The Cypress House

Feb 04, 2011 Kemper rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, crime-mystery, spooky-powers, horror

The fine folks who run Goodreads can point to this review with their sponsors as proof that their ads actually work because I got this book after seeing it several times here on the site. Granted, I got it from the library so I didn’t actually spend any money on it, but the fact that I sought it out and read it after seeing it on here has to count for something, right? (Oh, and I will never watch that Gnomeo & Juliet movie because the damn thing expanded all over my screen if my cursor got w...more The fine folks who run Goodreads can point to this review with their sponsors as proof that their ads actually work because I got this book after seeing it several times here on the site. Granted, I got it from the library so I didn’t actually spend any money on it, but the fact that I sought it out and read it after seeing it on here has to count for something, right? (Oh, and I will never watch that Gnomeo & Juliet movie because the damn thing expanded all over my screen if my cursor got within a half-mile of it so that’s one ad that actually made me hate the thing it was selling.)

Anyhow, for once Internet advertising was useful because I read an entertaining book that I probably wouldn’t have checked out otherwise. Arlen Wagner is a World War I veteran trying to get by during the Great Depression by working for one of the government coservation projects. He befriends a young man named Paul Brickhill who has a knack for construction and engineering, and when their current job ends, Paul talks Arlen into going down to the Florida Keys with him to work on a bridge project.

However, Arlen has a creepy gift. He can tell when people are about to die because he begins seeing them as skeletal figures with smoke in their eyes. On the train to Florida, Arlen begins seeing that everyone on the train is going to die in the near future. He talks Paul into getting off the train with him, but the other men think he’s crazy and continue on towards disaster.

Arlen and Paul catch a ride with a slick stranger who makes a stop at an isolated fishing resort run by the beautiful but secretive Rebecca Cady. Before they realize what they’ve gotten into, Arlen and Paul have gotten on the bad sides of a corrupt local judge and sheriff, and then caught in a hurricane. Arlen just wants to get out of the county, but before it’s all over, he‘ll be seeing a lot more people with skeleton features and smokey eyes.

I hadn’t read Koryta before, but I’ll checking out more of his work. Here, he’s created a period crime piece with a spooky supernatural twist. The haunted Arlen and the gifted but naïve Paul are a couple of great characters, and the Florida beaches and swamps make a nice backdrop for the drama. This is quality fast-paced creepy story telling.(less)

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Aug 03, 2012 Lou rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller

Check out my interview with Michael Koryta in August 2012 >>http://more2read.com/review/interview-with-michael-koryta/

A haunting Cleverly written story. The main protagonist Arlene has some scores to settle and souls to help close to home and out of town. The story is set in a bleak weather and financial climate. He finds himself in a town where more than his carpentry skills are needed. One woman a resident of Cypress House is in his need of his help, trapped in a web of bribery, murder a...more Check out my interview with Michael Koryta in August 2012 >>http://more2read.com/review/interview-with-michael-koryta/

A haunting Cleverly written story. The main protagonist Arlene has some scores to settle and souls to help close to home and out of town. The story is set in a bleak weather and financial climate. He finds himself in a town where more than his carpentry skills are needed. One woman a resident of Cypress House is in his need of his help, trapped in a web of bribery, murder and drug running at the hands of a gang of violent men. Arlene has already his own demons to deal with as he battles with and tries to understand his deceased fathers last words and days of lives. As time goes by he becomes closer to his father more than ever and starts to understand and realize his father. This was a a chilling story of human struggle in desperate times, a story written about many times before but presented here in a very different atmosphere and supernatural twist.

"This life was nothing but a sojourn anyhow. A temporary stay, that of a, stranger in a strange land."

“Love lingers,” Arlen said. It’s this place, he thought. There’s something wrong with this place. Death hides here, even from me. The Cypress House, it was called. The Cypress House. That brought back memories, too. Not of a highway tavern, though. No, no. The cypress houses of Arlen’s youth had been quite different than that. They’d been houses of death another sort entirely. The last Pope was in one now. Every Pope who’d passed on was, as far as Arlen knew. Always would be. Cypress Wood was required in the sacred burial rites of many faiths in many lands. The branches of the trees themselves were symbols of death mourning."

"You’re all I have in this world, son, that death can’t take. This world isn’t anything but a sojourn, to be sure, but death removes every trace unless you’re taken pains to leave one behind. You’re my trace, Arlen."

"He loved Work. Physical labor. It was a strange thing, maybe, but he loved the ache in his muscles at the end of a day, loved the sweat that coursed from his pores, loved the sound of a saw and the feel of a hammer, the clean crack of a well-struck nail. So many men wandered this country now, looking for so simple a thing as work. It was a bizarre notion when you stopped to think about it, and Arlen figured it was a birth pang of a new world. So much had happened to cause this Depression, so many things he understood and more that he did not, but in the end they all captured a simple idea: you couldn’t depend solely on yourself anymore. Not in the way men once had. You could have skill and strength and desire, but you had to find someone who needed to utilize those things. Was a time when, if you knew how to work metal, you’d set up a blacksmith shop and make l enough to support your family. Now, if you knew how to work metal, you’d likely need a job in a factory where the needs of not a town but a state, a nation, a world, had to be met. It was all about size now: the big ran the world on the sweat of the small, and if the big faltered for any reason, the small were the first to go."

