Dean Koontz Book Reviews

I can say with the utmost certainty that this is Dean Koontz’s worst book that he has written. Yes, Dean Koontz is my favorite author, but I can also admit when he writes a stinker. This story had potential, but it had the weakest ending of any story I have yet to read. I have always bragged on Koontz being able to convince me of the impossible in his books by the wonderful and compelling way he tells the story. This book covers something that I already believe in (reincarnation), so it should not have been hard to wrap up the story to my liking. The book abruptly ends leaving many questions up in the air, not in a ‘oooh, I hope he writes a sequel’ kind of way, but in a way that has you checking to see if your book has some pages ripped out.

Since most of my questions have to do with the end of this novel, I don’t want to post them (just in case you have not read the story yet). But let me leave you with this; I do not recommend this book. Read it only if you, like me, want to read everything by Koontz –but make sure to have a book by him that you know is a good one to follow up with.

This book starts out as a fun ‘Who Done It’ type of novel. The main character is Mary, a clairvoyant who helps the police solve cases. The two main men of her life hate each other, her brother and her husband. This makes for a fun and interesting story in itself. As the story unfolds and starts to come to an end it becomes a VERY disturbing tale. If you have not read this story before, be warned. It deals with rape and other disquieting violence; if you can’t handle those subjects, please skip this book. I do think it is a good story and well written. I have heard from quite a few people that one of the things they enjoy most about Koontz is the amount of character dialog. This book will not disappoint in that department. So, did I like this book? –Yes. Do I recommend it? –Only if my aforementioned warning doesn’t apply to you.

This is a very fast paced story. It has a little bit of everything in it: A car chase, a love like no other, a blossoming relationship between a boy and his guardian, and, of course, a homicidal maniac! The boy in this is adorable and tries so hard to be brave. The hero of the story is not a typical Koontz hero, he admits to something that most heroes don’t admit to in pretty much any story (Koontz or not)-he’s a coward. It’s kind of refreshing because, let’s face it, most of us would rather run from danger instead of into it. Don’t lie, you know you are the same way, it’s a natural instinct. At first, I thought some of the side characters were a little exaggerated, then I looked at when it was published and found that it was about right! If you are looking for a quick novel, I suggest this. It is only 289 pages and seems more like a short story than a novel.

Home/ Back to Koontz Reviews