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Ashley Bell #0.25
Last Light
From bestselling author Dean Koontz comes an eBook original novella, the first of two tales that pave the way for Ashley Bell, his new novel of dark suspense! A woman with a good heart and a troubling gift. A man with a twisted soul and a terrifying talent. In this literal war of wills, only one can survive.
With just a touch, Makani Hisoka-O’Brien can see the deepest secrets that others conceal—and it frightens her. There’s danger in the terrible knowledge that floods her mind and haunts her conscience.
With just a touch, Rainer Sparks can learn the biggest problems that others bear—and it thrills him. There’s profit to be made making problems go away, by any means . . . including murder.
In a place as big as Southern California, these two might have never met and discovered one another’s chilling abilities. But good and evil have a way of colliding . . . with shattering consequences.
Acclaim for Dean Koontz
“Dean Koontz is a prose stylist whose lyricism heightens malevolence and tension. [He creates] characters of unusual richness and depth . . . with a level of perception and sensitivity that is not merely convincing; it’s astonishing.” —The Seattle Times
“Demanding much of itself, Koontz’s style bleaches out clichés while showing a genius for details. He leaves his competitors buried in the dust.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A rarity among bestselling writers, Koontz continues to pursue new ways of telling stories, never content with repeating himself.”—Chicago Sun-Times
“Tumbling, hallucinogenic prose. ‘Serious’ writers . . . might do well to examine his technique.”—The New York Times Book Review
“[Koontz] has always had near-Dickensian powers of description, and an ability to yank us from one page to the next that few novelists can match.” —Los Angeles Times
“Koontz is a superb plotter and wordsmith. He chronicles the hopes and fears of our time in broad strokes and fine detail, using popular fiction to explore the human condition.”—USA Today
“Characters and the search for meaning, exquisitely crafted, are the soul of [Koontz’s] work. . . . One of the master storytellers of this or any age.”—The Tampa Tribune
“A literary juggler.”—The Times (London)
With just a touch, Makani Hisoka-O’Brien can see the deepest secrets that others conceal—and it frightens her. There’s danger in the terrible knowledge that floods her mind and haunts her conscience.
With just a touch, Rainer Sparks can learn the biggest problems that others bear—and it thrills him. There’s profit to be made making problems go away, by any means . . . including murder.
In a place as big as Southern California, these two might have never met and discovered one another’s chilling abilities. But good and evil have a way of colliding . . . with shattering consequences.
Acclaim for Dean Koontz
“Dean Koontz is a prose stylist whose lyricism heightens malevolence and tension. [He creates] characters of unusual richness and depth . . . with a level of perception and sensitivity that is not merely convincing; it’s astonishing.” —The Seattle Times
“Demanding much of itself, Koontz’s style bleaches out clichés while showing a genius for details. He leaves his competitors buried in the dust.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A rarity among bestselling writers, Koontz continues to pursue new ways of telling stories, never content with repeating himself.”—Chicago Sun-Times
“Tumbling, hallucinogenic prose. ‘Serious’ writers . . . might do well to examine his technique.”—The New York Times Book Review
“[Koontz] has always had near-Dickensian powers of description, and an ability to yank us from one page to the next that few novelists can match.” —Los Angeles Times
“Koontz is a superb plotter and wordsmith. He chronicles the hopes and fears of our time in broad strokes and fine detail, using popular fiction to explore the human condition.”—USA Today
“Characters and the search for meaning, exquisitely crafted, are the soul of [Koontz’s] work. . . . One of the master storytellers of this or any age.”—The Tampa Tribune
“A literary juggler.”—The Times (London)
81 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2015
About the author
Dean Koontz
870 books37.8k followersAcknowledged as "America's most popular suspense novelist" (Rolling Stone) and as one of today's most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Ray Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character, mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be human.
Dean, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.
Facebook: Facebook.com/DeanKoontzOfficial
Twitter: @DeanKoontz
Website: DeanKoontz.com
Dean, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.
Facebook: Facebook.com/DeanKoontzOfficial
Twitter: @DeanKoontz
Website: DeanKoontz.com
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews
March 27, 2020
Great thriller novella by Dean koontz about a young surfer girl who is being stalked by a madman. Be sure to check this book out at your local library and wherever books and ebooks are sold.
