The Prophet

By Michael Koryta (Trade Paperback, 2013)

A new thriller from international bestseller Michael Koryta: the killer of a teenage girl terrorizes a small town and reopens decades-old wounds.

Adam Austin hasn't spoken to his brother in years. When they were teenagers, their sister was abducted and murdered, and their devastated family never recovered. Now Adam keeps to himself, scraping by as a bail bondsman, working so close to the town's criminal fringes that he sometimes seems a part of them.

Kent Austin is the beloved coach of the local high school football team, a religious man and hero in the community. After years of near misses, Kent's team has a shot at the state championship, a welcome point of pride in a town that has had its share of hardships.

Just before playoffs begin, the town and the team are thrown into shock when horrifically, impossibly, another teenage girl is found murdered. As details emerge that connect the crime to the Austin brothers, the two must confront their buried rage and grief-and unite to stop a killer.

Michael Koryta, widely hailed as one of the most exciting young thriller authors at work today, has written his greatest novel ever-an emotionally harrowing, unstoppably suspenseful novel that Donald Ray Pollock has called "one of the sharpest and superbly plotted crime novels I've read in my life."

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- Format: Trade Paperback
- Price: $15.00 US/$17.00 CAN
- ISBN-13: 9780316122597
- On Sale Date: 08/13/2013
- Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
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Formats Available: Hardcover Book, Trade Paperback, Electronic Book, Audiobook, Trade Paperback, Audiobook
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Audiobook Excerpt

A new thriller from international bestseller Michael Koryta: the killer of a teenage girl terrorizes a small town and reopens decades-old wounds.

Michael Koryta (pronounced ko-ree-ta) is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, most recently THE PROPHET. His last three novels, THE RIDGE, THE CYPRESS HOUSE, and SO COLD THE RIVER were all New York Times notable books and nominated for several national and international awards. In addition to winning the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, his novel ENVY THE NIGHT was selected as a Reader's Digest condensed book. Koryta's work has been translated into more than twenty languages. A former private investigator and newspaper reporter, Koryta graduated from Indiana University with a degree in criminal justice. He currently lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Bloomington, Indiana.

PRAISE FOR THE PROPHET:
"The Prophet is a relentless, heart-in-your-throat thriller about ordinary people caught in the middle of an extraordinary nightmare." (Dennis Lehane).
"Michael Koryta is an amazingly talented writer, and I rank The Prophet as one of the sharpest and superbly plotted crime novels I've read in my life." (Donald Ray Pollock, author of Knockemstiff and The Devil All the Time).
"Friday Night Lights meets In Cold Blood in this powerful tale...It's a brilliantly paced thriller that keeps its villains at a tantalizing distance, a compelling family portrait, a study in morality that goes beyond the usual black-and-white judgments, and an entertaining spin on classic football fiction. A flawless performance." (Kirkus, starred review).
"Elegantly written...Koryta shows great sensitivity in examining how each brother deals with these parallel tragedies." (Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review).
"Thriller Award-finalist Koryta (The Ridge) triumphantly returns to crime fiction with this multi-layered exploration of guilt and redemption....Like Laura Lippman, Koryta has a gift for melding a suspenseful, twisty plot with a probing, unflinching look at his protagonists' weaknesses." (Publisher's Weekly, starred review).
"The Prophet is like a long, heart-stopping pass down the sidelines in the final seconds of a decisive game. It's made me want to leap to my feet and cheer Koryta on." (Scott Smith).
"A delicious read, intricately woven, with characters who are impossible to forget. Michael Koyta excites and satisfies on every level." (Elin Hilderbrand).
"Edgar-nominated mystery wunderkind Koryta (he turns 30 this year) has earned kudos from veteran thriller writers Stephen King and Dean Koontz. He proves plenty worthy of praise in this vivid portrayal of a small Midwestern town and the evils that befall it....With its crisp writing and steady suspense, this is a must-read for his fans both old and new." (Booklist, starred review).
"Gut-wrenching at every level." (Library Journal, starred review).
"A compelling story...a powerful psychological portrait." (Tampa Bay Times).
"Could. Not. Put. It. Down." (The New London Day).
Praise for Michael Koryta:
"Somehow, Michael Koryta gets better with every book, no small feat considering the quality of those he's already written. Here's a writer for the new century, one to read, admire and, yes, envy." (Tom Franklin, author of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter).
PRAISE FOR THE RIDGE:
"A man in love with the woman who shot him. Who could possibly resist that story? Not me. Read on, and discover one of the scariest and most touching horror tales in years." (James Patterson).
"A chilling supernatural thriller by [a] rising literary star" (Alexandra Alter, Wall Street Journal).
"Another supernatural thriller with punch....Part ghost story, part murder mystery, all thriller, this fast-paced and engaging read will have readers leaving the night light on long after they have finished the book." (Colleen S. Harris, Library Journal (starred review)).
"An eerie tale... a dark and compulsively readable story...Reading The Ridge is a fine way to chill down a hot summer night. But you'll want to leave the lights on." (Colette Bancroft, St. Petersburg Times).
"A new suspense novel that's sure to send a few unseasonable shivers down the back of your neck...In addition to being a spooky thriller, the book is about a lot of different kinds of loss and love." (Linda Wertheimer, NPR).