The Distant Dead: A Novel

Written by Heather Young

Narrated by Charlie Thurston, Jim Meskimen, Eva Kaminsky and Cassandra Campbell

Nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel * Nominated for the ITW Thriller Award for Best Young Adult Novel

A BookPage Best Book of the Year * A People Magazine Best Book of Summer * A Parade Best Book of Summer * A Crime Reads Most Anticipated Book of Summer

""Powerful...a breathtaking read, with flawed and authentic characters who hit so close to home that at times it is impossible not to root for them."" — San Francisco Chronicle

A body burns in the high desert hills. A boy walks into a fire station, pale with the shock of discovery. A middle school teacher worries when her colleague is late for work. By day’s end, when the body is identified as local math teacher Adam Merkel, a small Nevada town will be rocked to its core.  

Adam Merkel left a university professorship in Reno to teach middle school in Lovelock seven months before he died. A quiet, seemingly unremarkable man, he connected with just one of his students: Sal Prentiss, a lonely sixth grader who lives with his uncles on a desolate ranch in the hills. The two outcasts developed a tender, trusting friendship that brought each of them hope in the wake of tragedy. But it is Sal who finds Adam’s body, charred almost beyond recognition, half a mile from his uncles’ compound.

Nora Wheaton, the middle school’s social studies teacher, dreamed of a life far from Lovelock only to be dragged back on the eve of her college graduation to care for her disabled father, a man she loves but can’t forgive. She sensed in the new math teacher a kindred spirit--another soul bound to Lovelock by guilt and duty. After Adam’s death, she delves into his past for clues to who killed him and finds a dark history she understands all too well. But the truth about his murder may lie closer to home. For Sal Prentiss’s grief seems heavily shaded with fear, and Nora suspects he knows more than he’s telling about how his favorite teacher died. As she tries to earn the wary boy’s trust, she finds he holds not only the key to Adam’s murder, but an unexpected chance at the life she thought she’d lost.

Weaving together the last months of Adam’s life, Nora’s search for answers, and a young boy’s anguished moral reckoning, this unforgettable thriller brings a small American town to vivid life, filled with complex, flawed characters wrestling with the weight of the past, the promise of the future, and the bitter freedom that forgiveness can bring.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jun 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9780063016101

Heather Young

Heather Young earned her law degree from the University of Virginia and practiced law in San Francisco before beginning her writing career. She received an MFA from the Bennington College Writing Seminars, and has studied at the Tin House Writers’ Workshop and the Squaw Valley Writers Workshop. She lives in Mill Valley, California, with her husband and two children. The Lost Girls is her first novel.

Reviews for The Distant Dead

[Gloriana · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story is absolutely stunning! What an epic journey through time & circumstances. The theme of choices and fate were profound and heartfelt. Relatable human emotions and vivid characters. I was also enraptured by the way the audiobook was performed with different narrators for each pov of the characters. That was an excellent choice that heightened not only the gravity of the story but my enjoyment of it.

[dandiercks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This murder mystery wasn’t exactly a page turner, at least not to me. I wouldn’t consider myself a devotee of this genre, so it might not be a fair assessment on my part. I found the plot believable and entertaining. The characters were likewise believable and easy to get close to. The ending was reasonably surprising, although not “twist ending” surprising. I think this would be a great beach read, and although I wasn’t on the beach when I read it (unfortunately), I still found it a good escape book. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to read a well written mystery.

[ftbooklover · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Middle school math teacher, Adam Merkel has been murdered and collegue, Nora Wheaton has decided to learn more about Adam and who might have wanted him dead. The first place she looks is in the direction of Sal Prentiss, a lonely boy that Adam had taken under his wing and the same boy who found Adam's body. Nora discovers that Adam had lived through the tragic death of his son, Benjamin in a car accident caused by Adam when he was high on heroin. Nora is reminded of the death of her brother Jeremy when her father was driving home drunk and caused an accident that killed Jeremy. Nora's investigation leads her to some disturbing facts that make her wonder if she really knew Adam at all.

I read a review of The Distant Dead describing it as a slow burn, but I found it to be more of an annoying trickle. So much of the information and the characters in the book are not necessary, making it feel like the story was built on red herrings rather than an interesting plot. Each chapter is told from the perspective of either Sal, Nora, or Jake (who doesn't seem to have much to do with the story at all). Some chapters are told from a perspective that is unknown. In the end all of the characters are tragic and not very likable, making for a depressing series of events

[formerenglishteacher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This murder mystery wasn’t exactly a page turner, at least not to me. I wouldn’t consider myself a devotee of this genre, so it might not be a fair assessment on my part. I found the plot believable and entertaining. The characters were likewise believable and easy to get close to. The ending was reasonably surprising, although not “twist ending” surprising. I think this would be a great beach read, and although I wasn’t on the beach when I read it (unfortunately), I still found it a good escape book. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to read a well written mystery.

[brookiexlicious · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Though there is a mystery at the core, this book also addressed the opioid crisis (particularly its effect on small towns), addiction, family dynamics, grief, guilt, and a good amount of mathematics and anthropology. The writing was gripping and poetic as it flowed from sentence to sentence. Each character was fully developed (even minor ones) and each one made you feel something; the author’s care and love for her characters shines through from the pages. I’ve visited Lovelock years ago and the vivid descriptions about the landscape placed me right back there again. Even if you’ve never been there, you’ll be able to envision this place in your mind.I also have to praise this book for being completely unlike other cliched mysteries I’ve read. As a reader you’re intrigued by the crime, yes, but yet you’re also invested in the other stories happening alongside the mystery. At times I even forgot the genre of this book.

