So Cold the River

Michael Koryta

Jun 2010 · Sold by Little, Brown

About this ebook

Now a major motion picture: So Cold the River is a chilling, supernatural tale "guaranteed to put the cold finger down your spine" (Michael Connelly). 

It started with a beautiful woman and a challenge. As a gift for her husband, Alyssa Bradford approaches Eric Shaw to make a documentary about her father-in-law, Campbell Bradford, a 95-year-old billionaire whose past is wrapped in mystery. Eric grabs the job even though there are few clues to the man's past -- just the name of his hometown and an antique water bottle he's kept his entire life.

In Bradford's hometown, Eric discovers an extraordinary history -- a glorious domed hotel where movie stars, presidents, athletes, and mobsters once mingled, and hot springs whose miraculous mineral water cured everything from insomnia to malaria. Neglected for years, the resort has been restored to its former grandeur just in time for Eric's stay.

Just hours after his arrival, Eric experiences a frighteningly vivid vision. As the days pass, the frequency and intensity of his hallucinations increase and draw Eric deeper into the town's dark history. He discovers that something besides the hotel has been restored -- a long-forgotten evil that will stop at nothing to regain its lost glory. Brilliantly imagined and terrifyingly real, So Cold the River is a tale of irresistible suspense with a racing, unstoppable current.

Ratings and reviews

This book is pretty captivating for the majority of it. There are parts that feel Shining-y, or Stephen King influenced, but once the story really starts that fades out. The mystery kept me wanting to learn more and figure it out and the characters are likeable where they should be and not where they shouldn't. My only complaint is the last 3 or so chapters. I was so ready for a really exciting end and a real closure to the mystery but I just didn't feel the end did justice to the rest of the book. Also, I just watched the movie and trust me when I say to save your money and time. It is absolutely an insult to this novel and is similar in name only.

I loved reading a book about the town I live in. I could see in my mind every place described in the story. I have always loved the West Baden Dome and I am so grateful it got restored. This story centered around my town and the fictitious story of Campbell and the Pluto water kept me immersed throughout the entire book. Definitely an A+.

Only way to put this is if you love Stephen King you will enjoy this novel as much as I did. WOW!

About the author

Michael Koryta (pronounced ko-ree-ta) is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including The Prophet. His last three novels, The Ridge, The Cypress House, and So Cold the River were all New York Times notable books and nominated for several national and international awards.

In addition to winning the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, his novel Envy the Night was selected as a Reader's Digest condensed book. Koryta's work has been translated into more than twenty languages. A former private investigator and newspaper reporter, Koryta graduated from Indiana University with a degree in criminal justice. He currently lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Bloomington, Indiana.