Customer Reviews

Envy the Night

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really wasn't all that happy to learn that this book wasn't going to be a fourth installment in Koryta's Lincoln Perry series. Well, I guess I needed my head examined because this book stretches so far beyond the Perry books, in voice (Koryta has successfully made the jump to 3rd person POV), in characterization, in tight and ORIGINAL plotting (something he had already mastered and which I thought he could not have improved on yet HAS done so to a degree that is mind-boggling!), that I not only did not miss Lincoln Perry, I'm not sure that I even want Koryta to back track to those books. If he has more of these kinds of books in him, then everyone should just stand back and give him plenty of elbow room. His earlier books amazed me for their mature writing, but this book is something very, very special. Koryta isn't just the kid-brother author any longer to writers like Crais, Lehane, Connelly. He's their equal and maybe then some.

Synopsis: Frank Temple II, the son of a dead FBI agent/contract killer, wants to go after the mobster who ruined his father. But nothing is that simple in this book; when you think you can predict where Koryta is going in this story guess again, and then guess again. And you'll probably need to guess again. Temple is a perfectly written 3D character, young and smart, but not so smart that you disbelieve him. The turns in plot absolutely demand this story be written in third person, a new stretch for the author, and one he manages so handily, so naturally, that I am awestruck and left wondering how much more does Koryta have in the think-tank still to come in his work.

I'm a little jealous (not of Koryta; of him I am a LOT jealous) of those who pick this book up and read Koryta's work for the first time. It's just that good.

What do you hope to get out of a book when you pick it up off the shelf (or click on it)? Well-written dialogue? In-depth, interesting, and unique characters? Intense and page-turning action? Well-placed humor? Moral debates that make you question what you would do in the given situation? Writing that grabs you and takes you along for the ride?

It is not often that you can get all of those qualities in one book, but Michael Koryta again has given us a thriller with such vivid writing and complex characters that "Envy the Night" answers YES to each of those questions.

The real question is: What are you waiting for? "Envy the Night" is a first-class crime/suspense novel and has me greatly anticipating Koryta's next endeavor.

I am so happy to see that other readers loved this book as much as I did. I have read all four of his books and like one reviewer said, he just keeps getting better. I won't write a synopsis because the other reviewers have done such as excellent job as well as outlining why this book is a "must" for crime/thriller readers. It is not only a believable scenario, but incorporates tension, humor, good characterization, etc. It is highly touted by such well known authors as Ridley Peason, Michael Connelly and George Pelecanos. Please give this author his due as he seems to fit with the best of them.

When his other clandestine life as a mob hit man is exposed, U.S. Marshal Frank Temple II, a, commits suicide. His family is shocked first by the revelation by the patriarch's death and his son who worshipped him cannot deal with his hero crumbling like this.

Seven years later, his twenty-four years old son, Frank III remains angry and still drifting as he has since his dad killed himself. When a friend from his dad's military days in Nam Ezra Ballard informs him the rat who squealed on his father is Devin Matteson, the son finally finds a reason to focus on life; he wants vengeance. He has the opportunity when Devin is coming from Florida to Wisconsin. The III waits at his late dad's cabin in Willow Flowage, but soon realizes he has a bigger issue to deal with; he and auto repair shop owner Nora Stafford are in deep trouble as some nasty killers stalk the area.

This tense thriller hooks readers from the moment Frank III leaves jail with a severe headache while thinking what to do about the info Ballard provided him.. Character fueled mostly by the son, ENVY THE NIGHT is a fast-paced taut tale that never misses a beat even when the exciting story line makes a turn from III the stalker to III the stalked. Michael Koryta is at his best with this action-packed Wisconsin thriller. This is an unputdownable thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Maybe I'm just not a fan of Michael Koryta's style but I didn't find this book any better than the normal run of the mill mystery. He does write good dialog but then many writers do. He develops his characters well, but then many writers do. He has a good idea of where he is taking the story, but then a lot of writers do.

