Monday, July 14, 2014

People, O Magazine, and Reader's Digest chime in

Adding THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD to their summer must-read lists. Here are some additional reviews for the novel:

“Michael Koryta is a fearless stylist who has put his hand to ghost stories, historical novels, killer-thrillers, revenge tragedies, morality tales and detective stories. He’s now swinging from the high wire with THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD, a heart-thumping backwoods adventure that sends two creatively sadistic killers into Montana’s Beartooth Mountains, where they spark a monster forest fire to flush out the only witness to their crimes: Jace Wilson, a 14-year-old-boy…. Koryta rigs his tripwire plot with all sorts of unpredictable characters and unforeseen events, including a “flint-and-steel” electrical storm that will make your hair stand on end. There are any number of hunting parties combing the burning woods for Jace, from the Blackwell brothers to two determined women riding an injured horse. But sitting here, heart in mouth, it sure looks as if that raging forest fire will outrun them all.” —Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

“Michael Koryta's latest novel skillfully melds a thrilling adventure story set against the Montana wilderness with a poignant coming-of-age story…Koryta's vivid Montana landscape scenes pulsate with the smells and sounds of the great outdoors. His three-dimensional characters realistically explore the choices they are forced to make as the author keeps the plot twisting with believable turns.” ­—Oline Cogdill, Associated Press

“I was reminded of the best of John Steinbeck and Cormac McCarthy while reading these pages, but most of all, I was reminded of Koryta, who continually matches and exceeds the expectations that he himself creates with the release of each new book.”Book Reporter

The wilderness thriller with the summer's best opening sentence. Here's the first sentence of Those Who Wish Me Dead (Little Brown): "On the last day of Jace Wilson’s life, the fourteen-year-old stood on a quarry ledge staring at cool, still water and finally understood something his mother had told him years before: Trouble might come for you when you showed fear, but trouble doubled-down when you lied about being afraid."
"Pulse-pounding," "edge-of-your-seat," "unputdownable"—these cliches are all on the no-no list for book reviewers, but what's a 
reviewer to do when those are the words that best describe a novel? Well, she gets off her literary high horse. This pulse-pounding, edge-of-your-seat, unputdownable thriller is about Jace, the teenage witness to a crime; the evil brothers hellbent on stopping him from talking; and their crazy cat-and-mouse game that plays out in the Montana backwoods.” – Reader’s Digest


“Not only does its plot sizzle with one shocking turn after another; it also involves a massive forest fire so vividly described you almost expect the edges of the pages to be scorched…Koryta builds the book's suspense with impressive skill, shifting among different characters' points of view to keep the reader constantly on edge.”Tampa Bay Times

“[A] heartpounder.”People

“[A] taut novel brimming with violence, terror, and (just as scary) the perils of growing up.”O, The Oprah Magazine

“Having joined the ranks of the very best thriller writers with his small-town masterpiece, The Prophet (2012), Koryta matches that effort with a book of sometimes-unbearable tension…this novel is brilliantly orchestrated. Also crucial to its success is Koryta's mastery of the beautiful but threatening setting, including a mountain fire's ability to electrify the ground, radiate a lethal force field—and create otherworldly light shows. Summer reading doesn't get better than this.” Kirkus (starred review)

“A fast-paced, terrifically entertaining novel.…The Blackwell brothers’ devious methods, the fire raging across the mountains, and the actions of those trying to save Jace will keep readers up well into the night.” Library Journal (starred review)

Koryta, a widely praised veteran of cross-genre tales, has upped his game with this stand-alone’s seamless blend of western-wilderness thriller and mainstream crime fiction, with a prickly dab of horror.Booklist (starred review)

“It’s an eerie setting with palpable threats at every turn, one that plays out somewhere between Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men and David Mamet’s screenplay for The Edge.” —Clayton Moore, Kirkus Reviews

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

“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 SIX YEARS

“Reading Michael Koryta is like stepping into fast water. You don’t know where the current will take you, only that it’s strong and deep and likely to sweep you away.” —John Hart, New York Times bestselling author of IRON HOUSE

“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, New York Times bestselling author of THE QUEST

“Michael Koryta is that rare author who is at once a compelling storyteller and a fantastic writer. From the first sentence of THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD, you’ll be under his spell. This is an absolute sizzler.” —Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of IN THE BLOOD

“Michael Koryta’s 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, author of the National Book Award–nominated THE YELLOW BIRDS

“Michael Koryta isn’t just one of the finest authors working in the crime genre today. He’s simply one of today’s finest authors, period. THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD is Koryta at his best.” —William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author ORDINARY GRACE


“Wow! An absolutely first-rate novel. THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD is what every reader hopes for each time they start a book.” —Christopher Reich, New York Times bestselling author of RULES OF DECEPTION