“Cypress is damn strong."
“It makes the finest coffins,” Arlen said.“How in the hell do you know a thing like that?”
“My father told me,” Arlen said. “He paid a lot of mind to such things.”

You can view video interview on my blog here >>

www.more2read.com/?review=the-cypress-ho...(less)

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Aug 08, 2011 Lou rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: july-read, mystery-thriller

"Gangsters, a silent but heroic drifter with second sight, and a whopper of a Florida hurricane. How can you go wrong?" (Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly )
<

"Michael Koryta is one of our new dynamos in the world of books, and in The Cypress House he spreads his range, wedding suspense with the supernatural in the eeriness of 1930s Florida. He uses the psychology of place to penetrate the human heart and delivers his tale of hurricanes and love and hauntings with great narrative force. Koryta...more "Gangsters, a silent but heroic drifter with second sight, and a whopper of a Florida hurricane. How can you go wrong?" (Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly )
<

"Michael Koryta is one of our new dynamos in the world of books, and in The Cypress House he spreads his range, wedding suspense with the supernatural in the eeriness of 1930s Florida. He uses the psychology of place to penetrate the human heart and delivers his tale of hurricanes and love and hauntings with great narrative force. Koryta's becoming a wonder we'll appreciate for a long time." (Daniel Woodrell, author of Winter's Bone )

"Michael Koryta has fashioned a great character in his reluctant prophet, Arlen Wagner, a good man who ends up with an awful lot of blood on his hands before the denouement of this deliciously dark tale. Koryta is a fantastic storyteller, and the many admirers of his previous novel, So Cold the River, will find similar chilly pleasures awaiting them here." (Scott Smith, author of A Simple Plan and The Ruins )
My Review

A haunting Cleverly written story. The main protagonist Arlene has some scores to settle and souls to help close to home and out of town. The story is set in a bleak weather and financial climate. He finds himself in a town where more than his carpentry skills are needed. One woman a resident of Cypress House is in his need of his help, trapped in a web of bribery, murder and drug running at the hands of a gang of violent men. Arlene has already his own demons to deal with as he battles with and tries to understand his deceased fathers last words and days of lives. As time goes by he becomes closer to his father more than ever and starts to understand and realize his father. This was a a chilling story of human struggle in desperate times, a story written about many times before but presented here in a very different atmosphere and supernatural twist.

"This life was nothing but a

sojourn anyhow. A temporary stay, that of a, stranger in a strange land.

, “Love lingers,” Arlen said."

"It’s this place, he thought. There’s something wrong with this place. Death hides here, even from me.

The Cypress House, it was called. The Cypress House. That brought back

memories, too. Not of a highway tavern, though. No, no. The cypress houses of Arlen’s youth had been quite

different than that. They’d been houses of death another sort entirely. The last Pope was in one now. Every Pope who’d passed on was, as far as Arlen knew.

Always would be. Cypress Wood was required in the sacred burial rites of many faiths in many lands. The branches of the trees themselves were symbols of death mourning."

" You’re all I have in this world, son, that death can’t take. This world isn’t anything but a sojourn, to be sure, but death removes every trace unless you’re taken pains to leave one behind. You’re my trace, Arlen."

"He loved Work. Physical labor. It was a strange thing, maybe, but he loved the ache in his muscles at the end of a day, loved the sweat that coursed from his pores, loved the sound of a saw and the feel of a hammer, the

clean crack of a well-struck nail. So many men wandered this country now, looking for so simple a thing as work. It was a bizarre notion when you stopped to think about it, and Arlen figured it was a birth pang of a new world. So much had happened to cause this Depression, so many things he understood and more that he did not,

but in the end they all captured a simple idea: you couldn’t depend solely on yourself anymore. Not in the way men once had. You could have skill and strength and desire, but you had to find someone who needed to utilize those things. Was a time when, if you knew how to work metal, you’d set up a blacksmith shop and make l enough to support your family. Now, if you knew

how to work metal, you’d likely need a job in a factory where the needs of not a town but a state, a nation, a world, had to be met. It was all about size now: the big ran the world on the sweat of the small, and if the big faltered for any reason, the small were the first to go."

"“Cypress is damn strong."

“It makes the finest coffins,” Arlen said.“How in the hell do you

know a thing like that?”

“My father told me,” Arlen said. “He paid a lot of mind to such things.”

