To Bury the Dead

by Brian Andrew Laird

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312152248
• ISBN13: 9780312152246
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 179 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

An authentic view of the Tucson attitude

It's a good story. Laird neatly portrays the pretentious snobbery of Tucson with a vivid reality that makes the rest of the story authentic -- including a realistic and sympathetic portrayal of the Tohono O'Oodham Native Americans. The story is straightforward. After the body of his O'Oodham friend disappears from his truck, and the police could care less about investigating the disappearance, biologist Gray Napoleon sets out to recover it. The more questions he asks, the more trouble he stirs up for himself, and that is the crux of the story. Napoleon is the typical Tucson twit, admirably and well portrayed by Laird, a native of Wisconsin who is now dedicated to saving Tucson from itself. A former UCLA drop-out, Napoleon reformed and finally got a degree as a biologist which enables him to now roam the desert at leisure. He lives in an old adobe with three-foot thick walls in the South Tucson barrio, the ultimate status symbol for the pampered politically proper ecologists of Tucson. It gives him ample excuse to moan and groan about anyone who does anything to modernize the neighborhood -- Give praise for the ex-hippies who are saving Tucson from itself ! In his introduction, he praises Tucson author Julian Hayden (deceased since the book was published) as an inspiration -- in the book, he says Napoleon was an early member of the radical ecologists who used to trash Hayden's equipment and cost him thousands of dollars. If Laird appreciates the irony of this situation, he certainly doesn't indicate it in the book. Yet, this sense of righteous twittery is pure Tucson. Enjoy a pizza ? Once again, his response is pure Tucson. He turns his nose up at the usual pizza chain offerings, and instead enjoys a hole-in-the-wall local restaurant. That is SOOOOO Tucson -- but, it leaves me wondering if he's ever heard of a chimichanga. As the book ends, he writes of Napoleon parking his truck in a wash while he hikes into the desert -- no one but an innocent Eastern tourist would be dumb enough to park in a wash where it could be washed away within minutes in a typical summer monsoon flash flood. Let's just say that it's as dumb as trying to drive through a flooded underpass . . . . . All these flaws add up to pure Tucson atmosphere, which gives his story a delicious aura of authenticity. Many detective stories are anonymous; after reading Laird, you have a feel for the foibles and follies of Tucson -- isn't that what life is about ? If we weren't complex mixtures of flows, foibles, follies and fantasies, our lives would be immeasurably dull and stories such as this would have no meaning. My advice is to buy the book, read it and enjoy. It'll give you a good story, and a genuine feel for Tucson -- and, if you've lived in Tucson, a good laugh.

Masterfully-written, riveting action/suspense

Suspense fiction, like carnival rides, doesn't often live up to your visceral expectations. This is not the case with TO BURY THE DEAD. Laird's style picks you up by the lapels and throws you around the room for awhile. I could not put this book down until I had finished it...then I wanted more. I look forward with much anticipation to his next book.

A feel-good easy read.

I would rate this book 5 stars for the enjoyment I received from it, but, the story takes place in the community in which I have lived for the last 48 years, & I realize it would not be quite so enjoyable for someone "not from around here". Both of my sons who do not like to read could not put the book down until they had finnished it. It is not only rivetting, but also teaches the reader something about the southwest, and Native Americans from this area.

Murder and Native American lore make for a fascinating tale

Botanist Gray Napoleon leaves his beloved work, studying plant life in one of the most hostile environments in the world, to travel to Los Angeles to pick up the corpse of his friend Ryder Joaquin, Years ago Ryder made Gray promise that if something happened to the Native American, he would bring the body back to the O'Odham Indian Reservation in Southern Arizona, so that his friend can receive a proper burial. On the way back from Los Angeles, just outside Tucson, Gray stops for gas and somehow loses the corpse. To add to his misery and shock, Gray is beaten up by two thugs, Ben and Jerry, who want the coffin that contains the body. ......The thugs boss, Power (what a name for a boss), informs Gray that the coffin included a powerful Native American artifact that graphically provides the important historical events that has happened to the O'Odham tribe. Power threatens to harm a friend of Gray if he fails to locate the artifact for him. When Ryder's girl friend is murdered, Gray realizes that there are villains out there who will do anything, including murder, to obtain the artifact. If he fails to find the artifact soon, Gray may be joining his own ancestors quicker than he is destined to see them. ......TO BURY THE DEAD is an interesting who-done-it because of the battle between the incursion of modern society into the natural, raw beauty of the Southwest desert. Gray is a likable character, whose profession adds an intriguing twist to the novel. Though the secondary characters seem a bit two dimensional, Brian Andrew Laird scribes a superb tale that fans of regional mysteries will enjoy. ......Harriet Klausner

super southwest suspense. Hillerman, watch out!

When a body turns up missing on the way to the O'Otham funeral, a Tucson botanist moves into action.Fast moving, evocative desert drama, rings true