An Honest Man

"Michael Koryta's best book" (Stephen King) opens with a yacht full of bodies, a woman hiding from killers on a nearby island, and a man trying to prove his innocence and save his life-in a breathtaking thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Wish Me Dead.

Israel Pike was a killer, and he was an honest man. They were not mutually exclusive.

After discovering seven men murdered aboard their yacht - including two Senate rivals - Israel Pike is regarded as a prime suspect. A troubled man infamous on Salvation Point Island for killing his own father a decade before, Israel has few options, no friends, and a life-threatening secret.

Elsewhere on the island, 12-year-old Lyman Rankin seeks shelter from his alcoholic father in an abandoned house only to discover that he is not alone. A mysterious woman greets him with a hatchet and a promise: "Make a sound and I'll kill you."

As the investigation barrels forward, Lyman, Israel, and the fate of the case collide in immutable ways. Written with mounting suspense, stirring emotion, and deep understanding of character, Koryta continues to prove why David Baldacci has called him "an exceptionally gifted storyteller" and Michael Connelly has deemed him "one of the best of the best, plain and simple."

A Tampa Bay Times Best Book of 2023

"This is Koryta's best book. It grabbed me hard and wouldn't let go. A wonderful suspense novel with good writing and lots of texture. It feels like it came straight from the heart."--Stephen King

"Michael Koryta is an outstanding crime writer. His writing is taut and to the point, his characters are credible, and the Maine setting is brought beautifully to life. And he answers, with complete believability, the question of why people remain on Salvation Point, when poverty and violence surround them."--Marilyn Brooks, Marilyn's Mystery Reads
"A macabre ghost ship adrift off the coast of Maine, a nest of islanders bristling with dark history, an ex-con/prodigal son and a lone cop allied against a depraved criminal network, a boy on the run from violence who must shelter a young woman who seems to have emerged from the sea itself--all woven together so deftly, and with such intensity of feeling, that the reader must simply hang on as the waves keep coming--and man do they come. An Honest Man is one hell of a ride, and Michael Koryta is a master at the helm."
--Tim Johnston, NYT Bestselling author of Descent and The Current
"As in his other novels, Koryta's characters evoke feelings of sympathy, anger, and joy. Readers will stay engaged until the end." --Library Journal
"Elegantly written, stark and gorgeous. Michael Koryta is a treasure, and his skillful wisdom with character and setting and emotion are unmatched. An Honest Man will captivate you from page one. It is wry and knowing, ridiculously immersive, and utterly heartbreaking. It's a story that feels not only truly told, but actually true...aching with the bitterness of reality, and the danger that comes not only from greed, but also from love. I will admit, Michael Koryta makes me cry every time. This is a terrific book by a supremely gifted storyteller."--Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling and award-winning author
"Israel Pike is a deep, emotionally flawed character who shines enormously on the page, and Lyman Rankin runs with him stride for stride. Michael Koryta is an exceptionally gifted storyteller. Every scene sparkles, from the superlative action scenes to the intimate human threads woven throughout. Take my advice: turn these pages. They will not disappoint."--David Baldacci, bestselling author of Long Shadows
"Koryta is a force to be reckoned with in modern suspense, and An Honest Man is one of his finest achievements to date."
--Bruce Tierney, BookPage
"Michael Koryta is one of those writers who has brought Faulknerian prose to the crime novel."--James Lee Burke, bestselling author of Every Cloak Rolled in Blood and The Neon Rain
"Michael Koryta's An Honest Man is a hatchet waiting for you in a dark room. This thing is sharp, gloomy, nuanced, violent, strangely elegant, and it smells like salt and blood. From crackling dialogue to complex characters, Koryta delivers everything. As a reader, I love his work. As a writer, I hate how easy he makes it look. Koryta is too damn good."--Gabino Iglesias, author of the Edgar and Stoker Award-nominated The Devil Takes You Home
"One of crime fiction's go-to writers."--Kirkus Reviews
"Superb . . . This is top-tier suspense."--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Michael Koryta is the New York Times bestselling author of seventeen novels-including Those Who Wish Me Dead, which has been adapted into a film starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Taylor Sheridan. His previous novels were New York Times notable books, national bestsellers, and have won numerous awards, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Koryta is a former private investigator and newspaper reporter. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana, and Camden, Maine.

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