Last Words by Michael Koryta

Description

Bibliographic Details

• Author: Michael Koryta
• Title: Last Words (Mark Novak Series)
• Publisher: ‎ Little, Brown and Company; First Edition (August 18, 2015)
• Language: ‎ English
• Format: Hardcover – 430 pages
• ISBN-10: ‎ 0316122637
• ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0316122634
• Item Weight: ‎ 1.55 pounds
• Dimensions: ‎ 6.5 x 1.4 x 9.5 inches
• Book Condition: Used – Very Good / Author Signed (may show some minor discoloration on page edges)
• Dust Jacket Condition: Excellent
• Edition: First Edition / Author Autographed

Synopsis:

Markus Novak just wants to come home. An investigator for a Florida-based Death Row defense firm, Novak's life derailed when his wife, Lauren, was killed in the midst of a case the two were working together. Two years later, her murderer is still at large, and Novak's attempts to learn the truth about her death through less-than-legal means and jailhouse bargaining have put his job on the line. Now he's been all but banished, sent to Garrison, Indiana to assess a cold case that he's certain his boss has no intention of taking.

As Novak knows all too well, some crimes never do get solved. But it's not often that the man who many believe got away with murder is the one calling for the case to be reopened. Ten years ago, a teenaged girl disappeared inside an elaborate cave system beneath rural farmland. Days later, Ridley Barnes emerged carrying Sarah Martin's lifeless body. Barnes has claimed all along that he has no memory of exactly where — or how — he found Sarah. His memory of whether she was dead or alive at the time is equally foggy. Tired of living under a cloud of suspicion, he says he wants answers — even if they mean he'll end up in the electric chair.

But what's he really up to? And Novak knows why he's so unhappy to be in Garrison — but why are the locals so hostile towards him? The answers lie in the fiendish brain of a dangerous man, the real identity of a mysterious woman, and deep beneath them all, in the network of ancient, stony passages that hold secrets deadlier than he can imagine. Soon Novak is made painfully aware that if he has any chance of returning to the life and career he left behind in Florida, he'll need to find the truth in Garrison first.

About the Author:

Michael Koryta (pronounced Ko-ree-ta) is the New York Times-bestselling author of 11 suspense novels. His work has been praised by Stephen King, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Dennis Lehane, Daniel Woodrell, Ron Rash, and Scott Smith among many others, and has been translated into more than 20 languages. His books have won or been nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Edgar® Award, Shamus Award, Barry Award, Quill Award, International Thriller Writers Award, and the Golden Dagger. They’ve been selected as “best books of the year” by publications as diverse as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Amazon.com, O the Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, People, Reader’s Digest, iBooks, and Kirkus Reviews.

His recent thriller Those Who Wish Me Dead was named the summer’s best thriller by both Amazon and Entertainment Weekly, and was selected as one of the year’s best books by more than 10 publications. The audio version was named one of the best audio books of the year, as well, the second time that Robert Petkoff’s narration of Michael’s work has earned such an honor. The novel is currently being adapted as a major motion picture by 20th Century Fox.

Michael’s previous work ranges from a trio of supernatural novels—So Cold the River, The Cypress House, and The Ridge, which were all named New York Times notable books of the year and earned starred reviews from Publishers Weekly—to stand-alone crime novels such as The Prophet (A New York Times bestseller) and Envy the Night (selected as a Reader’s Digest condensed book), to a series of award-winning novels featuring private investigator Lincoln Perry—Tonight I Said Goodbye, Sorrow’s Anthem, A Welcome Grave, and The Silent Hour.

Various film and television adaptations of the books are underway, with The Prophet, So Cold the River, The Cypress House, and Those Who Wish Me Dead all optioned as feature films, and the Lincoln Perry series and The Ridge being developed for television. Michael has written for the screen in both feature film and television. Oscar and Emmy winners are attached to every project.

Before turning to writing full-time, Michael worked as a private investigator and as a newspaper reporter, and taught at the Indiana University School of Journalism. He began working for a private investigator as an intern while in high school, turned it into his day job in the early stages of his writing career, and still maintains an interest in the firm. As a journalist, he won numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists.

Michael’s first novel, the Edgar-nominated Tonight I Said Goodbye was accepted for publication when he was 20 years old. He wrote his first two published novels before graduating from college, and was published in nearly 10 languages before he fulfilled the “writing requirement” classes required for his diploma.

Michael was raised in Bloomington, Indiana, where he graduated from Bloomington North High School in 2001, and later graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. In 2008 he was honored as a “distinguished young alumni” by Indiana University, and in 2010 he was named “distinguished alumni’ by the criminal justice department.

Michael’s passions outside of writing and reading involve a variety of outdoor pursuits – hiking, camping, boating, and fishing are all likely to occupy his free time when he’s not working on a new book. Some of his favorite spots in the world are the Beartooth Mountains, the setting of Those Who Wish Me Dead and a place to which he returns at least twice a year; the flowages of the Northwoods in Wisconsin, where he began fishing with his father as a child and still returns each fall; St. Petersburg, FL, where he lived part-time for 8 years, and southern Maine.

Although he loves to travel, he stills claims his native Bloomington, Indiana as home and has a great love of the area, its diversity and culture, and the natural beauty of the surrounding countryside. He lives in Bloomington with his wife, Christine, a cranky cat named Marlowe, an emotionally disturbed cat named John Pryor (long story on that name), and an exceedingly athletic dog of unknown heritage named Lola. He remains on the never-ending quest for the world’s best microbrew (Upland in Bloomington is a perennial contender) and the world’s best coffee (currently a tie between Kahwa in St. Petersburg and the Runcible Spoon in Bloomington).

Research has always been a driving passion of Michael’s approach, leading him from big-cat rescues with the Exotic Feline Rescue Center (www.exoticfelinerescuecenter.org) to wilderness survival schools and caving trips and hypnotism.

He can be followed via www.michaelkoryta.com, twitter @mjkoryta, and Facebook.