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A review by saareman
The Last Honest Horse Thief by Michael Koryta
5.0
Marcus (Mark) Novak Prequel - Bibliomysteries #37
Review of the Mysterious Press/Open Road eBook (December 18, 2018) of the original hardcover (earlier in 2018).
This is actually a prequel to Koryta's earlier duo of books featuring lawyer investigator Marcus Novak. In this short story / novella for the Bibliomysteries series, Novak is still a teenage boy who helps his mother and "uncles" run grifter scams. He tires of the deception and the result is that his mother is arrested and imprisoned and he himself is put into a foster home. His "uncles" have meanwhile hidden out and are keeping a low profile while waiting for their sister's release from prison.
There isn't a "deadly book" in this story. Instead, Novak's foster father gives him a repair manual for the old car in the barn and Marcus becomes engrossed into making the car run again. But after it is working, will he be able to resist the urge to steal the car and ride off into the sunset and reunite with his family?
I thought this was a great coming-of-age type story and enjoyed it immensely, even if it didn't adhere to the Bibliomysteries mandate for stories about "deadly books".
Trivia and Links
Michael Koryta (1982-) is an American author of over 14+ published novels, mostly in the crime and supernatural genres. He also writes under the pseudonym of [a:Scott Carson|19662726|Scott Carson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1708785839p2/19662726.jpg]. His best known series are the Lincoln Perry (2004-2009) quartet and the Marcus (Mark) Novak (2015-2016) duology. His most popular book (based on the number of GR ratings and reviews) is [b:Those Who Wish Me Dead|18587089|Those Who Wish Me Dead|Michael Koryta|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1382989843l/18587089._SY75_.jpg|26327017] (2014) which was adapted as the same titled feature film (2021) directed by Taylor Sheridan and starring Angelina Jolie.
The Bibliomysteries series are short stories commissioned by Otto Penzler's The Mysterious Press to be written around the theme of deadly books. They are individually published in limited edition signed hardcovers followed by paperbacks and ebooks, and periodically collected in anthology editions such as [b:Bibliomysteries|32191848|Bibliomysteries|Otto Penzler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1478278696l/32191848._SY75_.jpg|56893092] (2013, containing stories 1-15) and [b:Bibliomysteries: Volume Two|36327114|Bibliomysteries Volume Two|Otto Penzler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507842055l/36327114._SY75_.jpg|58003435] (2018, containing stories 16-30). There does not appear to be a Goodreads Listopia for them, but on Library Thing the current listing (as of late-October 2024) includes 41 short stories Note that there is a double count of #33 and that book #41 isn't numbered yet in that list.
Review of the Mysterious Press/Open Road eBook (December 18, 2018) of the original hardcover (earlier in 2018).
Larry squeezed his shoulder and forced a grin. “You’re the last honest horse thief, kid. And maybe the first. It’s clearly not your line of work. Just keep it that way, would you?”
This is actually a prequel to Koryta's earlier duo of books featuring lawyer investigator Marcus Novak. In this short story / novella for the Bibliomysteries series, Novak is still a teenage boy who helps his mother and "uncles" run grifter scams. He tires of the deception and the result is that his mother is arrested and imprisoned and he himself is put into a foster home. His "uncles" have meanwhile hidden out and are keeping a low profile while waiting for their sister's release from prison.
There isn't a "deadly book" in this story. Instead, Novak's foster father gives him a repair manual for the old car in the barn and Marcus becomes engrossed into making the car run again. But after it is working, will he be able to resist the urge to steal the car and ride off into the sunset and reunite with his family?
I thought this was a great coming-of-age type story and enjoyed it immensely, even if it didn't adhere to the Bibliomysteries mandate for stories about "deadly books".
Trivia and Links
Michael Koryta (1982-) is an American author of over 14+ published novels, mostly in the crime and supernatural genres. He also writes under the pseudonym of [a:Scott Carson|19662726|Scott Carson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1708785839p2/19662726.jpg]. His best known series are the Lincoln Perry (2004-2009) quartet and the Marcus (Mark) Novak (2015-2016) duology. His most popular book (based on the number of GR ratings and reviews) is [b:Those Who Wish Me Dead|18587089|Those Who Wish Me Dead|Michael Koryta|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1382989843l/18587089._SY75_.jpg|26327017] (2014) which was adapted as the same titled feature film (2021) directed by Taylor Sheridan and starring Angelina Jolie.
The Bibliomysteries series are short stories commissioned by Otto Penzler's The Mysterious Press to be written around the theme of deadly books. They are individually published in limited edition signed hardcovers followed by paperbacks and ebooks, and periodically collected in anthology editions such as [b:Bibliomysteries|32191848|Bibliomysteries|Otto Penzler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1478278696l/32191848._SY75_.jpg|56893092] (2013, containing stories 1-15) and [b:Bibliomysteries: Volume Two|36327114|Bibliomysteries Volume Two|Otto Penzler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507842055l/36327114._SY75_.jpg|58003435] (2018, containing stories 16-30). There does not appear to be a Goodreads Listopia for them, but on Library Thing the current listing (as of late-October 2024) includes 41 short stories Note that there is a double count of #33 and that book #41 isn't numbered yet in that list.