What I did find unappealing about the book, was the number of stock characters. The misunderstood son of a murderer, a 'Nam Vet who went off into the "boonies", a drug guy from Miami and his bad boys, the young girl fighting to save her daddies business after he has a stroke and the gun-moll with a heart of gold. So, what is this a Lifetime movie of the week?

Well written and well done but nothing to write home about.

Zeb Kantrowitz

This is the author's first standalone novel, and it is a fine example of craftsmanship. It portrays the short life of Frank Temple III, whose legacy includes two previous Franks, both war heroes (Silver Stars, Purple Hearts and the like). His father, Frank II, was a respected U.S. Marshall, before he became a paid hit man who ate his gun rather than be apprehended when the lad was 17.

Frank III was trained by his father to shoot and aggressively defend himself and could react faster than the eye could see. Misinformation from an FBI agent allowed Frank III to labor under the impression that an army buddy of his father, now a Miami gangster who lured him into his evil ways, ratted him out in a deal to save himself. The two friends, along with a third army buddy, built cabins along a Wisconsin lake, and Frank III vowed to kill the Miami gangster if he ever returned to the scene.

From these beginnings comes a well-plotted thriller with dire consequences for all. Frank III, who has stayed away from the Wisconsin lake for seven years, is informed that the Miami gangster is coming to his cabin. Naturally, the youth goes there intent on murder. A chain of killings results and Frank III has to face up to his own sense of morality and justice. The conclusion is as startling as it is unanticipated. Recommended.

This is the first book I've read by Koryta, but it won't be the last. He really delivers in "Envy the Night".

There's not a wasted word in this quick moving story, and the characters have a depth to them that's rare in a thriller.

The main character, Frank, is in his mid-twenties, and seemingly drifting, moving from college to college without settling anywhere or taking a degree. Then a call comes from his father's old friend, and Frank is drawn back into his troubled past.

The great turning point in Frank's life was when he learned that his much loved father, who appeared to be living the life of a straight arrow member of the law, had, in actuality, been a hitman for the Florida mafia.

All during his childhood, Frank's father taught him how to react in dangerous situations. How to shoot, how to fight.

Now, drawn back into some loose ends left by his fathers, he will need all the skills he ever learned.

ENVY THE NIGHT (Thriller-Frank Temple III-Wisconsin-Cont) - Ex
Koryta, Michael - Standalone
Thomas Dunne Books, 2008, US Hardcover - ISBN: 9781312361587

First Sentence: Frank Temple III walked out of the county jail at ten in the morning with a headache, a citation for public intox, and a notion that it was time to leave town.

Seven years ago, Frank Temple learned that his FBI agent father had also been a contract killer. His father was committed suicide just before he was to be arrested. Frank learned that Devin Matteson was the one who had turned his father and then gave him up to the FBI.

Now Frank learns, from Ezra, his father's close friend, that Devin is headed back to the Wisconsin property where Devin's father, Frank's father and Ezra had once been friends, and where Frank is determined to bring justice for his father.

Koryta is one of those authors whose books I can not start without finishing it the same day.

I can't think of a wrong note in the book, but his absolute strength is in the characters. He made me care about the protagonists, uncertain of the actions of the secondary characters and fear the villains. His dialogue is so good, I didn't notice it. It's a natural part of the whole story. His sense of place so accurate, you feel the elements. His action and suspense so palpable, I had to keep going to find the ending. His final twist so well done, I did not anticipate it.

The book is violent, but it is also very human with just the right dash of humor. But amongst all that, there are elements of philosophy, pathos, a bit of wisdom and an element of hope.

I have been a fan of each of Koryta's books, and this was no exception. In the Acknowledgment, Ms. Koryta thanks, among others, Dennis Lehane and Michael Connelly. To my mind, he is easily fits easily among their ranks, if not a bit above. This is a man who really knows how to write.

The writing was just fair...too many cliches and too little character delineation to make me care much. On top of that, I didn't see the tense action or any thrills here that other reviewers seem to have enjoyed. I found the plot very clunky and plodding and predictable. I will not pursue this author's work.

And it was. I remember reading that the author of this book is young.... he's going to do good for himself.