[tibobi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Short of It:A really good story, but not at all what I expected going into it.The Rest of It:A math teacher is found dead. His body, burned beyond recognition. Young Sal, one of his students makes the grisly discovery. The police determine it’s a homicide but no one has a clue how a mild mannered school teacher could be killed in this manner. Adam Merkel was fairly new to the area. Having only been there for seven months, no one had really gotten to know the man, except maybe Sal, who spent his lunches in Merkel’s classroom as a way to escape the schoolyard bullies and his loneliness and sadness over his mother’s death a year earlier.This is a sad, tragic story. Although Merkel’s murder is front and center, the loss of Sal’s mother and the tragedy that Merkel faced before his death ties these two characters together in a very special way. When I picked this book up, I thought it was a murder mystery, and although there is a murder to solve, there is a lot more going on in the story than you would imagine.Sal is a complex kid. He’s mature and able to feel and see things that a child his age might not normally notice. To escape the foster care system after his mother’s death, he’s forced to live with his two wayward uncles. One has an anger problem and the other is a drug dealer. They don’t seem to pay him any mind, as evidenced by his clothing that is too small or the fact that he never has enough to eat. So when Merkel takes a liking to the boy and provides support and friendship that Sal so desperately needs, Sal finds that he will do anything for the man.Just so you know, there is NO, absolutely NO child molestation in this story. It might seem like that is where this story is headed so I wanted to tell you not to fear, this is not that kind of story. Instead it’s a story about pain and loss and friendship and what it means to be a family.I enjoyed this story quite a bit.For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.

[mm_jones · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"In Lovelock, death sounds like music"An unforgettable novel, the suspense builds until the very end. The conclusion, one of many possibilities. The setting is a small town filled with complex, flawed characters burdened by the past. I really enjoyed the location, the author skillfully portrayed life in a place with limited options and the siren lure of drugs. A thoughtful exploration of who is responsible for the choices we make.

[susan.macura · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Middle school teacher Adam Merkel is found burned to death by his favorite young student Sal. Nora Wheaton, another teacher at that school, becomes involved in trying to find out what happened. There are some great characters, lots of interesting twists and some timely plot lines, making it a good read.

[cathyskye · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I always classify the books I review because I realize that people like to know what genre the book belongs to. I call The Distant Dead a "literary mystery" for the simple reason that it transcends the genre.There are two main voices in this story: a middle school social studies teacher named Nora Wheaton, and Sal Prentiss, the lonely boy who found Adam Merkel's body as he was walking through the desert to the school bus stop. As we slowly begin to learn what really happened to Merkel, one thing becomes crystal clear: author Heather Young has created some rare and brilliant character studies. Why are they rare? Because they have you feel empathy for all the characters-- even the ones you don't like.There's a reason why this small Nevada town is called Lovelock ("Lock your love in Lovelock!" as the billboard proclaims): all the people we come to know are locked in the town because of love, and that's not necessarily a good thing. Of them all, Nora Wheaton resonated the most with me, probably because we both have wanderlust and know what it's like to feel trapped: "...but when she saw the WELCOME TO IDAHO sign something inside her opened. She loved that they would go somewhere else the next summer, and the summer after that, every trip widening the world a little more."The Distant Dead is a compelling mystery-- I had to know what really happened to Adam Merkel and what would happen to Nora and the young boy Sal-- but it's such a sad tale that I had to read it a bit at a time, letting one section be absorbed into my system before continuing to the next. But although my pace was slow, it was sure. This is a story that stuck with me even when I wasn't reading it. I kept finding myself thinking about the characters Young created, and I always returned to the book with the hope that, somehow, someway, things would go right. I highly recommend this sad, extraordinary tale.

[beamis12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In a desert town outside of Reno, Nevada and a young boy, Saul finds a burnt body. The body is that if a fairly new math teacher, and except for Saul and Nora, another teacher, he has made few friends. He also has a grief stricken past and many secrets. Saul, whose own mother had recently died, lives with his two hermit like uncles. Their family has quite a long reaching reputation.The story is told by multiple voices, Saul, Jake, the paramedic and Nora, who also has and is still dealing with her family's grief. This is a struggling town, and drugs are prevalent as is the damage they cause. A very unusual murder investigation and a very slowly paced, but perfectly measured story. One that shows how events can connect many different people. The atmosphere of the dying town is well done and this blends perfectly into the story. Grief, secrets, lies and how people live with these burdens. Saul, once again seems at times older than the adults and the ending is an unorthodox one. But so fitting.I think this will appeal to those who liked [book:The Dry|27824826] by [author:Jane Harper|556546]ARC by Edelweiss.

[brangwinn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

ONE OF THE BEST MYSTERIES I have read this year. You can almost feel the dry Nevada grit as you read about the death of a teacher in a small town near Reno and Winnemucca. Going back to prehistory, the book opens with the death of a young Indian boy in a cave. It is not until the end of the book you understand the connection. I won’t go into the plot, except that I feel so much for the 11-year old Sal who is at the center of this novel. I can’t imagine how he will have the inner strength to handle what his life has held for him up to this point. There is hope at the end, and satisfaction for the reader. The book is all about choices and how our choices determine what happens to us. A variety of characters are here, all are flawed, and all have a story to tell.