New Release Books by Michael Koryta

It's been said that all great literature boils down to one of two stories--a person takes a journey, or a stranger comes to town. The newest collection of stories by the Mystery Writers of America explores the eerie feeling that comes when a stranger enters our midst, featuring stories by prolific mystery writers, including: S.A. Cosby Amanda Witt Alafair Burke Smita Harish Jain Michael Connelly Jacqueline Freimor Joe R. Lansdale Emilya Naymark Lisa Unger Bryon Quertermous Tilia Klebenov Jacobs Lori Roy Paul A. Barra Michael Koryta Elaine Togneri Jonathan Stone Steve Hamilton Tina deBellegarde Joe Hill

The New York Times bestselling "master" (Stephen King) of American thriller writing returns with an electrifying new novel about a mother seeking to reconnect with her children after a terrible trial tears their family apart. Nina Morgan’s bloodstained car was found a decade ago on a lonely Florida road. Forensic evidence suggested she’d been murdered, although her body was never found. Her disappearance left her infant children to the care of their father. Once a pilot, mother, wife, and witness to a gruesome crime, Nina had to flee her old life to save her family. She reinvented herself as Leah Trenton, a guide in the Allagash Wilderness in northern Maine. She never expected to see her children again, but now tragedy has returned them to her—only they have no idea that she’s their mother—and delivered all of them back into danger. “Aunt Leah” will need some help, and an old ally has a suggestion: an enigmatic young hitman named Dax Blackwell. Never Far Away is a thrilling collision between old sins and new dreams, where the wills and ingenuity of a broken family will be tested against all odds.

It was a scam, but then the scam had gone horribly wrong… In this short story from the thrilling anthology MatchUp, bestselling authors Karin Slaughter and Michael Koryta—along with their popular series characters Jeffrey Tolliver and Joe Pritchard—team up for the first time ever.

A boy comes of age among a family of grifters in this powerful story from a New York Times–bestselling “master” (Stephen King). Never knowing a real home, Markus Novak’s only constant in life is his passion for paperback westerns. The child of a family of outlaws, he moves through the West town by town with his mother and two uncles, staying in a place just long enough to run a short con and move along. After one job goes south and his mom gets locked up, Markus finds himself in the foster care of a rancher and his wife—with whom he’s strangely comfortable, yet torn by loyalty to the family he’s lost. To distract himself, he spends his days working the farm and his nights fixing a rusty old ’55 Chevy. Then he discovers a note from his uncles hidden in a book at a local pawnshop and learns that they are hiding out in a mountain town near Yellowstone. Restoring the car soon becomes Markus’s only hope of finding them, and maybe finally finding himself, too.

An FBI investigator must uncover the secrets of his hometown to solve a double murder in this twisty "page turner" that's "perfect summer reading" (Stephen King). "And that is how it happened. Can we stop now?" Kimberly Crepeaux is no good, a notorious jailhouse snitch, teen mother, and heroin addict whose petty crimes are well-known to the rural Maine community where she lives. So when she confesses to her role in the brutal murders of Jackie Pelletier and Ian Kelly, the daughter of a well-known local family and her sweetheart, the locals have little reason to believe her story. Not Rob Barrett, the FBI investigator and interrogator specializing in telling a true confession from a falsehood. He's been circling Kimberly and her conspirators for months, waiting for the right avenue to the truth, and has finally found it. He knows, as strongly as he's known anything, that Kimberly's story-a grisly, harrowing story of a hit and run fueled by dope and cheap beer that becomes a brutal stabbing in cold blood-is how it happened. But one thing remains elusive: where are Jackie and Ian's bodies? After Barrett stakes his name and reputation on the truth of Kimberly's confession, only to have the bodies turn up 200 miles from where she said they'd be, shot in the back and covered in a different suspect's DNA, the case is quickly closed and Barrett forcibly reassigned. But for Howard Pelletier, the tragedy of his daughter's murder cannot be so tidily swept away. And for Barrett, whose career may already be over, the chance to help a grieving father may be the only one he has left. HOW IT HAPPENED is a frightening, tension-filled ride into the dark heart of rural America from a writer Stephen King has called "a master" and the New York Times has deemed "impossible to resist."

