South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
A mother’s survival instinct propels ‘Never Far Away’
By Oline H. Cogdill
‘Never Far Away’ by Michael Koryta. Little, Brown, 384 pages, $28
Doing what is necessary to save others — regardless of the cost to oneself — is the underlying theme of Michael Koryta’s actionpacked, character-driven 14th novel. The title alone, “Never Far Away,” becomes the ultimate metaphor for the sacrifice of a mother who, to make sure her family is safe, must disappear from their lives, but keeps them in her heart.
“Never Far Away” is 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. A decade ago, Nina Morgan faked her own death on an isolated road in the Florida Everglades. This accomplished pilot had flown a woman and her children to Mexico where, unknown to her, they were murdered on the orders of her boss, ruthless billionaire Corson Lowery, who next targets Nina, the only witness. Nina’s husband Doug Chatfield, and their two children, Hailey and Nick, are also on Lowery’s hit list.
Nina abandons her family to save them. She has reinvented herself as Leah Trenton, an expert guide for those wanting the total rustic experience in Maine’s woods. Now a crack marksman, Leah thrives on her ultimate outdoor life totally off the grid, secure in the knowledge that her family is free from harm.
She and Doug worked out a carefully calibrated plan — she occasionally sends gifts or cards to the children but without a return address and she never visits. Then Doug is killed in a freak, one-car accident. For years, Doug reinforced that if anything happened to him that Hailey, now 13, was to call her “aunt” Leah.
Immediately, Leah drives to Louisville to pick up Hailey and Nick, now 11.
The children are suspicious of this stranger they have never met and resentful at leaving their home and friends for Maine. Learning about Doug’s death and the children’s disappearance, Lowery resumes his vendetta, breaking out of prison his two most trusted assassins to find them.
“Never Far Away” focuses on Leah and her family on the run, as the mother tries to gain her children’s trust and learn who they have become since she last saw them.
Leah also gets an unlikely ally with young assassin Dax Blackwell, who made quite an impact in Koryta’s 2015 “If She Wakes.” Dax’s skills as a killer were honed by his father and uncle, professional hit men who made a pivotal appearance in Koryta’s 2014 novel, “Those Who Wish Me Dead.” Lowery, head of what a U.S. senator called “Blackwater on steroids,” is a perfect villain, driven by a sense of entitlement, greed and revenge.
Koryta, who has received numerous awards and nominations, 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.”
Oline H. Cogdill can be reached at olinecog@aol. com.