The Cypress House

By: Michael Koryta

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

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).

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 unique and entertaining blend of noir and paranormal suspense, with a tightly controlled supernatural thread as believable as the gunplay. Mr. Koryta is at the start of what will surely be a great career. He's now on my must-read list."—Dean Koontz, author of Lost Souls

"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 is superb with mood and setting...the simmering tension erupts into a rolling boil by the bloody, spooky, and satisfying ending."—Keir Graff, Booklist

"Following up his acclaimed gothic, So Cold the River, Koryta blends gritty noir and ghostly visions in a novel that seems custom-designed for Nicolas "Ghost Rider" Cage. Arlen Wagner, a survivor of bloody battles in Europe, is on a train headed for a work camp in the Florida Keys when he sees smoke coming from the eyes of passengers and skeletons instead of bodies....the novel builds to a richly satisfying climax...A commanding performance in the field of supernatural noir."—Kirkus

"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

"You'll be hooked from the first sentence of this haunting thriller that twists like a water moccasin through the swamplands of Depression-era Florida, drenched in rain, blood, and evil. Jim Thompson noir with Stephen King spookiness."—Neil McMahon, author of Lone Creek and L.A. Mental

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.

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.

Worth every penny

Yet another brilliant book from Michael Koryta. As a Florida resident, this book was truly enjoyable. I loved the setting of rural central Florida against the backdrop of the great depression. We Americans complain today about the challenge of finding "good jobs". My grandparents were grateful for having "a job". Any job was a good job during that era. I'm not generally a fan of paranormal type storylines, but the author writes from a skeptics point of view. I particularly liked how the book had male characters at different stages of their lives. It showed how age and experience causes men to change and to evolve. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Great book!!!

Hmmm

I honestly don't know how I feel about this book... I am always intrigued by this genre. I enjoy supernatural/fantasy/suspense books. This is certainly that. I don't know if I would say it is dark...maybe heavy??? I don't know.... If you are looking for a quick, light read, this is not for you. However, although this isn't one I would read again, I am glad that I read it. It kept me interested.

Typical Michael Koryta - EXCELLENT

Michael Koryta is quickly becoming my favorite author. I haven't rated them all of the 5 stars but close. His writing is easy follow and his stories suck you in and hold on til the end. He has a great imagination and I find his story telling as good, if not better, than Stephen Kings. I highly recommend this book if you like fiction with a ghostly touch.

Didn't Sleep A Wink Last Night

Michael Koryta has just become my new favorite author. Not only was the story worthy of an all-night-long listen, but the subtle sound effects also created an almost pleasurable frisson of fright. Well done Mr. Koryta and kudos to the talented audiobook production staff.

wow

this was one of my favorite books o Michael Koryta's. I had read the book previously. After deciding to listen to the book I realized just how the story was and enjoyed it even more with the book on audio. Truly awesome.