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Die Famous
“I loved the man and I wanted to kill him. What’s so hard to understand about that?”
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 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.
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 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.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published September 22, 2026
About the author
Michael Koryta
49 books2,629 followersMichael Koryta (pronounced Ko-ree-ta) is a New York Times-bestselling author whose work has been lauded by Stephen King, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Lisa Unger, Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman, and David Baldacci, 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, and many others.
Michael worked as a private investigator and newspaper reporter. His first novel, the Edgar-nominated Tonight I Said Goodbye, was accepted for publication when he was 20 years old.
Michael has written for the screen in both feature film and television. Those Who Wish Me Dead was released in 2021, starring Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Hoult, Tyler Perry, Jon Bernthal and Aidan Gillen, directed by Taylor Sheridan.
He also writes bestselling supernatural thrillers under the pen name Scott Carson.
Michael was raised in Bloomington, Indiana, where he graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
He lives in Camden, Maine, and Bloomington, home of the undefeated national champion Indiana Hoosiers football team, a fact that still strikes him as surreal.
Michael worked as a private investigator and newspaper reporter. His first novel, the Edgar-nominated Tonight I Said Goodbye, was accepted for publication when he was 20 years old.
Michael has written for the screen in both feature film and television. Those Who Wish Me Dead was released in 2021, starring Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Hoult, Tyler Perry, Jon Bernthal and Aidan Gillen, directed by Taylor Sheridan.
He also writes bestselling supernatural thrillers under the pen name Scott Carson.
Michael was raised in Bloomington, Indiana, where he graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
He lives in Camden, Maine, and Bloomington, home of the undefeated national champion Indiana Hoosiers football team, a fact that still strikes him as surreal.
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Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Die Famous does a great job of transporting you back to the glory days of gangsters and robbers of the 1930s. Eddie “Nickel” Terhune isn’t sure how he got his nickname, because none of the stories are real. What is real is that Savannah Cody, the mother of his child, has decided it’s time to kill him. But first, she has to figure out where the Brady Gang is hiding out.
Told from multiple vantage points - their son, Alford; Nickel; and Savannah’s confession to an FBI agent, the book moves at a brisk pace.
Savannah is a hoot. She manages to get under everyone’s skin. But I truly felt for young Alford, dealing with her as his mother . ““ If I leave you here, it will give him the wrong impression about my willingness to accept the mother’s role”, she said. I desperately wanted to ask if she believed a mother’s role was to be a car thief and a premeditated murderer, but I was afraid of her and said nothing…”
I adored Koryta’s turn of phrase. His descriptions allowed you to easily envision every scene, typically while chuckling. But there’s also a real heart to this story. Nickel, Alford, his grandfather, even Savannah by the end- they were all people I cared about and could understand. It's a story of bad decisions and bad luck, of just missing a chance at happiness. By the end, I had tears in my eyes.
My thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown & Company for an advance copy of this book.
Told from multiple vantage points - their son, Alford; Nickel; and Savannah’s confession to an FBI agent, the book moves at a brisk pace.
Savannah is a hoot. She manages to get under everyone’s skin. But I truly felt for young Alford, dealing with her as his mother . ““ If I leave you here, it will give him the wrong impression about my willingness to accept the mother’s role”, she said. I desperately wanted to ask if she believed a mother’s role was to be a car thief and a premeditated murderer, but I was afraid of her and said nothing…”
I adored Koryta’s turn of phrase. His descriptions allowed you to easily envision every scene, typically while chuckling. But there’s also a real heart to this story. Nickel, Alford, his grandfather, even Savannah by the end- they were all people I cared about and could understand. It's a story of bad decisions and bad luck, of just missing a chance at happiness. By the end, I had tears in my eyes.
My thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown & Company for an advance copy of this book.
October 7, 2026
In the 1930s bank robbers became famous, and the Brady Gang was no exception. The fame was as addictive as the money. Nickel Terhune was their getaway driver (and gun expert) who never managed to make a steady relationship with Savannah Cody, the mother of his only child Alford. Savannah decides to track down Nickel for the bounty, but eventually her objective shifts. Savannah, her father Wendell and Alford just want to get to Nickel before the Feds do.
The book switches back and forth between the gang’s jobs and Savannah’s pursuit. It’s a crime novel and coming of age story. I enjoyed the writing style, dialogue and characters, particularly Wendell and Alford. I didn’t care for the fact that the way the author told the Savannah story was misleading, but I can’t explain why without spoilers. I also thought that the book was at least 50 pages too long, but I would read this author again.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
The book switches back and forth between the gang’s jobs and Savannah’s pursuit. It’s a crime novel and coming of age story. I enjoyed the writing style, dialogue and characters, particularly Wendell and Alford. I didn’t care for the fact that the way the author told the Savannah story was misleading, but I can’t explain why without spoilers. I also thought that the book was at least 50 pages too long, but I would read this author again.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
September 22, 2026
It took me three weeks to read Die Famous. I would read three or four chapters, get frustrated because the flow of the narrative suddenly jolted, and so would stop reading for a day (or three). I continued this jerky progression until I finished the book. Had it been a library loan, I simply would have said "not for me" and returned it, but as I was a NetGalley ARC obtained in response to a request I had made, I felt obligated to explain "why" the narration so annoyed me. From the blurb, the basis on which I had chosen my request, it had seemed that it was a good fit for my tastes.
There was no simple answer to "why" I felt so irritated after reading a few chapters. The descriptive writing was excellent. Scenes were exceptionally well delineated. But those scenes did not coalesce into a well executed story; a good scene was followed by a jump into a different psychological landscape. The whole was disjointed.
There was too much repetition, but that could be easily skipped over. It couldn't explain the almost painful irritation that I felt.
The story was told from three alternating POVs—a storytelling structure that might have worked, but didn't. Just as I became invested in the plot, wanting to know more, the POV perspective would switch and my frustration level would rise. I couldn't become engaged in any of the three main characters, although I did feel sorry for Nickel, a neurodivergent man trapped by the economic crisis of the depression, and his mistaken feelings of obligation to two truly evil people—Al Brady and Savannah Cody—who took advantage of his inability to understand people. Had the story remained focused on Nickel, it might have been interesting.
There were some excellent scenes. For example, the roller skating scene near the end—it took place shortly after the 80% point in the story. It was simultaneously humorous and frightening, a difficult feat to pull off. But as soon as I finished reading it, I found that it was also completely irrelevant to the plot—a good scene, but it was inserted into what should have been a climactic race to the end. It interrupted the narrative flow instead of illuminating our understanding of the story arc.
For me, there was one positive. The novel provided a puzzle for my analytic mind. "Why did the narrative irritate me, as opposed, for example, to simply boring me?" My answer (not necessarily the correct one) is that it mirrors one form of neurodivergent thought patterns: an emphasis on intricate details while overlooking the whole. Seeing the trees while missing the forest.
One star for me; two to three stars for readers whose main interest is good descriptive writing.
Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for providing an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.
There was no simple answer to "why" I felt so irritated after reading a few chapters. The descriptive writing was excellent. Scenes were exceptionally well delineated. But those scenes did not coalesce into a well executed story; a good scene was followed by a jump into a different psychological landscape. The whole was disjointed.
There was too much repetition, but that could be easily skipped over. It couldn't explain the almost painful irritation that I felt.
The story was told from three alternating POVs—a storytelling structure that might have worked, but didn't. Just as I became invested in the plot, wanting to know more, the POV perspective would switch and my frustration level would rise. I couldn't become engaged in any of the three main characters, although I did feel sorry for Nickel, a neurodivergent man trapped by the economic crisis of the depression, and his mistaken feelings of obligation to two truly evil people—Al Brady and Savannah Cody—who took advantage of his inability to understand people. Had the story remained focused on Nickel, it might have been interesting.
There were some excellent scenes. For example, the roller skating scene near the end—it took place shortly after the 80% point in the story. It was simultaneously humorous and frightening, a difficult feat to pull off. But as soon as I finished reading it, I found that it was also completely irrelevant to the plot—a good scene, but it was inserted into what should have been a climactic race to the end. It interrupted the narrative flow instead of illuminating our understanding of the story arc.
For me, there was one positive. The novel provided a puzzle for my analytic mind. "Why did the narrative irritate me, as opposed, for example, to simply boring me?" My answer (not necessarily the correct one) is that it mirrors one form of neurodivergent thought patterns: an emphasis on intricate details while overlooking the whole. Seeing the trees while missing the forest.
One star for me; two to three stars for readers whose main interest is good descriptive writing.
Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for providing an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
That woman looked in the mirror, spotted evidence of time doing its rude little tap dance, and said, “You know what would fix this? Killing Nickel.” Not a haircut. Not a cigarette. Not one quiet afternoon. Murdering the father of her child. Honestly, the Depression was already doing enough, but Savannah Cody said, “I can make this worse.”
Die Famous is basically a family road trip if the family itinerary included emotional damage, bank robbers, FBI attention, and one woman loudly insisting she is totally, definitely, absolutely going to kill the man she still loves. Savannah drags her son Alford and her father Wendell across America looking for Edward “Nickel” Terhune, getaway driver for the Brady Gang and full-time bad decision in a nice hat.
Nickel is out here committing crimes with men who treat violence like a scheduling conflict, but somehow he still thinks there’s a quiet life waiting for him in Maine. Sir. You are not misplaced luggage. You cannot just arrive in the woods and become peaceful. This man is carrying enough consequences to need their own getaway car.
Savannah is the whole messy, sharp-tongued engine of this thing. She loved Nickel, hated Nickel, wanted him dead, wanted him safe, wanted the truth, wanted control, wanted one clean answer from a life that kept handing her mud. Every time she said she was going to kill him, I believed her. Every time she remembered loving him, I believed that too. Infuriating woman. Fascinating woman. Would not let her near my purse or my emotional stability.
And poor Alford. That kid is stuck between adults who keep treating danger like a family inheritance. He is watching his mother chase his father across a country that already feels half-broken, trying to figure out if love is supposed to look like loyalty, abandonment, survival, or a loaded gun. Nobody in this book has the decency to make anything simple for him.
