Onyx reviews: An Honest Man by Michael Koryta

Reviewed by Bev Vincent, 09/17/2023

What does it mean to be honest? Strictly speaking, someone who answers questions put to him without lying is being honest. However, there's a reason why people who are sworn in before they testify in court are asked to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It is possible to lie by omission.

Israel Pike considers himself an honest man. He's been recently released from prison after serving fifteen years for committing murder, a charge he's never denied. Hard to deny when the crime was committed in the presence of numerous witnesses, including his uncle, Sterling Pike, Salvation Point Island's long-time (and thoroughly corrupt) sheriff, and the brother of the victim.

One might wonder why Israel returned to the coastal Maine island, known familiarly as SPI, upon his release. Everyone knows him there, including what he did. Everyone knows everyone else's business on a small island. A fresh start in a new locale might have seemed a wiser choice, especially when, shortly after he returns to SPI, he stumbles upon a drifting yacht that contains seven dead men, including high-profile political figures. He immediately reports his discovery to authorities but, given his dark past, he becomes a person of interest. It doesn't help that he has a connection, albeit tenuous, to one of the deceased. When questioned, he answers honestly, but it's clear to readers he knows a lot more about the situation. He chooses to tell the truth...but not the whole truth.

An FBI agent named Jenn Salazar joins the investigation. She's someone with whom Israel has history. In fact, she's the reason he was released from prison early and why he's back on SPI. Salazar has a connection to the island and it's dark secrets, which will be revealed in due course. It's tied to the mysterious woman twelve-year-old Lyman Rankin discovers hiding in one of the island's numerous abandoned houses. Lyman, who uses this house as an occasional refuge from his abusive father, is surprised to find the injured young French woman, who is armed with a hatchet and has a supply of blood-soaked money. Lyman is resourceful and savvy, but also a victim who knows anything he does might set his father off again.

Sterling is determined to fit Israel up for the murders. Israel inherited his grandfather's boat yard, much to his uncle's chagrin. If he can get Israel behind bars again, Sterling stands a chance to take over the business, which he has always coveted. He already owns a significant fraction of the property on the island and is using it as a base of operations for his criminal enterprises.

A mysterious and resourceful man who claims to be a private detective offers Israel a chance to write the narrative of the crime in a way that will keep him out of trouble, even though Israel really is innocent. Koryta weaves together the multiple threads into a compelling tapestry of corruption and abuse, involving heinous crimes covered up by people in authority. He paints a compelling picture of the extreme version of rural life exemplified by coastal New England islands. As it turns out, people can keep huge secrets from each other in these cloistered settings, and it's Israel's goal—together with the few people he thinks he can trust—to expose the wrongdoings and destroy the long-running network of corruption operating on Salvation Point.