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mamacrow's review
5.0
This is like no other book I have ever read! A crime mystery about the victims and how one violent act rips a family apart and breeds more violence and heartache. The character development is so strong, and so precise for the victims, though I did find it lacking for the murderer, but it really isn't about him anyways and that is why it is different. This is absolutely a page turner, and I just couldn't put it down, and couldn't even skip past the football parts, Koryta's writing is that good! And, by the way, I hate football! Lastly I will say this, I was in tears at the end, I felt THAT much for the characters!
bryce_is_a_librarian's review
4.0
Michael Koryta is a writer I like who I wish I could love.
I like that he gives himself the freedom to write both horror and crime. I like the specificity of his Ohio rustbelt setting. I like his solid character work, clear prose and solidly constructed narratives. I like that when I read the description of the book I assumed it was going to be another book about the conflict between an annoying, delusional Christer and his streetwise brother, when in reality Koryta makes the religious character the more stable and level headed one, and the secular operator the guy who has such a problem letting go of the defining tragedy of his life that he's teetering on the brink of sanity.
And yet there's something about Koryta, something a football coach might refer to as the "intangibles" that keeps him firmly in the good category without ever much threatening to break out into the great. If I find this frustrating I can only imagine that Koryta finds it doubly so.
I like that he gives himself the freedom to write both horror and crime. I like the specificity of his Ohio rustbelt setting. I like his solid character work, clear prose and solidly constructed narratives. I like that when I read the description of the book I assumed it was going to be another book about the conflict between an annoying, delusional Christer and his streetwise brother, when in reality Koryta makes the religious character the more stable and level headed one, and the secular operator the guy who has such a problem letting go of the defining tragedy of his life that he's teetering on the brink of sanity.
And yet there's something about Koryta, something a football coach might refer to as the "intangibles" that keeps him firmly in the good category without ever much threatening to break out into the great. If I find this frustrating I can only imagine that Koryta finds it doubly so.
jlclerf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
brooke_review's review
4.0
A solid novel. Not a standout, but just enough suspense and just enough of a compelling plot to make for a sustainable read.
bunnieslikediamonds's review
4.0
A nice, solid crime novel revolving around two estranged brothers in a gritty small town in Ohio. Murders in both present and past disturb the uneventful lives of Adam, bail bond agent and black sheep, and God-fearing high school football coach Kent. There's not a lot of character development, but the pacing is good and the writing straight-forward and unvarnished. I've read a few of Koryta's previous works with supernatural elements, and much prefer the realism of The Prophet.
drrawsonreads's review
3.0
This was decent crime fiction but nothing spectacular. I definitely Like Koryta's crime fiction much better than his supernatural fiction.
zcc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nloushoes's review
Just couldn’t get into the Austin character and storyline. Loved the Kent one and the football feel.