This “highly recommended” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) collection edited by New York Times bestselling author Lee Child pairs the beloved characters of twenty-two internationally bestselling writers in “a must-read for fans of the thriller genre” (The Real Book Spy). The incredible follow-up to FaceOff features twenty-two of the world’s bestselling and critically acclaimed thriller writers pairing their series characters in an eleven-story anthology curated by the International Thriller Writers (ITW). MatchUp takes the never-before-seen bestseller pairings of FaceOff and adds a delicious new twist: gender. “Think Dancing With the Stars, but with mysteries” (Booklist) as eleven of the world’s best female thriller writers from Diana Gabaldon to Kathy Reichs to Charlaine Harris are paired with eleven of the world’s best male thriller writers, including John Sandford, C.J. Box, and Nelson DeMille, among others. “This box holds a chocolate or two that will be to everyone’s liking” (Kirkus Reviews). In these innovative stories, their beloved protagonists, Lee Coburn, Joe Pickett, and Jack Reacher—just to name a few—team up to unnerve and satisfy thriller fans worldwide. All of the contributors are ITW members, and the project is edited by ITW member and #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child. The lineup includes: Sandra Brown’s Lee Coburn vs. C. J. Box’s Joe Pickett Val McDermid’s Tony Hill vs. Peter James’s Roy Grace Kathy Reichs’s Temperance Brennan vs. Lee Child’s Jack Reacher Diana Gabaldon’s Jamie Fraser vs. Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone Gayle Lynds’s Liz Sansborough vs. David Morrell’s Rambo Karin Slaughter’s Jeffrey Tolliver vs. Michael Koryta’s Joe Pritchard Charlaine Harris’s Harper Connelly vs. Andrew Gross’s Ty Hauck Lisa Jackson’s Regan Pescoli vs. John Sandford’s Virgil Flower Lara Adrian’s Lucan Thorne vs. Christopher Rice’s Lilliane Lisa Scottoline’s Bennie Rosato vs. Nelson DeMille’s John Corey J.A. Jance’s Ali Reynolds vs. Eric Van Lustbader’s Bravo Shaw

Mark Novak's greatest mystery may be his own... Rise the dark. These were the last words written in Lauren Novak's notebook before she was murdered in a strange Florida village. They've never meant anything to the police or to her husband, investigator Markus Novak. Now the man he believes killed her is out of prison, and draws Markus to the place he's avoided for so long: the lonely road where his wife was shot to death beneath the cypress trees and Spanish moss in a town called Cassadaga. In Red Lodge, Montana, a senseless act of vandalism shuts the lights off in the town where Sabrina Baldwin is still trying to adjust to a new home and mourning the loss of her brother, who was a high voltage linesman just like her husband, Jay. As the spring's final snowstorm calls Jay deeper into the mountains, chasing the destruction on the electrical grid, Sabrina is abducted by Garland Webb, the man Markus Novak believes killed his wife. Drawing them all together is a messianic villain who understands that you can never outpace your past. You can only rise against the future. Michael Koryta is... "Masterful." - Michael Connelly "Riveting." - Harlan Coben "A master." - Stephen King "An absolute sizzler." - Lisa Unger "A writer for the new century" - Tom Franklin "One of today's finest." - William Kent Krueger "A terrifying winner." - Dennis Lehane "Electrifying." - Joseph Finder "Deliciously dark." - Scott Smith "Breathtaking." - Nelson DeMille "A must-read." - Dean Koontz "Outstanding." - Lee Child "Gripping." - Stuart O'Nan

A blockbuster anthology of original, blood-curdling vampire fiction from New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors, including Charlaine Harris, whose novels were adapted into HBO’s hit show True Blood, and Scott Smith, publishing his first work since The Ruins. Before being transformed into romantic heroes and soft, emotional antiheroes, vampires were figures of overwhelming terror. Now, from some of the biggest names in horror and dark fiction, comes this stellar collection of short stories that make vampires frightening once again. Edited by New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden and featuring all-new stories from such contributors as Charlaine Harris, John Ajvide Lindqvist, Scott Smith, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Michael Kortya, Kelley Armstrong, Brian Keene, David Wellington, Seanan McGuire, and Tim Lebbon, Seize the Night is old-school vampire fiction at its finest.

Private investigator Mark Novak is still mourning the death of his wife, and it's affecting his work. With his future on the line, Mark is sent to check out a case in the Midwest town of Garrison, home to a famous but perilous cave system. A girl has died in the caves, and the man who brought her out is still believed by many to be her killer. He begs Novak to uncover what really happened. But Garrison is the kind of place where cold cases stay cold. Mark tries to delve into the town's secrets, but in the end, he will have to match his wits against the man who knows the caverns better than anyone. A man who seems to have lost his mind. A man who seems to know Mark Novak all too well.

