When I was 21, I was a student at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.
I was working oodles of hours to earn minimum wage to pay for school. I was spending a good chunk of that money on covers and frosty beverages while going out dancing with friends. I was in groups and activities, sometimes learning more in those hours and days than in any textbook. And, occasionally, I went to class.
When Michael Koryta was 21, he was also a student at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.
But then, he was also being nominated for an Edgar Award for his first mystery novel, Tonight I Said Goodbye, which had been published earlier that year.
I mentioned that he was TWENTY-ONE, didn't I?
(By the way, the Edgars, or the Edgar Allan Poe Awards, each year honor the best mystery fiction and nonfiction, and is awarded by the Mystery Writers of America, so these folks know their stuff.)
Michael Koryta was first known as a “boy wonder” in the mystery writers circles for a while, but with his third novel, A Welcome Grave, I think it's safe to say that Koryta has more than earned his place among the elite of the mystery world - a genre that is crowded and occasionally repetitive, though Koryta truly strives to set himself apart.
With crisp writing, an approachable Midwest setting, and a flawed but likeable protagonist, Koryta has created a well-oiled series with a fresh twist on typical murder and mayhem.
Yes, Lincoln Perry, his main character, is a former cop turned private investigator (a typical characterization in many mysteries), but he's by no means a perfect, flawless, warm and/or fuzzy character. Lincoln has a temper, has some demons, and seems to struggle with interpersonal relationships (both with his partner Joe and with the women in his romantic orbit).
In A Welcome Grave, the man who married Lincoln's former fiancée is found tortured and dead. Lincoln reluctantly agrees to help his former love in notifying her husband's next of kin, only to find himself quickly pulled into a web of deceit and confusion, and finding himself the prime suspect in not one, but two murders.
I swear I'm not giving anything away. Let's just see how this novel starts, shall we?
Sometime after midnight, on a moonless October night turned harsh by a fine, windswept rain, one of the men I liked least in the world was murdered in a field near Bedford, just south of the city....
And with that rip roaring start, Koryta doesn't let the reader breathe for even a moment as he deftly weaves characters, locations, plots, twists, turns and trauma into a cohesive story that will hold the reader until the final resolution – one the reader likely won’t see coming. Incidentally, A Welcome Grave was just nominated for a Quill Award (http://www.thequills.org/), which will be awarded this fall in a gala event at Lincoln Center in New York City.
While A Welcome Grave is the third in the “Lincoln Perry” series, I believe each novel can stand on its own, as Koryta does a fine job of orienting new readers to past characters, situations and plots, while still keeping faithful readers intrigued. Though every series is better in order, these truly do stand individually.
Admittedly, I'm not a huge reader in the mystery genre, but I find myself draw to these novels, written by "boy wonder", now, established crime writer.
A “boy wonder”/established crime writer who now teaches at IU's Journalism School, worked as a newspaper reporter and currently works at a detective agency.
I can only hope he doesn't find himself in the same peril in which he puts Lincoln Perry.
But, at least Lincoln Perry is older than twenty-one…
If you are looking for a fresh voice in the mystery genre, and want to find an author to watch with oodles of years and words ahead of him, be sure to pick up a novel by Michael Koryta.
Michael Koryta is the author of three "Lincoln Perry" mystery novels: Tonight I Said Goodbye, Sorrow's Anthem, and A Welcome Grave.
If you enjoy reading Michael Koryta, you may also enjoy reading the novels of some of Koryta's favorite mystery authors: Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammet, Denis Lehane, Robert Crais, George Pelecanos, James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, Robert B. Parker, and Elmore Leonard, all hard hitters in the crime writing genre.
Michael Koryta’s biography, FAQs, book excerpts and more can be found on the web at www.michaelkoryta.com.
Looking to ask the Loud Librarian a question or comment on one of her reviews? Email her at marissa.priddis@crucialpop.com.
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