It's release day for Die Famous by Michael Koryta!

Die Famous

Author: Michael Koryta

Publisher: Hachette Book Group

Release Date: September 22, 2026

Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery

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A mother and her son set out on a treacherous journey to find the boy’s father, one of the nation's most wanted criminals, in this vivid and emotional epic, perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah, Chris Whitaker, and Amor Towles.

On the day she spots her first gray hair, Savannah Cody declares her intention to murder her husband.

Edward “Nickel” Terhune isn’t just any deadbeat—he’s the getaway driver for the infamous Brady Gang, whose exploits have placed them at the top of the public enemy lists while capturing the nation’s imagination.

Savannah is no gangster—at least not in her telling—just a single mother with a grudge and her own private grief. There are some, though, including J. Edgar Hoover, who have their doubts about that.

Twelve-year-old Alford Terhune has never known his father, only the legends and the warnings, and he finds his mother to be a mysterious force, fiercely proud, always charming, but exceptionally unreliable.

With her reputation and possibly her own freedom at risk, Savannah embarks on a quest to find the man she once loved, and the nation now fears. Together with Alford and his grandfather, a retired detective, she sets out across the heartland to track Nickel through an America marked by the Great Depression, from rural Indiana farms to posh Saratoga Springs resorts and north to Maine as summer edges toward fall.

A multilayered tale of misadventure and self-discovery, populated by an unforgettable cast of characters—from gangsters and FBI agents to farmers and novelists—Die Famous is a sweeping testament to American dreams and heartbreaks, and a novel that showcases why William Kent Krueger has said “Michael Koryta is simply one of today’s finest authors, period.”

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Michael Koryta

Michael Koryta is the New York Times bestselling author of 12 suspense novels, including Rise the Dark, Last Words, Those Who Wish Me Dead, The Prophet, The Ridge, and So Cold The River. His work has been praised by Stephen King, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Dennis Lehane, Daniel Woodrell, Ron Rash, and Scott Smith among many others, and has been translated into more than 20 languages. His books have won or been nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Edgar® Award, Shamus Award, Barry Award, Quill Award, International Thriller Writers Award, and the Golden Dagger.

Before turning to writing full-time, Koryta worked as a private investigator, a newspaper reporter, and taught at the Indiana University School of Journalism. Koryta’s first novel, the Edgar-nominated Tonight I Said Goodbye, was accepted for publication when he was 20 years old. He wrote his first two published novels before graduating from college, and was published in nearly 10 languages before he fulfilled the “writing requirement ” classes required for his diploma.

Koryta was raised in Bloomington, Indiana, where he graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

Koryta and his wife, Christine, divide their time between Bloomington and Camden, Maine, with a cranky cat named Marlowe, an emotionally disturbed cat named John Pryor (named after the gravestone on which he was found as an abandoned kitten), and a dog of unknown heritage named Lola.

Learn more about this author here.

Savannah Cody is a woman on a mission, she wants to find her deadbeat ex-husband... only problem is that he is a wanted man on the run with a gang with no intentions of being found. Savannah, however, wants her revenge and will leave no stone unturned!

The pages of Die Famous read like a movie, as I read I could picture this story playing out on the movie screen. It was action-packed, completely enthralling, and impossible to put down!! The characters were perfectly drawn and the story they had to tell was quite emotive and compelling, it was impossible not to get completely wrapped up into the pages of this one!! A top notch read!! Highly recommend!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.

ARC provided by the publisher, via NetGalley request