The gangster stuff has that dusty, Tommy-gun, wanted-poster energy, but what got me was how personal everything felt. Yes, there are criminals and cops and road miles and bad men making worse plans, but the real tension is this one impossible question: what do you do when the person you love is also the person who ruined everything?
There’s a sadness underneath all the crime that sneaks up and sits down without asking. Some people don’t get a clean redemption. Some people don’t get the life they can almost see. Sometimes the map is real and the way out still doesn’t exist.
I’m giving Die Famous 3.5 stars. It had grit, heartbreak, and Savannah Cody behaving like vengeance was something she packed in the trunk next to the sandwiches. I didn’t always fly through it, but I stayed because I needed to know who would get to Nickel first, Savannah, the FBI, or every bad choice he ever made.
Whodunity Award: For Making “I Loved Him and Wanted to Kill Him” Sound Like a Perfectly Reasonable Travel Plan
Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the ARC. You gave me gangsters, heartbreak, and a woman treating murder like a midlife pivot, which is honestly more emotional cardio than I was prepared for.
Die Famous is basically a family road trip if the family itinerary included emotional damage, bank robbers, FBI attention, and one woman loudly insisting she is totally, definitely, absolutely going to kill the man she still loves. Savannah drags her son Alford and her father Wendell across America looking for Edward “Nickel” Terhune, getaway driver for the Brady Gang and full-time bad decision in a nice hat.
Nickel is out here committing crimes with men who treat violence like a scheduling conflict, but somehow he still thinks there’s a quiet life waiting for him in Maine. Sir. You are not misplaced luggage. You cannot just arrive in the woods and become peaceful. This man is carrying enough consequences to need their own getaway car.
Savannah is the whole messy, sharp-tongued engine of this thing. She loved Nickel, hated Nickel, wanted him dead, wanted him safe, wanted the truth, wanted control, wanted one clean answer from a life that kept handing her mud. Every time she said she was going to kill him, I believed her. Every time she remembered loving him, I believed that too. Infuriating woman. Fascinating woman. Would not let her near my purse or my emotional stability.
And poor Alford. That kid is stuck between adults who keep treating danger like a family inheritance. He is watching his mother chase his father across a country that already feels half-broken, trying to figure out if love is supposed to look like loyalty, abandonment, survival, or a loaded gun. Nobody in this book has the decency to make anything simple for him.
The gangster stuff has that dusty, Tommy-gun, wanted-poster energy, but what got me was how personal everything felt. Yes, there are criminals and cops and road miles and bad men making worse plans, but the real tension is this one impossible question: what do you do when the person you love is also the person who ruined everything?
There’s a sadness underneath all the crime that sneaks up and sits down without asking. Some people don’t get a clean redemption. Some people don’t get the life they can almost see. Sometimes the map is real and the way out still doesn’t exist.
I’m giving Die Famous 3.5 stars. It had grit, heartbreak, and Savannah Cody behaving like vengeance was something she packed in the trunk next to the sandwiches. I didn’t always fly through it, but I stayed because I needed to know who would get to Nickel first, Savannah, the FBI, or every bad choice he ever made.
Whodunity Award: For Making “I Loved Him and Wanted to Kill Him” Sound Like a Perfectly Reasonable Travel Plan
Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the ARC. You gave me gangsters, heartbreak, and a woman treating murder like a midlife pivot, which is honestly more emotional cardio than I was prepared for.
October 19, 2026
“The Thompson Machine gun was the John Deere of crime.”
Historical fiction set during the Great Depression, the author captured the uncertainty, desperation, and vulnerability of the time.
Multiple perspectives slowed it down, especially during the middle, but I’ll continue reading and enjoying Koryta’s books in the future.
Historical fiction set during the Great Depression, the author captured the uncertainty, desperation, and vulnerability of the time.
Multiple perspectives slowed it down, especially during the middle, but I’ll continue reading and enjoying Koryta’s books in the future.
Review of advance copy received from Publishers Weekly
I've read some of Koryta's previous mysteries, which I've enjoyed, but this reaches a different level. This deeply satisfying and emotionally resonant historical heist novel is set in the Midwest during the Depression. Told in three separate stories--that of Savannah Cody, a woman speaking to an FBI agent on the eve of her execution; her twelve-year-old son Alford; and her lover Eddie “Nickel” Terhune, a gangster on the run--this is the poignant story of what could have been a family. Nickel and Savannah grow up and fall in love in Indiana, where Nickel suffers a loveless childhood, though he is handy and turns to fixing stolen cars for Al Brady to survive. When Al, who fancies himself another Derringer, plans a bank robbery in Saratoga, it fails, and Nickel goes to prison, but his gang loyally springs him. After a more successful robbery in Baltimore, Nickel flees to Maine, where Savannah and her father search desperately, hoping to find him before the FBI does, and where a chance encounter provides Nickel and his son Alford a few magical weeks. The character of Savannah is especially well drawn; her voice is tart and quick, but she shows a growing sense of her own culpability and her own capacity for love. The language is fresh, and though every reader will see heartbreak coming, the pages fly. Excellent fare for fans of William Kent Krueger’s historical novels (Ordinary Grace, This Tender Land), J.R. Moehringer’s Sutton, and Peter Carey’s True History of the Kelly Gang.
October 10, 2026
Koryta is one of my favorite authors. This book I just so totally could not get into. DNF
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Part fiction and part history depicting the gangster era of the 1930’s this book captivated my attention at first and seemed to be a mystery within a mystery. Actually, it ended up being more like a non-fiction docudrama as Savannah crosses the country in pursuit of her bank-robbing husband “Nickel” who is part of a gang shooting up banks all over the nation. Since he has a reward bounty on his head, Savannah figured “Why not” and headed out with her father and her son (Nickel’s son also) to find him and kill him. The beginning of the book was pretty fast-paced, but I thought it was kind of repetitious and slowed down after that. The ending was good if somewhat predictable. What I thought was a suspense novel ended up being more like non-fiction which is not really a genre I enjoy. I liked the attention to details and the way the author described the emotions of the gangsters and those in pursuit of him and the gang. The victims of the robberies seemed to be passed over as an insignificant part of the story as the gangsters moved from one small town to another spreading fear and mayhem. Honestly, I was cheering for Savannah to go ahead and finish the job so that the story would end.
I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.
I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is engaging from the start with old-time gangsters on the move.
This book gives you the true essence of the Brady Gang from the Midwest in the 1930s – wanted by Edgar J. Hoover and the FBI. Most of the gang was based on actual history 90 years ago.
Michael Koryta set the stage with workers trying to make enough money to eat and pay rent. They all had dreams but Al Brady decided he was going to get cash another way. He formed a gang that robbed a small-town jewelry store and with the taste of fast cash, they were eager to move on.
It’s a captivating story and Koryta created a romance between a fugitive, Eddie “Nickel” Terhune and the lovely Savannah Cody. They had a son, Alford, when she was 16. Her father owned a farm in Indiana and took care of the boy. Or, rather, she just left him there. He learned how to fish, read about adventures and keep his head down.
The chapters alternated between Nickel who told the story of the gang, Savannah who was interviewed by FBI Agent Toland, and Alford who kept his eyes open. There was a significant build-up with Savannah’s gripping testimony and the best part came with the last chapter.
I’m not usually drawn toward gangster plots but the author is a good story teller and truth matters -- a part of our past that reveals what actually happened. It’s definitely one to put on your list.
My thanks to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for this ARC with an expected release date of September 22, 2026. The thoughts I share are my own.
This book gives you the true essence of the Brady Gang from the Midwest in the 1930s – wanted by Edgar J. Hoover and the FBI. Most of the gang was based on actual history 90 years ago.
Michael Koryta set the stage with workers trying to make enough money to eat and pay rent. They all had dreams but Al Brady decided he was going to get cash another way. He formed a gang that robbed a small-town jewelry store and with the taste of fast cash, they were eager to move on.
It’s a captivating story and Koryta created a romance between a fugitive, Eddie “Nickel” Terhune and the lovely Savannah Cody. They had a son, Alford, when she was 16. Her father owned a farm in Indiana and took care of the boy. Or, rather, she just left him there. He learned how to fish, read about adventures and keep his head down.
The chapters alternated between Nickel who told the story of the gang, Savannah who was interviewed by FBI Agent Toland, and Alford who kept his eyes open. There was a significant build-up with Savannah’s gripping testimony and the best part came with the last chapter.
I’m not usually drawn toward gangster plots but the author is a good story teller and truth matters -- a part of our past that reveals what actually happened. It’s definitely one to put on your list.
My thanks to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for this ARC with an expected release date of September 22, 2026. The thoughts I share are my own.
September 27, 2026
First off, I would like to thank Little, Brown, and Company and author Michael Koryta for allowing me to read this book via Netgalley. All opinions following are my own.
I went into Die Famous really invested in the story, especially the setup surrounding Savannah Cody, Edward “Nickel” Terhune, and their son, Alford. Savannah deciding to track down the man she once loved after a bounty is placed on Nickel, while bringing Alford and her father, Wendell, along for the journey, was such an intriguing premise. I especially enjoyed the complicated family dynamics and the way Savannah, Alford, Wendell, and Nickel were connected to one another.
I also liked the multiple points of view. Getting the story from Savannah, Nickel, and Alford’s perspectives gave each character a different voice and helped show how differently they viewed the same people and situations. However, there were times when the POV switches left me confused. I sometimes had to stop and remind myself whose perspective I was reading.
The beginning really grabbed me. The Brady Gang, the failed robbery, Nickel’s involvement with Al Brady, and Savannah’s determination to find him all had me eager to keep reading. Unfortunately, as the story progressed and the family’s journey continued, the pacing started to lag for me. At 400+ pages, I found myself wishing the story had been tightened up. There were sections that felt like they could have been shortened without losing the heart of the story.
The strongest part for me was definitely the family relationships. I loved the complicated relationship between Savannah and Alford, Savannah and Wendell, and the questions surrounding Nickel’s relationship with his son. Those relationships gave the story an emotional layer that I really appreciated, and Alford’s perspective was particularly interesting.
