Easily my favorite book I have read this year. Sort of a mystery but mostly a character piece. Full of great writing and a poetry of words that captured me from the first page. ( )

Ben Jones lives a quiet life, content as the delivery driver on Route 117, a remote highway in the middle of the Utah desert. There's not much to see or do on the route. Though there is an old diner, a place that used to be bustling with activity but now sits empty. Owned by Walt, a resident recluse, it provides the main landmark and only real character on Ben's route.

But everything changes when Ben stumbles across Claire, a beautiful woman who is squatting in a nearby home. She's different and she's intriguing. And it doesn't take long for Ben to start falling for the mysterious Claire, even when he knows he shouldn't.

A number of other strange things start happening not long after Claire's arrival. Ben is followed by a woman he's never seen before. He's asked to take part in a reality television show. And he's warned that the police might be looking into him. So much for Ben's uneventful life...

As Ben learns more about Claire and her history, things slowly start to fall into place. But there just might be more to the story than he could ever piece together on his own.

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Every once in a while, I feel the need to change up what I read. And that's where this literary mystery comes in. It's not quite crime fiction--which is where the mysteries I read tend to live--but there is a crime involved. There's a strong narrative here, and a good arc for Ben and some of the other characters. It's not one where you'll feel compelled to keep guessing, but there are some twists and surprises that creep up along the way.

If you're a fan of literary fiction with a dash of mystery, then this one is probably right up your alley.

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.] ( )

Not what I expected

Great story telling with lots of unusual desert critters (human, mostly) and a twist ending that I never saw coming. Good read. ( )

We travel a lonely stretch of desolate highway…State Road 117…in northern Utah. The highway sees it’s share of loners…drifters…ranchers, and the few “natives” that live along this road and get almost all their life supplying supplies from Ben Jones. Jones is quiet a character in himself…a half-Indian, half-Jewish independent trucker with a dry sense of humor. Ben isn’t what you would call highly or even slightly, “observant” ...but he does notice a single building standing in what was to be housing development and the woman that appears to be occupying the “such as it is” dwelling. He diffidently notices her the second time he sees her as she is naked, sitting on the porch with a stringless cello and a gun which she is diffidently pointing at him. The cast of characters and the happening continue in this vein until the last page. Think of this as a somewhat “bent”... certainly different...mystery/romance. Of the many strange characters you will meet along the pages is the one I liked the most… and from whom the book takes it’s title… the widowed septuagenarian owner, operator of the diner…an empty but well-maintained relic much like its owner, who we find has many secrets… one of which is literally too awful to comptemplate. ( )

4.5 stars.

Set against the backdrop of the Utah desert, The Never-Open Desert Diner by James Anderson is an atmospheric novel that is part mystery and part character study. With its incredible setting and cast of eclectic but vastly appealing characters, this captivating debut will leave readers hopeful it is just the first of many installments starring truck driver Ben Jones.

Ben is an independent trucker whose route along the desolate 117 is much more than a job. Caring deeply for the diverse customers he delivers packages to, his compassion for the residents leaves him on the verge of losing his business. Fiercely protective of their desire for privacy, Ben shields them from the sudden scrutiny of strangers even when offered an opportunity that could potentially pull him from the brink of financial ruin. Bewitched by the mysterious, ephemeral beauty whom he meets in a rather unorthodox (yet humorous) encounter, Ben is unwittingly drawn into a puzzling mystery that puts him and those he cares for in danger.

An orphan who was abandoned by his mother when he was a baby, Ben is one of those characters that is impossible not to like. He is a bit of loner yet he cares deeply for the customers on his route. He respects their vehement need for privacy and he never pushes for more contact than they are willing to give him. He is pragmatic and accepting of his fate even in the face of losing the truck route that is more calling than job. Down to earth with a surprising amount of depth under his somewhat taciturn exterior, Ben is a champion of those he cares for and he will do just about anything to protect them from outsiders.

One of the many notable characters on his route, Walt Butterfield is the cranky and enigmatic owner of The Well-Known Desert Diner. While many people know of the events of his tragic past, few know the actual details of the tragedy that continues to haunt him decades after it occurred. Walt's diner is now closed for business yet he meticulously keeps the interior exactly as it was the day he shut the doors to the public. Hardened and irrefutably shaped by his misfortune, Walt has a surprising capacity for love when the prospect to right a wrong presents itself.

The unexpected appearance of Claire, a mysterious woman on the run from her past, provides Ben an unanticipated chance at love. Immediately smitten, he returns as often as possible with hopes of catching a glimpse of the beautiful stranger. Their encounters slowly evolve from slightly antagonistic to friendship then surprisingly, to romance. However, Claire's unresolved past soon collides with her present which leaves Ben uncertain about their future together.

The harsh Utah desert is as much a character in the story as it is the setting. The descriptions of the bleak landscape are tempered by Mr. Anderson's uncanny ability to find beauty in an arid region that is truly breathtaking. This wild and untamed location springs vibrantly to life and the reader experiences the vagaries of weather and the bleak isolation alongside Ben and the assorted cast of characters.

The Never-Open Desert Diner by James Anderson is a fascinating peek into the lives of people who manage to thrive despite the hardship and heartbreak they experience while eking out a hard fought existence in an unforgiving stretch of isolated desert. Beautifully rendered with an ensemble of quirky but likable characters, this debut is an entertaining and thought-provoking story that I absolutely loved and highly recommend to anyone who enjoys character driven novels with a hint of mystery.

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