So they entrust Jace's safety to Ethan and Allison Serbin, a couple who run a wilderness survival program for troubled kids in Montana.

Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote: "The summer of 2014 brings 'Those Who Wish Me Dead,' a lean, propulsive action-adventure thriller with a raging forest fire as its backdrop and with much more finesse than that description might suggest.

"[1] Library Journal's starred review said: "The Blackwell brothers' devious methods, the fire raging across the mountains, and the actions of those trying to save Jace will keep readers up well into the night.

"[2] Kirkus Reviews wrote: "Having joined the ranks of the very best thriller writers with his small-town masterpiece, The Prophet (2012), Koryta matches that effort with a book of sometimes-unbearable tension.

Also crucial to its success is Koryta's mastery of the beautiful but threatening setting, including a mountain fire's ability to electrify the ground, radiate a lethal force field—and create otherworldly light shows.