Graveyard

Mutant Files #3

by William C. Dietz

The national bestselling author of Redzone and the Legion of the Damned novels continues his “gripping and intriguing”* post-apocalyptic story about an L.A. cop in a mutant-filled world...
 
2069, Los Angeles. Decades after a bioterrorist attack decimated the population and left many of the survivors horribly mutated, the “norms” have forced mutants into dangerous areas known as red zones. And the tensions between the two groups are threatening to boil over...
 
LAPD detective Cassandra Lee is known for her single-mindedness, and right now, she’s got only one goal—track down the Bonebreaker, the man who murdered her father. But her quest for justice is derailed when LA comes under attack.
 
The Aztec Empire, a Central American group determined to take back the U.S. territories that their Spanish ancestors once controlled, has led a mutant army into California. Suddenly caught in the middle of a war, Lee must put all her energy into keeping her city safe while unearthing the political secrets of LA’s shady mayor. And with the Bonebreaker hunting her down, losing focus even for a second could mean death...

Genres: Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Dystopia, Crime, Post Apocalyptic, Fiction

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 26, 2016

About the author

New York Times bestselling author William C. Dietz has published more than fifty novels, some of which have been translated into German, Russian, and Japanese. He grew up in the Seattle area, served as a medic with the Navy and Marine Corps, graduated from the University of Washington, and has been employed as a surgical technician, college instructor, and television news writer, director and producer. Before becoming a full-time writer Dietz was director of public relations and marketing for an international telephone company. He and his wife live near Gig Harbor, Washington.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jumping into this series at book 3, I did have to play a little bit of catch up trying to delve into the meat of the story. Thankfully, I found that groove quickly with little transition.

The story begins with Cassandra trying to track down the Bonebreaker but LA soon finds itself under attack by the Aztec Empire. That means Cassandra Lee is caught up in a war between the mutants and the citizens of LA with the Bonebreaker hot on her trail.

Dietz drafts this tale in such a way that you feel the stunning dystopian world viscerally. The action is fast and furious with not much time to take your breath. Mutants, mayhem and evil master minds Graveyard: The Mutant Files a cross between criminal minds and a scifi movie marathon. If you are looking for action, mystery and suspense in a world that will jump out and grab you, Graveyard: The Mutant Files is the book for you.

I received this ARC copy of Graveyard: The Mutant Files from Berkeley Publishing Group - Ace in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication Jan. 26, 2016.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graveyard by William Dietz – Graveyard, book three in the Mutant Files Series, is another wild ride. The Bonecrusher is still around, the war between Mutants and Normals is still on going, there are local political problems causing more tension for our characters and for starters there is an illegal medical lab to be tracked and shut down. Added to all of that on Lee’s plate, Kane is being held for murder. The Mutant Files are a great mix of apocalyptic, science fiction, and police procedural with a little romance thrown in for spice. Each book can stand alone but like most series they are more fun if read in order.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the start life seems good for Lee. Yes there are some issues, the Bonebreaker, among them. But then life becomes chaotic as Pacifica is invaded causing lots of repercussions. Lee is drawn in to help without much thanks. The whole political aspect was a bit boring, mostly because it was a bit predictable. I was more interested in the continued battle between Lee and Bonebreaker. Each one won a battle but with the action at the end Lee managed to best the Bonebreaker in a spectacular way!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graveyard by William C. Dietz is the third book in the Mutant Files trilogy. The first book in this trilogy was very good. The second book was even better. This book, the third, is the best of all.
In this one Detective Cassandra Lee and her boyfriend, Dr. Lawrence Kane, have moved in together. Everything is progressing wonderfully, until the Aztec Empire invades California (Pacifica). Lee is still trying to track down the serial killer, known as the Bonebreaker, who murdered her father and nine other police officers. Then her life is complicated even more when her boyfriend is charged with murder after defending a woman who was being attacked by two thugs on the street. Then mix in a case that may implicate the Mayor in a huge conspiracy. This book is action-packed with several very tense moments. This book neatly concludes the storyline that has been evolving since the first book.

[Scot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall a disappointing series, I'm going to try and briefly review everything.

I have read and enjoyed other books by this author, so I gave this a shot. He writes the action scenes pretty well and the parts in the red zone are fun, but unfortunately was absent in the last book. Main character sometimes felt a bit stiff except when dealing with her family issues, support characters were fun but sometimes seemed a bit magical in what they did off page.

I guess the main problem I had was the poor world building, the concept was good but poorly executed. It aggravated me that in a world where 90% of everyone dies, that there are still issues with traffic and water shortages and homelessness. And seemingly there are no consequences to foreign invasions and terrorist attacks beyond the day that they occur.

Rated every book a two, just barely enough to keep me reading.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bet real cops are rolling their eyes at how easy cases are settled in this book. I think the longest they took (except for Bonebreaker) is about 2 weeks maybe. And I kept wondering what is the main plot, the mayor or the Bonebreaker. It was just strange. And always in the back of my mind was the poor guys that worked/owned the garage the police took over. Where do they work now? Did the cops just take their way of making a living and washed their hands of them? They mentioned some cars were being fixed toward the beginning of the book. I always get stuck on the little stuff that doesn't mean much.