You can view video interview on my blog here >>

www.more2read.com/?review=the-cypress-ho...(less)

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Apr 11, 2011 Daniel Audet rated it 5 of 5 stars

I finished this book, having read through it in a few days. Koryta has a great writing style, it's no wonder he has a large following. Characters in this book are engaging and vivid. The flavor and atmosphere of the day (1935) is there throughout, along with the description of the hurricane and it's aftermath. The paranormal aspect of this book seems, well, normal, to the characters in terms of their reality and to the reader it becomes a plausible aspect. I'll be looking up other books from th...more I finished this book, having read through it in a few days. Koryta has a great writing style, it's no wonder he has a large following. Characters in this book are engaging and vivid. The flavor and atmosphere of the day (1935) is there throughout, along with the description of the hurricane and it's aftermath. The paranormal aspect of this book seems, well, normal, to the characters in terms of their reality and to the reader it becomes a plausible aspect. I'll be looking up other books from this author to read and I highly recommend this book, even if you're not a paranormal book fan....you will be. Stay tuned....

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I started The Cypress House 2 days ago and I'm about 100 pages in. First of all I'm sorry I did not discover this author Michael Koryta sooner, it's certainly no fault of his I just need to get out more - I guess. Right off the bat Koryta grabs you and pulls you into the story as if you were already riding along, I love this and it's something all the best authors are able to do. The reviews you may have seen regarding this book and author, the positive ones, in my humble opinion are all true. Having messaged back and forth with Michael Connelly in the recent past I can tell you he doesn't twist the truth for anyone....EVER. So, if he says this guy's"...the best of the best...", and I agree, then that's what he is, you can take that to the bank.
OK, back to our story....There is nothing standard issue about this tale or the way Koryta rolls it out. He breaks a few writing rules and it works to make this story, and the critical backstory, bring you up to speed on a drama playing, and about to play out, with ominous tie-ins to the characters recent history. Then, as a killer hurricane threatens the south coast of 1935 Florida (something the author beautifully and fully captures in flavor and setting)something happens to the good(or maybe not-so-good) samaritan who helps our 2 heroes out while on their way to a work camp in the Florida Keys. Our main character has a special skill, a skill he does not want and it allows him to see things he does not want to see. I'm not one for cliches', though I can only dream my own books will be spoken of this way, but, this book IS one of those you won't be able to put down. I'm thrilled to have discovered not just this great thriller but this author. More soon as I read through The Cypress House.

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I'm very much looking forward to reading this book, having grown up in LA and Florida. FL mostly. I am a lover of the tropics so anything based in this area in my fav genre is sure to catch my attention. I will get back to you on this book soon, and other books by this author, Michael Koryta.(less)

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Nov 05, 2012 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

My newish way of life in which I don't have to finish every book doesn't always work. Like, I kept reading this one, thinking I just needed to give it more of a chance. There was one final apex shoot-em-up bloody scene that was interesting.

However, my problem for most of the early book was the introduction of shallow characters who spoke as though they had depth, but they didn't really. They'd each allude to some deep dark secret they carried, but they'd be like, "now isn't the time," or "I've...more

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May 05, 2013 Wendell rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is my second Koryta novel, and I’m finding his work to be solid thrillers with better-than-average plotting and character development (though, it must be admitted, the bar for the genre is set pretty low). Still, I wish Koryta would drop the purplish phrase “the coppery smell of blood” from his repertoire; he uses it so often that you start bracing yourself for its next appearance (an editor ought to have brought this tic to his attention). Other than that, a fairly distracting flaw in this...more

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Apr 20, 2013 Cat Case rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013

I wanted to like The Cypress House because the first chapter is amazingly strong plus Koryta's writing continues to get better (although there could be a lot less telling and more showing). Koryta subverts a few tropes in his Lincoln Perry series so I got a little excited that he would do the same with this book, specifically I was so sure that there would be a May-December romance between Paul and Rebecca, but I was wrong. I was so wrong and I don't know if I was bored by Rebecca and Arlen beca...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Jane Stewart rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-mystery-suspense

2 ½ stars. Bad subject matter for me, artificial secret keeping, stupidity, too much helpless victim feel.

This was not entertaining or fun. I was not surprised or delighted. I liked the beginning, but the longer I read the more annoyed and frustrated I felt. The biggest problem was subject matter. The second problem was people keeping secrets for no good reason.

SECRETS:
Secrets were used to create mystery and conflict. They did not make sense. Some were stupid. Several times I wanted to shake a c...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Clark Hallman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In The Cypress House, Michael Koryta has crafted another very interesting crime novel with a supernatural twist. Arlen Wagner is a World War 1 veteran who had fought in the horrific Belleau Wood battle in France that left 1,811 US soldiers dead. After the war, the Great Depression left him and millions of others without work. As this novel begins, Arlen works for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). He and Paul Brickhill, a teenager he had taken under his wing, are on a train with other CCC wo...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Scott Rhee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Michael Koryta's latest suspense thriller is a slight departure from his usual crime novels, but it is a satisfying departure. "The Cypress House" is set during the '30s, during the era of the Depression and Prohibition. The story's protagonist, Arlen Wagner, has the supernatural ability to see when a man is going to die. Death shows itself to him as a flicker of smoke reflected in the victim's eyes. He can't see how they will die, only that it will happen soon. When he sees the smoke flicker in...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, mystery-crime

