Rise the Dark
Michael Koryta
Little, Brown & Company 2016
400 pages
Rise the Dark begins in Montana during late winter, when heavy wet snowfalls can still cripple a community.
Sabrina Baldwin and her husband Jay are relaxing in the comforts of their new home in Red Lodge, when the lights flicker, and then go dark. An expert in high voltage power lines, Jay must suit up to locate and rectify the problem. After he leaves, Sabrina is confronted by a strange, frightening man who has gained silent entry to her house. Unknown to her, Garland Webb is suspected of the murder of lawyer Lauren Novak on an isolated country road. Within moments, they are both gone. Kindle: Rise the Dark on Kindle
Mark Novak is determined to track down his wife’s killer and insure that justice is served. His journey to trace Lauren’s final steps takes him to Cassadaga; a familiar place that he’d rather avoid, where psychic and such phenomena are as common and expected as corner stores used to be.
Crimes appear to be committed by the same man, yet orchestrated by another; a leader well-versed in crowd talk and manipulation, whose obedient followers are naively hooked on anti-society doctrines, or motivated by love, loyalty and blood lust.
Michael Koryta’s Rise the Dark is a chilling and spooky tale of suspense. Koryta’s writing often gives you the creeps. While you feel the intensity of the characters, you never know what’s going to happen, and you want to read more to get there. Something big is definitely coming.
The literal and metaphorical shift of power is most interesting, as is the heroism of the women.
Unfortunately, there are some questions that are left hanging, or only partially explained. One crucial issue involves, if X happens, then what? That and a mysterious circumstance from Mark’s past that has only a few intriguing details, leave this reader feeling that the story is a bit incomplete.
That being said, those who like novels sporting a touch of the supernatural, and characters who are willing to make momentous sacrifices for the greater good, will enjoy this novel. Rise the Dark is generally entertaining and worth the read.
Other reviews for Michael Koryta: If She Wakes How It Happened Last Words