The Prophet

By: Michael Koryta

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Adam Austin hasn't spoken to his brother in years. When they were teenagers, their sister was abducted and murdered, and their devastated family never recovered. Now Adam keeps to himself, scraping by as a bail bondsman, working so close to the town's criminal fringes that he sometimes seems a part of them.

Kent Austin is the beloved coach of the local high school football team, a religious man and hero in the community. After years of near misses, Kent's team has a shot at the state championship, a welcome point of pride in a town that has had its share of hardships.

Just before playoffs begin, the town and the team are thrown into shock when horrifically, impossibly, another teenage girl is found murdered. When details emerge that connect the crime to the Austin brothers, the two are forced to unite to stop a killer - and to confront their buried rage and grief before history repeats itself again.

Michael Koryta, long hailed as one of the best young thriller writers at work today, has written his greatest novel ever - an emotionally harrowing, unstoppably suspenseful novel that proves why Michael Connelly has named him "one of the best of the best".

©2012 Michael Koryta (P)2012 Hachette Audio

This may be my favorite Koryta book!

I completed The Ridge two days ago and was very disappointed (and wrote a negative review). As a big fan of Koryta's Lincoln Perry 4 book series, I did not wish to give up on this talented author. The Prophet did not disappoint! Character development was excellent. The story was superb. The Prophet is as good as the Lincoln Perry series, which is a high compliment.

Great Story, Great Characters and Go Cardinals!

I know there were a lot of complaints in other reviews about the football. And maybe it's because I'm a football fan, but I thought it was a nice story bridge and allowed for some metaphors to come through. The story was compelling and not easy to guess. Robert Petkoff is becoming one of my favorite narrators.

Excellent Surprise

This author and narrator matchup is nearly as good as the Burke/Patton duo. I was pleasantly surprised at the clean writing, the genuine capturing of two brothers' relationship, and a real depiction of small town life. I sorta forgot about the crime because I wanted to read about the characters' lives. I really cared about them.

Baseball is my game, but the thrill of high school football is truly depicted here and reading about Adam's last drive had me cheering. Just great writing.

There have been a few books over the last month that I didn't finish because I just got tired of prolonged and gross violence, the degradation and destruction of a human being. I wonder about the people who think this stuff up.

Koryta, on the other hand, writes a compelling story without a madman eating a child's heart still beating or people's heads on spikes. I cut my teeth on McKinty's trilogy so I'm no faint of heart pantywaist, but enough is enough. The lack of gore in The Prophet was because the story and writing was so stellar, the story so real, it didn't need to shock us.

I just ordered another title by Koryta and look forward to reading the rest. It's just unfortunate Brick reads a lot of them.

Robert Petkoff is outstanding!!

Great story with multiple parallels suggested.

The story itself was quite good. Have enjoyed the authors writing style. Robert Petkoff is an excellent narrator, and I recommend books that he's read. It was a worthwhile read. However, there was a morality and religion aspect that wasn't fully explored. The author clearly started out with intent to challenge the position of Faith, but did not follow up through the climax and resolution of the story. he touched on it, and then it just disappeared without explanation. Instead, more secular and pragmatic themes were explored, and they won out, although without examination.

PETKOFF IS PETACULAR! WELL WRITTEN

Held my attention with twists and suspense, a little weak on the facts behind discovering who did it but well constructed weaving football in. I played the same year in HS so brought back memories.
RP was very good. I a,m wondering if his other books are as good or better? Anyone? I do hesitate to embark on the Myron series. Good combo of Friday Night Lights and a murder mystery

great suspense story

this is a great reading of a great suspense story. Love all the football and small-town type of stories and feel to it. very much enjoyed.

Very entertaining

I listen to Audible while I run and this book kept me wanting more miles to continue listening! Great writing and narration.

Well written

This is very well written, but I think the pace was very slow. Some reviewers have said that they did not like all the Football references, but I was wondering if it was a part of the pace which was already slow only making it slower.

Nice towny mystery

I'll start by saying I'm not a sports fan, so what could have been a painful story was not. The football action worked as a character, which was pretty awesome. The family dynamics were also spot on. The author does mysteries well and knows how to describe and tie in things without the length. I wish a few more long-winded authors would take note. Overall, the story had mystery overtones but wasn't a whodunnit in the traditional sense. I won't elaborate more because I don't like any hint of spoiling the ride. I think you'll enjoy it. If you are new to Mr. Koryta, this represents pretty nicely.

More than just a mystery

THE PROFET is a mystery that seems to say that everyone could reach a point in their lives that could cause them to be the villain that they feel they normally would condemn. I've read glowing reviews, and reviews that trash this book as being too much about football and not enough about a mystery. I think perhaps those one star reviews are missing something that make this book so much more than just a mystery. Will not say lots more on that because I believe the real discerning readers will be able to see this for themselves, and realize that this is a great mystery, but it is also a story that is so much more that JUST a mystery.

The Austin brothers live in the same small town where they were born and raised, but they have had virtually no contact with each other for 22years. Their relationship stopped one year when their sister was murdered. Both boys were football heroes, and Adam was supposed to drive his sister home from school every day. One day in his exuberance, he let his sister walk the five blocks home alone. She never made it home. Adam has been living in the guilt of his actions all of these years. Now as a bail bondsman, he lives a completely different live than his brother, Kent, more commonly known as "Coach".

As "Coach" is driving his high school football team to a state championship title, another 17 year old girl is brutally murdered. How the brothers handle this tragedy, and seek to solve and resolve this tragedy themselves, is what makes this a brilliant story.