Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta

Those Who Wish Me Dead is a quick paced thriller about survival.  Survival of a 14 year old boy in the Montana wilderness dealing with all that Mother Nature can throw his way including an out of control forest fire- all while two desperados track him down with intent to kill him.

Jace Wilson is a normal young teen reacting to peer pressure.  He is deemed a coward by his friends and has been challenged to jump from a lofty height into a pool of water at the bottom of a stone quarry near his Indiana home.  While practicing and building his courage for the event, Jace inadvertently witnesses a brutal murder.  Two men slit the throats of two other men and throw their bodies into the quarry.  Jace narrowly escapes but the murderers, Jack and Patrick Blackwell spot Jace as he slips away.  The authorities know Jace is in danger until these criminals can be captured.

In lieu of the witness protection program, Jace’s parents decide to enroll him in a Montana wilderness survival training program designed for troubled teens.  Armed with a new identity, Jace becomes Connor Reynolds and is sent to the ranch of Ethan and Allison Serbin in Montana’s Beartooth Mountains.  Ethan is a former survival skills instructor for the Air Force and teaches his skills to a small group of troubled teens each year hoping to change their attitudes toward life.  Ethan agrees to accept the young witness into his program but is not told his identity. Ethan just knows that one of the seven teens in his care is being sought by heartless sociopaths.  While authorities assure the Serbins that the villains will not find them, Ethan’s own deep seated insecurities surface- If these desperados show up, is he capable of being more than the teacher?  Can he find it within himself to practice what he has been preaching for most of his life?

Connor quickly finds himself submerged in the grueling wilderness survival course with the ‘bad kids’.  Yet he learns to thrive in the environment and the clumsy and cowardly Jace becomes the level headed, purposeful Connor.  For him survival skills have more relevance than a mere summer camp.  He’s certain these skills can save his life.

Predictably, the worst happens- the Blackwell brothers arrive in Montana and quickly learn of Jace’s general location in the wilderness.  They torture and kill the sheriff, brutally assault Allison and set a forest fire intent on ‘smoking out’ the hikers.  Connor senses they have arrived and sets off alone into the wilderness employing all he’s learned about survival.  But can that new found skill offset the desperation and determination of two sociopathic killers who wish him dead?

Koryta (pronounced Ko-ree-ta) tells a great story in Those Who Wish Me Dead.  He reminds us of those awkward and painful social situations in our youth that mold our personalities and impact us our entire lives.  He shows us what regret is like... What it feels like to make a mistake and to live with that decision and how that can changes our life.  He also tells us about fear and dread and motivation to keep going even when spent physically and psychologically... He teaches us about survival.  This is the best I’ve seen from Michael Koryta.  He grabs hold of you from the beginning and doesn’t let go until his tale is told.