Those Who Wish Me Dead Mass Market Paperback – May 31, 2016

I had a hard time getting into this story as it unfolded. Nothing really grabbed me. A private security agent drives into the mountains to drop off a teenage boy witness with her former wilderness survival instructor because she needs to get him off the grid for his own protection. So what. But then we are introduced to two of the most disturbing bad guys I have ever encountered in my reading adventures, who are trying to find and kill the witness. As they progress in their efforts to do so, they sadistically kill anyone who crosses their path who might be able to identify them and tie them to their ultimate task. The body count mounts as the chase continues. And, as the pace quickens, we can feel the panic and fear of the pursued. Toward the end there are some great twists in the plot and we realize that like the players in this story, we too have been taken in by people we trusted. Hats off to Mr. Koryta for creating a thrilling, scary and fun story. He managed to take a rather simple and not terribly original premise and turn in into a great read.

When I saw that one of my favorite writers and directors currently in Hollywood, Taylor Sheridian (of Hell or High Water, Wind River, Sicario), was adapting this book into a movie, I figured it had to be pretty great. Boy was I not disappointed. The term "page-turner" is thrown around a bit too loosely for my taste, but this is a true "stay up all night with white knuckles from gripping too hard" kind of story. The story also has some very unexpected twists and turns that elevate it from good to great status. The synopsis is very similar to John Grisham's The Client. A young boy witnesses a murder that necessitates him being hidden. Rather than place him inside witness protection, he is given a new identity and sent to spend the summer in a wilderness survival program for troubled teens. Unfortunately, his would-be killers are hot on his trail (no pun intended). Although biased, I'm hopeful Sheridian can break the mold and make a film as good as the medium in which it was originally told.

Stopped reading after only 13% in. Bored to tears (almost) by the pace and dialogue. There’s only one thing that’s worse grade-inflation in colleges, and that ratings-inflation by Amazon readers.

If you like suspense, cliff hangers, action, drama and a nerve jarring twist, this is the book for you! It’s very well written. The anatomy of wildfire described within is terrific, the mountain scenery so vivid it’s like I was there. I simply couldn’t put it down. I just found a new favorite author.

I was instantly grabbed by the first chapter, but after that I found it slow moving. I found the pair of villains to be the most intriguing though, which I found to be a bit backwards, because instead of rooting for "the good guys" I didn't really care who won out in the end. There was one "twist" toward the end that caught me off guard, but even that was a little far fetched. The writing was very good and had a good flow, but it just didn't hold my interest completely. I would try another book by this author, just to give him a second chance.

This one is chock full of fast-action, terrifying moments, horrible killers, a true heroine, and three indomitable survivors. Rescue, rejoice, rebuild! A life lesson for the ages. It is a masterpiece that will resonate in readers minds for a very long time.

Michael Koryta has once again risen the level of the thriller genre to that of classic literature. His writing is like a house on fire and reminds me of the early work of Dennis Lehane. He has had success in everything from hard-boiled crime to the supernatural and now sets his sight on an out and out thrill ride.THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD places readers directly in the shoes of 13-year-old Jace Wilson. Jace wanted nothing more than to play in the quarry behind his house and was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was spied by two vicious killers who recognized that Jace had just watched them slash a man's throat while disguised as police officers.Jace is put into a unique form of witness protection. His name is changed to Connor Reynolds and he is to spend the summer hiking in the mountains outside of Yosemite. Under the guidance of an expert mountain-guide named Ethan, 'Connor' and a handful of other troubled young boys are off on a mountain adventure, cut off from civilization.It wouldn't be a thriller without suspense and that comes in the form of the brutally exquisite depiction of the two villains --- Jack and Patrick Blackwell. They speak in a strange manner with a cadence all their own, almost as if there were no one else in the world but them. This will send chills down the spines of readers as they witness the Blackwell brothers leaving behind them a path of death and mayhem in pursuit of their target --- Jace.They learn through torture and threat the whereabouts of Jace Wilson and they literally attempt to burn down the very mountain he is hiking in to drive him out into their deadly grasp. What happens next is a story of survival --- for Jace, Ethan and others --- as nature in its deadliest form turns out to be the least of their troubles.THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD is difficult to put down and will stay with the reader long after the final page is turned. Koryta handles the plot with precision and skill with more than a few surprises thrown in.

Jace Wilson witnesses a murder and fears for his safety. For reasons not fully explained,rather than being taken into protective custody,Jace is sent to a wilderness camp under a false name until the heat is off and he can testify against the two men he saw kill a third.This aspect aside,the book is stolen by the Blackwell brothers,the two murderers that Jace saw slit another man’s throat before dropping him into a quarry lake. The brothers talk to each other as if no-one else is present and in such a manner that sends shivers down your spine. The flip side of this is that the dialogue between the two brothers is so engrossing that chapters not featuring them seem dull by comparison. At one point,the brothers set a fire with the intent of flushing Jace out of the mountains.Whether this succeeds or not doesn’t really matter but what it does do is give Koryta a chance to set the scene and keep the tension ramped up;something that he excels at.The premise is a simple one. The brothers are hired killers and having found out that Jace witnessed them killing a man,himself another witness,are going all out to eliminate him.As stated,the Blackwell brothers own this book. Read it for that reason alone. You will not be disappointed.

Readable thriller, with a few good twists and turns.

One of the best thrillers I have read. Keeps you on the edge and keep the pages turning at a faster rate. Michael is able to capture the wilderness very well and transport the readers to the location where the action takes place. Believable characters, explosive action, charismatic and dangerous villains, this novel has everything a thriller fan needs.

Phenomenal thriller, written with unusual artistry and compassion. There’s a twist near the end that doesn’t quite make sense but nothing’s perfect. Buy it and stay up half the night finishing it.

This was a good easy read.