If She Wakes

By: Michael Koryta

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Discover the electrifying new novel from New York Times best-selling author Michael Koryta, the "master" (Stephen King) of thriller writing, the story of two women fighting for their lives against an enigmatic killer.

Tara Beckley is a senior at idyllic Hammel College in Maine. As she drives to deliver a visiting professor to a conference, a horrific car accident kills the professor and leaves Tara in a vegetative state. At least, so her doctors think. In fact, she's a prisoner of locked-in syndrome: fully alert but unable to move a muscle. Trapped in her body, she learns that someone powerful wants her dead - but why? And what can she do, lying in a hospital bed, to stop them?

Abby Kaplan, an insurance investigator, is hired by the college to look in to Tara's case. A former stunt driver, Abby returned home after a disaster in Hollywood left an actor dead and her own reputation - and nerves - shattered. Despite the fog of trauma, she can tell that Tara's car crash was no accident. When she starts asking questions, things quickly spin out of control, leaving Abby on the run and a mysterious young hit man named Dax Blackwell hard on her heels.

Full of pulse-pounding tension, If She Wakes is a searing, breakneck thriller from the genre's "best of the best" (Michael Connelly).

©2019 Michael Koryta (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"It's a measure of how good this book is that the chilling, masterfully sustained suspense is only one of its standout achievements. Koryta never brushes off anyone's death; he makes you feel for the victims. The relationship between Tara and her sibling is beautifully nuanced, full of revealing details going back to their childhood. Koryta has never been better than with this knuckle-biting thriller." (Kirkus)

"Instantly gripping, with realistic action, a breath-snatching twist, and a few untied ends that hopefully signal a sequel." (Booklist)

"Adept at creating Hitchcockian moments, Koryta keeps the suspense high throughout." (Publisher's Weekly)

somewhat suspenseful

It was great until the end. The plot twister was not that great for me.

Gripping story, disappointing final reveal

From the very first moment I began listening I was hooked. This is my first Michael Koryta story and I immediately added more of his books to my wishlist. The entire thing was absolutely thrilling, I couldn't wait to have the final mystery resolved as there had been so many twists and turns along the way. Unfortunately, the ending comes with a wet fart in a 6 minute chapter that basically glosses over everything. There is almost no closure--the reveal is disappointing and the bad guy gets away. I'll give this author another try but I really don't understand why so many books lose it at the end.

Screenplay please!

Loved this book! Hope to see it on the big screen someday. As I listened to this book I felt as though I was watching a movie.

excellent

I thought the book was great, kept my attention. I would definitely recommend to a friend.

A must read

This was a nice surprise -very good read, had me hooked all the way. I felt like I was right there in the middle of it!

Hellcat

I bought "If She Wakes" as a daily deal.  Not too sure what I was getting myself into, but I simply enjoyed my very first book by Michael Koryta.  Action pack, suspenseful and a thriller. The numerous car chases with the Dodge Hellcat was awesome. The story was great also.  

good

liked the story very much. good character development, good story development. interesting way to limit the victim. recommend.

Does She Wake?

I enjoyed this read. I almost didn’t download it because of a couple of negative reviews. I am puzzled as to why it would receive such negative words. It held my attention and with all of the twists and turns, had a satisfactory ending—not totally what I wanted, but still reasonable.

intriguing

highly captivating, well written and truly spellbinding. Will read this again. A good book in my mystery library

Michael Did it Again

I couldn't imagine how someone could make a good story out of a girl in a coma, but he did with a home run. Really good book.