Journal of the Dead

An extraordinary story of adventure, friendship, death, and judgement. Two friends live out their last youthful adventure Kerouac-style driving across the USA. The journey ends in tragedy, one friend dying at the hands of the other. Lost and wandering in the devastating heat of the desert, Raffi Kodikian kills the dehydrated David Coughlin, insisting it is an act of mercy. The small town trial that follows acts as a linch-pin for the narrative, bringing up many of the questions and themes that electrified readers of To Kill A Mockingbird. The characterisation is wonderful; evidence is presented with a detached clarity reminiscent of Perfect Storm, and there are also actual extracts from the boys' journal.