Michael Koryta

Koryta's latest has been out for a few weeks, and you haven't read it yet? It's been two longs years since the page-turning "The Prophet," and I can't count the number of times I checked to see if Koryta had a new book out. In this thriller, Jace Wilson, 14, is sent to the mountains of Montana to hide. After witnessing a murder, he changes his name and joins a survivalist program for "bad kids." No one writing fiction today does more research for a book than Koryta. In this instance, that allows him to write with authority about survival skills. It also allows him to breath human life into the Beartooth Mountains and a raging forest fire. Koryta is a master storyteller, and his latest is full of believable characters, fast-paced action and twists and turns, both literal and figurative. Oh, and the Blackwell brothers will creep you out as they go about looking for Jace. Whether you're looking for a beach book, a backyard book or a stay-up-late book, this is an excellent summer read.

- TIM COTTER