Overall, Die Famous had a fascinating premise, memorable characters, and family relationships that kept me invested, but the pacing and occasional confusion with the multiple perspectives kept this from being a higher rating for me. I enjoyed parts of the journey, but I think the book would've been much better if it were tightened up. I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️.
I went into Die Famous really invested in the story, especially the setup surrounding Savannah Cody, Edward “Nickel” Terhune, and their son, Alford. Savannah deciding to track down the man she once loved after a bounty is placed on Nickel, while bringing Alford and her father, Wendell, along for the journey, was such an intriguing premise. I especially enjoyed the complicated family dynamics and the way Savannah, Alford, Wendell, and Nickel were connected to one another.
I also liked the multiple points of view. Getting the story from Savannah, Nickel, and Alford’s perspectives gave each character a different voice and helped show how differently they viewed the same people and situations. However, there were times when the POV switches left me confused. I sometimes had to stop and remind myself whose perspective I was reading.
The beginning really grabbed me. The Brady Gang, the failed robbery, Nickel’s involvement with Al Brady, and Savannah’s determination to find him all had me eager to keep reading. Unfortunately, as the story progressed and the family’s journey continued, the pacing started to lag for me. At 400+ pages, I found myself wishing the story had been tightened up. There were sections that felt like they could have been shortened without losing the heart of the story.
The strongest part for me was definitely the family relationships. I loved the complicated relationship between Savannah and Alford, Savannah and Wendell, and the questions surrounding Nickel’s relationship with his son. Those relationships gave the story an emotional layer that I really appreciated, and Alford’s perspective was particularly interesting.
Overall, Die Famous had a fascinating premise, memorable characters, and family relationships that kept me invested, but the pacing and occasional confusion with the multiple perspectives kept this from being a higher rating for me. I enjoyed parts of the journey, but I think the book would've been much better if it were tightened up. I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️.
September 22, 2026
Although there’s lots of crime going on in Die Famous, the story is really about 29-year-old Savannah Cody, her lover Eddie “Nickel” Terhune, and their son, Alford, who is twelve in 1937. Eddie was a handyman on Wendell Cody’s farm when he got 16-year-old Savannah pregnant. The Terhunes were legendary bootleggers, so there’s no chance the Codys would welcome him into their fold—even if Cody, a former detective, enjoys a private stash of their finest whiskey. Eddie tried everything he could to appeal to Savannah’s prim and proud mother, to no avail.
After she had the baby, Savannah went to be with Eddie, leaving Alford in the care of her parents. She and Eddie had dreams of saving enough to buy a home where they could raise their son. Eddie, working as an itinerant mechanic, supposedly wasn’t aware that the cars he was fixing were stolen, but that didn’t stop him from being convicted for being part of a car theft ring. He spent five years in prison, which may or may not be the source of his nickname. Savannah, who visited him frequently, saw how incarceration was changing him, making him harder. His reputation as someone who was obsessed with maps made him a favorite for charting escape routes for criminals planning robberies.
The book is set in the depression era, when Gangsters like John Dillinger became folk heroes for taking money from the bankers who farmers and other poor folk see as villains. After he gets out of prison, Eddie joins up with Al Brady and his gang. Brady craves the kind of notoriety Dillinger achieved, with a stated goal of making Dillinger “look like a piker.” His gang started out by robbing grocery stores and gas stations, then graduated to bank and jewelry store heists. Savannah followed along with Eddie for a while, enjoying the spoils of these crimes without taking part in them.
Eddie’s exploits are recounted in third person. These chapters are based to some degree on the adventures and misadventures of the real-life Brady Gang, who are either plotting crimes, committing them, or fleeing from the police in the aftermath or hiding out. Eddie, inspired in part by Charles Gieseking, is a complicated character. His life could have been different if he’d taken one of many opportunities to walk away from the gang, but he was present and complicit in acts of violence and murder. The gang starts out in the midwest and dips into the south before heading northeast. Since their crimes cross state lines, J. Edgar Hoover mobilizes the newly branded FBI in the manhunt.
Not long after her mother dies and Cody insists she take custody of her son, Savannah steals her father’s car and brings Alford with her as her navigator, heading toward Eddie’s last known location. Her intention is to kill Eddie and claim the reward offered for his capture. That plan is thwarted when Eddie is shot during the commision of an ill-planned and ill-advised robbery and arrested in the aftermath. Savannah sees his incarceration as an opportunity, though. If she can’t make money killing Eddie then perhaps she can find another way to benefit from her relationship with him.
Alford’s first-person reminiscences are told from the perspective of a sixty-something who can now appreciate the significance of certain details from back then. He was raised primarily by his grandparents, with infrequent visits from his mother and only a couple of fleeting encounters with his father. He’s so determined not to be left behind when his mother and grandfather set out on another road trip to find Eddie before law enforcement does that he stows away in the trunk of the car, nearly suffocating himself in the process.
During their time together, Alford learns much about his mother and strengtens his bond with his grandfather. He also learns surprising things about his grandmother, a stern woman whose watchword was modesty. His mother and grandfather have a fascinating relationship. Cody stayed in touch with her when she was with Eddie, against his wife’s wishes, and their strong bond is demonstrated by their nonstop bickering and bantering.
Al Brady was driven by an overwhelming desire to become famous, but everyone wants to be famous until they are, Savannah believes. Eddie is a little wiser—the famous people he’s heard of are all dead. Fame can be fleeting, he realizes.
All roads lead inevitably to Bangor, Maine, where the real-life showdown that ended the Brady gang’s reign of terror will take place.¹ Along the way, Alford has a chance encounter while sequestered at an otherwise empty summer camp that he will treasure the rest of his life.
Savannah’s story is told in the form of an interrogation transcript, a kind of confessional. She’s in prison, convicted of collusion with the gang, which she vehemently denies. She is scheduled to be executed in the electric chair the following day, and is being questioned by an FBI agent about Eddie’s and Brady’s location. She’s witty, provocative, irreverent, saucy, and sassy, less interested in providing information about her lover’s whereabouts than in talking about her hopes and aspirations for a life with him.
The book is action-packed, with shootouts and jail breaks and car chases, perhaps best imagined in black and white like a classic gangster movie starring James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson, or Humphrey Bogart. This clever blend of fact and fiction depicts the end of the gangster era. However, these criminal escapades are mostly the framework upon which Koryta hangs a compelling family drama populated with fascinating and complicated characters.
¹ This incident is fictionalized in Stephen King’s novel It, where they are called the Bradley gang. Koryta drops another subtle nod the to the King family—an injured police captain is named Joe King.
After she had the baby, Savannah went to be with Eddie, leaving Alford in the care of her parents. She and Eddie had dreams of saving enough to buy a home where they could raise their son. Eddie, working as an itinerant mechanic, supposedly wasn’t aware that the cars he was fixing were stolen, but that didn’t stop him from being convicted for being part of a car theft ring. He spent five years in prison, which may or may not be the source of his nickname. Savannah, who visited him frequently, saw how incarceration was changing him, making him harder. His reputation as someone who was obsessed with maps made him a favorite for charting escape routes for criminals planning robberies.
The book is set in the depression era, when Gangsters like John Dillinger became folk heroes for taking money from the bankers who farmers and other poor folk see as villains. After he gets out of prison, Eddie joins up with Al Brady and his gang. Brady craves the kind of notoriety Dillinger achieved, with a stated goal of making Dillinger “look like a piker.” His gang started out by robbing grocery stores and gas stations, then graduated to bank and jewelry store heists. Savannah followed along with Eddie for a while, enjoying the spoils of these crimes without taking part in them.
Eddie’s exploits are recounted in third person. These chapters are based to some degree on the adventures and misadventures of the real-life Brady Gang, who are either plotting crimes, committing them, or fleeing from the police in the aftermath or hiding out. Eddie, inspired in part by Charles Gieseking, is a complicated character. His life could have been different if he’d taken one of many opportunities to walk away from the gang, but he was present and complicit in acts of violence and murder. The gang starts out in the midwest and dips into the south before heading northeast. Since their crimes cross state lines, J. Edgar Hoover mobilizes the newly branded FBI in the manhunt.
Not long after her mother dies and Cody insists she take custody of her son, Savannah steals her father’s car and brings Alford with her as her navigator, heading toward Eddie’s last known location. Her intention is to kill Eddie and claim the reward offered for his capture. That plan is thwarted when Eddie is shot during the commision of an ill-planned and ill-advised robbery and arrested in the aftermath. Savannah sees his incarceration as an opportunity, though. If she can’t make money killing Eddie then perhaps she can find another way to benefit from her relationship with him.
Alford’s first-person reminiscences are told from the perspective of a sixty-something who can now appreciate the significance of certain details from back then. He was raised primarily by his grandparents, with infrequent visits from his mother and only a couple of fleeting encounters with his father. He’s so determined not to be left behind when his mother and grandfather set out on another road trip to find Eddie before law enforcement does that he stows away in the trunk of the car, nearly suffocating himself in the process.
During their time together, Alford learns much about his mother and strengtens his bond with his grandfather. He also learns surprising things about his grandmother, a stern woman whose watchword was modesty. His mother and grandfather have a fascinating relationship. Cody stayed in touch with her when she was with Eddie, against his wife’s wishes, and their strong bond is demonstrated by their nonstop bickering and bantering.
Al Brady was driven by an overwhelming desire to become famous, but everyone wants to be famous until they are, Savannah believes. Eddie is a little wiser—the famous people he’s heard of are all dead. Fame can be fleeting, he realizes.
All roads lead inevitably to Bangor, Maine, where the real-life showdown that ended the Brady gang’s reign of terror will take place.¹ Along the way, Alford has a chance encounter while sequestered at an otherwise empty summer camp that he will treasure the rest of his life.
