Sal Prentiss, a sixth grader, who recently lost his mother finds his maths teacher dead one morning. His teacher Adam Merkel, was a newly appointed maths teacher at the school and had previously been a professor from the University of Nevada. Having made a significant change in job title and moving alone to a small town caused quite a stir within the local community. Without time to form bonds with his work colleagues and living in solitude made Adam and his death quite a mystery. Although the book surrounds itself around the mysterious death of Adam, Adam's voice is told through the other characters and their limited knowledge of the man. I found this quite a powerful feature in the novel. The story alternates between three character's: Sal, Nora and Jake. Sal was a really interesting character. A young boy who had recently lost his mother and had been sent to live with his two uncles. Sal had formed quite an endearing relationship with his teacher but I found myself second guessing his reliability and their relationship didn't sit comfortably with me. Nora, a teacher at the school also had her fair amount of heartache and trauma having lost both her brother and mother. Her backstory was extremely fascinating, especially her relationship with her own father. The Distant Dead is a complex story about a small town and the history that weaves its way into the lives of everyone living there. The characters have all faced adversity and their emotions are written with a rawness that cuts through to the reader. The plot was shocking, twisty and all-consuming. I found Young's writing in The Distant Dead to be poetic, evoked strong emotions within me and was very thought-provoking.

A body burns in the high desert hills. A boy walks into a fire station, pale with the shock of a grisly 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 by a brutal and calculated murder. This book is definitely one that is more than meets the eye. At first, you think it is a normal thriller/murder mystery, but as the book progresses and character development delves deep, it is so much more than the genre. It is a slow burner, do not think that this book is a quick, straight to the point book because it is not.- it is worth sticking with though! This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. 3.5/5.