Ronald Malfi's Epic Journey: An Unforgettable Experience

Shelby Watters: I savored this read, then had moments where I couldn't stop. Now that I've finished it, I never expected to feel this way. It made me emotional and I just didn't expect it. How the author describes grief is palpable and helped me really understand the main characters feelings. This was an all around, fantastic book. It won't be the last Malfi book I devour!

United States on Jan 04, 2024

Johann ginn: Aaron has been married to Allison for about six years. In the entirety of their marriage, Aaron thought he knew his wife. After she dies, Aaron notices for the first time that his late wife has a Hope Chest... with a padlock on it. During his grief, he decides to open the chest and finds out two things: 1. Ĥe doesn't know his wife as much as he thinks. 2. His life from now on will never be the same again.

This was a tragic but amazing story that allows the reader to experience a grieved husband who becomes obsessed with who his wife really was. The plot opens into a more hidden plot with many surprises to explore.

This had me pushing towards the end. I as completely engrossed!
Highly recommend!!

United States on Dec 28, 2023

Wendy Garrett: The idea of this story is great. It really is. But the execution is just a hair off. The story really drags in some places. The ending was totally a surprise but still hard to get there.

United States on Dec 05, 2023

Wiltshire: Well worth a read

United Kingdom on Dec 04, 2023

Christen Tighe: This was the October Bookclub pick. Overall, I’d say it was slightly above average, 3 out of 5 stars. It started out really strong, but when it didn’t go the direction I was hoping for, I was kind of disappointed and it fell a little flat for me. There was a bit of a paranormal aspect to it as well, which is not usually my thing, but it wasn’t overpowering. The ending was a little unexpected, but I suppose fitting.

United States on Oct 19, 2023

koontzie: Come With Me" was like a lifeline in my reading slump. My favorite author has seriously set the bar (crazy) high for what I want from other writers too (think solid, gripping stories with zero plot holes, three-dimensional characters, twists you can't see coming, hints dropped like breadcrumbs throughout...). After devouring all her books, finding anything that even comes close has been a real struggle. I plowed through six different author's books one after another, and none of them could keep me hooked. I was seriously starting to lose hope. So, I turned to my bookish friends for help, and one of them told me that "Come With Me" by Ronald Malfi sounded like what I was looking for. And they were right!!

This book is a perfect mix of thriller, horror, and suspense, but it doesn't stop there. It's also a profoundly moving portrayal of love, grief, and trauma. Aaron, the narrator, is an incredibly relatable character with whom I empathized right from the start. We accompany him on his quest for answers, traversing both the tangible and spiritual worlds. He is deeply haunted by the absence of his deceased wife, and he holds onto the hope of uncovering the secrets she concealed...

France on Aug 20, 2023

Nicola Mansfield: Aaron's wife is killed unexpectedly and as he goes through her things he finds a receipt for a motel room across the country. He travels there and finds out she had been up to something in the weeks before her death. Aaron decides to follow in her footsteps and finds his wife has been keeping many dark secrets from him.

First, unlike the other books I've read by Malfi, I would not call this horror, to me I'd describe it as a mystery with some magical realism. The book is incredibly well-written, intelligent and a deep read. I was immersed in this world. I found myself wanting to like it more than I did, though. I had a sense that I knew what was going to happen and was not shocked by any of the reveals. I was more accepting of events as a logical turn rather than a twist. I was attached to the main character though and wanted him to succeed. The book had me in its thrall.

Canada on Jun 26, 2023

Emma: Although this would be classed as a thriller, this is really a slow burn yarn about a man trying to grieve for his murdered wife whilst continuing her legacy which just so happens to involve the unravelling of a murder mystery. It’s emotional, it’s haunting and it’s completely immersive. I felt so bonded to Aaron and went through it all with the guy!! There’s the small town sense of isolation and secrets throughout and I was there, on the journey as he discovered vered who his wife really was and what she was looking for. The writing is gorgeous, the pacing is perfect - I loved it!!

Come With Me immediately reminded me of Michelle McNamara and her quest to find the GSK - right down to her untimely passing and the continuation of her work. If you are a fan of I’ll Be Gone In The Dark - give this one a read. In fact, I point blank recommend this book to everyone.

I’ve not been feeling my best lately and maybe this book just came along at the right time but I really did feel connected to it.

United Kingdom on Jun 17, 2023

Capital T: Might suggest a trigger warning for some violence against teen girls and gun violence as well.
Masterful prose. Will be looking for more from this author.
It’s a kinda mystery with some speculative supernatural elements/psychological thriller all one one beautifully cohesive package. Explores down and out towns in the USA. Overall dark vibes. Some police procedural but not too much.
Would recommend.

Canada on Mar 26, 2022

Gunlord: This story revolves around a regular guy whose wife is murdered in a mass shooting (Mr. Malfi was thinking of current events, and indeed the book is dedicated to a friend of his who tragically died in a real shooting in 2018). The protagonist, Aaron Decker, has a hard enough time dealing with grief on his own, but then he finds a single receipt for a stay at a motel she never told him about. He goes and investigates, wanting some closure if his wife had been cheating on him, but he soon finds she wasn't, but she did have a secret life indeed, and with what seems to be some entity pushing him on--his wife's ghost or something else, not made clear till the end--Aaron is drawn to solve the mystery of her life.

I went from disliking to loving to kinda disliking to really liking this book. Malfi's in standard high form, his writing literary and the way he draws the characters (most of them residents and policemen of small, rural towns in Pennsylvania and a couple other states) very skillful, they're all individuals with believable voices. My initial problem was that despite the literary style, the story dragged at first. It's written in quasi second person, like Aaron is telling...

United States on Jul 25, 2021