Savannah’s story is told in the form of an interrogation transcript, a kind of confessional. She’s in prison, convicted of collusion with the gang, which she vehemently denies. She is scheduled to be executed in the electric chair the following day, and is being questioned by an FBI agent about Eddie’s and Brady’s location. She’s witty, provocative, irreverent, saucy, and sassy, less interested in providing information about her lover’s whereabouts than in talking about her hopes and aspirations for a life with him.
The book is action-packed, with shootouts and jail breaks and car chases, perhaps best imagined in black and white like a classic gangster movie starring James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson, or Humphrey Bogart. This clever blend of fact and fiction depicts the end of the gangster era. However, these criminal escapades are mostly the framework upon which Koryta hangs a compelling family drama populated with fascinating and complicated characters.
¹ This incident is fictionalized in Stephen King’s novel It, where they are called the Bradley gang. Koryta drops another subtle nod the to the King family—an injured police captain is named Joe King.
October 20, 2026
When Stephen King describes a novel as “the best gangster novel I’ve ever read,” I sit up and listen. When the author whose name is on the front of this novel, DIE FAMOUS, reads Michael Koryta, well, I am quite frankly hooked.
Set in the mid-thirties following the end of the depression era and prohibition and several years before the U.S, would enter into WWII, this story deals with the infamous Brady Gang who were high on J. Edgar Hoover’s hit list. The gang was very much real and consisted of Al Brady, James Dalhover, and Clarence Lee Shaffer Jr. They were famous for their string of bank robberies and jewelry store heists but became most wanted fugitives on the FBI list after they shot and killed a police officer during one of their robberies.
The one character who was fictional with this gang was their getaway driver, Eddie ‘Nickel’ Terhune. The novel focuses primarily on him and the woman he met and impregnated some years earlier, Savannah Cody. Savannah is now a single mother raising her very well-adjusted son Alford and, along with her father an ex-police detective named Cody, they are searching for Nickel for several reasons. At the top of the novel, Savannah is having very dark thoughts about her ex-beau and has designs to see him dead. It is only her son’s desire to meet his father that reins her in from this desire.
The novel jumps around briefly in time and also has chapters from the standpoints of Savannah, Nickel, and Alford. We also enjoy a number of chapters where Savannah is being interviewed by FBI Agent Toland. It is only as those interviews progress that we realize it was not about getting information about her ex-Nickell but rather focusing on the aiding and abetting she became a part of that sees her facing imprisonment and a possible death sentence.
Along the way, we see how Nickell is nabbed after being shot in the leg during a heist and getting turned in by the off-hour doctor the Brady gang forced to work on him. Of course, he is still engaged to be wed to Savannah, and the prison makes arrangements to have him driven to the church for the nuptials. This was the perfect opportunity for his cronies with the Brady Gang to bust him out and he therefore goes back on the road with them leaving poor Savannah jilted at the altar.
The latest spree finds the gang running from Indiana and eventually ending up in Maine. In between, the heist they pull at a bank in Saratoga, NY, goes awry and it is this event that finds them hunted harder than ever. On the bandwagon tracing their tracks is the threesome of Savannah, Alford, and her dad. The Brady Gang takes on aliases and separates until the heat dies down. One of the most touching parts of the novel is when Nickel, going by the name of Jake with a full-grown beard, meets Alford who uses an alias as well. They fish together in Maine and Nickel leaves the boy the dog he had been keeping as well as $200. He had no idea that he was spending time with his own son, but Alford was well aware who ‘Jake’ was.
The finale is a wild one, blending in the factual events with these terrific fictional characters. The entire way, DIE FAMOUS played out like a cross between the films “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Public Enemies.” Koryta’ s hoodlums are far from what you might envision when you hear the term gangster. These men are far from perfect criminals and very much imperfect. It is his writing that breathes them to life and in turn spins out a tale that is both classic noir and literary fiction.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
Set in the mid-thirties following the end of the depression era and prohibition and several years before the U.S, would enter into WWII, this story deals with the infamous Brady Gang who were high on J. Edgar Hoover’s hit list. The gang was very much real and consisted of Al Brady, James Dalhover, and Clarence Lee Shaffer Jr. They were famous for their string of bank robberies and jewelry store heists but became most wanted fugitives on the FBI list after they shot and killed a police officer during one of their robberies.
The one character who was fictional with this gang was their getaway driver, Eddie ‘Nickel’ Terhune. The novel focuses primarily on him and the woman he met and impregnated some years earlier, Savannah Cody. Savannah is now a single mother raising her very well-adjusted son Alford and, along with her father an ex-police detective named Cody, they are searching for Nickel for several reasons. At the top of the novel, Savannah is having very dark thoughts about her ex-beau and has designs to see him dead. It is only her son’s desire to meet his father that reins her in from this desire.
The novel jumps around briefly in time and also has chapters from the standpoints of Savannah, Nickel, and Alford. We also enjoy a number of chapters where Savannah is being interviewed by FBI Agent Toland. It is only as those interviews progress that we realize it was not about getting information about her ex-Nickell but rather focusing on the aiding and abetting she became a part of that sees her facing imprisonment and a possible death sentence.
Along the way, we see how Nickell is nabbed after being shot in the leg during a heist and getting turned in by the off-hour doctor the Brady gang forced to work on him. Of course, he is still engaged to be wed to Savannah, and the prison makes arrangements to have him driven to the church for the nuptials. This was the perfect opportunity for his cronies with the Brady Gang to bust him out and he therefore goes back on the road with them leaving poor Savannah jilted at the altar.
The latest spree finds the gang running from Indiana and eventually ending up in Maine. In between, the heist they pull at a bank in Saratoga, NY, goes awry and it is this event that finds them hunted harder than ever. On the bandwagon tracing their tracks is the threesome of Savannah, Alford, and her dad. The Brady Gang takes on aliases and separates until the heat dies down. One of the most touching parts of the novel is when Nickel, going by the name of Jake with a full-grown beard, meets Alford who uses an alias as well. They fish together in Maine and Nickel leaves the boy the dog he had been keeping as well as $200. He had no idea that he was spending time with his own son, but Alford was well aware who ‘Jake’ was.
The finale is a wild one, blending in the factual events with these terrific fictional characters. The entire way, DIE FAMOUS played out like a cross between the films “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Public Enemies.” Koryta’ s hoodlums are far from what you might envision when you hear the term gangster. These men are far from perfect criminals and very much imperfect. It is his writing that breathes them to life and in turn spins out a tale that is both classic noir and literary fiction.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
September 26, 2026
Die Famous by Michael Koryta is a historical gangster novel set in the 1930s. It takes real events characters and events and creates a fictional story about the rise and fall of fame among gangsters. The story draws a connection to modern day fame culture and those chasing fame, while also touching on the lack of anonymity that comes with it.
Die Famous is very good. The characters are all interesting, the action scenes are white-knuckle tense, and it nails the theme of the cost of fame.
Die Famous joins my list of favorite novels set in the 1930s, alongside The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles and The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah.
Die Famous captures the desperation of people just trying to survive after the Great Depression. The dialogue feels authentic but is never hard to understand. The robbers see their crimes as payback for the banks taking so much. The story captures the chaos of the FBI and its director, J. Edgar Hoover. This is the time of famous gangsters like Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger.
The characters are the standouts in the book. Savannah Cody is a driven woman who is so smart and manipulative, but she is also so much fun to read as she breaks all the rules. Her father is a stoic ex-detective who will always stick up for his daughter. Nickel is a getaway driver who knows everything about cars and maps. He would rather stay off the grid but keeps getting pulled into trouble. Alford, the son of Savannah and Nickel, was raised by his grandparents and is getting to know his mother for the first time. He is a great coming-of-age character who is mystified by both parents.
The pace of the novel is very steady. The novel has three main perspectives that rotate between chapters. One perspective is told in an interview style in the future, while the other perspectives catch you up to that point. This way of storytelling works well for the pacing, but I was a little confused about the timeline. One event is set up to confuse you a little so that the reveal is still a surprise. It worked, but it left me confused for a little while.
The ending is tense, and I found it shocking. It is very cinematic and easy to picture. The epilogue was great, as it jumps into the future and tells you how the lives of the characters worked out.
Die Famous is very good. The characters are all interesting, the action scenes are white-knuckle tense, and it nails the theme of the cost of fame.
Die Famous joins my list of favorite novels set in the 1930s, alongside The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles and The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah.
Die Famous captures the desperation of people just trying to survive after the Great Depression. The dialogue feels authentic but is never hard to understand. The robbers see their crimes as payback for the banks taking so much. The story captures the chaos of the FBI and its director, J. Edgar Hoover. This is the time of famous gangsters like Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger.
The characters are the standouts in the book. Savannah Cody is a driven woman who is so smart and manipulative, but she is also so much fun to read as she breaks all the rules. Her father is a stoic ex-detective who will always stick up for his daughter. Nickel is a getaway driver who knows everything about cars and maps. He would rather stay off the grid but keeps getting pulled into trouble. Alford, the son of Savannah and Nickel, was raised by his grandparents and is getting to know his mother for the first time. He is a great coming-of-age character who is mystified by both parents.
The pace of the novel is very steady. The novel has three main perspectives that rotate between chapters. One perspective is told in an interview style in the future, while the other perspectives catch you up to that point. This way of storytelling works well for the pacing, but I was a little confused about the timeline. One event is set up to confuse you a little so that the reveal is still a surprise. It worked, but it left me confused for a little while.
The ending is tense, and I found it shocking. It is very cinematic and easy to picture. The epilogue was great, as it jumps into the future and tells you how the lives of the characters worked out.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
With each new book Michael Koryta is becoming one of my favorite crime authors so I was excited to read Die Famous. This one, is to my knowledge, a little bit of a departure for Koryta as it is historical crime fiction rather than the contemporary crime thrillers I am familiar with. Set in the post prohibition 30s "Public Enemy Era" when criminals like John Dillinger, Ma Barker and Bonnie and Clyde were capturing the public imagination, and terrorizing the midwest, Koryta tells the story of Edward "Nickel" Terhune, a getaway driver in a small gang of petty criminals led by Al Brady who desperately wants the fame and infamy of those aforementioned peers.
