Get past the intro, then hold on

I was puzzled by the intro and actually thought I had the wrong audiobook. However, once the main story got started, I was hooked and finished this story in record time. After the ending, I wanted more.

17 people found this helpful

2 Creepy, Killer Brothers Make for Great Suspense

Remember the two creepy villians in the Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever? Well the bad guys here aren't Mr Wint and Mr Kidd, they are the handsome, blond haired, blue eyed Blackwood brothers, but they are every bit as creepy, resourceful and deadly. Like the Bond movie, they carry on polite conversation with each other, in front of their victims, even while inflicting great pain. Certainly Koryta used the Bond villains as his inspiration, and it works exceptionally well.

Since I started with the bad guys, it's important to note they wouldn't be near as creepy and terrifying without the superb reading of Robert Petkoff. His performance is nothing short of magnificent.

Another aspect that makes this novel so interesting is the woodsmanship and wilderness training explained through the Mai character and hero, Ethan Serbin.

This is a fast, suspenseful read!

35 people found this helpful

Too many points of view

I will hand it to Koryta. His style of prose is effortless. it pulls the reader/listener along on a swift current. Its very well done.

Many reviewers have said they like the villains here. I thought they were ok. They get where they are going too easily. The scenes they are in felt contrived. They also very much remind me of the psycho in No Country for Old Men. Only its a duo instead of a single guy. They give off the same vibe.

I think this story could have been a lot stronger if it had skipped the intro chapter (set up), and then focused 100% on the kid and the guide. Or even just the kid. A lot of tension seeps out of the pages when the focus moves from one point of view to another. Things happen too easily as well.

This is a solid 3 stars. I enjoyed it. But I also got frustrated when I found myself several times many steps in front of the action. The action was well done, but set up poorly. It dragged along.

14 people found this helpful

Best Bad Guys EVER!

As consistent as he has always been for me, I think Michael Koryta has just outdone himself this time. This book is superior.

Michael Koryta novels always contain s a well thought out scenario that feel like they have been well researched, including antidotes, details and descriptions that leave you feeling like he is writing about his life’s work in his back yard. The characters are creatively crafted. His writing is flawlessly paced. It just never lets up. The last hours of this I was looking for the button that makes the narrator talk faster; I was so invested into the character and their plight.

The bad guys in this book are so unique and their evil personas are so well constructed that the hair stands straight up on the back of your neck each and every time they come into a scene. When you don’t see them coming, you literally GASP out loud and stop what you’re doing. It just doesn't get better than this.

27 people found this helpful

Those Who Wish Me Dead - Wish it was Longer

What did you love best about Those Who Wish Me Dead?

This was a really good fast paced adventure packed story. I would have like if it were a little longer. Characters were pretty fleshed out, enough for the story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I think I liked Hannah the best. Her story came out little by little through out the book. As a subplot this was superb.

Which scene was your favorite?

I don't want to spoil this for anyone but I think the scene that touched me the most was towards the end when Hannah sat with Nick on the mountain watching the fire.

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The ending was not what I had expected. The brothers were GREAT the way they played off of each other, a some are not who they seem to be. I don't want to say too much but in my "opinion" this was certainly worth the credit.

23 people found this helpful

Fire on the Mountain

As a genre thrillers too often favor action and plot over character development, resulting in a library full of books populated by cardboard heroes and villains. Koryta consistently defies that norm and creates characters that we can invest in emotionally, simultaneously placing them in nail-biting situations. “Those Who Wish Me Dead” is one of his finest with an opening scene that informs us immediately of the deadly seriousness of young Jace’s situation. From that scene forward, the rest of the cast is introduced, and every one of them, good or bad, are drawn with a fine touch. My stomach clenched every time the Blackwell brothers appeared, knowing the cold blooded violence they brought with them. The wilderness instructor and his wife are very good but very human and vulnerable because, in spite of knowing of Jace’s danger, they underestimated the level of evil they faced. Fire on the mountain both compounds their problems and offers unforeseen hope.

The pace is non-stop, and I actually didn’t stop, listening in one long sitting. Koryta never shies away from letting some bad things happen to some of his characters, disdaining improbably coincidental saves. So you never know what’s coming, the tension never lets up. In true Koryta fashion, the ultimate hero of the story will hold your heart. A strong place to start for readers who have not read this author before.

33 people found this helpful

Really enjoyed this work!

I listen to books constantly and this has been one of the most entertaining to date. Great writing, heroes, villains. and twists in the plot. very exciting and made even better by the amazing narrator, who adjusted his inflection and read perfectly. absolutely loved it!

4 people found this helpful

Exciting with unexpected plot twists

I'm glad I discovered this book and author. It doesn't take long to grab the listeners attention and then it holds it well. It comes a good sense of the high mountains and presents several perspectives well: a twelve year old boy, a thirtysomething survival trainer, his wife a resourceful outdoorswoman, a woman firetower watcher, and the antiheroes.

3 people found this helpful

worth the credit !

It took me on a whirlwind roller coaster ride and had me completely engaged. Robert Petkof is an awesome narrator which is the main reason I decided to read this book plus the positive reviews, will read more from this author

3 people found this helpful

3 ½ stars. Slightly above average

but I was not excited. I didn’t smile. I didn’t feel good with anticipation - probably because the main characters were mostly victims. I prefer books where the main characters do smart things or unexpected things. Here the main characters are smart and do reasonable things, but nothing special or different. Two evil brothers go anywhere, do anything, and no one sees them or stops them. They kill and torture, including police. They were definitely interesting, but I wanted something better about the good guys. There was justice in the end which I liked.

I loved Envy by this author. It was similar in that the bad guys were practically unstoppable. But the hero was a highly skilled fighter and shooter. He did surprising things and could thwart the bad guys. He surprised them. They didn't expect someone like him. That was fun.

I was disappointed with the crisis scene at the beginning of this book. 14 year old Jace is swimming in a quarry and hiding under a rock when the bad guys appear. They kill a guy and throw him in the water. Then they see Jace’s clothes nearby and start looking for him. The scene stops. We don’t see what happened with their search for Jace until much later in the book when it is vaguely referred to - no details shown. That could have been a great scene with Jace’s emotions as he hides, flees, gets away, or whatever. Even better, have the boy do something surprising. See Spoiler.

CAUTION SPOILER:
Apparently the bad guys called the man who hired them saying a boy/witness might be hiding in the water. The man said there is not enough time to search so leave it. I’m thinking why no time to search? These bad guys began a several weeks long search for the boy right after that. The author did not clarify or do enough with that.
END SPOILER.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Robert Petkoff did a fine job.

Narrative mode: 3rd person.
Genre: suspense thriller.

3 people found this helpful