Barb's Book Reviews: Review of "The Prophet: A Novel" by Michael Koryta

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Review of "The Prophet: A Novel" by Michael Koryta

Adam and Kent Austin are estranged brothers, both still reeling from the murder of their young sister when they were teenagers. Adam feels especially guilty because on the night of his sister's murder he blew off driving her home to be with his girl.

Adam is now a bail bondsman and Kent is coach of the high school football team. The football team is on track to a state championship when the girlfriend of a star player is murdered.

Adam feels compelled to investigate the crime and finds disturbing connections to himself and his brother.

This is a well-written suspense thriller that draws you in and keeps you turning the pages. Highly recommended to mystery fans.

Rating: 4 stars

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It's summer 1987, and in the New England town of Swift River, sixteen-year-old Diamond Newberry is troubled as usual. Ever since Diamond's father, Robert Newberry, disappeared seven years ago, she's the only Black person in town. Diamond is lonely and overweight, and she observes, "I am so fat I can't ride my bike anymore, so I let it get stolen on purpose....The bruises and stinging raspberries all over my body from weekly falls are constant reminders that the bike doesn't want me anymore." Diamond lives with her mother, a White woman named Annabelle (Anna), who's very loving, but inept and addicted to prescription pills. Since Anna's husband Robert has been gone for seven years, she hopes to get a death certificate, for the insurance money. Anna has a police report saying Robert's shoes, wallet, and keys were found beside the fast moving Swift River, but Anna hasn't filled out the proper papers, doesn't have witness statements, hasn't put a death notice in the papers, etc. So Anna has to go back and get her ducks in a row. It's not clear whether Robert is dead or alive, but he vanished after being accused of theft, and after the police had taken to constantly driving by the house. Many people have reported seeing Robert here or there, but Diamond puts it down to racism - to White people being unable to distinguish one Black man from another. Diamond and her Ma live in a dilapidated house with Robert's battered car still in the yard, but Anna doesn't drive and she and Diamond have to hitchhike or walk everywhere - including the Goodwill store where they buy their clothes.....

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Lewis Sinclair and his band are about to finish their U.S. tour with an appearance at the biggest country music festival in the country. In a couple of days, 'Lewis Sinclair and the Gentlemen Cowboys' will take the stage at FallsFest, near the Twin Cities in Minnesota. The fly in the ointment for Lew is the fact that his beautiful girlfriend, Ann-Dee Phillips, just broke up with him. To add insult to injury, Lew's agent, Archie Grant, is now representing Ann-Dee, and has even shoehorned the aspiring singer into a spot at FallsFest. Lew and the band were already planning to get rid of their lazy useless agent Archie. So after the clod makes a nuisance of himself when Lew is making his cement handprint on the Country Artist Walk of Fame, Lew punches Archie in the stomach and fires him. Afterwards, Lewis Sinclair and the Gentlemen Cowboys are a big hit onstage, with a Ghost Riders medley and a rollicking cover of Hank Williams' Move It On Over......

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Barb's Book Reviews

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Review of "The Prophet: A Novel" by Michael Koryta

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