A Welcome Grave

by Michael Koryta

Book Overview

Private investigator Lincoln Perry finds himself in the crosshairs of police investigations in two states when an old rival, Alex Jefferson, is brutally murdered. Accepting involvement in the case after a request from his former fiancee, Perry agrees to locate the dead man's estranged son and inform him of his large inheritance. It seems like a simple role, at least until Perry lands in jail while the son is zipped into a body bag.Soon Perry realizes...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312947518
• ISBN13: 9780312947514
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Crime Fiction at its Best

I've often heard Michael Koryta mention people who have influenced him or the genre. A Welcome Grave is proof that he himself is influencing this genre now, and definitely for the better! Koryta has a gift when it comes to the English language. I have not walked away from any of his books without feeling like the characters somehow made their way inside me...inside my head, inside my soul. A Welcome Grave continues the character development of Lincoln Perry and Joe Pritchard, but it also starts to lend weight to some other characters: Amy, Thor. And the dynamics of these characters in relation to Lincoln and Joe add a lot of dimensions to the plot. Life is never black and white in Koryta's world; I love the shades of gray that develop throughout the course of the book. They help in the suspense and definitely keep the plot from becoming predictable. Koryta should definitely be a staple of any mystery-lover's booklist!

Boy, can this guy write.

First Sentence: Sometime after midnight, on a moonless October night turned harsh by a fine, windswept rain, one of the men I liked least in the world was murdered in a field near Bedford, just south of the city. PI Lincoln Perry's partner and mentor, Joe Pritchard, is recuperating from being shot during their last case. Lincoln is contacted by his ex-fiancée, Karen, and asked to find her murdered husband's son to notify him of his father's death and that he will inherit millions. He finds the son but, before Lincoln can explain why he's there, the son commits suicide in front of him and Lincoln is suspected of murder both of the son and the husband. While he is trying to prove his innocence, the killers are out to kill him. Boy, can this guy write. I loved his first two books and he only gets better with each one. The book is noir, but human. Lincoln is maturing, both as an investigator and a character. In this book, Lincoln confronts past betrayal while trying to move on. He also has to deal with Joe getting older and uncertain whether he'll continue with the agency. He creates a strong sense of place, and natural dialogue. There is plenty of action that is balanced by introspection and humor, but neither slow down the story and the humor doesn't become glib. This is a story where the sins of the past bear rotten fruit in the present. It builds upon itself; no predictable ending here. Koryta really knows how to build suspense, but also convey emotion. Koryta is still fairly new and is very young in his 20s, but it doesn't show in his writing and I'm looking forward to many more years of great books. Highly recommended.

Today, the Triple Crown. Next year the ?

This is the third of the Koryta books that I've read and I have enjoyed every one of them. Other reviewers have referenced the plot line, the character development and how it is even stronger than in the first two novels, and so on. There is almost little to add but I'm going with this. When the winner of the Kentucky Derby goes on to the Preakness and wins out over all the others but by a larger margin, and then goes to the Belmont and repeats it but by an even larger margin, the world knows it has a champion. Koryta is young and he is a champion. Each of his works is just, well, better than the one before and what is amazing is that everyone of them reflects superb story telling and writing. I, for one, am thrilled that Michael Koryta is so very young. He's going to be with us for a long, long time and that is great news for readers of this genre. I look forward to next year's gift and I am especially anxious to follow the development in Lincoln Perry's personal life with Amy. I admit that I would like to see something that ties in her professional job with a Perry problem while, at the same time, allowing for the evolution of their relationship. Tough assignment there? Not for Michael Koryta.

Lincoln Perry returns in "A Welcome Grave"

This latest book in the series is another noirish style read with Lincoln Perry dealing with his own past during a current case. Alex Jefferson was tortured and killed in a field near Bedford, south of Cleveland. With no suspects immediately apparent in the field standing over the body or running away from it, Detectives start looking into folks who knew Jefferson and might have held a grudge. People like Lincoln Perry. Lincoln's grudge as the Detectives see it, would go back a few years ago when Lincoln was engaged to Karen who ended up working in Alex Jefferson's law firm. The boss started noticing her and gradually his efforts at seduction paid off. Lincoln found out they were sleeping together and after consuming a twelve pack of beer, went to Jefferson's country club and beat the living tar out of him. Lincoln left the man alive and was later stopped for drunk driving and eventually charged with assault. Jefferson recovered and married Karen and everyone went on with their lives. Despite keeping mementos from their relationship in a small box, Lincoln doesn't think about what happened much anymore. That is until now when a few days later Karen calls wanting his help. While sitting in a leather chair in her mansion, Karen tells him that she wants to find Alex's son. The son, Matthew Jefferson, is due to inherit eight million dollars and no one knows where he is. Karen says she wants someone she can trust to find him and tell Matthew what has happened and for that, she is willing to pay Lincoln one percent or eighty thousand dollars. The amount is far in excess what should be paid which does bother Lincoln. Still eight thousand dollars for a couple of days work would come in very handy right now. Cases haven't been coming in lately. The business is barely afloat and then there is the whole deal with Joe's medical expenses and rehabilitation after he was shot. Guilt is a powerful motivator and Lincoln feels plenty of it so he agrees. Something that he will soon regret in a case that quickly becomes personal with his very life at stake. Author Michael Kortya once again pulls readers deep into the cynical world of Lincoln Perry in an intense mystery. Part hardboiled and part noir, the read is compelling and intense as it dwells in the shady land in between where Lincoln is at the brink. While the novel continues character development especially in regards to Lincoln and seems to foreshadow a massive change in his relationship with Joe, it also works heavily with various items from previous novels. As such it is not only hard to discuss the book in great detail, it also strongly behooves those interested in reading the book to start from the beginning with "Tonight I Said Goodbye." In doing so, readers will be introduced to a majority of the characters in Lincoln's world as well as to plot threads that are dealt with in this intense novel by the Edgar nominated author. Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2007

Top-notch crime fiction.

Koryta's first two books were really very good, and he displayed the promise of even better things to come. Boy, does he ever deliver the goods in this book. I'd say Koryta has swiftly found his place among writers the likes of Crais, Sandford, and Emerson. His characterization of Lincoln Perry is much richer in this book and therefore more interesting, as we learn Perry's strengths as well as his weaknesses. Perry is quick with the quip, but this never comes at the expense of realism, plot, or pacing. This plot in particular is full of twists and surprises, and there is plenty of action as well. This book had barely been published before it was nominated for a Quill Award. My prediction is that it will also get an Edgar nomination when those awards come around again. In short, 'A Welcome Grave' is everything you want in a PI novel.