March 22, 2016
Part of me cringes at the thought of giving anything by Dean Koontz "only" three stars. But although I truly enjoyed every single second of this story, the most I could summon at the end was "fun" and "cute". Fun and cute do not a four star story make. Sigh.
The idea behind the story, other than to give us a teaser to get us to buy Ashley Bell: A Novel in Dec, is that there are these two people who have an ability to read certain things when they touch other people. Makani can read their ugly thoughts and Rainer can read their greatest vulnerability. The two meet, he's a psychotic killer, he spends the story playing cat to her mouse. It was wonderful and very enjoyable. But sadly, it was also cute.
The idea behind the story, other than to give us a teaser to get us to buy Ashley Bell: A Novel in Dec, is that there are these two people who have an ability to read certain things when they touch other people. Makani can read their ugly thoughts and Rainer can read their greatest vulnerability. The two meet, he's a psychotic killer, he spends the story playing cat to her mouse. It was wonderful and very enjoyable. But sadly, it was also cute.
November 6, 2015
Hands down, this is my favorite novella of the master wordsmith, Dean Koontz! I completely fell for Makani, Pogo and beloved Bob! I'm diving right into Final Hour (Short Story) next! This is vintage Dean Koontz!!
October 20, 2015
Nailed it again
It should no longer surprise me that Dean Koontz has a gift for finding ( they are too real to be invented) characters to people his stories. His people feel to me like I should know them. We spoke at the grocery store or gas station. Maybe they like my jewelry and told me so either off-line or in person.
There is just enough out of the mundane to make his tales work. Or is it just enough truth?
I believe he knows something...
It should no longer surprise me that Dean Koontz has a gift for finding ( they are too real to be invented) characters to people his stories. His people feel to me like I should know them. We spoke at the grocery store or gas station. Maybe they like my jewelry and told me so either off-line or in person.
There is just enough out of the mundane to make his tales work. Or is it just enough truth?
I believe he knows something...
January 3, 2016
This was a fun, quick read in the world of Ashley Bell, and to be honest I liked it more than the longer novel. It centers around Makani, a surfer who can sense someone's darkest secret with a single touch. What seems to be a chance meeting with handsome and charismatic Ranier Sparks quickly spirals into a nightmare. Pogo, my favorite supporting character from Ashley Bell figures prominently. It was pretty intense - more along the lines of some of Koontz's earlier works - and I read pretty much the entire thing in a single sitting.
December 8, 2015
Page turner
Very good book. Easy to read. It is a short book so it could be read in a single session if you have that kind of time. In the scope of villains this books villain is at the top of the chart. Their is nothing graphic in this novel. It's all implied. That's what makes him so scary.
Very good book. Easy to read. It is a short book so it could be read in a single session if you have that kind of time. In the scope of villains this books villain is at the top of the chart. Their is nothing graphic in this novel. It's all implied. That's what makes him so scary.
September 11, 2015
It’s good vs. evil, surfer style. Only the good girl and the bad guy both have a supernatural ability to read minds by simply touching other people.
It’s Dean Koontz, so of course it’s imaginative and well-written. But at the same time, I didn’t read it straight through—which I normally would do for a Dean Koontz novella.
It’s good, I enjoyed reading it, and I will definitely read the follow-up titled FINAL HOUR … but it doesn’t stand out for me like so many other novellas that Dean Koontz has written.
It’s Dean Koontz, so of course it’s imaginative and well-written. But at the same time, I didn’t read it straight through—which I normally would do for a Dean Koontz novella.
It’s good, I enjoyed reading it, and I will definitely read the follow-up titled FINAL HOUR … but it doesn’t stand out for me like so many other novellas that Dean Koontz has written.
September 16, 2015
Short, sweet, but good. Much like King just knows how to write kids, Koontz just knows how to write dogs. I absolutely love when a dog plays a big role in his books - he's that good. This is a precursor to Koontz's next book and we are introduced to only one character who will play a role in that new book.
My only complaint about this novella is that the ending came way too fast after so much build-up. It was quick, clean, and out. Done. A good story that ended too quickly.
Still excited for Koontz's next.
My only complaint about this novella is that the ending came way too fast after so much build-up. It was quick, clean, and out. Done. A good story that ended too quickly.
Still excited for Koontz's next.