World War I ended 15 years ago, but veteran Arlen Wagner is still dealing with its aftereffects. Arlen's a loner, but has befriended a young man, Paul Brickhill, during their work with the CCC, and as the book opens, they're riding a train to Florida to work on an exciting bridge project. But things don't work out as expected, for Arlen has the unusual skill of seeing death in the eyes of those whose lives are about to end, and knows the train is heading for disaster. Arlen and Paul disembark, a...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Leslee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-fiction, spooky-ghosts-and-stuff, prime-time-crime

I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel, never having heard of Michael Koryta before. As a crime novel with a hint of supernatural, I would say this was like James Ellroy meets Richard Matheson (I'm tempted to use Stephen King but I think Koryta writes and self edits a lot better than that guy).

This novel kept me guessing from the start, I loved the historical setting and never knew what was going to happen. It didn't end with a fizzle like so many other novels of the genre a...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Jo Anne B rated it 4 of 5 stars

“You’ve got a touch of the gift yourself, boy. I’m sure of it. I see it in you. You’re going to need to believe. And something you need to know, son? Love lingers.”

Arlen Wagner’s father told him this before he was shot to death. All because people thought he was insane, including his son. Isaac Wagner claimed he could talk to dead people. Arlen wouldn’t realize he was telling the truth until he himself was able to do the same. Hard to believe someone has supernatural powers until you have them y...more “You’ve got a touch of the gift yourself, boy. I’m sure of it. I see it in you. You’re going to need to believe. And something you need to know, son? Love lingers.”

Arlen Wagner’s father told him this before he was shot to death. All because people thought he was insane, including his son. Isaac Wagner claimed he could talk to dead people. Arlen wouldn’t realize he was telling the truth until he himself was able to do the same. Hard to believe someone has supernatural powers until you have them yourself.

The author captured the setting in the early 1930s perfectly, rife with people desperate for jobs and money. Arlen and his traveling companion Paul were on a train headed to the Keys to get paid doing labor for the CCC- Civilian Conservation Corps. Arlen is a wonderful main character. He is a wise, experienced, honest man with a calm demeanor that made sure to make things right. He is a war veteran that has seen more than what most people see in their lives and gives him an air of omniscience. He is able to see if people were going to die by seeing either smoke in their eyes or their body as a skeleton. While on the train, he sees everyone as skeletons, and tells them they need to get off the train. Noone believes him, so they proceed onward to the Keys without Arlen and Paul. That left Arlen and Paul hitching a ride to a town that had a lot in store for them, despite its beauty.

The town they ended up in was run by corrupt men including the Sheriff, judge, and all their henchmen. The judge Solomon Wade was the man in charge that kept his people paid and under his rule. He got men (and women) killed that he didn’t like and told Arlen that “All these people are smoke and I am the match.” Arlen had sensed the town was “off” and realized noone was able to leave the town since they would be able to tell outside authorities of the corrupt leaders running the show there. There was a big storm and he and Paul stayed at the Cypress House and remained after the storm to earn some money fixing up the place, since the sheriff had stolen all their money. Paul is infatuated with the owner of the inn, Rebecca who old enough to be his mother. Arlen ends up falling in love with her and when Paul learns of this he takes off. Arlen learns of the sheriff’s hold on Rebecca and plans to get Rebecca, her brother Owen and himself out of there alive. The plot ensues and there is a lot of bloodshed and twists involved.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing was very much like Arlen’s demeanor and the nature surrounding the town, calm and subdued, but packed with a punch. This is my first read of Koryta’s and not my last.
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Sep 25, 2011 Jason rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books, read-2011

4 Stars

I really enjoyed this period piece thriller that has a tiny bit of supernatural added in for flair and color. This is my first Koryta novel that I have read, but I am now a fan and will be sure to read his other works.

This novel's strength is that it is built around a very likable, believable, and rememberable protagonist named Arlen. The side characters are colorful and sufficient to compliment Arlen. Corridor County, the town, the place itself was to me the second strongest character of...more 4 Stars

I really enjoyed this period piece thriller that has a tiny bit of supernatural added in for flair and color. This is my first Koryta novel that I have read, but I am now a fan and will be sure to read his other works.

This novel's strength is that it is built around a very likable, believable, and rememberable protagonist named Arlen. The side characters are colorful and sufficient to compliment Arlen. Corridor County, the town, the place itself was to me the second strongest character of this book. The time period of the 1930's depression era was also a tangible player in this crime thriller. I loved the way that all the action, the events, and the main plots were shaped by the setting and the time.

The supernatural aspect of this book is small, and not completely necessary, but it works. It gives this story it's heart and emotion. The backstories of all the main characters also add to our investment in their outcome. Their stories are the reason we care about them by the books end. Arlen is a strong and able hero that could easily carry a series. Even though we learn a great deal about the man, it is very clear that there is much more to him than we are given. He appears to know more than he lets on. He seems to be too prepared to be just a man looking for work. Arlen is also a man that has an extraordinary gift that for most his life he has shunned and down played.