The story is framed as Nickel's ex-lover Savannah Cody is being interviewed on death row by the FBI for her part in helping the Brady Gang escape from a recent shootout. The setup immediately brings to mind Bonnie and Clyde, but the story takes some unexpected turns thanks to a time jumping narrative and the introduction of Alford, Savannah and Nickel's son, along with Savannah's father, Wendell Cody. The trio set out to find Nickel before the FBI so that they might clear Savannah's name.
Koryta's chapters following Nickel will satisfy fans of his tense action scenes found in his contemporary novels. Koryta is a master at making the reader feel the pressure and anxiety of characters in impossible situations and this skill translates well into the planning and execution of the Brady Gang's robberies and getaways. Fans of Elmore Leonard's Carl Webster stories take note.
However, Die Famous really worked for me when it focused on the relationship between young Alford, Savannah and Alford's grandfather, Wendell Cody. Wendell, a former private investigator, does his best to protect Alford from the consequences of his father's actions while trying to maintain a relationship with his daughter who has rebelled all her life against her families strict upbringing. Wendell's (please make this movie fast so Sam Elliott can take the role) folksiness is balanced with Savannah's impulsiveness and Alford's innocence, which stops the writing from ever crossing the line into the saccharine or stereotypical. Koryta always writes children especially well - they feel realistic and intelligent while not being just adults in little bodies. Alford's chapters do much to characterize his family in a way that is effective and smart, showing and not telling.
I do wish the story did a bit more to establish Nickel and Savannah's relationship. I don't think the romance was as strong as the characters and story implied. However, maybe that was part of the point. Romance and reality are sometimes at odds, and often the strongest bonds - like a parent's love - are created in the void left after passion burns out.
The story is framed as Nickel's ex-lover Savannah Cody is being interviewed on death row by the FBI for her part in helping the Brady Gang escape from a recent shootout. The setup immediately brings to mind Bonnie and Clyde, but the story takes some unexpected turns thanks to a time jumping narrative and the introduction of Alford, Savannah and Nickel's son, along with Savannah's father, Wendell Cody. The trio set out to find Nickel before the FBI so that they might clear Savannah's name.
Koryta's chapters following Nickel will satisfy fans of his tense action scenes found in his contemporary novels. Koryta is a master at making the reader feel the pressure and anxiety of characters in impossible situations and this skill translates well into the planning and execution of the Brady Gang's robberies and getaways. Fans of Elmore Leonard's Carl Webster stories take note.
However, Die Famous really worked for me when it focused on the relationship between young Alford, Savannah and Alford's grandfather, Wendell Cody. Wendell, a former private investigator, does his best to protect Alford from the consequences of his father's actions while trying to maintain a relationship with his daughter who has rebelled all her life against her families strict upbringing. Wendell's (please make this movie fast so Sam Elliott can take the role) folksiness is balanced with Savannah's impulsiveness and Alford's innocence, which stops the writing from ever crossing the line into the saccharine or stereotypical. Koryta always writes children especially well - they feel realistic and intelligent while not being just adults in little bodies. Alford's chapters do much to characterize his family in a way that is effective and smart, showing and not telling.
I do wish the story did a bit more to establish Nickel and Savannah's relationship. I don't think the romance was as strong as the characters and story implied. However, maybe that was part of the point. Romance and reality are sometimes at odds, and often the strongest bonds - like a parent's love - are created in the void left after passion burns out.
September 27, 2026
I wasn’t sure I really wanted to read this, but it absolutely blew me away! From the first pages, Savannah Cody caught my interest and kept me captivated throughout the entire book.
Savannah is a wealthy young woman who falls in love with an undesirable man who worked for her father. Her mother was a strict Christian woman and Savannah was the only child and rebelled against her mother. She got along better with her father and he was a big influence throughout the story.
Savannah’s lover, Eddie (aka Nickel) has many skills, one of which is stealing and repairing cars, which ends up getting him involved with a group of gangsters. One offense leads to another until eventually Eddie finds himself a wanted man.
During the years Eddie and Savannah are romantically involved, she becomes pregnant with Alford. Since a baby doesn’t fit with their lifestyle, Savannah leaves him with her parents on the farm. By the time he is twelve, Savannah is back in his life and it’s during this time that he really gets to know her and his father.
I loved the way the author slowly allowed Alford to love and appreciate his mother. The same is true for Alford and his father. As they fished together and trained a young bird dog, they developed a special relationship absent of any bits of criminal influence.
This was a great story. I loved the road trips, the romance and even the bad boys. I also loved how the author used references to actual gangsters from the 1930’s to show how the men were influenced and who they saw as their mentors.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown & Company for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am pleased to give my honest review and recommend this to readers.
Savannah is a wealthy young woman who falls in love with an undesirable man who worked for her father. Her mother was a strict Christian woman and Savannah was the only child and rebelled against her mother. She got along better with her father and he was a big influence throughout the story.
Savannah’s lover, Eddie (aka Nickel) has many skills, one of which is stealing and repairing cars, which ends up getting him involved with a group of gangsters. One offense leads to another until eventually Eddie finds himself a wanted man.
During the years Eddie and Savannah are romantically involved, she becomes pregnant with Alford. Since a baby doesn’t fit with their lifestyle, Savannah leaves him with her parents on the farm. By the time he is twelve, Savannah is back in his life and it’s during this time that he really gets to know her and his father.
I loved the way the author slowly allowed Alford to love and appreciate his mother. The same is true for Alford and his father. As they fished together and trained a young bird dog, they developed a special relationship absent of any bits of criminal influence.
This was a great story. I loved the road trips, the romance and even the bad boys. I also loved how the author used references to actual gangsters from the 1930’s to show how the men were influenced and who they saw as their mentors.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown & Company for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am pleased to give my honest review and recommend this to readers.
September 27, 2026
Author Michael Koryta can write beautiful, lyrical sentences and DIE FAMOUS is filled with them. The plot is standard, as are the characters. The writing, while beautiful, is written stylistically as though from the 1930’s and I found that tiring. I enjoyed the small observances and clever attitude of the writing, but not the atmospherics of the book. The style reminds me of the Koop Sisters books written by Amy Stewart, about a sheriff with her sisters, in roughly the same time period. The writing takes a tone that is meant to demonstrate its place in time but leaves me struggling. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
October 8, 2026
Boring. Could not finish.
September 22, 2026
Little slow in the middle, but it was a nice break from some silly woman with a perfect life who has a secret in her past. Those have taken over the publishing industry. This was a nice reprieve from those set dramas.
October 8, 2026
I love every single one of Koryta's books but not this one. I could not get into it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Set in the 1930’s, Die Famous tells the story of a Midwest farming family’s connection to Eddie “Nickel”Terhune, the getaway diver for the notorious Brady gang.
Savannah Cody made many questionable decisions in her life, but probably the most troubling was to kill Nickel, the father of her son Alston. She decides to take her father and son on a trip to Maine—the place she and Eddie dreamt about because she just knew that’s where he would try to hide. But who will find him first, Savannah or the FBI?
Told in alternating chapters, her past and present choices are slowly revealed from the viewpoints of Eddie, Alston, and Savannah’s interrogation with the FBI, proving there’s always more than one side to a story.
Michael Koryta has once again proven he’s a master storyteller.
Thanks to Little, Brown & Co. and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Savannah Cody made many questionable decisions in her life, but probably the most troubling was to kill Nickel, the father of her son Alston. She decides to take her father and son on a trip to Maine—the place she and Eddie dreamt about because she just knew that’s where he would try to hide. But who will find him first, Savannah or the FBI?
Told in alternating chapters, her past and present choices are slowly revealed from the viewpoints of Eddie, Alston, and Savannah’s interrogation with the FBI, proving there’s always more than one side to a story.
Michael Koryta has once again proven he’s a master storyteller.
Thanks to Little, Brown & Co. and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The epigraph Michael Koryta selected for DIE FAMOUS puts readers on notice that it’s time to buckle up and get ready for the adventure that awaits. The novel kicks off with an excerpt from the “Confessions of Savannah Cody” a woman who is in love and has a child with the notorious gangster, Eddie “Nickel” Terhune, a member of Al Brady’s crew. As the story unfolds through the alternating viewpoints of Savannah, Nickel, and their son, Alford, we learn about the events leading up to the last days of terror the Brady gang unleashed in a cross-country crime spree.
John Dillinger is dead and J. Edgar Hoover’s G Men have no intention of letting Al Brady take his place. They’re going to get the Brady gang and put an end to this gangster nonsense once and for all.
Savannah Cody is a complex woman. Raised by a former private investigator and a pious, judgmental mother, it’s no surprise that she was instantly attracted to a farmhand from the wrong side of the tracks. Her mother deemed Eddie “no good” from day one, and that was all the reason Savannah needed to fool around and fall in love. Their relationship was tumultuous as Eddie’s involvement with the Brady gang went deeper and eventually landed him in prison. Savannah is more concerned with staying connected to Eddie’s world than with being a mother and leaves their son, Alford, to be raised by his maternal grandparents. She is absent on and off for most of Alford’s childhood. After her mother’s death, Savannah’s grief-stricken father demands that she take Alford away from the farm, the only home he’s ever known, which is as upsetting to Alford as it is to Savannah.
Alford knows that he’s a bastard. He’s heard the rumors and the whispers from folks around town and kids at school. He knows his father is a criminal and that the locals pity his grandfather not only for the loss of his wife, but also for his daughter’s tarnished reputation.
Savannah grows increasingly frustrated with Nickel, with his inability to be the husband and father she and Alford deserve. She’s also decided that if someone is going to capitalize on Nickel’s notoriety, it’s going to be her. She announces to eleven-year-old Alford matter-of-factly, “The time has come for me to kill your father. I trust you understand that.”
Will Savannah go through with her plan? Could she really kill Alford’s father, the man that still loves?
Savannah may not get the chance to find out. Brady’s gang is back in action and pulls a heist that leaves Nickel wounded and sends him back to prison. And when Brady busts Nickel out, Savannah finds herself in hot water with Hoover’s G Men herself.
