this book was the imagery. In a Utah desert setting that is thought to be completely void of life, Mr. Anderson brings everything to life and that was my favorite thing. Being a former truck driver, book publisher, and an award-winning documentary producer all helped I’m sure. So while this wasn’t an over-the-top awesome mystery in my opinion, I certainly did enjoy it overall. The writing was good and I highlighted several quotes that I'd like to hang on my wall - cross-stitch style to keep in line with the theme ;) Also, I have visited the American desert several times and Mr. Anderson brought some of those memories back to life for me so for that I thank him. If you enjoy a variety of adult fiction, then check it out!
My favorite quote:
“In all those stories about people who sold their souls to the devil, I never quite understood why the devil was the bad guy, or why it was okay to screw him out of his soul. They got what they wanted: fame, money, love, whatever—though usually it turned out not to be what they really wanted or expected. Was that the devil's fault? I never thought so. Like John Wayne said, "Life's tough. It's even tougher when you're stupid.”
March 5, 2015
Anderson's first novel is fresh off the presses and flying out of inventory like a startled bat into the pale night sky. Atmospheric, introspective and genuinely literate, it's a mystery set in the badlands of the Utah desert where the tattered remnants of America's frontier, if sought, can still be found. Here are the fringe-dwellers; the vagabonds, the refugees, the fugitives, the scavengers; the faithful and the faithless come to rest in the gritted sand along U.S. Highway 117. Everyone has a story, and a secret, and a sin. Best to take it as a given. No one is foolish enough to ask.
Winding through this vast and sparsely populated landscape is short-hauler Ben Jones. His trucking business is on the skids; the spectre of bankruptcy trailing him through what he suspects are his farewell runs for FedEx and UPS...
Under my skin I wasn't feeling nearly as lucky as I had in times past. Below that was a rising shiver of cold desperation. Things had to change. I wanted them to change. Like most people who said they wanted change, all I wanted was enough change to keep everything the same, only better.
He's wistful and hungry for contact with all the odd ducks and misanthropes he's come to view as family, which leaves him open to connection...and vulnerable to the mad black magic of this land.
There's a hell of a lot of character in this tale (hallelujah) and what impressed me most was the author's understanding that Jones had to have his share. You may have noticed the tendency to make these narrators wise and well-adjusted - which we have a tendency to forgive despite the fact that it takes them right out of the communal dynamic. Anderson opted for authenticity. He recognized that Ben Jones had to be another fringe-dweller. He had to have his story, his secret, his sin. He had to be as broken as the rest simply to fit in. And he is. And he does. And it works.
It works very well.
Winding through this vast and sparsely populated landscape is short-hauler Ben Jones. His trucking business is on the skids; the spectre of bankruptcy trailing him through what he suspects are his farewell runs for FedEx and UPS...
Under my skin I wasn't feeling nearly as lucky as I had in times past. Below that was a rising shiver of cold desperation. Things had to change. I wanted them to change. Like most people who said they wanted change, all I wanted was enough change to keep everything the same, only better.
He's wistful and hungry for contact with all the odd ducks and misanthropes he's come to view as family, which leaves him open to connection...and vulnerable to the mad black magic of this land.
There's a hell of a lot of character in this tale (hallelujah) and what impressed me most was the author's understanding that Jones had to have his share. You may have noticed the tendency to make these narrators wise and well-adjusted - which we have a tendency to forgive despite the fact that it takes them right out of the communal dynamic. Anderson opted for authenticity. He recognized that Ben Jones had to be another fringe-dweller. He had to have his story, his secret, his sin. He had to be as broken as the rest simply to fit in. And he is. And he does. And it works.
It works very well.
June 11, 2017
Well-written with some intriguing characters. Loved all the desert imagery. In the end it fell kinda flat. Not a must-read by any means.
June 6, 2020
La curiosità non era mai stata un problema per me. La trattavo come un cane che dorme in discarica. Alcune cicatrici frastagliate sul sedere mi ricordavano le poche volte in cui avevo violato quella regola. Solo perché il cane non si vede, non vuol dire che non ci sia
Mi è piaciuto molto e onestamente sono stata tentata di dare anche 5 stelle, ma poi mi sono mantenuta in linea in modo abbastanza oggettivo.
Penso che il principale pregio del romanzo sia che ha un’ambientazione e dei personaggi talmente ben costruiti che sarebbe stato in piedi anche senza la trama più thriller.