The setting and the time make this book an immersive read. You are there at the old time bayou setting. You can hear the howling hurricane force winds. You can smell the ocean, the beaches, and the farmers fields. You can almost feel the heat of the scorching Florida sun. I love well done period pieces, and Koryta has done a fine job at recreating Florida of the 1930's. I loved the backstories and the themes that play throughout. "Love Lingers" as Arlen's father used to tell him.

The plot is fairly straight forward and does include a couple of twist along the way. There is not a lot of action but the end sequences are competent and suffice to tie up our story. The supernatural is done with a light touch that only adds to the time frame novel, not detract from it. I will be sure to read more of Koryta and highly recommend this book to those that like a good thriller, noir, and depression era pieces.(less)

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Jul 14, 2011 Yael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Arlen Wagner is a man with a special talent – he knows who is about to die. Smoke appearing in the eyes of the living tell him that soon they will die. He can warn them, and perhaps change their fate, but if he gives no warning, death takes them, sometimes within mere minutes. He is never wrong. He saw it again and again as a Marine in Belleau Woods, and he has seen it since, and not once has he been wrong. It is his curse, a curse that hides a terrible memory of something he wishes had never ha...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm kind of new to audio books so I haven't listened to a lot of them but the first thing that I liked about this one was the voice of the narrator, Robert Petkoff. His smooth tone and ability to effectively change his voice for the different characters made it an enjoyable experience. I have difficulty listening to an audiobook if I can't settle into the narrator's voice. Maybe that's why I am sometimes hesitant to choose an audio version of a book.

The story itself was interesting to me and I t...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Girls Gone Reading rated it 5 of 5 stars

Because I consider myself an eclectic reader, I have few favorite authors. I like a lot of writers. I like a lot of types of books.

But, if I had to pick one of my top five contemporary mystery/suspense writers Michael Koryta would definitely be on that list.

In his follow-up to So Cold the River, Koryta takes us again into the supernatural. This time his main character can tell when death “is on you”. Arlen knows when you are about to die, and he does what he can to stop it.

Koryta has this great...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book by Michael Koryta I have read. The story is well written and draws you into the time and place. The story builds suspense and tension that leads you through to the end.
I will definitely be reading more by Michael Koryta.

Arlen Wagner has seen it in men before - a trace of smoke in their eyes that promises imminent death. He is never wrong.

When Arlen awakens on a train one hot Florida night and sees death's telltale sign in the eyes of his fellow passengers, he tries to war...more

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May 28, 2011 Linda Branham Greenwell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

The story of a World War I veteran, Arlen, during the Depression who has a unique ability to see whether a person faces an imminent demise because of a trace of smoke in his/her eyes. Arlen was a supervisor at a Civilian Conservation Corps ("CCC") camp and was transferred to another in the Florida Keys along with several others from his detachment. On the train he saw the sign of death in his fellow passengers and tried to warn them of impending danger, but only 19-year-old Paul listened to him....more

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Mar 15, 2011 Kavyen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The story is partly a historical fiction; not one of my favorite genres; but if written right why not? The paranormal suspense and romance is a great addition and helped maintain the excitement. With every page I thought I could predict what is going to happen next only to be disappointed by how naive I was. The backdrop, setting and the era in which the novel is based is spot on. The book left me with nightmares, I would doze off and have dreams about the Cypress house, opening a box to find a...more

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Jan 17, 2011 William Bentrim rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Cypress House by Michael Koryta

This is a story of the great depression, the despair and the illicit means some used to survive. It is a love story in many ways as well as a crime and violence filled occult tale of how people can be trapped in situations beyond their control.

Michael Koryta is an artist. His characters have such life that it is simplicity itself to visualize them and their surroundings. I read the book while in Florida and found myself looking around for some of the scenery o...more

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Jan 14, 2011 Mary Gramlich rated it 5 of 5 stars

THE CYPRESS HOUSE by Michael Koryta
01/24/11 - Little, Brown & Company - Hardcover, 426 pages

The ghosts of the past will not scare you as much as the demons from the present

Arlen Wagner did not speak to the dead but he could see the dead walking among the living. When death was about to happen Arlen saw smoke rising out of the living and knew that someone’s time was up. This ability to understand the consequences of having such a gift had gotten his father killed and made Arlen’s life a night...more THE CYPRESS HOUSE by Michael Koryta
01/24/11 - Little, Brown & Company - Hardcover, 426 pages

The ghosts of the past will not scare you as much as the demons from the present

Arlen Wagner did not speak to the dead but he could see the dead walking among the living. When death was about to happen Arlen saw smoke rising out of the living and knew that someone’s time was up. This ability to understand the consequences of having such a gift had gotten his father killed and made Arlen’s life a nightmare. But he knew how to manage the curse and even through WWI he was able to fight when he needed to and walk away. Arlen was aware that for some of the enemy soldiers he was not going to die today by Arlen’s hands.

