By: Dean Koontz Publisher: Bantam Average Rating: Binding: Mass Market Paperback Label: Bantam Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 496 Publication Date: April 29, 2008 Release Date: April 29, 2008
Product Description: Timothy Carrier, having a beer after work at his friend’s tavern, enjoys drawing eccentric customers into amusing conversations. But the jittery man who sits next to him tonight has mistaken Tim for someone very different—and passes to him a manila envelope full of cash.
“Ten thousand now. You get the rest when she’s gone.”
The stranger walks out, leaving a photo of the pretty woman marked for death, and her address. But things are about to get worse. In minutes another stranger sits next to Tim. This one is a cold-blooded killer who believes Tim is the man who has hired him.
Thinking fast, Tim says, “I’ve had a change of heart. You get ten thousand—for doing nothing. Call it a no-kill fee.” He keeps the photo and gives the money to the hired killer. And when Tim secretly follows the man out of the tavern, he gets a further shock: the hired killer is a cop.
Suddenly, Tim Carrier, an ordinary guy, is at the center of a mystery of extraordinary proportions, the one man who can save an innocent life and stop a killer far more powerful than any cop…and as relentless as evil incarnate. But first Tim must discover within himself the capacity for selflessness, endurance, and courage that can turn even an ordinary man into a hero, inner resources that will transform his idea of who he is and what it takes to be The Good Guy.
LOOK OUT! HE'S BACK AND MAD AS HELL! Everyone including me has been waiting for Dean to get back to what he does best: thrillers that are long chase scenes. Well, he's back in form, amen! I don't think he has hit the bull's eye since Intensity with this kind of suspense and a sadistic killer that shocks you with every chapter, and were we get deep into his sick twisted brain. But most of all, MR.KOONTZ thanks for going back to the Screw Ball Comedy. You nailed it in TICK TOCK and once again here. I just wish once you could make the male lead more of a sophisticated Cary Grant type, rather than your typical take on the everyman: mason, cook, gardener, and painter who is caught up in the chase and running to save the girl. You even threw in the classic Hitchcock happenstance mistaken identity gambit,wonderful. Why couldn't he be an ad man or a prof or a salesman for a change. Loved the heroine,too. And the garage as part of the kitchen was the icing on the cake. You tell us up front. LOOK OUT screw ball insanity abounds. If you like Dean's work you have to read this one!
Not so good It's a quick enough read, but the reasons for the murder-for-hire turn out to be so ridiculously over the top, I ended up laughing out loud at Dean Koontz's novel. This was the first book I read by this author (whose popularity baffles me) and it will likely be the last.
Lots of spooks, but no ghosts, and GR8! I have read most of Koontz' books, liked "The Husband," but this one beats it. No supernatural stuff, just a plain old thriller that really is funny, intriguing and a fast read. The underlying spook-FBI conspiracy premise may not be new, but... as in other Koontz works, the characters make the book. The good guys (and girls) are blends of those we have met in the past, lovable AND believable, once you figure out the whole story, battling one of the most eccentric neurotic/psychotic villains in fiction. For animal lovers though, no dog hero (sorry). As for the ending, had me guessing all the way through. Koontz is definitely on track with this book and hope to see more like them, with or with out the ghosts. Take it to the beach!
The Good Guy, The Good Girl, and The Bad Guy Yes, spoilers ahead!
+++
First, of the good, for The Good Guy. I liked Tim. I liked Linda. Their back and forth was one of my favorite things of the book. Pete and Zoey - gotta have a dog don't we? His mom. His pilot. His bartender. Everyone was likable. The chase was pretty good. One of the best cat and mice things I've read. Clipped along at a great pace. Very good!
And then there's The Bad Guy.
He was strange. And violent. And has no memory before the age of eighteen. Why? Don't ask. You'll never know. (Okay, he chose to lose his memory - moving along).
Yes, Dean Koontz is still one of my favorite authors. And yes, I couldn't put The Good Guy down. No red herrings - of the good! Definitely.
How'd The Bad Guy find them? Oh! Answered!
How'd The Good Guy and The Good Girl get away this time? Oh! Answered.
Nothing along those lines were left hanging. It was asked, answered, and even made sense.
Of the bad, the ending just killed me again! It suffers from The Darkest Evening of the Year syndrome. The closer the conclusion came the more I dreaded what was going to happen. And it happened! No!
But alas, yes.
It was a cop out to me. Too tidy. Again.
And I wanted to know more about the killer.
Linda and Tim's secrets were okay. Tim's far better than Linda's. What is it with the dogs? Dean's writing has changed since Trixie has gone on, and I get that, but jeepers. Abused kids. Euthanized dogs. Just Leave.It.Alone. Please.
It wasn't enough that Linda lost both of her parents and her dog. She had to be abused as well. Little much for me.
Personally, I was right there with Tim all the way until the ending, like I stated earlier. "Don't do it!" He did it. I wasn't happy.
So, that's why there's a three for this one. It kept me interested. I liked the characters. I liked the pacing.
The plot? Meh? The ending? Double meh.
5stars and more.... This book was great, i could not put it down from the time i got it in the mail. I suggest this book for anyone was loves a ride.
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