bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
3.0
A suspenseful thriller in a rural Wisconsin setting, about a hotheaded young man with issues. Frank is looking to avenge his father's death. The twist is that his father was hitman who committed suicide to escape the law, making the plot a bit hard to swallow. Good pacing, solid writing and a nice sense of place make it readable, but too many genre conventions spoil the overall effect. It's predictable in the way you know that every unpleasant person will meet an untimely death, all good guys will pull through, and romance will blossom between the main characters. Also, nobody talks to the police because hey, why not head into the woods on one's own to rendez-vous with criminals instead.
menfrommarrs's review
5.0
I suspect that Koryta has finally hit his stride. For some reason I stuck with him, having a sense that he had great potential. This book confirmed that impression.
The descriptions of the lake and the terrain are those of a person who must love this particular view from his own backyard.
The thoughts and actions of each of the players stayed true to their nature throughout the book. Because of the unpredictability of human nature, plot nuances switch with lightning fast pace. As an observer, I found that each choice, once made, was in character, but since I am not the person, I would never have thought of it myself. I was constantly surprised by some of their decisions. Michael Koryta knows his subjects all too well. Has he multiple personalities of his own?
The descriptions of the lake and the terrain are those of a person who must love this particular view from his own backyard.
The thoughts and actions of each of the players stayed true to their nature throughout the book. Because of the unpredictability of human nature, plot nuances switch with lightning fast pace. As an observer, I found that each choice, once made, was in character, but since I am not the person, I would never have thought of it myself. I was constantly surprised by some of their decisions. Michael Koryta knows his subjects all too well. Has he multiple personalities of his own?
appalonia's review against another edition
5.0
This is a nearly perfect mystery novel. Well developed, sympathetic and interesting characters, a fascinating backstory, a budding romance, a thrilling plot. It doesn't get much better than this. Some parts dragged just a bit for me, so if I could I'd give it 4.5 stars, but I thought I'd be generous. All Koryta's books have been really good, but I think this may be his best.
lisaarnsdorf's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad. Lots of action. The body count was pretty ridiculous in this book. Kept me entertained for hours of unpacking.
Interesting back story. Lots of potential with the characters. Unfortunately, Koryta didn't quite create a connection between the reader, Nora and Frank. I was interested in what happened to them, but I wasn't invested. Even the big reveal didn't quite pack the punch that it had the potential to do. It could have been a showstopper, but it just didn't quite make it.
Interesting back story. Lots of potential with the characters. Unfortunately, Koryta didn't quite create a connection between the reader, Nora and Frank. I was interested in what happened to them, but I wasn't invested. Even the big reveal didn't quite pack the punch that it had the potential to do. It could have been a showstopper, but it just didn't quite make it.
bisthesu's review against another edition
3.0
Entertaining story, decent characters, but ending was really weak
meera01's review against another edition
3.0
This book was not as good as the previous one I read by him. It started off great and decent middle but got less interesting after that. It was good enough but didn’t live up to its promise.