The Three Day Affair: Book summary and reviews of The Three Day Affair by Michael Kardos

The Three Day Affair Summary

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.

The Three Day Affair Reviews

"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

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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.