An Honest Man

In this breathtaking thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Wish Me Dead, the murder of several politicians at sea shatters the world of a local lobsterman who must prove his innocence and save his own life.​

Israel Pike was a killer, and he was an honest man. They were not mutually exclusive.

• A Tampa Bay Times Best Book of 2023
  
  “This is Koryta's best book. It grabbed me hard and wouldn't let go. A wonderful suspense novel with good writing and lots of texture. It feels like it came straight from the heart."
  Stephen King
• “Israel Pike is a deep, emotionally flawed character who shines enormously on the page, and Lyman Rankin runs with him stride for stride. Michael Koryta is an exceptionally gifted storyteller. Every scene sparkles, from the superlative action scenes to the intimate human threads woven throughout. Take my advice: turn these pages. They will not disappoint."
  David Baldacci, bestselling author of Long Shadows
• “Michael Koryta is one of those writers who has brought Faulknerian prose to the crime novel.”
  James Lee Burke, bestselling author of Every Cloak Rolled in Blood and The Neon Rain
• “Michael Koryta's An Honest Man is a hatchet waiting for you in a dark room. This thing is sharp, gloomy, nuanced, violent, strangely elegant, and it smells like salt and blood. From crackling dialogue to complex characters, Koryta delivers everything. As a reader, I love his work. As a writer, I hate how easy he makes it look. Koryta is too damn good."
  Gabino Iglesias, author of the Edgar and Stoker Award-nominated The Devil Takes You Home
• "A macabre ghost ship adrift off the coast of Maine, a nest of islanders bristling with dark history, an ex-con/prodigal son and a lone cop allied against a depraved criminal network, a boy on the run from violence who must shelter a young woman who seems to have emerged from the sea itself—all woven together so deftly, and with such intensity of feeling, that the reader must simply hang on as the waves keep coming—and man do they come. An Honest Man is one hell of a ride, and Michael Koryta is a master at the helm."
   
  Tim Johnston, NYT Bestselling author of Descent and The Current
• "Elegantly written, stark and gorgeous. Michael Koryta is a treasure, and his skillful wisdom with character and setting and emotion are unmatched. An Honest Man will captivate you from page one. It is wry and knowing, ridiculously immersive, and utterly heartbreaking. It's a story that feels not only truly told, but actually true...aching with the bitterness of reality, and the danger that comes not only from greed, but also from love. I will admit, Michael Koryta makes me cry every time. This is a terrific book by a supremely gifted storyteller."
  Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling and award-winning author
• "Superb . . . This is top-tier suspense."
  Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
• "As in his other novels, Koryta's characters evoke feelings of sympathy, anger, and joy. Readers will stay engaged until the end." 
  Library Journal
• "One of crime fiction's go-to writers."
  Kirkus Reviews
• "Koryta is a force to be reckoned with in modern suspense, and An Honest Man is one of his finest achievements to date."
   
  Bruce Tierney, BookPage
• "Michael Koryta is an outstanding crime writer. His writing is taut and to the point, his characters are credible, and the Maine setting is brought beautifully to life. And he answers, with complete believability, the question of why people remain on Salvation Point, when poverty and violence surround them."
  Marilyn Brooks, Marilyn's Mystery Reads