I liked the book. I'm satisfied with the ending of the series.

[Brett Boyko · Rating 3 out of 5]

W.C. Dietz hits his stride in Detective Fiction. The pacing is smooth and the world immersive. Cassandra Lee is a strong protagonist and their were enough twists to keep the engagement level solid. Overall, the strongest book of the Mutant Files and a deliciously guilty pleasure. The only difficulty (NO SPOILERS) was the ending was anti-climatic and arguably not worthy of the characters. This was the only difficulty I had with this particular novel. This said, still a worthy conclusion to a good trilogy.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay police detective read with some minimal science fictional elements. A little bit too obvious, but readable. This was a read for the Endeavour Award, not sure I would have read it else wise. It was interesting to think of LA getting attacked by Mexico - not sure I've seen that anywhere else. And the main pov character is pretty cool.

[Steven Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read almost all of Dietz's writing. This was a good ending to a trilogy with a happier than I was expecting ending. Part police procedural and part murder mystery, this book brought a neat ending to the series but left enough open for the possibility of other books in this world maybe with these characters.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts out with Mexico invading California and Texas and gets crazier from there. While the ending felt a bit rushed, everything is resolved, competing this dark, post-apocalyptic thriller series. A nice fix for the SF roman noir fan.

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t realize this was the third book in a series until after I requested it but I figured I’d go ahead with it anyway. Ultimately it stands on its own. I didn’t feel lost at all reading the third book in a series. It provided enough background information to give me the gist of what’s going on without bogging the plot down in details or not giving me enough. With that being said I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t been invested in the series since the beginning or what but I wasn’t thrilled with GRAVEYARD.

The writing itself was rather meh. It had a bad habit of spelling things out a little too often and not leaving enough to the imagination. Lighting cigarettes, if you will. But it was awkwardly placed stuff, more often than not providing extraneous detail where we don’t actually need it and skimming through more pertinent information as if it were irrelevant. It left me feeling not very engaged with the book and sometimes just reading a check list of plot points as the story went on. It made for a rather blah read that watered down the considerable amount of action going on around the characters.

The world itself had a rather Escape from LA feel to it, just with mutants. It came off to me rather gritty and dirty and that played a really good image in my head but again, going back to giving me too much minutiae and not enough valid detail, I felt more emphasis was put on when the MC got a cup of coffee and what she was eating than building the world or my feelings for what’s going on in the story.

The story itself was intriguing and it made me wish I had been around to read the first two books so I could see more than just the climax of the Bonebreaker story and more of the whole mutant revolution but the way the story’s written doesn’t have me begging to read it. The characters as well were all fine. Rather standard, stock cop characters, gritty female with a surly reputation trying to keep her nose as clean as possible, hard ass plays well with the boys. It’s just all rather typical. It made for an okay read but that’s about it.

Overall the book was rather meh. Entertaining enough but I’m not raring to read more books in the series, that’s for sure. I felt far more the passive observer getting what could be an exciting story told to her in a lackluster way where characters didn’t stand out against anything with a world that could have been popping if the writing weren’t bogging it down. I doubt I’ll be reading back in this one.

2.5

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassandra Lee is called out on a Sunday to deal with a dead body dumped at a local LA church. That night the Aztec Empire launched a surprise attack on Pacifica and the Republic of Texas. Lee has her plate full with trying to survive a rescue mission for the LA Mayor which lead to a possible corruption case in city government which lead to multiple attempts on her life. Police cases kept coming in while she was dealing with her boyfriend being jailed for murder. Then there was the Bonebreaker case hanging over her head. With help from friends and colleagues, not to mention some fine shooting, Lee manages to survive and close most of the cases. A nice ride in a Dietz apocalyptic future.

[T.L. Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gravyard by William Dietz is a gripping, gritty dark detective story that serves as the third installment in the Mutant Files series. While it can be read as a stand alone (I did), it is likely best enjoyed if you read the series in order. Set in a post-plague apocalyptic Los Angeles, Graveyard combines Sci Fi, mystery and gritty police procedural in a manner that grabbed my attention. Its strong female protagonist drew me further in, and I really enjoyed the read as a whole.

This is a good read for sci fi and crime drama fans, a great read for those who like both genres, and well worth picking up for anyone who likes Urban Fantasy mysteries, and interested in seeing that same dark element in a Sci Fi setting.

for full review go to the Archaeologists' Guide to the Galaxy.

[Michael Rutkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

After writing these books for 30 years Mr. Dietz pretty much has this down to a science ! His books, this one included, are a fast, action packed, entertaining reads that give a reader a break from more detailed, intricate, thoughtful, slow and sometimes plodding science fiction novels ! There is a need for both kinds and he fills one niche very nicely !

[Jennifer Jamieson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I'd have seen this was 3rd in a series before I picked it up. Dietz' writing is interesting, but ultimately because I was playing catch up on the background of the story, I wasn't as invested in it.

[Mark Baller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read looks like last in the series but who knows

[Molly Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please click on the link to my full review posted at That's What I'm Talking About blog: http://twimom227.com/2016/01/review-g...

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action! Mutants! Intrigue! Such a fun series.