Is Savannah truly a scorned woman bent on getting revenge? Has she been playing a critical role in Brady’s schemes or is she innocent as she claims?
It’s now a race against time. From here, Koryta takes readers on a man hunt and road trip from Indiana through Ohio, into New York and eventually to Maine. Some of Koryta’s best writing focuses on the settings he chose. As Savannah and the G Men search for the Brady gang, we get to see parts of the country that Koryta is known to love in real life. His reverence for these places shines through.
But who will find Nickel first? Savannah or Hoover’s G Men? Though Savannah knows Nickel is a wanted criminal, she spends much of her time trying to get the G Men to see that he has a softer side. He’s not cut from the same cloth as Al Brady. He’s not a killer.
Savannah dreams of simpler crime-free life where she, Nickel, and Alford might have a shot at being a family. Is there still a chance for Nickel to change his ways? Will that dream ever come true?
The hardest part of reading a Koryta novel is coming to the end. While endings are satisfying on one hand, there is also a bit of reader’s remorse because you know there is a time lag between now and the future publication of Koryta’s next book. If you’re experiencing a bit of that time lag depression, take heart! Die Famous is Koryta’s 24th novel. His back list is packed with great stories; a nice mix of series works and stand-alone novels that should sustain you until the next book is here.
John Dillinger is dead and J. Edgar Hoover’s G Men have no intention of letting Al Brady take his place. They’re going to get the Brady gang and put an end to this gangster nonsense once and for all.
Savannah Cody is a complex woman. Raised by a former private investigator and a pious, judgmental mother, it’s no surprise that she was instantly attracted to a farmhand from the wrong side of the tracks. Her mother deemed Eddie “no good” from day one, and that was all the reason Savannah needed to fool around and fall in love. Their relationship was tumultuous as Eddie’s involvement with the Brady gang went deeper and eventually landed him in prison. Savannah is more concerned with staying connected to Eddie’s world than with being a mother and leaves their son, Alford, to be raised by his maternal grandparents. She is absent on and off for most of Alford’s childhood. After her mother’s death, Savannah’s grief-stricken father demands that she take Alford away from the farm, the only home he’s ever known, which is as upsetting to Alford as it is to Savannah.
Alford knows that he’s a bastard. He’s heard the rumors and the whispers from folks around town and kids at school. He knows his father is a criminal and that the locals pity his grandfather not only for the loss of his wife, but also for his daughter’s tarnished reputation.
Savannah grows increasingly frustrated with Nickel, with his inability to be the husband and father she and Alford deserve. She’s also decided that if someone is going to capitalize on Nickel’s notoriety, it’s going to be her. She announces to eleven-year-old Alford matter-of-factly, “The time has come for me to kill your father. I trust you understand that.”
Will Savannah go through with her plan? Could she really kill Alford’s father, the man that still loves?
Savannah may not get the chance to find out. Brady’s gang is back in action and pulls a heist that leaves Nickel wounded and sends him back to prison. And when Brady busts Nickel out, Savannah finds herself in hot water with Hoover’s G Men herself.
Is Savannah truly a scorned woman bent on getting revenge? Has she been playing a critical role in Brady’s schemes or is she innocent as she claims?
It’s now a race against time. From here, Koryta takes readers on a man hunt and road trip from Indiana through Ohio, into New York and eventually to Maine. Some of Koryta’s best writing focuses on the settings he chose. As Savannah and the G Men search for the Brady gang, we get to see parts of the country that Koryta is known to love in real life. His reverence for these places shines through.
But who will find Nickel first? Savannah or Hoover’s G Men? Though Savannah knows Nickel is a wanted criminal, she spends much of her time trying to get the G Men to see that he has a softer side. He’s not cut from the same cloth as Al Brady. He’s not a killer.
Savannah dreams of simpler crime-free life where she, Nickel, and Alford might have a shot at being a family. Is there still a chance for Nickel to change his ways? Will that dream ever come true?
The hardest part of reading a Koryta novel is coming to the end. While endings are satisfying on one hand, there is also a bit of reader’s remorse because you know there is a time lag between now and the future publication of Koryta’s next book. If you’re experiencing a bit of that time lag depression, take heart! Die Famous is Koryta’s 24th novel. His back list is packed with great stories; a nice mix of series works and stand-alone novels that should sustain you until the next book is here.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
With keenly rendered characters, distinctive voices, and an exhilarating sense of momentum, Michael Koryta’s Die Famous is a gangster-and-lawmen thriller that often feels like a wild ride with Bonnie and Clyde—except here, Bonnie is very much on a trajectory of her own. Set against the desperation of the Great Depression and J. Edgar Hoover’s relentless campaign to capture John Dillinger and the era’s other outlaw folk heroes, the novel is both a propulsive crime story and a surprisingly tender portrait of loyalty, family, and the complicated bonds that refuse to disappear. Adding another layer of fascination is the fact that many of the novel’s characters are drawn from actual historical figures, allowing Koryta to blur the boundary between documented history and imaginative storytelling with remarkable ease.
Told in alternating chapters, the novel draws much of its power from three wonderfully individual voices. It opens on the eve of Savannah Cody’s execution, as she recounts her story to an FBI agent. Savannah first met Eddie “Nickel” Terhune as a teenager, bore his child, and watched as his life became increasingly entangled with Al Brady and his gang. After Nickel is shot in the leg during a robbery and sent to prison, the “Brady Bunch” breaks him out, and he remains with them partly from gratitude and partly from an almost fatal sense of loyalty. When a bank robbery in Saratoga Springs goes disastrously wrong and the gang scatters across the country, Savannah sets off with her retired-detective father and teenage son to find Nickel before the FBI does. Knowing that Koryta has built so much of this world around real people and the criminal history of the period gives the chase an added immediacy: however rollicking the adventure becomes, there is always the tantalizing sense of history running just beneath the fiction.
What makes this novel especially memorable, however, is not simply the chase but the people doing the chasing. Koryta gives each character such a vivid, idiosyncratic voice that they seem achingly alive on the page. Their humor, bravado, sorrow, and vulnerability coexist beautifully; I often found myself laughing and smirking within the same paragraph, only to be unexpectedly moved a few pages later. That richness of voice should lend itself superbly to the audiobook format, where the shifts in personality and perspective can be fully inhabited.
There is far more emotional complexity here than the premise might suggest. Beneath the robberies, prison breaks, gunfire, and pursuit lies a genuine compassion for people whose choices have placed them on opposing sides of the law but whose loyalties remain stubbornly human. I became completely absorbed in their world and, more importantly, emotionally invested in what happened to them. The ending is a wonderful doozy—both surprising and satisfying, and very much not where I expected the story to go.
Die Famous feels quite different from Koryta’s other novels, yet he never misses a step. He achieves an unusually successful marriage of tenderness and adventure, historical fact and imaginative fiction, emotional depth and rollicking entertainment. The result is a fast-moving thriller with a great deal of heart—and characters whose voices linger long after the final page.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.
Told in alternating chapters, the novel draws much of its power from three wonderfully individual voices. It opens on the eve of Savannah Cody’s execution, as she recounts her story to an FBI agent. Savannah first met Eddie “Nickel” Terhune as a teenager, bore his child, and watched as his life became increasingly entangled with Al Brady and his gang. After Nickel is shot in the leg during a robbery and sent to prison, the “Brady Bunch” breaks him out, and he remains with them partly from gratitude and partly from an almost fatal sense of loyalty. When a bank robbery in Saratoga Springs goes disastrously wrong and the gang scatters across the country, Savannah sets off with her retired-detective father and teenage son to find Nickel before the FBI does. Knowing that Koryta has built so much of this world around real people and the criminal history of the period gives the chase an added immediacy: however rollicking the adventure becomes, there is always the tantalizing sense of history running just beneath the fiction.
What makes this novel especially memorable, however, is not simply the chase but the people doing the chasing. Koryta gives each character such a vivid, idiosyncratic voice that they seem achingly alive on the page. Their humor, bravado, sorrow, and vulnerability coexist beautifully; I often found myself laughing and smirking within the same paragraph, only to be unexpectedly moved a few pages later. That richness of voice should lend itself superbly to the audiobook format, where the shifts in personality and perspective can be fully inhabited.
There is far more emotional complexity here than the premise might suggest. Beneath the robberies, prison breaks, gunfire, and pursuit lies a genuine compassion for people whose choices have placed them on opposing sides of the law but whose loyalties remain stubbornly human. I became completely absorbed in their world and, more importantly, emotionally invested in what happened to them. The ending is a wonderful doozy—both surprising and satisfying, and very much not where I expected the story to go.
Die Famous feels quite different from Koryta’s other novels, yet he never misses a step. He achieves an unusually successful marriage of tenderness and adventure, historical fact and imaginative fiction, emotional depth and rollicking entertainment. The result is a fast-moving thriller with a great deal of heart—and characters whose voices linger long after the final page.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.
October 11, 2026
I’ve been a fan of Michael Koryta since his Lincoln Perry series, set just two miles from my home in Cleveland. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed watching him evolve as an author, as one might expect from a writer whose first novel was published when he was barely out of his teens. That evolution was particularly evident in Envy the Night (2008), again in The Prophet (2012), and later in Rise the Dark (2016). All of his books are good, but to me, those three marked significant leaps in his development as a storyteller. With Die Famous, Koryta has once again demonstrated his ability not only to entertain but also to take his storytelling to another level.
Set in the summer of 1937, Die Famous tells the story of the Al Brady gang, a band of bank robbers seeking to live up to the legend of John Dillinger. Among them is Eddie “Nickel” Terhune, the gang’s getaway driver, mechanic, and arguably its smartest member. Before embracing the life of an outlaw, Terhune left behind his son, Alford, and the boy’s mother, Savannah Cody. Savannah spends years searching for Terhune across the Midwest, leaving Alford in the care of her parents far more often than she is present herself. One summer, Savannah takes Alford along in her pursuit of Terhune, boldly involving the boy in her misadventures. When a botched bank robbery leads to Terhune’s arrest and subsequent jailbreak, the FBI turns its attention to Savannah, suspecting her of involvement. Determined to find Terhune, Savannah sets out with her father, a former detective, to track down the fugitive and his gang. Alford, unwilling to be left behind, hides in the trunk of their car as they depart.