Markus Novak just wants to come home. An investigator for a Florida-based Death Row defense firm, Novak's life derailed when his wife, Lauren, was killed in the midst of a case the two were working together. Two years later, her murderer is still at large, and Novak's attempts to learn the truth about her death through less-than-legal means and jailhouse bargaining have put his job on the line. Now he's been all but banished, sent to Garrison, Indiana to assess a cold case that he's certain his boss has no intention of taking. As Novak knows all too well, some crimes never do get solved. But it's not often that the man who many believe got away with murder is the one calling for the case to be reopened. Ten years ago, a teenaged girl disappeared inside an elaborate cave system beneath rural farmland. Days later, Ridley Barnes emerged carrying Sarah Martin's lifeless body. Barnes has claimed all along that he has no memory of exactly where -- or how -- he found Sarah. His memory of whether she was dead or alive at the time is equally foggy. Tired of living under a cloud of suspicion, he says he wants answers -- even if they mean he'll end up in the electric chair. But what's he really up to? And Novak knows why he's so unhappy to be in Garrison -- but why are the locals so hostile towards him? The answers lie in the fiendish brain of a dangerous man, the real identity of a mysterious woman, and deep beneath them all, in the network of ancient, stony passages that hold secrets deadlier than he can imagine. Soon Novak is made painfully aware that if he has any chance of returning to the life and career he left behind in Florida, he'll need to find the truth in Garrison first.

This "heart-thumping backwoods adventure" (New York Times Book Review) from bestselling author Michael Koryta will soon be a major motion picture starring Angelina Jolie and Nicholas Hoult. When fourteen-year-old Jace Wilson witnesses a brutal murder, he's plunged into a new life, issued a false identity and hidden in a wilderness skills program for troubled teens. The plan is to get Jace off the grid while police find the two killers. The result is the start of a nightmare. The killers, known as the Blackwell Brothers, are slaughtering anyone who gets in their way in a methodical quest to reach him. Now all that remains between them and the boy are Ethan and Allison Serbin, who run the wilderness survival program; Hannah Faber, who occupies a lonely fire lookout tower; and endless miles of desolate Montana mountains. The clock is ticking, the mountains are burning, and those who wish Jace Wilson dead are no longer far behind. "Outstanding in every way...Don't you dare miss it." --Lee Child

The newest thriller from Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author When fourteen-year-old Jace Wilson witnesses a brutal murder, he's plunged into a new life, issued a false identity and hidden in a wilderness skills program for troubled teens. The plan is to get Jace off the grid while police find the two killers. The result is the start of a nightmare. The killers, known as the Blackwell Brothers, are slaughtering anyone who gets in their way in a methodical quest to reach him. Now all that remains between them and the boy are Ethan and Allison Serbin, who run the wilderness survival program; Hannah Faber, who occupies a lonely fire lookout tower; and endless miles of desolate Montana mountains. The clock is ticking, the mountains are burning, and those who wish Jace Wilson dead are no longer far behind.

Two brothers with a shared tragic past, caused by a two-second decision that haunts them both. One decides to avenge it. The other, to forgive. Both will pay for their choices - more than they could ever imagine.When he was a teenager, Adam Austin made a decision that led to the death of his little sister. His brother Kent learned to forgive her murderer but he never forgave Adam. Twenty years later, Kent is the coach of the successful high school football team in Chambers, Ohio and Adam is the town's bail bondsman - someone people turn to when they need help. When the girlfriend of one of Kent's star players asks Adam to track down her father who has just been released from prison, Adam agrees. Days later, she is murdered at the address he gave her. Overwhelmed by guilt in this horrifying echo of the past - Adam is determined to atone for his mistakes. But this is a game outside of the brothers' control. And every decision they make is matter of life and death . . . THE PROPHET is the story of family, of guilt and redemption. Epic in its page-turning power, building suspense all the way to its viscerally compelling climax.

Inside a lighthouse hundreds of miles from any substantial body of water, a local reporter discovers the walls covered in maps bearing the names of the dead. Has an age-old legend come to life? Can it be stopped before more people die? With a haunting atmosphere and tightly-coiled plot, The Ridge is a terrifying journey into the heart of darkness.

It's been seven years since Frank discovered his father's dark secret: that he was a U.S. Marshal a contract killer who committed suicide to avoid prosecution. Now Devin Matteson the man who betrayed his father - drawing him into the killing game and then handing him over to the FBI - is coming home to the Wisconsin lake that was once hallowed ground for both families. But this is a homecoming Frank knows he cannot allow. But when Frank arrives at Matteson's old cabin he finds only a strange beautiful woman and a nervous man with a gun; Matteson is nowhere to be seen. When a pair of deadly assassins arrive on the scene the sensible thing would be for Frank to contact the police but Frank's father was nothing if not a good teacher and his son a willing pupil . . .

