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mftaylor's review against another edition
4.0
Another great read! I thoroughly enjoyed this story. A page-turner police drama with a supernatural element. I swayed between 4 stars and 5, it's that good.
An empty ridge area in Kentucky where one man has built his house, a lighthouse. Yes, a lighthouse they lights up the ridge and forest around him. The town drunk lives his life alone in that lighthouse.
Kevin Kimble, deputy sheriff, visits a beautiful woman in prison once a month like clockwork. A woman that shot and almost killed him.
Audrey Clark, owner and operator of a large cat sanctuary; has just relocated herself and 67 large cats to their new home, near the lighthouse.
After the death of the lighthouse owner, which opens up questions of it's own, strange occurrences start happening near the ridge. The big cats are restless and acting strangely at night. Accidents and deaths are becoming frequent. There is a strange blue light in the woods. There's a growing fear that greatly increases at dark.
A wonderful and well-written story with lots of interesting characters. A highly recommended read.
An empty ridge area in Kentucky where one man has built his house, a lighthouse. Yes, a lighthouse they lights up the ridge and forest around him. The town drunk lives his life alone in that lighthouse.
Kevin Kimble, deputy sheriff, visits a beautiful woman in prison once a month like clockwork. A woman that shot and almost killed him.
Audrey Clark, owner and operator of a large cat sanctuary; has just relocated herself and 67 large cats to their new home, near the lighthouse.
After the death of the lighthouse owner, which opens up questions of it's own, strange occurrences start happening near the ridge. The big cats are restless and acting strangely at night. Accidents and deaths are becoming frequent. There is a strange blue light in the woods. There's a growing fear that greatly increases at dark.
A wonderful and well-written story with lots of interesting characters. A highly recommended read.
mikedeab63's review
4.0
It's easy to toss off comparisons between authors when trying to describe a book to someone. It's an easy comparison point for publishers in trying to distinguish authors (so many books, so many authors) and jackets are littered with blurbs and breathless comparisons. In my experience the comparisons are rarely true. If you're lucky, they will strike a glancing blow.
So I'm leery, but that said, I've rarely seen an author that lives up to the Stephen King comparison (1980s McCammon is the closest thing that springs to mind) than Michael Koryta. Shrugging off the crime genre conventions that led to a five book series, Koryta's latest trio of supernatural tinged novels (So Cold the River, The Cypress House & The Ridge) carry all the hallmarks of vintage era King. Small towns, a clutch of realistic everyman characters, sly and crafty antagonists, normal situations tilted just slightly off center so the menace slowly builds to a boil. For me, it's just quality storytelling where characters rise above their stock cardboard cutouts and the plot feels like it grows organically each piece dovetailing with the next inexorably as the momentum grows to a climax that fits the book rather than coming out of left field (as some supernatural books feel).
On it's face, this book shouldn't work nearly as well as it does. A lighthouse in the middle of the mountains, a drunk caretaker, a big cat preserve, a cop returning from a life threatening wound, all mixed with supernatural spices? Sounds ridiculous, but Koryta builds it all slowly and the sum of the parts work as a compelling story of loss, sacrifice and mystery.
So I'm leery, but that said, I've rarely seen an author that lives up to the Stephen King comparison (1980s McCammon is the closest thing that springs to mind) than Michael Koryta. Shrugging off the crime genre conventions that led to a five book series, Koryta's latest trio of supernatural tinged novels (So Cold the River, The Cypress House & The Ridge) carry all the hallmarks of vintage era King. Small towns, a clutch of realistic everyman characters, sly and crafty antagonists, normal situations tilted just slightly off center so the menace slowly builds to a boil. For me, it's just quality storytelling where characters rise above their stock cardboard cutouts and the plot feels like it grows organically each piece dovetailing with the next inexorably as the momentum grows to a climax that fits the book rather than coming out of left field (as some supernatural books feel).
On it's face, this book shouldn't work nearly as well as it does. A lighthouse in the middle of the mountains, a drunk caretaker, a big cat preserve, a cop returning from a life threatening wound, all mixed with supernatural spices? Sounds ridiculous, but Koryta builds it all slowly and the sum of the parts work as a compelling story of loss, sacrifice and mystery.
anjelle's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
kellyhager's review
5.0
I don't want to say too much about the plot because most of the fun is in learning what's happening. But it's set in Kentucky and there's a lighthouse...even though it only lights up the woods. And there's a sanctuary for lions, tigers and cougars. And there's a suicide. And things get really strange.
Oh, holy crap, this book. It's very, very creepy and unsettling. I don't think "unsettling" is even strong enough for it. But even more than that, it's also incredibly well-written.
I've read (counting this) his last three standalones and each one has gotten better and scarier. If this trend continues, the next one may literally kill me. (Yes, I mean that I may actually cease to be because of the awesomeness and terror.)
Recommended, but make sure you have plenty of time to read it (and maybe on a very, very sunny day).
Oh, holy crap, this book. It's very, very creepy and unsettling. I don't think "unsettling" is even strong enough for it. But even more than that, it's also incredibly well-written.
I've read (counting this) his last three standalones and each one has gotten better and scarier. If this trend continues, the next one may literally kill me. (Yes, I mean that I may actually cease to be because of the awesomeness and terror.)
Recommended, but make sure you have plenty of time to read it (and maybe on a very, very sunny day).
encgolsen's review
4.0
Creepy. Read this while visiting family in eastern Kentucky, so it was definitely easy to visualize. Loved the surreal element of the big cat rescue in such an unusual location.
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