Told through the perspectives of Terhune, Savannah, and Alford, Die Famous is fast-paced historical fiction that does more than entertain. It explores the complicated relationships between parents and children, the motivations and moral contradictions of criminals, and the sometimes questionable righteousness of those pursuing them. Against the backdrop of Depression-era America and the FBI’s relentless pursuit of notorious outlaws, Koryta delivers a compelling story about family, loyalty, ambition, and the consequences of the choices we make, in a fresh, refined voice of a veteran author.
Set in the summer of 1937, Die Famous tells the story of the Al Brady gang, a band of bank robbers seeking to live up to the legend of John Dillinger. Among them is Eddie “Nickel” Terhune, the gang’s getaway driver, mechanic, and arguably its smartest member. Before embracing the life of an outlaw, Terhune left behind his son, Alford, and the boy’s mother, Savannah Cody. Savannah spends years searching for Terhune across the Midwest, leaving Alford in the care of her parents far more often than she is present herself. One summer, Savannah takes Alford along in her pursuit of Terhune, boldly involving the boy in her misadventures. When a botched bank robbery leads to Terhune’s arrest and subsequent jailbreak, the FBI turns its attention to Savannah, suspecting her of involvement. Determined to find Terhune, Savannah sets out with her father, a former detective, to track down the fugitive and his gang. Alford, unwilling to be left behind, hides in the trunk of their car as they depart.
Told through the perspectives of Terhune, Savannah, and Alford, Die Famous is fast-paced historical fiction that does more than entertain. It explores the complicated relationships between parents and children, the motivations and moral contradictions of criminals, and the sometimes questionable righteousness of those pursuing them. Against the backdrop of Depression-era America and the FBI’s relentless pursuit of notorious outlaws, Koryta delivers a compelling story about family, loyalty, ambition, and the consequences of the choices we make, in a fresh, refined voice of a veteran author.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The novel literately starts out with a bang, as it involves a bloody shootout in a small town. In this case, after a jewelry store robbery completely goes wrong, the Al Brady gang attempt to flee in a hail of bullets. From there, the story is told by three different narrators: Alford, a 12-year old boy…Savanah, Alford’s mother, who has been absent for much of his life….and Nickel, a quiet member of the Brady gang. From there, the story moves forward with a host of very believable characters that include Alford’s grandfather, an annoying FBI agent, crooked lawyers, Savanah’s deceased mother, and, of course, the notorious Al Brady, who has long dreamed of surpassing John Dillingers as the #1 gangster of the 1930s.
Although I have long been a big fan of Michael Koryta, I didn’t feel that this was one of his best ventures. To begin with, the overall story would have flowed more smoothly if it had been edited down a bit from its 400+ pages. Even more irksome were the endless bad decisions made by Nickel and Savannah. In this regard, Nickel observed early in the book that it was easier to blame the world for one’s problems…as opposed to putting the blame on one’s poor choices. And, indeed, while Savannah eventually changed her course near the end of the novel, the good-hearted Nickel continually took the wrong fork in the road.
On the positive side, it was truly enjoyable to see Alford, Savannah, and her father make significant changes in their lives. Better yet, Koryta captured the gradual progression of these three somewhat troubled souls as they formed a family bond. In addition, as a historical novel, it provided a fascinating look into the lives of bank robbers, gangsters, lawmen, and Tommy guns during the late 1930s.
While I would have preferred giving the book 3 ½ stars…I’ve rounded upward to a 4-star rating. My thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.
Although I have long been a big fan of Michael Koryta, I didn’t feel that this was one of his best ventures. To begin with, the overall story would have flowed more smoothly if it had been edited down a bit from its 400+ pages. Even more irksome were the endless bad decisions made by Nickel and Savannah. In this regard, Nickel observed early in the book that it was easier to blame the world for one’s problems…as opposed to putting the blame on one’s poor choices. And, indeed, while Savannah eventually changed her course near the end of the novel, the good-hearted Nickel continually took the wrong fork in the road.
On the positive side, it was truly enjoyable to see Alford, Savannah, and her father make significant changes in their lives. Better yet, Koryta captured the gradual progression of these three somewhat troubled souls as they formed a family bond. In addition, as a historical novel, it provided a fascinating look into the lives of bank robbers, gangsters, lawmen, and Tommy guns during the late 1930s.
While I would have preferred giving the book 3 ½ stars…I’ve rounded upward to a 4-star rating. My thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I’ve read a couple of this author’s books and a short-story collaboration (appropriately titled “Short Story”) with Karin Slaughter, but all those were several years ago so my experience isn’t recent. But the premise sounded intriguing – and I’ve never had a bad book from this publisher – so I requested a pre-release copy at NetGalley and here we are. And once again, it was an enjoyable experience overall.
It was, though, a bit difficult to “get into” – mostly, I guess, because of what actually makes the story work as well as it does: frequent switching of perspectives of three different characters. You have Savannah Cody, the mother of Alford; the father of that child, Edward “Nickel” Terhune, who’s on the run as part of the Brady Gang, Bonnie and Clyde-style wanted bank robbers; and Alford (undoubtedly the most sympathy-generating among the three).
The main theme is that Savannah decided, as she tells an interrogator after the fact, that Eddie – the now most-wanted man she loved and who still loves her – needs to die, and she’ll be the one to do the dirty deed. But even the FBI can’t find Eddie, who was the Brady gang’s getaway car driver – so how can she?
Actually, she knows something others don’t: there’s a place in the United States Eddie dreamed of – and Savannah shared that dream. When push comes to shove, then, she’s convinced that’s where Eddie would head next – or die trying. The question is, by whose hand?
I wish I could be more specific, but that would ruin the story for others. As I mentioned earlier, there are a few too many backward jumps to suit my style with a few twists and quite a few turns along the way, but they do get the job done in the end. Well worth a read, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to tag along on the journey by way of a pre-release copy.
It was, though, a bit difficult to “get into” – mostly, I guess, because of what actually makes the story work as well as it does: frequent switching of perspectives of three different characters. You have Savannah Cody, the mother of Alford; the father of that child, Edward “Nickel” Terhune, who’s on the run as part of the Brady Gang, Bonnie and Clyde-style wanted bank robbers; and Alford (undoubtedly the most sympathy-generating among the three).
The main theme is that Savannah decided, as she tells an interrogator after the fact, that Eddie – the now most-wanted man she loved and who still loves her – needs to die, and she’ll be the one to do the dirty deed. But even the FBI can’t find Eddie, who was the Brady gang’s getaway car driver – so how can she?
Actually, she knows something others don’t: there’s a place in the United States Eddie dreamed of – and Savannah shared that dream. When push comes to shove, then, she’s convinced that’s where Eddie would head next – or die trying. The question is, by whose hand?
I wish I could be more specific, but that would ruin the story for others. As I mentioned earlier, there are a few too many backward jumps to suit my style with a few twists and quite a few turns along the way, but they do get the job done in the end. Well worth a read, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to tag along on the journey by way of a pre-release copy.
September 25, 2026
Die Famous by Michael Koryta is an interesting journey, through the eyes of multiple narrators, of the last few month of the life of a bank robber in the late 1930s. There is some back story included but most of it is narrated as it happens. Eddie “Nickle” Terhune came from a family of ne’er-do-wells. Cody took a chance on him and hired him to do farm chores. His wife, not the forgiving sort, was furious. His daughter, Savannah, fell in love and ended up with a baby. At seventeen she was not able to take care of the boy, Alford, so she left him with her parents. She ws alone some of the time, and with Eddie some of the time. Eddie could fix anything and so ended up as a mechanic. It turns out he was working on stolen cars. Savannah didn’t know that in the beginning. Things went downhill for the pair and Eddie did a stint in prison. It did not make him a better person. He still didn’t know who to follow.
OHe was usually the driver. He loved maps...studied them like some people do books. He always knew backroads and ways to escape, until he ended up with a bullet in his leg. He nearly died from blood loss until they found a doctor to see to him. They took the doctor’s wife as insurance. Eddie was a good man, without a lot of good sense. Savannah grew up a lot after the things she experienced. Her mother died. Her father had always been in her corner. She got to know her son. Lots of twists and turns in this very enlightening book. Well worth the read. A young FBI makes an appearance and shows its growing pains. In a series of interviews between Agent Toland and Savannah, the reader came to know her and just how bright she was. A very entertaining read.
I was invited to read Die Famous by Little, Brown and Company. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #LittleBrownAndCompany #MichaelKoryta #DieFamous
OHe was usually the driver. He loved maps...studied them like some people do books. He always knew backroads and ways to escape, until he ended up with a bullet in his leg. He nearly died from blood loss until they found a doctor to see to him. They took the doctor’s wife as insurance. Eddie was a good man, without a lot of good sense. Savannah grew up a lot after the things she experienced. Her mother died. Her father had always been in her corner. She got to know her son. Lots of twists and turns in this very enlightening book. Well worth the read. A young FBI makes an appearance and shows its growing pains. In a series of interviews between Agent Toland and Savannah, the reader came to know her and just how bright she was. A very entertaining read.
I was invited to read Die Famous by Little, Brown and Company. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #LittleBrownAndCompany #MichaelKoryta #DieFamous
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Die Famous by Michael Koryta is a highly recommended historical gangster novel set in the spring of 1937.
Edward "Nickel" Terhune is the getaway driver for the Al Brady and the infamous Brady Gang, but Savannah Cody knows him as Eddie. Eddie is the father of their son Alford, 12. When Savannah notices her first gray hair, she announces that she is going to murder Eddie, it is presumed for the bounty. Nickel is arrested after a failed robbery, but the Brady gang manages to spring him out of jail. The gang has a more successful robbery and then heads to Maine. Savannah, who is still searching for Eddie, ends up dragging Alford and her father Wendell, a retired railroad detective, on the journey to find him before the FBI does.
