Rise the Dark - Michael Koryta

Michael Koryta is a new to me author, but he's not new to the game of writing - he's a New York Times bestselling writer. His latest book is Rise the Dark.

Garland Webb has just been released from prison. He's beat a murder charge, thanks to a zealous young lawyer. The murder victim? Investigator Markus Novak's wife. And with his release, Novak is hot on his trail. That trail leads him to a decidedly odd, yet sinister Florida town called Cassadaga.

Miles away in Montana, Sabrina Baldwin is abducted - by Garland Webb. But what Webb and his cohorts want is to control Sabrina's husband Jay, a high voltage lineman.

Are the two cases related? Why does Webb need a linesman? Will Novak catch up with them? And much, much more....

Rise the Dark was a completely different read than I expected. I went in expecting a serial killer thriller. But Koryta has woven much more into his story. I didn't realize that this was the second Mark Novak book. But, there are enough back story references that I understood what had come before. So, yes there is a killer, but also mixed in is fanaticism, homegrown terrorism and a cult. His plotting is large and far reaching. And really, not so far fetched. Simmering underneath it all is - gosh, I'm not sure how to describe it. Mysticism? Paranormal? Supernatural? But it's not overdone or overblown. It was woven seamlessly into the story. And it wouldn't be the story it is without it.

Koryta's style of writing is very easy to become immediately drawn into. I very much liked Novak as a lead character - there's enough uncertainty mixed with the toughness to make him seem much more 'real' than a character who doesn't fall down. I must say though, I had a real liking for his Uncle Larry - I hope he appears in the next entry in the Novak books. And there will be another I'm sure. There's one loose end that isn't resolved.....

So, yes a very different read for me. But one I quite enjoyed. I'll be watching for the third in the series. Read an excerpt of Rise the Dark.

You can connect with Michael Koryta on his website, follow him on Twitter and find him on Facebook.