... an emotional story about parenting, teenage rebellion and a stunning travel guide to the wilds of Maine, with enough adventure and action for thriller fans ... Koryta again shows his polish as a writer in Never Far Away, able to sculpt enthralling stories with believable characters and solid twists. Emotion and adventure meld perfectly in Never Far Way.
... hard-charging ... Koryta is adept at bringing such harshly lovely places to life, then pitting his characters against their perils ... the wild world’s threats combine with the human ones in a layered, twisting plot that Koryta steers skillfully. It’s an electric, fast-paced thriller, maybe Koryta’s best one yet. But it’s also an effective novel about families — how they shape us, how they can sometimes save us, or destroy us.
Fans of the author’s previous works will be on the edge of their seats as they follow his characters’ attempts to survive vicious assassins. As he often does, Koryta provides strong character development, believable dialogue, and a fast-paced narrative.
The story kicks off with an episode from the past that will not make total sense for a while until the present-day narrative starts filling in the puzzle pieces. This made the anticipation for the secrets that were to be revealed that much more satisfying as they worked their way into the plot ... A less effective author may have written himself into a corner [...] and wrapped up the book with an unbelievable plot twist or ending. That is not the case with Michael Koryta, who is a superb plotter. Never Far Away has a satisfying conclusion that allows Leah to live up to her promise that mothers are never far away.
... cleverly staged triangular ... As always, Koryta uses outdoor settings masterfully. The usually persuasive author is less successful in overcoming some head-scratching plot contrivances and oddities. But the book is loaded with nail-biting suspense and parent-child emotion. And though there's more of Dax's corrosive wit than the story can bear...the book hits the ground running and never slows down. Not one of Koryta's best but still a freshly imagined thriller.
