The Cypress House

By: Michael Koryta

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

A journey to Florida's coast becomes an inescapable nightmare in this supernatural thriller from international bestselling author Michael Koryta.

Arlen Wagner has seen it in men before: a trace of smoke in their eyes that promises imminent death. He is never wrong.

When Arlen awakens on a train one hot Florida night and sees death's telltale sign in the eyes of his fellow passengers, he tries to warn them. Only 19-year-old Paul Brickhill believes him, and the two abandon the train, hoping to escape certain death. They continue south, but soon are stranded at the Cypress House—an isolated Gulf Coast boarding house run by the beautiful Rebecca Cady—directly in the path of an approaching hurricane.

The storm isn't the only approaching danger, though. A much deadlier force controls the county and everyone living in it, and Arlen wants out—fast. But Paul refuses to abandon Rebecca to face the threats alone, even though Arlen's eerie gift warns that if they stay too long they may never leave. From its chilling beginning to terrifying end, The Cypress House is a story of relentless suspense from "one of the best of the best" (Michael Connelly).

©2011 Michael Koryta (P)2011 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Michael Koryta is one of our new dynamos in the world of books, and in The Cypress House he spreads his range, wedding suspense with the supernatural in the eeriness of 1930s Florida. He uses the psychology of place to penetrate the human heart and delivers his tale of hurricanes and love and hauntings with great narrative force. Koryta's becoming a wonder we'll appreciate for a long time."—Daniel Woodrell, author of Winter's Bone

"The Cypress House is a dazzling blend of suspense, the supernatural, and superb storytelling. What a gifted writer. Michael Koryta is the real deal."—Ron Rash, author of Serena

"Koryta's masterful follow-up to So Cold the River effectively combines supernatural terror with the suffocating fatalism of classic American noir....Koryta excels at describing both scenery and his characters' inner landscapes. It's hard to think of another book with equal appeal to Stephen King and Cornell Woolrich fans."—Publishers Weekly

Great book read by a great narrator!

I generally stay away from supernatural books; not my thing. However, this one piqued my interest and I decided to give it a try. It's a great book!!!! Fantastic story development, it moves at a good clip and the narrator is amazing. I'll definitely look for more books narrated by Robert Petkoff; he managed to make the characters distinct without any of them sounding like caricatures. I absolutely loved this book!!

Great Book

Never a dull moment I was looking for a new author to listen to and I found him. Narrator was outstanding.

Suspenseful and enjoyable

Just finished this one and enjoyed it very much. The characters were rich and believable and had complex motivations that kept me interested. The paranormal elements added some flavor to a good story and but did not overpower it.

Enjoyed the suspense

A very enjoyable listen. Had some good twists and plenty of suspense. Went through it faster than I usually go through books because it kept my interest and kept me wanting to know how the next situation turned out. A little corny in places, like when the narrator kept whispering the word "dead", but all in all a good story with an excellent narrator.

Long, but worth it

This book only gets 3 stars from me because, so far of the 9 books I've listened to by Mr. Koryta, this is my least favorite. It becomes obvious pretty shortly in the story that this is one of the authors earlier works. His characters are good, but the plot doesn't move quickly, the setting isn't as fully developed as other books, and towards the end the story starts to really drag. I don't have to be told how "evil" the antagonist is a hundred times before I get it. He has gotten better with his editing since, but still Koryta remains a far better author than a good majority of the trite works ending up on audible now. So, if you like a good thriller-style story, it's a recommended listen.

Good story of Depression Era Florida

Good story of a man with a gift who finds himself in the middle of a criminal enterprise in Depression Era Florida. The characters are nuanced, the writing is bold and emotional. The plot twists and turns and the ending is surprising. Well narrated by Robert Petkoff.

Just ok.

This story was just not that exciting to me. I think its more of a "man's" story. It was easy to finish but was glad I could move on to something else. The narration was good.

Post WWI era Mystery set in FL

This was a great read! It is also my first from Michale Koryta, but not my last. I found the characters believable with their flaws and even Arlen's ability to see death; which definitely underscores Koryta's writing skill. I loved the1930s Florida setting and the way you thought you knew what was going to happen and then realized you were just a bit off. The narrator did a terrific job in differenciating the various characters so you could "see" how they were interacting. If you enjoy mysteries set in the first half of the twentieth century, I believe you will find this author and narrator a wonderful combination. Try it!

The Cypress House is better than The Ridge.

I'm not a fan of books that deal with the supernatural, but am a big fan of crime novels. The Cypress House is a terrific crime novel that would have been even better if the main character had not been able to talk with the dead. It adds nothing to the novel.

Koryta is a wonderful young writer. His first books, the Lincoln Perry series, were his best novels until Those Who Wish Me Dead (released in 2014), which is probably the best mystery/thriller book released so far this year and is Koryta's best novel. I have now read 9 or 10 Koryta novels, all except So Cold the River which I will read soon, All 9 except The Ridge and The Cypress House have earned 5 star ratings. The Ridge has been the only disappointment.

Excellent!

I don't usually like stories with any supernatural elements but this one was great. I listened to it into the wee hours of the night and found myself hovering under the blankets towards the end when it got a little creepy. Great story and narrator. Also liked The Ridge. Great author. Will read more from him.