The narrative is told through individual chapters from the point-of-view of Savannah, Nickel, and Alford. Savannah's chapters are from her confession as FBI agent Toland questions her. The well-written, fast-paced novel captures the inner thoughts and emotions of the characters along with period details as the search for the gang at the top of the FBI’s most-wanted public enemy list unfolds.
The characters are all portrayed as realistic, fully-realized individuals, with strengths and more obvious weaknesses. Plenty of bad decisions are made by Savannah and NickelMany of the characters are based on real individuals and events from the historical period that are incorporated into this fictional account.
Die Famous is a good choice for those who enjoy historical gangster novels. Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2026/0...
Edward "Nickel" Terhune is the getaway driver for the Al Brady and the infamous Brady Gang, but Savannah Cody knows him as Eddie. Eddie is the father of their son Alford, 12. When Savannah notices her first gray hair, she announces that she is going to murder Eddie, it is presumed for the bounty. Nickel is arrested after a failed robbery, but the Brady gang manages to spring him out of jail. The gang has a more successful robbery and then heads to Maine. Savannah, who is still searching for Eddie, ends up dragging Alford and her father Wendell, a retired railroad detective, on the journey to find him before the FBI does.
The narrative is told through individual chapters from the point-of-view of Savannah, Nickel, and Alford. Savannah's chapters are from her confession as FBI agent Toland questions her. The well-written, fast-paced novel captures the inner thoughts and emotions of the characters along with period details as the search for the gang at the top of the FBI’s most-wanted public enemy list unfolds.
The characters are all portrayed as realistic, fully-realized individuals, with strengths and more obvious weaknesses. Plenty of bad decisions are made by Savannah and NickelMany of the characters are based on real individuals and events from the historical period that are incorporated into this fictional account.
Die Famous is a good choice for those who enjoy historical gangster novels. Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2026/0...
September 24, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is one of those books that you really don't know what to think when you get started. The story takes place in 1930s America. Savannah Cody has been in love with Eddie "Nickel" Terhune since she was a teenager having sex with him in the barn loft of her parent's farm. They are parents of a son, Alford, who has hardly ever seen his father because he is now the getaway driver for the notorious Brady Gang and Nickel can't come home very often, to keep his family safe. Savannah spent some time with the Gang in their early years, but came home after a job went bad and she witnessed things she wished she hadn't . Alford has been mostly brought up by Savannah's parents, But her mother has died and her father, Wendell, has decided it is time for her to act like a mother and take her boy away. A large bounty has been set for the gang, so Savannah decides the best thing to do is kill Eddie and collect the bounty so she can afford to raise their son on her own.
The story is told in three different voices; Savannah, in an interview with the FBI agent who arrested her, Eddie (Nickel), as he is travelling with the Gang and when he is on his own, and Alford, who is just trying to make sense of what is happening and who his parents really are. Each of the voices has its own message and each is powerful. Sometimes they overlap, but a lot of the stories are independent, but they all add up to quite a tale.
Central to the story is the quest by Savannah and her father, with Alford tagging along, to find Nickel and maybe get that bounty. But there are a lot of complications, not the least being why Savannah really wants to find him - and what she intends to do when she does.
This is one of those books that you really don't know what to think when you get started. The story takes place in 1930s America. Savannah Cody has been in love with Eddie "Nickel" Terhune since she was a teenager having sex with him in the barn loft of her parent's farm. They are parents of a son, Alford, who has hardly ever seen his father because he is now the getaway driver for the notorious Brady Gang and Nickel can't come home very often, to keep his family safe. Savannah spent some time with the Gang in their early years, but came home after a job went bad and she witnessed things she wished she hadn't . Alford has been mostly brought up by Savannah's parents, But her mother has died and her father, Wendell, has decided it is time for her to act like a mother and take her boy away. A large bounty has been set for the gang, so Savannah decides the best thing to do is kill Eddie and collect the bounty so she can afford to raise their son on her own.
The story is told in three different voices; Savannah, in an interview with the FBI agent who arrested her, Eddie (Nickel), as he is travelling with the Gang and when he is on his own, and Alford, who is just trying to make sense of what is happening and who his parents really are. Each of the voices has its own message and each is powerful. Sometimes they overlap, but a lot of the stories are independent, but they all add up to quite a tale.
Central to the story is the quest by Savannah and her father, with Alford tagging along, to find Nickel and maybe get that bounty. But there are a lot of complications, not the least being why Savannah really wants to find him - and what she intends to do when she does.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Stephen King thinks Die Famous is the best gangster novel he has ever read. I agree; it's the best one I've read as well, and that's saying a lot. This book is both a family drama and a suspenseful, engrossing crime novel.
It's the late 1930s, and Edward "Nickel" Terhune, a member of the notorious Brady Gang, is being hunted by both the FBI and his former lover, Savannah Cody. Savannah wants to kill him, and Hoover wants to send him to the electric chair; neither is what Eddie prefers.
Savannah, her father, Wendell, a former railroad detective, and Alford, Eddie and Savannah's love child, are determined to find Eddie before the FBI does. Following clues left in his cell before the Brady Gang broke him out of a county jail and disappeared, Savannah and company embark on a multi-state journey that ends in a remote area of Maine where they suspect Eddie is holed up. Eddie, torn between his loyalty to the Brady Gang and his dream to lead a quiet life with his family, must choose his destiny.
This is an emotionally charged novel that is a study of a man trying to outrun his past. Told in parts by Savannah, Nickel, and Alford, the story draws the reader in and carries them along on the ride. Despite his gang association, I rooted for Nickel to elude Hoover and be the Eddie his family was determined to save. Poignant and atmospheric, this is a wonderful character study with a moral dilemma that is tough to solve. 5/5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is September 22, 2026.
It's the late 1930s, and Edward "Nickel" Terhune, a member of the notorious Brady Gang, is being hunted by both the FBI and his former lover, Savannah Cody. Savannah wants to kill him, and Hoover wants to send him to the electric chair; neither is what Eddie prefers.
Savannah, her father, Wendell, a former railroad detective, and Alford, Eddie and Savannah's love child, are determined to find Eddie before the FBI does. Following clues left in his cell before the Brady Gang broke him out of a county jail and disappeared, Savannah and company embark on a multi-state journey that ends in a remote area of Maine where they suspect Eddie is holed up. Eddie, torn between his loyalty to the Brady Gang and his dream to lead a quiet life with his family, must choose his destiny.
This is an emotionally charged novel that is a study of a man trying to outrun his past. Told in parts by Savannah, Nickel, and Alford, the story draws the reader in and carries them along on the ride. Despite his gang association, I rooted for Nickel to elude Hoover and be the Eddie his family was determined to save. Poignant and atmospheric, this is a wonderful character study with a moral dilemma that is tough to solve. 5/5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is September 22, 2026.
September 18, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
Die Famous by Michael Koryta
PUB DATE: September 22, 2026
Historical Thriller
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you Little Brown and Michael Koryta for the advance physical copy of Die Famous.
Die Famous will be one of my TOP reads of 2026! Die Famous is a historical thriller and so much more.
Taking place in 1930s Indiana, this well paced and captivating story centers around free spirited Savannah Cody, her former teenage love Eddie “Nickel” Terhune, their love child Alford, and Savannah’s father, the widowed former detective turned farmer Wendell Cody. All of these characters have estranged or at least guarded relationships with wounds that have deepened over time. Now, Eddie, the former farm hand turned Brady Clan Gangster is being hunted down by the FBI and Savannah Cody decides she wants to find him first. She enlists the help of her reluctant father and brings her now 12 year old son Alford along for the ride.
Koryta’s storytelling was giving me Stephen King vibes and I was loving it. Koryta’s delivery allows the reader to get to know each character deeply through the use of alternating chapter POVs. Savannah’s POV is interestingly told in the chapters titled “From the Confessions of Savannah Cody” as she answers questions asked by Agent Toland. I felt like I knew each character so well, I could find the good in each, as well as a reason to root for them, flaws and all. I just wanted to give Alford and his grandfather a big hug.
Die Famous takes the reader on an adventure that includes danger and suspense as the Brady Clan’s ever increasingly violent crime spree wreaks havoc as they race from town to town, state to state, trying to outrun the law. The flip side of this adventure centers on a family at odds with each other learning to heal old wounds and renew relationships as they bond in their quest to find Eddie first.
I highly recommend reading Die Famous by Michael Koryta, an amazing storyteller!
Die Famous by Michael Koryta
PUB DATE: September 22, 2026
Historical Thriller
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you Little Brown and Michael Koryta for the advance physical copy of Die Famous.
Die Famous will be one of my TOP reads of 2026! Die Famous is a historical thriller and so much more.
Taking place in 1930s Indiana, this well paced and captivating story centers around free spirited Savannah Cody, her former teenage love Eddie “Nickel” Terhune, their love child Alford, and Savannah’s father, the widowed former detective turned farmer Wendell Cody. All of these characters have estranged or at least guarded relationships with wounds that have deepened over time. Now, Eddie, the former farm hand turned Brady Clan Gangster is being hunted down by the FBI and Savannah Cody decides she wants to find him first. She enlists the help of her reluctant father and brings her now 12 year old son Alford along for the ride.
Koryta’s storytelling was giving me Stephen King vibes and I was loving it. Koryta’s delivery allows the reader to get to know each character deeply through the use of alternating chapter POVs. Savannah’s POV is interestingly told in the chapters titled “From the Confessions of Savannah Cody” as she answers questions asked by Agent Toland. I felt like I knew each character so well, I could find the good in each, as well as a reason to root for them, flaws and all. I just wanted to give Alford and his grandfather a big hug.
Die Famous takes the reader on an adventure that includes danger and suspense as the Brady Clan’s ever increasingly violent crime spree wreaks havoc as they race from town to town, state to state, trying to outrun the law. The flip side of this adventure centers on a family at odds with each other learning to heal old wounds and renew relationships as they bond in their quest to find Eddie first.
I highly recommend reading Die Famous by Michael Koryta, an amazing storyteller!
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