Thriller Archives -

I have been a fan of author Michael Koryta ever since way back in 2003? And after two terrific books I am now a fan of his alter-ego Scott Carson. And I think Scott Carson’s latest release Lost Man’s Lane just may be Scott’s best novel. As such it also makes it Michael’s best!

The Story

The story grabbed me from the beginning, when Marshall Miller was pulled over by a policeman on the first time he took the car out after getting his license. The police man was very surly and while Marshall was receiving his ticket he noticed in his rear view mirror a young girl is sitting in the backseat of the police car looking terrified and crying. She was wearing a t-shirt of a restaurant that had closed years ago!

Soon posters are put up concerning a missing girl from a neighboring town, Marshall recognizes the girl, She was the one in the back of the police car. When Marshall goes to the police to report what he saw he discovers that there are no police officers with the name he’s reporting. As a result, Marshall sets out on a quest to discover what was happening. He is soon in contact with a private investigator who is investigating the case. The PI hires Marshall as an assistant for the summer.

The story takes many twists and turns as the investigation unravels. And the story because not only a horror/mystery story but also a coming of age story, with an ending that upturns Marshall’s life!

Bottom Line

The bottom line is go find and read Lost Man’s Lane, you won’t be sorry! It’s a terrific book on so many different levels. I think it would make a great book club read. If anyone else has read it I would love to know what you thought about it.

While your at it you can also check out Scott’s two other books The Chill and Where They Wait. All three books are high recommended!

As for me I have to wait until next April to read my next Scott Cason book Departure 37

Links

Author’s Website
Facebook

Instagram
Goodreads

Amazon

About Scott Carson

Scott Carson is the pen name for a New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter Michael Koryta. He lives in New England.

Michael Koryta is a New York Times-bestselling author whose work has been translated into more than 20 languages and has won or been nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Edgar® Award, Shamus Award, Barry Award, Quill Award, International Thriller Writers Award, and the Golden Dagger. They’ve been selected as “best books of the year” by numerous publications. Michael Kortya for More

So on Friday January 12 I finished reading my second book for 2024, John Scalzi’s Starter Villain. It is the ninth book by Scalzi on my Goodreads shelves. I began reading Scalzi’s books in 2008. The first book I read was Old Man’s War. that book among the others in the Old Man’s War series may still be my favorites written by Scalzi.

The hero of the book, well maybe not a hero, let’s just say main character of the book is Charlie Fister. Charlie is a divorced ex-newspaper journalist. Who is now a substitute teacher living with his cat. A house his siblings want to sell. All Charlie wants is to buy and run a pub downtown. But the cost is astronomical and his only collateral for a bank loan is the house he lives in, which his estranged siblings want to sell!

Then his estranged Uncle Jake dies and leaves Charlie his business. Charlie realizes he may be in trouble, when he’s asked to represent the family at his uncle’s memorial service. At the service, first it was the message sent on a vase of flowers. The message See You in Hell” During the visitation, one guest checks Jake’s pulse another tries to stab him! It seems his uncle was not too popular. “

When Charlie is whisked away to his uncle’s island (I won’t tell you why) he learns Uncle is a “villain”. Additionally, the people who were out to get Jake are out to get his heir, i.e. Charlie. Can Charlie survive??

Thoughts on Starter Villain

Starter Villain is the ninth book written by John Scalzi I have read. While I enjoy his hard science a little more I also enjoy his other books.I thought The Kaiju Preservation Society was a great read. The book was nominated for a Goodreads Award as Best Science Fiction book of the year so others liked it, too. It finished as the 8th most popular book.

Starter Villain reminds me a lot of The Kaiju Preservation, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps until she becomes involved with the Society. Cuarlie on the other hand is an ex-journalist stuck working as a substitute teacher. Both are characters that you can root for as they both face formidable opponents.

John Scalzi’s sense of humor always comes out in his characters and it certainly does in Charlie Fister. It certainly is one of the aspects of Scalzi’s books I love.

Even though I keep waiting for something big to happen in Starter Villain, overall i was satisfied with the surprising final twist at the end. Actually, the more I think about the book the more I realize that I really liked the book.

In 2023 Starter Villain was also nominated for the best science fiction book at Goodreads. This time Scalzi’s book finished fourth in the voting. So check it out.