Die Famous - by Michael Koryta (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The Four Winds meets Bonnie and Clyde in this exhilarating historical thriller in which an unforgettable mother races to find the gangster she once loved--before the law gets to him first.

"The best gangster novel I've ever read." --Stephen King
"This story accomplishes the near-impossible: it is both big-hearted and thrilling." --Ariel Lawhon
"This will be the bar to which other historical crime fiction will be measured, and I do not say that lightly. In fact, I've never said it before." --David Baldacci

On the day Savannah Cody spots her first gray hair, she decides it's time to murder the father of her only child. Edward "Nickel" Terhune is the getaway driver for the Brady Gang, one of the FBI's most wanted criminals--with an enticing bounty set on his head. Dragging her son, Alford, and her father, Wendell, a retired railroad detective, along for the quest, Savannah embarks to find the man she once loved and the nation now fears, journeying across an America transformed by the Great Depression. But Alford--and soon, the FBI--notice that the closer the family gets to Nickel, the less clear Savannah's motivations seem to be.

As the Brady Gang races to escape the law--or get rich trying--Nickel realizes he might not be able to outrun his mistakes. He dreams of a route that will lead him to peace, but no map shows one like that. Will Savannah find him before the police do? And if so, who will return home alive?

Cleverly layered and emotionally taut, perfect for readers of The Lincoln Highway, The Frozen River, and The Alice Network, Die Famous follows a remarkable family as they race toward an impossible reunion--and asks us to consider where our own loyalties lie when ambition, devotion, and truth mean something different to each person telling the story.

Review Quotes

"Features all the shoot-em up action you could possibly want from a 1930s-set gangster novel, but also brings an element of introspection to the mix. I will make two predictions here: 1) This book will be optioned for a movie; it reads like a screenplay even as it stands, and 2) it will go down in literary history as one of the best gangster novels ever. It is really that good." --BookPage (starred review)

"Outstanding . . . looks at the cult of celebrity, the bond among parents and children, entitlement and arrogance, all wrapped into a tightly wound plot." --South Florida Sun Sentinel

"Die Famous put readers in the passenger seat for a cross-country crime spree with some of history's most notorious gangsters. Told through the eyes of one remarkable woman on a mission to either destroy or rescue the man she once loved, this riveting, vividly-written novel surprised me at every turn. A thrilling, suspenseful, and surprisingly poignant tale of the paper-thin veil separating love and hate." --Marie Bostwick, author of The Book Club for Troublesome Women

"As carefully distilled as a batch of moonshine, Die Famous juxtaposes shootouts, narrow escapes, vengeance, and justice against a backdrop of family bonds, loyalty, love, and motherhood. Capped off with an ending you won't see coming, this story will send you careening down the back roads, hanging on by your fingernails until the final page." --Lisa Wingate, author of Before We Were Yours and The Book of Lost Friends

"How can you not dig a femme fatale who digs Thoreau? A fresh, sometimes offbeat take on the 1930s gangster novel." --Kirkus Reviews

"Michael Koryta, always a stellar read, has really outdone himself. The depth to which he goes for his full panoply of players is remarkable. And the atmosphere he creates made me keep looking around to make sure I was still safely ensconced in the twenty-first century. I rooted for and against so many different characters, which is a mark of the gifted storyteller, in making fiction seem more real than real is. This will be the bar to which other historical crime fiction will be measured, and I do not say that lightly. In fact, I've never said it before, but I will say this: Read Die Famous the moment it comes out."--David Baldacci

"Readers who fell for the complicated charms of Dennis Lehane's Live by Night or Joseph Kanon's Los Alamos will be equally dazzled by Koryta's superbly written and stunning novel." --Library Journal (starred review)

"Simply put, a thrilling--and thrillingly layered--read. I was swept away by the story of G-Men and public enemies in the waning years of the Depression and mesmerized by the beautiful souls who were never quite hidden in outlaw clothing. With the most bewitching heroine in recent literature anchoring the tale, this surprisingly romantic novel about family, secrets, tommy guns and Thoreau is as entertaining as it is affecting." --Melanie Benjamin, author of The Windsor Affair

"The gangster novel that I didn't know I needed. This story of a reluctant getaway driver, the woman who loves him, and their observant son accomplishes the near-impossible: it is both big-hearted and thrilling as a car chase. I loved this perfectly written tommy gun of a novel." --Ariel Lawhon, author of The Frozen River

"This enthralling historical thriller from Koryta follows a gangster, his sweetheart, and their son. . . . Koryta tells much of the tale via a conversation between Savannah and an FBI agent on the eve of her execution; her voice is tart and quick, but gradual cracks reveal her deep wells of emotion. The other leads are equally well drawn, and though the story's heartbreak is obvious from the start, the pages fly by. This is an excellent bet for fans of William Kent Krueger's historical novels." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Die Famous is the best gangster novel I've ever read. These aren't your Mafia goodfellas; they are the hardcase bank thieves who roamed from Indiana to Maine in the 1930s. The writing is first class, and the action is nonstop. You'll think of Larry McMurtry and John Toland (who gets a shout-out here)."--Stephen King

About the Author

Michael Koryta is a New York Times bestselling author of over twenty novels--including Those Who Wish Me Dead, which has been adapted into a film starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Taylor Sheridan. His previous novels were New York Times notable books, national bestsellers, and have won numerous awards, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Koryta is a former private investigator and newspaper reporter. He lives in Bloomington, Indiana, and Camden, Maine.