Publishers Weekly
★ 06/01/2015
This moving series launch from bestseller Koryta (Those Who Wish Me Dead) illustrates why he’s among today’s top thriller writers. PI Mark Novak has not done well since his wife, Lauren, was murdered on her way to an interview on behalf of the Florida firm that specializes in exonerating death-row inmates for which the couple worked. Two years later, Mark, who’s at risk of being fired by that firm, receives an unusual request. Ridley Barnes, an eccentric cave explorer, wants him to look into the decade-old murder of 17-year-old Sarah Martin, who disappeared inside Trapdoor Caverns in Garrison, Ind. Barnes was a prime suspect in that case, though he was never charged. The tragedy plunged the town into an economic depression after the cave’s owners sealed it, cutting off the tourist trade. In Garrison, Mark encounters people who refuse to talk—and violence. Koryta sensitively portrays regret and grief while plunging the reader into exciting, claustrophobic scenes deep inside the massive cave. Author tour. Agent: David Hale Smith, Inkwell Management. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
"You can't put this baby down."—Stephen King
"An inventive storyteller who's also a skilled stylist, he's constantly experimenting, which explains why his private eye novel Last Words doesn't read like one...even on a literal level, Koryta's descriptions of that unknown realm beneath the one we know - with places like the Chapel Room and Maiden Creek and Greenglass River - possess an unearthly beauty. You almost begin to believe...that it's all one big cave down there, with endless interconnected rooms stretching into infinity."—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times
"This moving series launch from bestseller Koryta (Those Who Wish Me Dead) illustrates why he's among today's top thriller writers. Koryta sensitively portrays regret and grief while plunging the reader into exciting, claustrophobic scenes deep inside the massive cave."—Publishers Weekly (starred)
"Outstanding launch of a new series. Koryta punctuates the intense underground scenes of Last Words with claustrophobia so realistic that it's palpable. He wrings every moment of excitement possible."—Associated Press
"Koryta knows what he's talking about. The last page of Last Words hints at the plot of Koryta's next novel, and I say bring it on."—The Washington Post
"Last Words might not make you eager to go underground yourself, but it will make you avid to keep turning the pages....a promising series kickoff; just be sure to read it in daylight."—Tampa Bay Times
"Koryta is a master of plot."—Bob Cunningham, Toledo Blade
"With each book, the talents of New York Times best-selling author Koryta (The Prophet) just get better."—Library Journal (starred)
ACCLAIM FOR THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD:"
Warning: Michael Koryta's wonderful, riveting, and harrowing Those Who Wish Me Dead may just move you to tears. Enjoy at your own risk."—Harlan Coben, #1 bestselling author of Missing You and Six Years
"Outstanding in every way, and a guaranteed thriller-of-the-year...Stephen King would be proud of the set up, Cormac McCarthy would be proud of the writing, and I would be proud of the action. Don't you dare miss it."—Lee Child, #1 bestselling author of Never Go Back
"Those Who Wish Me Dead is an absolutely thrilling read. I read most of it with my breath held, occasionally exhaling to ask myself, 'What will happen next?' I highly recommend it."—Kevin Powers, National Book Award Finalist and author of The Yellow Birds
"Absolutely breathtaking, nail-biting, and edge-of-your-seat. Michael Koryta is a master at maintaining suspense and a hell of a good writer. Those Who Wish Me Dead is one of the best chase-and-escape novels you'll read this year - or any other year. The pace never lets up."—Nelson DeMille, author of The Quest
Library Journal
★ 06/01/2015
Still mourning his wife's violent and unsolved murder two years ago, Mark Novak is an investigator for a group that helps wrongly convicted death row inmates. He's sent to the small town of Garrison, IN, because his firm received a letter from Ridley Barnes asking for help. Ridley hasn't been convicted and is not on death row, but he is suspected of killing a teenager in the Trapdoor Caverns a decade ago. Unable to remember the events that led him to carrying out the dead girl's body, Ridley wants to know what really happened, even if it means him going to jail. But Mark soon realizes he has been lied to and set up to look like a fool. After more entanglements, including a near-death experience in the cave where the girl died, Mark is determined to uncover the truth. VERDICT With each book, the talents of New York Times best-selling author Koryta (The Prophet) just get better. His latest is sure to please his readers and fans of John Connolly. [See Prepub Alert, 3/2/15.]—Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll., Elkhorn Lib., WI
Kirkus Reviews
2015-05-06
A decade ago, a 17-year-old girl was found dead, beaten and handcuffed, after disappearing inside an Indiana tourist cave. Private investigator Mark Novak's career, and well-being, may depend on his ability to solve this cold case. Novak works for a pro bono Florida firm that specializes in exonerating death-row inmates. They've been asked to look into this small-town killing by the man many people think committed the crime, Ridley Barnes, an oddball caver who may have motives besides clearing his name in contacting them. He found young Sarah Martin after disappearing inside the cave himself for an extended time and emerging with her dead body while in a hypothermic, manic state. Novak's bosses have assigned him this back-burner case not out of any real interest in it but to give him a chance to regain his bearings. He has been acting erratically since the murder of his wife (and co-worker) two years ago. Novak thinks he'll be in and out of town in a day or two, but the more he uncovers about the townspeople—and the more he's subjected to scare tactics and violence—the deeper into the case he digs. The best and most suspenseful parts of the book by far are the ones set underground, particularly the scene in which bad guys drug and strip Novak and deposit him inside the cave. Koryta evokes the pitch-dark, damp, bone-cold setting so well, it's easy to share the claustrophobia and eerie visions the character experiences. Unfortunately, the plot feels forced; lacking in standout characters, it doesn't create anywhere near the sustained tension of Koryta's terrific previous efforts, Those Who Wish Me Dead (2014) and The Prophet (2012). In its use of cave settings, Koryta's latest thriller is ingenious and gripping, but those scenes can't make up for patches of plodding storytelling.
