The Ridge

As with the previous Michael Koryta novel that I've read, So Cold the River, the location is an unusual one (this time it's eastern Kentucky), and the mystery is leavened with the supernatural. In fact, this is mostly a ghost story, and a pretty good one at that.

In the area known as Blade Ridge, a crazy old drunk has built a lighthouse in the middle of the woods. When that man ends up blowing his brains out, a sheriff's deputy, Kevin Kimble, teams up with a reporter, Roy Darmus, to try to understand the photos the man had on the wall of his lighthouse, and later find that they all died in the area, or nearly died. Meanwhile, an exotic cat preserve, full of lions, tigers, leopards, and the world's only known black cougar, sets up shop nearby. The cats don't seem to like it at all, because we all know they can detect things that humans can't--even ghosts?

Kimble, ostensibly the hero of the piece, is one of the most flawed lawmen I've come across in a while. He's in love with a woman who shot him, and visits her regularly in prison.  He does all sorts of things that jeopardize everyone around him. Audrey Clark, the woman who runs the cat preserve, is a more interesting character, as she both loves the cats and fears them (the natural response, I would imagine). I'm one of those people who would never, in a million years, cozy up to a naturally wild animal like a tiger or leopard, no matter how tame they might be, and even watching other people do it on TV makes me nervous ("When animals attack!") This basic human fright is elegantly captured by Koryta, so when Audrey has to take refuge in a leopard's cage, you can really feel what it's like.

The main plot thread involves the mystery of why so many people have died on the ridge, and just what is that blue light that people see? Koryta lets the story unfold nicely, and the book has a satisfying conclusion. I have another book on my list that Koryta has written, and I hope to get to it soon.