Relentless

by Dean Koontz

You all know I am a big Dean Koontz fan. I pre-ordered this book from amazon.com and told my husband so he wouldn't pick it up at Wal-Mart. He did anyway. We kept the receipt so we could return it. When the one I ordered didn't show up I checked on amazon. Lo, and behold, I didn't actually order it because it was still in the cart. So I threw away the receipt and lent the book to my daughter. A few days later, Relentless showed up in the mail from amazon! So I got back on the computer and sure enough I had pre-ordered it, but I had also put it in the cart sometime later to pre-order it again. Cheezzzz!
So we ended up with 2 of the same books - a whoopsabooksy!

The daughter who is reading Relentless has a hard time getting into a book so I suggested this one and told her it would grab her by page three. Was I ever wrong on that point. Relentless starts off at a slow-let's-get-to-know-everyone pace. (I didn't start to read the 2nd copy until Kristi was already on page 30.) Luckily, she's been really busy and hasn't had time to read any further. Somewhere around page 50 the intensity begins to build and as I read further into the book I realized this story is going to keep her up at night. She tends to worry and I knew that the idea of a seemingly omniscient character being in the bedroom while the main character and his wife are sleeping, as well as what he plans to do to them was not the best thing for her to ponder.

I thought this book was relentless at times. There were sections of the book that were slow, but overall, I liked it. Luckily, I don't get creeped-out or have nightmares. One of the things I like about Koontz books is the portrayal of good and evil. There are times in his book when you feel like the evil is too great, not just in the book but in real life, but by the end of each book I feel a sense of hope. There are things that we can do to combat the evil and darkness, there is a reason to fight a good fight and there are reasons to hope.

I marked several passages with book-darts, but I'll just share two:

"It's just that he made so many mistakes. And his sytax is so bad. I could really eviscerate him."
"Dear, the man can't be eviscerated because he has no viscea. He's a walking colon. If you cut him open, you only end up covered in crap."

Among other things, my past had taught me that the very fact of my existence is a cause for amazement and wonder, that we must seize life because we never know how much of it remains for us, that faith is the antidote to despair and that laughter is the music of faith.

Your Heart Belongs To Me

by Dean Koontz

This was the first real letdown I've had reading a Dean Koontz novel. The book just never took off. Finally, at page 200 I began to be interested, but interest was soon replaced with the 'ho hums.'

A very disappointing book.

Odd Hours

by Dean Koontz

I'm finally getting around to writing a review for this book that I finished in June. It took me a month. A whole month! to read a Koontz novel. That's unheard of for me. I thought reading a Koontz would definitely shake me out of my reading lull, but it didn't. I'm still being a slug.

I thoroughly enjoyed Odd Hours, which is book four in the Odd Thomas series. Odd has taken up temporary residence in a small ocean side town where he feels there is something he needs to do. He meets some interesting people and prevents a catastrophic event.

The Good Guy

by Dean Koontz

Listening to this book brought us through Kansas and most of the way through Colarado. Both Candleman and I love Dean Koontz and were confident that his book would hold our interest while driving familiar roads.

The main character, Timothy Carrier, a quiet stone mason having a beer in a California bar, meets a stranger who mistakes him for a hit man. The stranger slips Tim a manila envelope containing $10,000 in cash and a photo of the intended victim, Linda Paquette, a writer in Laguna Beach, then leaves. A moment later, Krait, the real killer, shows up and assumes Tim is his client. Tim manages to distract Krait from immediately carrying out the hit by saying he's had a change of heart and offering Krait the $10,000 he just received. This ploy gives the stone mason enough time to warn Linda before they begin a frantic flight for their lives. --Publisher's Weekly

I really enjoyed this book, although I thought the love interest was a bit weird. There was a fair amount of tension to keep my interest. Not the best Koontz book I've read, but still good.