When private investigator Lincoln Perry starts receiving letters from Parker Harrison, a convicted murderer, he ignores them. Then Harrison turns up at Lincoln's office begging for help. Twelve years ago, Harrison was enrolled in a programme for paroled murderers run by Joshua and Alexandra Cantrell. One day, the couple vanished. No one has seen them since and their multimillion-dollar lakeside house is now a ruin. Harrison wants to find Alexandra. Lincoln has no desire to work for a murderer, but when Joshua Cantrell's body turns up and he discovers that Alexandra was born into one of Cleveland's foremost mob families, he agrees to investigate, despite his misgivings. Soon Lincoln is immersed in a family mystery that challenges his abilities as an investigator and has him looking over his shoulder at every twist and turn . . .

Lincoln Perry was once a rising star on the Cleveland police force, until he was kicked out after he got in a fight with Alex Jefferson, the millionaire his fiancée left him for. When Jefferson is tortured and murdered, it isn't long before the police are at Lincoln's door asking questions. Things go from bad to worse when Lincoln agrees to do a favour for Jefferson's widow - track down the dead man's son who has unknowingly inherited his millions. What should be a routine search for a missing person ends with the son's body lying in the morgue and Lincoln in jail. Lincoln realises that Jefferson's millions are the target of a thirst for revenge that hasn't been satisfied by blood. But soon Lincoln is being pursued by a pair of deadly assailants and under pressure from the police, who are determined to put him back behind bars, if he survives long enough to make it there . . .

A journey to Florida's coast becomes an inescapable nightmare in the newest supernatural thriller from international bestseller Michael Koryta. Arlen Wagner has seen it in men before--a trace of smoke in their eyes that promises imminent death. He is never wrong. When Arlen awakens on a train one hot Florida night and sees death's telltale sign in the eyes of his fellow passengers, he tries to warn them. Only 19-year-old Paul Brickhill believes him, and the two abandon the train, hoping to escape certain death. They continue south, but soon are stranded at the Cypress House--an isolated Gulf Coast boarding house run by the beautiful Rebecca Cady--directly in the path of an approaching hurricane. The storm isn't the only approaching danger, though. A much deadlier force controls the county and everyone living in it, and Arlen wants out--fast. But Paul refuses to abandon Rebecca to face the threats alone, even though Arlen's eerie gift warns that if they stay too long they may never leave. From its chilling beginning to terrifying end, The Cypress House is a story of relentless suspense from "one of the best of the best" (Michael Connelly).

Private Investigator Lincoln Perry's childhood best friend is on the run, wanted by the police for arson and murder. Lincoln hasn't seen Ed Gradduk in ten years, not since his friend got involved with a drug dealer and suspected murderer. When Ed is killed in a confrontation with the Cleveland police, they're happy to close the case. But Lincoln is desperate to prove that, whatever crimes his friend might have committed, he didn't set that house on fire and he didn't murder the woman whose body was found there. As Lincoln and his partner Joe Pritchard investigate, they uncover evidence about a string of arson attacks in Cleveland seventeen years ago, fires that begin to shed light on some old secrets. Now Lincoln and Joe are about to find out just how far those concerned will go to make sure those secrets stay buried . . .

Investigator and former Marine Wayne Weston is found at home, killed by a single gunshot wound to the head, the gun still lying in his right hand. There is no sign of his wife and six-year-old daughter. The police believe Wayne Weston killed his family before turning the gun on himself. Weston's father is convinced his son was murdered. He turns to Lincoln Perry, former cop, now private investigator, for help. All the evidence supports the police's conclusions, but as soon as he starts asking questions, Lincoln hears rumours of gambling, extortion, and links to Cleveland's Russian mob. When the FBI asks him to back off, followed by a second murder, Lincoln is more determined than ever to uncover the truth, even if that means putting himself in danger . . .

Now a major motion picture: So Cold the River is a chilling, supernatural tale "guaranteed to put the cold finger down your spine" (Michael Connelly). It started with a beautiful woman and a challenge. As a gift for her husband, Alyssa Bradford approaches Eric Shaw to make a documentary about her father-in-law, Campbell Bradford, a 95-year-old billionaire whose past is wrapped in mystery. Eric grabs the job even though there are few clues to the man's past -- just the name of his hometown and an antique water bottle he's kept his entire life. In Bradford's hometown, Eric discovers an extraordinary history -- a glorious domed hotel where movie stars, presidents, athletes, and mobsters once mingled, and hot springs whose miraculous mineral water cured everything from insomnia to malaria. Neglected for years, the resort has been restored to its former grandeur just in time for Eric's stay. Just hours after his arrival, Eric experiences a frighteningly vivid vision. As the days pass, the frequency and intensity of his hallucinations increase and draw Eric deeper into the town's dark history. He discovers that something besides the hotel has been restored -- a long-forgotten evil that will stop at nothing to regain its lost glory. Brilliantly imagined and terrifyingly real, So Cold the River is a tale of irresistible suspense with a racing, unstoppable current.