-
Access Our
Best Book Club
Books of 2025!
by Michael Kardos
The first debut novel from the newly relaunched Mysterious Press introduces a phenomenal new voice in the realm of crime fiction.
Will, Jeffrey, and Nolan are lifelong friends. Each have gone their separate ways as adults, living their own lives while forging their own careers. They have no reason to believe anything extraordinary will befall them. Until one shocking moment changes everything?
Will is a part-time drummer who spends the rest of his time in recording studios. He has lived a sheltered existence. Then one night Jeffrey attempts to rob a convenience store, drags a young woman into Will’s car, and shouts a single word: "Drive!" Shaken and confused, Will obeys.
Suddenly three ordinary men find themselves completely out of their element, holding a young girl hostage without the slightest idea of what to do next. They are already guilty of kidnapping and robbery; it is only a matter of time before they find out just what else they’re capable of. For these four people, three days will decide their fate - between freedom and prison, innocence and guilt - and life and death. In the tradition of Scott Smith’s classic A Simple Plan, The Three Day Affair marks the emergence of a truly talented new crime writer.
"Kardos (One Last Good Time, a story collection) makes the most of his intriguing setup, populated with plausible characters and enhanced by a vicious closing sting." - Publishers Weekly
"This debut thriller...by an award-winning short story writer...takes you on an unexpected journey. As you read, you think you know which way the author is driving the narrative, only to have it swerve several times before the fascinating conclusion." - Library Journal
"A wonderful piece of literary suspense craftsmanship. Line by line, Michael Kardos dazzles with prose strength and style, and the bad-day-gone-worse story does not let up... A fascinating character study and engaging thriller." - Michael Koryta, winner of the L.A. Times Book Prize and author of The Prophet
"An outstanding thriller that has everything: graceful prose, a terrific plot, unbearable suspense, great surprises, and an intelligent and sympathetic narrator who will break your heart. An absolutely first-rate effort from a debut author who, trust me, is going to be around for a long time." - John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of The Hunter
This information about The Three Day Affair was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Michael Kardos is the author of the award-winning story collection One Last Good Time and the novel The Three-Day Affair
His short stories have appeared in The Southern Review, Crazyhorse, Prairie Schooner, Blackbird, Pleiades, Prism international, and many other magazines and anthologies, and were cited as notable stories in the 2009 and 2010 editions of Best American Short Stories.
Kardos grew up at the Jersey Shore, received a degree in music from Princeton University, and played the drums professionally for a number of years. He has an M.F.A. in fiction from The Ohio State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. He lives in Starkville, Mississippi, where he co-directs the creative writing program at Mississippi State University.
Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for ...
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