When the war is over and he is working his way around the country trying to scrap a living together he finds himself on a train bound for Florida. When again Arlen sees the smoke signals of death rising he jumps off the train that he finds out later was bound to collide head on with a hurricane. Thinking he and his traveling partner Paul have been saved Arlen settles in someplace he never wanted to be again – a small town with corrupt law enforcement. Through a strange set of circumstances Arlen finds himself in a backwater town in Florida repairing a hurricane ravaged tavern wishing he were anywhere but there. The police are turning up bodies that Arlen and Paul are getting blamed for and the corrupt judge is putting on a show for everyone with him as the puppet master.

Arlen knows he should leave and wants to leave but is drawn to Rebecca, the woman running this broken down place. His friend Paul thinks she can be won over but fails to realize that Arlen has already gotten the prize and Rebecca is playing hard-to-get for a reason. But Rebecca has a lot of secrets she is not sharing and the danger she dances around is making Arlen very nervous. He knows everyone has their past but believes Rebecca’s past is going to end their future together.

When Arlen figures out who the players are and he knows what is really going on in this town he figures out who needs to be removed and Arlen puts a plan into action. Arlen never expected to have someone turn on him but figured out early in life that everyone is not your friend but love does linger if you grab onto it and don’t let go regardless of what you have to do to keep it.

I thought Mr. Koryta’s last book So Cold the River was scary but it is nothing in comparison to this book. I kept the lights on and the shades drawn for fear of what was creeping around in the night. Both Arlen and Rebecca have such complicated pasts you don’t think there is enough time to explain it all but the author does and gives so much more than just character development he gives you Goosebumps. Great book and while this is a standalone every reader should pick up all other books by this author they are great.
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Nov 18, 2010 Bree T rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-version, netgalley, supernatural, suspense, thriller

The Cypress House opens on a train. Arlen Wagner, a verteran of the great War is dozing as the train makes its way towards Florida where he and a bunch of other men, all veterans and construction types bar one, are on their way to pick up more work on CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) projects down in that state. As the train passes over the border into northern Florida, Wagner notices that one of the man’s hand has turned to skeleton.

Wagner has a rare and strange gift in that he can see death b...more The Cypress House opens on a train. Arlen Wagner, a verteran of the great War is dozing as the train makes its way towards Florida where he and a bunch of other men, all veterans and construction types bar one, are on their way to pick up more work on CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) projects down in that state. As the train passes over the border into northern Florida, Wagner notices that one of the man’s hand has turned to skeleton.

Wagner has a rare and strange gift in that he can see death before it touches. He may shun his gift, but he can’t ignore it. And when Wagner sees flesh fall away and leave just bone, and if he looks into eyes and sees nothing but whorls of grey smoke, he knows that person is not long for this world. Occasionally, if he has enough warning, he can change the circumstances and death can be escaped. That’s if he has an idea what might cause the death and enough time to avoid it. On this train, hurtling through Florida, he sees not just one man turn to skeleton and smoke, but all of them. Including the only non-veteran in their company, 19yo Paul Brickhill.

There’s only one explanation for that sort of mass death impending – the train is going to wreck. As the train slows to a stop to refuel and the men get out and stretch their legs, Wagner makes a decision. He tells everyone, when they’re off on the platform stretching their legs, that they can’t get back on. He can’t say why, he knows no one would believe him anyway, but he tries his hardest to convince all the men to stay off the train, get the next one. They ridicule him of course, tell him he’s had too much liquor, or he’s not right in the head. When the train pulls out of the station, only one man is left standing there with him: Paul Brickhill.

Wagner thinks they are safe. There isn’t another train until the next day and they are picked up walking their way to the local boarding house by the mysterious Walt Sorenson, a friendly type who promises to drive them down into the Keys or wherever they want to go, he just has to make a few stops first. It’s their last stop, at The Cypress House, where what looks like a lucky avoidance of death, turns into something far more sinister and complicated than just the possibility of their train de-railing.

The Cypress House is a very isolated boarding house run by the beautiful but distant Rebecca Cady, who Walt has stopped in to do business with. When Walt’s car blows skyward, presumably with Walt inside it, Arlen and Paul are sucked into this corrupt county of the Gulf. They are questioned, assaulted, threatened and treated suspiciously by the villainous sherriff and the even more villainous county judge. All is not as it seems here and as they are finally released back to The Cypress House and a hurricane sweeps in, it takes precisely that length of time for Paul Brickhill to decide he cannot leave Rebecca. When the raging wind and driving rain and rising seas finally retreat, he vows to stay on to help her do the repairs to The Cypress House and stay on forever, if only she will let him.

