Carthage by Joyce Carol Oates ****

Another excellent novel by Oates, this one was published in 2013. This is the story of Cressida Mayfield, who vanishes in a forest preserve in upstate New York, Corporal Brett Kincaid, the wounded and damaged veteran of the war in Iraq, who confesses to having attacked and murdered Cressida, who is the sister of his fiancée, Juliet Mayfield, as well as the parents of Juliet and Cressida.

There are some riveting scenes in this book, especially the tour of Death Row in a Texas prison, and some very LONG sentences! I often re-read them just to figure out their construction, and even their meaning. However, Oates' novels are not difficult to read, she is an excellent writer and uses

 intricate details effectively. They are pretty well all dystopian in theme and content, but nonetheless, interesting and illuminating.

The other novels by Oates that I've read are: We Were The Mulvaneys, The Falls, Blonde, and The Grave- Digger's Daughter.