I want to start off by saying this review shouldn’t be taken too seriously because I did not finish the book. And usually, I don’t feel like I have the right to review a book unless I have finished reading it. But this is my honest opinion and if I’m being honest, this was not the right book for me.
The Never-Open Desert Diner by James Anderson
For me, this book could not grab my attention. I tried again and again to continue reading it and it just never happened. I’d immediately forget what I had read and it just wasn’t memorable for me. I don’t think it’s a question on the writing itself, the story just didn’t interest me as much as I thought it would. The cover caught my attention, which is the first reason I chose this book.
Second reason, when I read the synopsis, I thought I’d try something different and see if I would enjoy it. And since I’m terrible at paraphrasing I’ll just share what was written on the inside of the dust jacket.
Ben Jones lives a quiet, hardscrabble life, working as a trucker on Route 117, a little-traveled 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.
It sounded interesting enough, a thriller mixed with mystery and romance. Now, I feel terrible that I couldn’t give this book more of a chance, but there are too many books that are grabbing my attention and I just don’t want to waste my time on one that I do not find interesting. But just because I couldn’t finish this book and found it uninteresting does not mean you will think the same thing. It just means that as I continue to grow as a reader I find what types of books work for me and what types don’t work for me.
Again, because I didn’t finish the book you shouldn’t take my word for it. This might be the book for you, it just didn’t work for me. That’s all for now.
Thanks for reading
*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