Fearing for Paul in this crooked and ominous feeling county, Wagner knows he cannot leave the boy here behind and he is resigned to staying on also. It could be the worst decision they make – already on the radar of the local Sherriff and judge, plus their hired help, it doesn’t take Wagner long to figure out that something very wrong is going on here. Rebecca is up to her neck in it, although seemingly unwillingly. Wagner is determined to find a way out, for all of them. Even if that means hurting at least one of them.

This was quite a read! I started it on the plane coming up here and it made the hour journey pass even quicker than normal! Right from the first line you are drawn in, the fate of the men on the train working its way into your mind and staying there. I thought the book might focus more on what happens to the men who refuse to get off the train, and maybe Wagner having to explain himself a little more but it takes you in an entirely new direction. We are taken to The Cypress House and Rebecca Cady and the evil that lurks there, which is described by more than one character in the novel as a ‘sickness’.

Slowly, little by little, we learn the hold that the judge has on this county, those who are in his employ and what they do and what they expect of Rebecca. This novel was driven by plot development, rather than character and we learn very little about the main characters, other than a few peices here and there that has helped shape them into the sort of adults they are. Emotions are few and far between and characters seem to deal with everything this novel throws at them with a kind of grim, blank determination. Despite this, I found Wagner extremely easy to like, and Brickhill also. Rebecca was less likable at first, and I never really came to love her as a character, or see what both Wagner and Brickhill saw in her, but then again, I’m not male. And maybe it takes a male to fully appreciate what Rebecca has!

Set during the depression era, I think the backdrop was almost my favourite part of the book. Where men worked for a month for $35 pay, where mothers at home collected half of their sons paycheques, where some counties are still considered ‘dry’ and bootlegging alcohol is still taking place. The physical setting, the Gulf down in Florida, was vivid and real – the hurricane that sweeps in when Wagner and Brickhill are released from the jail is a violent and devastating one, causing a death toll of six figures or more, with half the Keys and the location they were originally aiming for swept away almost to nothing. Then there are the descriptions of the heat, the swamps, the isolation of the boarding house itself. It felt like I was sitting there watching everything taking place in front of me.

Although the were a few slow spots in the middle of this book, the ending really makes up for it – suspense in spades and I was reading so quickly half the time I was fogetting that I was reading on my Kindle and I kept trying to turn pages, rather than press the button! I couldn’t see how I could possibly get the ending I wanted, the way things were going. If you like supernatural suspense, then definitely give this novel a try – it’s well worth it. Koryta has a great imagination and a great style of writing that is incredibly easy to devour and there’s so much more wound into the supernatural part. I really cannot wait to read So Cold The River Now - it’s been bumped up to #1 for when I get back!(less)

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Mar 19, 2012 Marvin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

Yes, I gave it four stars but with a big reservation.

A question I always ask myself when reading a novel of the supernatural is, "Are the supernatural elements essential to the story." Or is it just a gimmick. Many paranormal romances violate this principle four times before breakfast. Fortunately I do not read very many PR. The Cypress House, not a PNR by any definition although there is a romance, failed this particular requirement. The supernatural aspect seems a little hacked on to me. Espec...more

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Jul 23, 2011 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

The former visual bookshelf app once proved very useful, offering me this 2010 recommendation that I'd never heard of, by an author I'd never heard of, with a book that didn't make the NY Times Bestseller list but makes you wonder why not. This is a great mix of historical fiction, mystery/thriller and supernatural horror. The protagonist is in a small town on the Gulf side of the Florida peninsula during the Great Depression. His goal is to get to the Keys. In the meantime, he gets tangled up w...more

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Feb 26, 2011 Cindy Meilink rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very seldom does a "perfect" book come along–a book with strong believable characters, an enthralling plot, and dialogue so rich that you can immerse yourself inside it–The Cypress House is such a book.

Arlen Wagner is a man with a gift, or a curse, depending on one's perspective. Arlen can see impending death. Having seen death reflected on the passengers of a train, he gets off with his riding companion and urges others to do the same. He and his younger friend, Paul, are the only passengers to...more

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Feb 10, 2011 Bob Reiss rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I only recently discovered Michael Koryta. I was looking for a few new mystery series to get into, when Koryta’s Lincoln Perry series was recommended to me. So, I gave them a try, and really enjoyed them. Yet, doing some more research into the writer I noticed he was now focusing on stand alone novels. Not only did he moved away from series writing, but also flipped genres moving from mysteries to supernatural thriller. Given that, I checked out his novel, So Cold the River and was so blown away...more I only recently discovered Michael Koryta. I was looking for a few new mystery series to get into, when Koryta’s Lincoln Perry series was recommended to me. So, I gave them a try, and really enjoyed them. Yet, doing some more research into the writer I noticed he was now focusing on stand alone novels. Not only did he moved away from series writing, but also flipped genres moving from mysteries to supernatural thriller. Given that, I checked out his novel, So Cold the River and was so blown away by it, it made my Top 20 audiobooks of 2010, sitting nicely at number 4, and easily became my favorite novel of all time about mineral water.