Ben Jones ha un camion e fa consegne sulla route 117, ovvero: deserto, solo deserto nel bel mezzo dello Utah.
Più coloro che ci abitano, ovvio.
Poche persone, quasi tutti mormoni e qualcuno che ha delle storie talmente complicate alle spalle da aver bisogno di un deserto per stare in pace o espiare - il pastore evangelico che se ne va in giro tutto il giorno per il deserto con una croce di quercia vera sulle spalle per esempio è una trovata geniale.
Fatto sta che Ben, con così poca clientela in una strada ovviamente poco trafficata, non è che muova un giro d’affari incredibile, anzi: le banche stanno per pignorare il suo camion, e addio deserto - cosa che in qualche modo lo distruggerebbe.
Finché un giorno in una casa che Ben sa essere abbandonata, mentre il nostro postino sui generis si ferma per fare pipì vede una bellissima donna intenta a suonare un violoncello.
Colpo di fulmine e caterva di guai in arrivo, ça va sans dire.
Come la maggior parte delle persone che sostengono di volere un cambiamento, in realtà volevo solo avere abbastanza soldi per mantenere tutto com’era, ma meglio.
James Anderson, l’autore, è stato per anni un editor di successo, ha fondato una casa editrice indipendente molto rinomata e da giovanotto universitario era anche un discreto poeta, o qualcosa di più. Insomma: sa come si scrive e si nota.
Non molla un centimetro in quanto a tensione narrativa.
Ho già detto della bellezza degli scenari e dei personaggi (Anderson ha anche scritto sceneggiature per documentari e anche questo si nota) e forse l’unica pecca è che dal momento in cui si capisce dove vada a parare la trama più thriller, viene un po’ meno l’originalità e anche il respiro narrativo si contrae.
Però ho già visto che c’è un seguito e sono curiosissima a questo punto di continuare a seguire Ben Jones per il deserto.
Mi è piaciuto molto e onestamente sono stata tentata di dare anche 5 stelle, ma poi mi sono mantenuta in linea in modo abbastanza oggettivo.
Penso che il principale pregio del romanzo sia che ha un’ambientazione e dei personaggi talmente ben costruiti che sarebbe stato in piedi anche senza la trama più thriller.
Ben Jones ha un camion e fa consegne sulla route 117, ovvero: deserto, solo deserto nel bel mezzo dello Utah.
Più coloro che ci abitano, ovvio.
Poche persone, quasi tutti mormoni e qualcuno che ha delle storie talmente complicate alle spalle da aver bisogno di un deserto per stare in pace o espiare - il pastore evangelico che se ne va in giro tutto il giorno per il deserto con una croce di quercia vera sulle spalle per esempio è una trovata geniale.
Fatto sta che Ben, con così poca clientela in una strada ovviamente poco trafficata, non è che muova un giro d’affari incredibile, anzi: le banche stanno per pignorare il suo camion, e addio deserto - cosa che in qualche modo lo distruggerebbe.
Finché un giorno in una casa che Ben sa essere abbandonata, mentre il nostro postino sui generis si ferma per fare pipì vede una bellissima donna intenta a suonare un violoncello.
Colpo di fulmine e caterva di guai in arrivo, ça va sans dire.
Come la maggior parte delle persone che sostengono di volere un cambiamento, in realtà volevo solo avere abbastanza soldi per mantenere tutto com’era, ma meglio.
James Anderson, l’autore, è stato per anni un editor di successo, ha fondato una casa editrice indipendente molto rinomata e da giovanotto universitario era anche un discreto poeta, o qualcosa di più. Insomma: sa come si scrive e si nota.
Non molla un centimetro in quanto a tensione narrativa.
Ho già detto della bellezza degli scenari e dei personaggi (Anderson ha anche scritto sceneggiature per documentari e anche questo si nota) e forse l’unica pecca è che dal momento in cui si capisce dove vada a parare la trama più thriller, viene un po’ meno l’originalità e anche il respiro narrativo si contrae.
Però ho già visto che c’è un seguito e sono curiosissima a questo punto di continuare a seguire Ben Jones per il deserto.
February 5, 2015
Twisty, Solid Plot; Weary, Jaded Noir Hero; Evocative, Honest Writing
If you like your noir sun-baked and dry, this may be the book for you. All of the important action takes place as we drive up and down fictitious Route 117, a deadend highway off of the very real Utah 191 in the undeniably real scrubby high desert south of Price, Utah. Midway along this stretch of useless highway, "...surrounded by miles of flat, rugged nothing, you come upon The Well-Known Desert Diner...", filming site for dozens of B movies and now known by locals as The Never-Open Desert Diner.
