Tonight I Said Goodbye

Thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The characters were well-developed, and the plot kept me guessing about who did what to whom. I have already purchased two more of Koryta's mysteries, Sorrow's Anthem and So Cold the River. The latter book is set in French Lick, Indiana, my home state, with a movie coming out soon. I like to read history and nonfiction, but alternate with lighter fare. Tonight I Said Goodbye was a terrific choice!

I liked this book, but only a little more than I would like "beach reads" in series featuring Kay Scarpetta or Alex Cross. That sentence looks a little more elitist than I intended it to be, so let me explain. I'd read praise for Koryta and his Lincoln Perry series from a few sources I trust, and then saw that he had been nominated or won awards for the work. So my expectations going in were set (perhaps ridiculously) more towards a Philip Marlowe ( Big Sleep, the (Penguin Fiction) , Martin Beck ( Roseanna (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) , Lloyd Hopkins ( Blood on the Moon ), Nick Stefanos ( A Firing Offense (A Five Star Title) ) or Atticus Kodiak ( Keeper ). For me, all of those protagonists brought something fresh to the PI/cop-lead mystery thriller via either style or substance, as well as more than a tinge of noir. Koryta's debut shows the potential to bring some innovation in plots or characterization (alas, there is nothing here that tells me he is going to be an Ellroy-esque trailblazer of sentence form & rhythm), as well as the seeds of the chutzpah it takes to make dark turns without coming off as amateurish - but it's not there yet.For a debut novel by a 21 year old, this is a solid, well-plotted and entertaining read. But the prose is too workmanlike and the characters too stock for it to be in award-winning company.

I am reading this book now. It caught my attention because of the Cleveland and Myrtle Beach settings. It's a great read so far! It's a police drama with a little humor thrown in here and there due to the working relationship between the two private detectives who are the main characters trying to solve a murder/kidnapping. It has an interesting plot with a little mystery and romance going on. The main characters seem like down- to- earth working people with real problems like the rest of us. I am a little disappointed that as the characters left Myrtle Beach to go south to Charleston --my interest was really building here--and there was no mention of my hometown, Georgetown, SC. Sigh. They blew right through it! We need all the shout-outs we can get here. They could have made a pit stop at the Ice House to get a hot dog or something! Well, I won't hold that against the author. I still gave the book five stars just for coming through our little mill town and for writing a book that makes me want to read it to the end. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

This is the first book in the Lincoln Perry series. It is well-plotted with engaging characters. Before I finished this book, I ordered the next three in the series. Also read his Markus Novack series. This is a talented writer.

This is the first book in the Lincoln Perry mystery series by Michael Koryta . It is a fast paced yet toughtfully complex adventure . The protagonist is a sardonic and humerous character who can be both considerate and easy going one moment, but can switch when needed to a fully macho kick ass action hero .The complex introspection along the quirky sense of humor makes Linc Perry a multilayered interesting person . The complex depth of the characters balances nicely with the brutal world in which they live and work. The author has captured correctly the frustrating crumbling modern mid sized urban enviornment crossed with the hope of a possible better future if its inhabitants can just hold on to enough of what is good to counter the endless surge of evil. The bad guys are equally as complex which makes for a great read. The story is entertaining all the way to the end of the book. This book is a great start to a great series . I am reading the rest of the series and the promise of this first book is fullfilled as the characters and the author matures over time. Enjoy!

John Weston's granddaughter and daughter-in-law are missing and presumed dead, and his P.I. son is dead with a gunshot wound to the head. The cops are calling it a murder-suicide, but Weston's not buying it. The crusty old soldier hires investigators Lincoln Perry and Joe Pritchard to find the truth.The prose is straight-forward, no-nonsense and very engaging. The story has a strong engine. The characters are vividly realized and entirely credible. Lincoln is heroic, likable and one heck of a first person narrator.The plot offers plenty of suspense, a couple of nice twists and a terrific surprise ending. One could quibble with the character called Kincaide. There's a twist in that plot line that the reader will see coming a mile away, but it somehow eludes the notice of our heroes until it's almost too late.Still, devotees of crime fiction will not want to miss TONIGHT I SAID GOODBYE.

This book was okay - though not as good as his later efforts, especially "Those Who Wish Me Dead". I found this PI team likable and good with each other; their dialogue was fun and lighthearted; the other characters were mostly believable; and the plot well-paced. But I found one glaring error to add to the others mentioned by some reviewers (viz. the glock): upon discovering the missing wife in SC, we're told that she had been picked up from the airport by her husband's friend, but later on, we're told that she took a cab from the airport to the hotel. Details like these matter, and that one discrepancy spoiled this reading experience for me. One would think that given the number of mistakes readers have pointed out, the publisher would have reissued an updated, corrected version. I'm surprised they haven't. Had I read these reviews before buying the book, I probably would not have bothered, but I'm going to read the next one in the series to see if Koryta's Lincoln Perry series improves over time.

I have very recently found this author. This book was quite enjoyable, a new detective as main character, with a mixed background and flaws. I look forward to Michael Koryta other books.

Not my favourite

This is the first book in the PI series featuring Lincoln Perry and Joe Pritchard. This was my first book by Koryta and won't be my last, in fact I've already bought the next in the series!The story is well plotted, full of great characters and plenty of unexpected twists and turns.If you love your detective thrillers, you'll love this!

A little bit different to his usual stuff but if one sticks with it, it gives a good return.

Sorry did not like this. Just could not get into the idea he was putting across. I wont buy him again.