Yet, I was a little skeptical when I began The Cypress House. Could Koryta again deliver a creepy, moody masterpiece on par with So Cold the River? As I began the audiobook, I became a little concerned, not with the storytelling, although sometimes a Depression Era setting can be, well, depressing, but, at the first moment of “super naturalness” we were hit with a creepy sound effect. Well, sound effects worked pretty well in So Cold the River, but I have also seen it turn audiobooks into corny radio dramas with screeching tires and gunshots. Luckily, this sound effect was pretty creepy, and fit well with the story. After that, Koryta totally sucked me into his world. I was totally enthralled by his flawed realistic characters, who both frustrated and excited me throughout the novel. The Supernatural elements were a key part of the novel, but never hijacked it. Koryta creates a path full of twists and turns, yet never loses control, building tension bit by bit until the well plotted, brilliant finale.

Robert Petkoff, who was so right for So Cold the River, is again superb in his handling of this novel. Petkoff has one of the best pure voices in the business, and handles the story with such appropriate restraint that it truly comes to life. His characters are read simply and believably, without overacting or vocal gymnastics. This is one of those audiobook experiences that allows you to just close your eyes and become totally immersed into it. Just don’t try it when you’re driving. (less)

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Jan 18, 2011 Kelly Hager rated it 5 of 5 stars

So that I don't spoil anything, here's the synopsis from the back of the book: "Arlen Wagner has seen it in men before---a trace of smoke in their eyes that promises imminent death. He is never wrong.

When Arlen awakens on a train one hot Florida night and sees death's telltale sign in the eyes of his fellow passengers, he tries to warn them. Only nineteen-year-old Paul Brickhill believes him, and the two abandon the train, hoping to escape certain death. They continue south but soon are stranded...more

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Apr 17, 2011 Tonile {My Cup and Chaucer} rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Cypress House was the first novel I've read of Michael Koryta, and I think I'd pick up another one... I think. I literally just finished this, and perhaps reviewing it so soon won't do it the justice I think it deserves. It was strange, unusual, and altogether different from anything I've read in a long time. And I liked it! It definitely doesn't fit the mould of a 'whodunit' as so many of my previous reviews do, but it is an exciting thriller with just enough supernatural to make it enjoyab...more The Cypress House was the first novel I've read of Michael Koryta, and I think I'd pick up another one... I think. I literally just finished this, and perhaps reviewing it so soon won't do it the justice I think it deserves. It was strange, unusual, and altogether different from anything I've read in a long time. And I liked it! It definitely doesn't fit the mould of a 'whodunit' as so many of my previous reviews do, but it is an exciting thriller with just enough supernatural to make it enjoyable without being over the top.

The basic premise is what I loved most - Arlen Wagner can see death. Let me elaborate. The year is 1935 and Wagner is a WWI veteran who works on construction projects. His father, an undertaker, was thought to be insane over his belief that he could communicate with the dead. But now Arlen has his own dark skills, and is able to see death manifest itself in the soon-to-be-dead. One would imagine such a skill would be incredibly sobering during the war years, and Arlen does his best to avoid it. However, on a train one night, he looks around to see death in the eyes of all his fellow passengers. Bound for Florida Keys and unbeknownst to the men, they are travelling around the time of the infamous Labour Day hurricane that killed over 400 people. Arlen tries to warn his fellow passengers, but only himself and a young man named Paul Brickhill refuse to re-board the train.

They stumble out of harms way (albeit temporarily) and into the corruption of Depression-era Corridor County. A man, Walt Sorenson, takes a chance on the two of them, and the find themselves at an eerily remote inn, Cypress House, and in the presence of its beautiful but mysterious owner, Rebecca. Witness to a horrific crime, Arlen and Paul are thrown into a dark and shady world of corruption and cover up, where people in post-prohibition times are doing their best to survive... at a terribly high price for those around them. Surprises and unexpected plot twists await, with a final act worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster or a top-10 bestselling novel.

The Cypress House, while not your typical crime novel, is full of grizzly murders and more than enough bloodshed, making it feel like one. Add to it a constant feeling of suspense mixed with dread, and this novel will keep you up all night; all the while sending chills down your spine at the horror of how far some people will go to for power, money and glory. The characters are both likeable yet flawed, and Koryta rivals my personal favourite Stephen King for showing how rotten humans can become when they are given extreme amounts of power. Loathing the locals becomes easy, and the reader will find themselves cheering on our protagonists as they try and bring some much-needed justice to the people of Corridor County. All in all, I finished this 415 gem in a small number of days, and I urge you to pick it up and do the same.(less)

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Mar 20, 2011 Miles rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviews

I’ve just finished reading Michael Koryta’s latest spine-chilling thriller called “Cypress House”, a novel that spans 57 chapters and split into five parts, and I have to say I’m completely exhausted! After gorging on his beautifully crafted vocabulary, Cypress House left me completely breathless.

I had the pleasure of reading Koryta’s “So Cold the River” in September last year (which incidentally reached number three in my top 15 books of 2010), a wonderful book that was “hypnotic and hauntingly...more

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