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A review by billymac1962
The Prophet by Michael Koryta
5.0
The Prophet popped onto my radar rather suddenly, and just as suddenly I was reading it. It seemed just the thing I was looking for.
It didn't disappoint. In fact, it's one of the better books I read this year. And this is something to celebrate, looking back on a year that tragically boasted 12 DNFs.
This is the story of a football town, and the disappearance of a young girl. The focus is on two brothers, Kent Austin, the coach of the high school football team with a State championship in sight, and Adam, a bail bondsman (and thanks to this novel I now understand what that is). Michael Koryta spins this mystery/crime thriller while keeping the small town feel present, and this works on every level.
I could totally empathize with every character in this book. Fantastic stuff.
It's a rare thing for me to read over a hundred pages in one sitting, but I did that today to finish the story. It has been a while since a novel was so hard for me to put down. This isn't literary greatness, but the character development sure is, and although there was one minor hiccup that irked me a bit, I can't dock a star.
Reading is all about entertainment for me, and being able to buy into the characters and story. The Prophet delivered, and I am very happy to dish out five stars for this one.
As a bonus, I now have a burning desire to start Friday Night Lights, thanks to the comments in Brandon's review...this will happen soon :)
Incidentally, is it just a bizarre coincidence that Koryta chose the name Kent Austin? Kent Austin is a very well known former CFL quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, turned coach for several teams.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Austin
It didn't disappoint. In fact, it's one of the better books I read this year. And this is something to celebrate, looking back on a year that tragically boasted 12 DNFs.
This is the story of a football town, and the disappearance of a young girl. The focus is on two brothers, Kent Austin, the coach of the high school football team with a State championship in sight, and Adam, a bail bondsman (and thanks to this novel I now understand what that is). Michael Koryta spins this mystery/crime thriller while keeping the small town feel present, and this works on every level.
I could totally empathize with every character in this book. Fantastic stuff.
It's a rare thing for me to read over a hundred pages in one sitting, but I did that today to finish the story. It has been a while since a novel was so hard for me to put down. This isn't literary greatness, but the character development sure is, and although there was one minor hiccup that irked me a bit, I can't dock a star.
Reading is all about entertainment for me, and being able to buy into the characters and story. The Prophet delivered, and I am very happy to dish out five stars for this one.
As a bonus, I now have a burning desire to start Friday Night Lights, thanks to the comments in Brandon's review...this will happen soon :)
Incidentally, is it just a bizarre coincidence that Koryta chose the name Kent Austin? Kent Austin is a very well known former CFL quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, turned coach for several teams.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Austin