Title: Never Far Away by Michael Koryta
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense, Thriller
Length: 313 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
New York Times bestselling “master” of American thriller writing Michael Koryta returns with an electrifying new novel about a mother seeking to reconnect with her children after a terrible trial tears their family apart
Nina Morgan’s bloodstained car was found a decade ago on a lonely Florida road. Forensic evidence suggested she’d been murdered, although her body was never found. Her disappearance left her infant children to the care of their father.
Once a pilot, mother, wife, and witness to a gruesome crime, Nina had to flee her old life to save her family. She reinvented herself as Leah Trenton, a guide in the Allagash Wilderness in northern Maine. She never expected to see her children again, but now tragedy has returned them to her—only they have no idea that she’s their mother—and delivered all of them back into danger. “Aunt Leah” will need some help, and an old ally has a suggestion: an enigmatic young hitman named Dax Blackwell.
Never Far Away is a thrilling collision between old sins and new dreams, where the wills and ingenuity of a broken family will be tested against all odds.
Review:
Never Far Away by Michael Koryta is an action-packed thriller.
Ten years ago, Nina Morgan faked her own death in order to protect her husband and two small children. She changed her name to Leah Trenton and now lives in a remote part of Maine. Her husband Doug and their children, thirteen year old Hailey and eleven year old Nick, live a normal life in Kentucky. Following Doug’s death, Hailey kicks off her parents’ contingency plan to send a message to “Aunt Leah”. Believing her old employers no longer want her dead, Leah brings her children to her isolated cabin in Maine. Hailey is wary of Leah and less than thrilled with the move. Nick is more accepting of their new situation especially after they move into town.
Leah also set into action a plan for someone to keep watch over her and the children. Having living without fear for so long, she is not quite as cautious as she should be. But once she learns her former boss, J. Corson Lowery, is aware she is alive, she eventually implements a plan to prevent two escaped killers from finding them. Leah is also afraid that her safety plan fell through, so she and her kids are on their own. Are the killers closer than she believes?
Unbeknownst to Leah, her phone call to someone she trusts with her life was successful. Assassin Dax Blackwell has his own agenda that conveniently includes locating her. He works his way across the country and eventually finds Leah, Hailey and Nick. Fortunately for Leah, he arrives ahead of Lowery’s men, but exactly whose side is Dax on?
Hailey is extremely suspicious of Leah and she is attempting to find more information about her “aunt”. Enlisting the aid of the boy who lives next door, she is surprised by the details he manages to unearth. Confused and wanting more information, they come up with a plan they hopes will lead to the truth about Leah. Before she has the chance to learn anything new, Leah insists on taking her and Nick on an unexpected journey. Will Hailey trust Leah to keep them safe?
Never Far Away is a compelling mystery that is engrossing and suspenseful. Leah is desperate to protect her children and she is willing to sacrifice her life for theirs. Nick is an easy to please young man who adapts fairly quickly to their new lives. Hailey is resentful and suspicious about Leah’s identity and she will do anything to ensure she and Nick are safe. Dax is surprisingly amusing as he decides what his course of action he will take upon his arrival in Maine. With intriguing twists and unanticipated turns, Michael Koryta brings this exciting novel to an edge of the seat conclusion. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this fast-paced thriller to fans of the genre.
