Audio Book Review: The Cypress House by Michael Koryta [TSS]

This was my first experience with a Michael Koryta book and I thought the audio version would be a nice change, especially considering the supernatural elements used in the story, I was really excited to listen to THE CYPRESS HOUSE. Here's a quick synopsis from Audible.com:

Arlen Wagner has an awful gift: he can see death in the eyes of men before it strikes. He's never wrong.

So 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 19-year-old Paul Brickhill believes him, and the two abandon the train, hoping to escape certain death. They continue south, but soon are stranded at The Cypress House - an isolated Gulf Coast boarding house run by the beautiful Rebecca Cady - directly in the path of an approaching hurricane.

It doesn't take Arlen and Paul long to realize that the storm isn't the only approaching danger - a much deadlier force controls the county and everyone living in it. But Paul refuses to abandon Rebecca to face the threat alone, and Arlen's eerie gift warns him that they'll never leave.

My Thoughts:

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 thought the time period of the mid 1930's gave it an exciting edge, given the supernatural twists.  Koryta didn't go over the top with his paranormal elements, which was another plus for me. The occasional and minimal use of sound effects when Arlan would 'see' dead people was just enough to bring on the creepy factor. I really enjoyed it!  

Michael Koryta created believable and interesting characters and the relationships between them all were easy to follow and fit the story very well. He didn't waste any time with overly descriptive narrative and just got right into the story. I was hooked from early on. 

The bottom line is that I was completely satisfied with this audio book and I am very much looking forward to reading more of Michael Koryta's work.  His latest book, THE RIDGE, is now available and getting great reviews.  The audio version is also narrated by Robert Petkoff.

THE CYPRESS HOUSE

Author:  Michael Koryta
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Released: January 2011
Length: 11 Hrs/54 Mins
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Source: Purchased from Audible.com