Our hero, Ben Jones, runs local deliveries as a sub for larger carriers, which brings him into contact with all of the characters who live along, by, on or near Route 117. This cast of characters, (which is carefully and fully established at the outset), is rich, varied and fascinating. Each is handmade and crafted with care. There may be hints of cliche here and there, but each will play out uniquely as more, or less, than expected.
During the course of a delivery Ben notices a squatter, (a gorgeous, dangerous young woman, of course), in an abandoned house. From that simple beginning a satisfyingly complex and twisty tale will emerge. The mystery will go back decades and will spin out of control before the desert dust settles. All of the best of the noir conventions - the endangered frail, the honorable hero, the wronged spouse, the missing thingie, the thugs, the search, the secrets, the secrets within secrets - are present and accounted for, and they are all handled with style and aplomb.
But best of all, this author gets the desert. He gets the people who live in trailers and cargo containers on the edges of the desert. His desert is more real and compelling than anything you might get from a self-conscious artsie travel writer or "wilderness poet". This is wind and sun and light and dirt and deluges of rain and flash floods and mirages. Anderson knows lonely middle aged heroes and noir romance. Of most importance - he knows that all noir doesn't take place in urban areas. Lots of the best noir stories are set in decrepit old farmhouses on dusty roads outside of Bakersfield.
So, if you think every abandoned gas station hides a nasty secret and if you like your Jack and Coke with a scorpion in it, or if you just like your crime fiction written to the highest quality standards, this is a book worth considering. To paraphrase the World's-Most-Interesting-Man, I don't usually read genre noir crime fiction, but when I do I read books like this one.
Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
If you like your noir sun-baked and dry, this may be the book for you. All of the important action takes place as we drive up and down fictitious Route 117, a deadend highway off of the very real Utah 191 in the undeniably real scrubby high desert south of Price, Utah. Midway along this stretch of useless highway, "...surrounded by miles of flat, rugged nothing, you come upon The Well-Known Desert Diner...", filming site for dozens of B movies and now known by locals as The Never-Open Desert Diner.
Our hero, Ben Jones, runs local deliveries as a sub for larger carriers, which brings him into contact with all of the characters who live along, by, on or near Route 117. This cast of characters, (which is carefully and fully established at the outset), is rich, varied and fascinating. Each is handmade and crafted with care. There may be hints of cliche here and there, but each will play out uniquely as more, or less, than expected.
During the course of a delivery Ben notices a squatter, (a gorgeous, dangerous young woman, of course), in an abandoned house. From that simple beginning a satisfyingly complex and twisty tale will emerge. The mystery will go back decades and will spin out of control before the desert dust settles. All of the best of the noir conventions - the endangered frail, the honorable hero, the wronged spouse, the missing thingie, the thugs, the search, the secrets, the secrets within secrets - are present and accounted for, and they are all handled with style and aplomb.
But best of all, this author gets the desert. He gets the people who live in trailers and cargo containers on the edges of the desert. His desert is more real and compelling than anything you might get from a self-conscious artsie travel writer or "wilderness poet". This is wind and sun and light and dirt and deluges of rain and flash floods and mirages. Anderson knows lonely middle aged heroes and noir romance. Of most importance - he knows that all noir doesn't take place in urban areas. Lots of the best noir stories are set in decrepit old farmhouses on dusty roads outside of Bakersfield.
So, if you think every abandoned gas station hides a nasty secret and if you like your Jack and Coke with a scorpion in it, or if you just like your crime fiction written to the highest quality standards, this is a book worth considering. To paraphrase the World's-Most-Interesting-Man, I don't usually read genre noir crime fiction, but when I do I read books like this one.
Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
December 8, 2016
I am afraid to summarize or say too much about this book because I am afraid to give something away and ruin the book for you if you decide to read it so just read the publisher's blurb about it and that is not even the first 25% of the book. This book was a true mystery book for me and one of the few that I could not predict the ending or what was coming next through most of the book. I grew very attached to the characters (especially the main characters Ben and Walt) and their story lines. I loved the independence and the self reliance if the people living in the desert and the description of driving on the lonely highway. It was beautifully written and I cannot wait to read more by this author.
I gave this 4 stars on Goodreads.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Penguin's First to Read Program with no requirement to review book.
I gave this 4 stars on Goodreads.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Penguin's First to Read Program with no requirement to review book.
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