September 16, 2015
I really am not fond of novellas. They always leave me wanting more. I did enjoy this one somewhat. It's a prequel of sorts to the author's new novel, which is coming out in December. I understand that there is another novella being released in Oct. I find that many authors are doing this now, release a couple of short stories and stir up interest for the novel. I don't get it and personally don't think it's necessary. Oh well, I bought this one, but I probably won't buy the next. I will wait for the actual novel.
October 11, 2015
The novella was a short 90 pages. While I found some of the descriptions to be way too flowery, I liked the book. This is one of two prequels to his next book, Ashley Belle. I was sorry to discover that only one of the characters in this story will be in the book. I have the second novella downloaded, but now I am wondering who will be in that one!
November 16, 2015
I loved this! It's certainly the best novella I've read this year. My favorite character is the lovable black Labrador, Bob, who plays an important role in the story, and surfer girl Makani and surfer dude Pogo are also excellent. I was happy to find out that there's a sequel novella, Final Hour, with the same characters.
October 9, 2015
good read. can expand more on this. i hope you continue the story. things she has don in the past.
November 12, 2015
Good novella. Too bad I read it out of order.
July 30, 2023
How I read: KU
How long it took to read: 1hour
Cover art: ok I do like the cliffs / clouds on this copy as a photo but I don’t think it works in this context - it looks like a self help book so 2⭐️
This was my first Dean Koontz, I particularly chose a novella to try it out as I’m not always a fan of mainstream writers. I’d always thought of him as more of a thriller writer but had been recommended him in relation to horror.
Ok so overall I enjoyed the story, the setting really reminded me of Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, this was written first but there was similarities between the surfy girl character to me.
The descriptions of women put me off a bit. I’m not a fan of a perfect fmc, one that is inextricably hot and blessed in life, honestly puts me off. The mmc was also similarly an Adonis, then the next mc was also described as being absolutely gorgeous. I’ve gotta say for something I was expecting to be a thriller / horror I was really surprised at the descriptions of these characters and the undertones of romance.
Other than that though, I really enjoyed the story for what it was, it gave a really good sense of place for me and I could really visualise the settings and characters and the actions taking place. I found the pacing and characterisation good despite the fact that they were all barbie’s and Ken dolls!
The plot was obviously quite quick but it resolved well and I was satisfied finishing it, I often find thrillers spend so much time building up and sending you red herrings for an unsatisfying ending. This didn’t do that, it was straight to the fact, multiple povs which I think worked well and it didn’t leave me annoyed or unsatisfied. Not entirely sure where I would put this in terms of genre though. It reads a bit like a good tv episode with morally grey main characters.
Surprised to like it and going to look up more from Dean Koontz.
How long it took to read: 1hour
Cover art: ok I do like the cliffs / clouds on this copy as a photo but I don’t think it works in this context - it looks like a self help book so 2⭐️
This was my first Dean Koontz, I particularly chose a novella to try it out as I’m not always a fan of mainstream writers. I’d always thought of him as more of a thriller writer but had been recommended him in relation to horror.
Ok so overall I enjoyed the story, the setting really reminded me of Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, this was written first but there was similarities between the surfy girl character to me.
The descriptions of women put me off a bit. I’m not a fan of a perfect fmc, one that is inextricably hot and blessed in life, honestly puts me off. The mmc was also similarly an Adonis, then the next mc was also described as being absolutely gorgeous. I’ve gotta say for something I was expecting to be a thriller / horror I was really surprised at the descriptions of these characters and the undertones of romance.
Other than that though, I really enjoyed the story for what it was, it gave a really good sense of place for me and I could really visualise the settings and characters and the actions taking place. I found the pacing and characterisation good despite the fact that they were all barbie’s and Ken dolls!
The plot was obviously quite quick but it resolved well and I was satisfied finishing it, I often find thrillers spend so much time building up and sending you red herrings for an unsatisfying ending. This didn’t do that, it was straight to the fact, multiple povs which I think worked well and it didn’t leave me annoyed or unsatisfied. Not entirely sure where I would put this in terms of genre though. It reads a bit like a good tv episode with morally grey main characters.
Surprised to like it and going to look up more from Dean Koontz.
June 10, 2020
I liked this novella more than the main Ashley Bell novel. There are overlapping characters, but the main protagonist, and the story itself, have little to do with the novel. I have not read much from Koontz, so I cannot speak to this in the grand scheme of all his works. I enjoyed the main character, the unique powers, and the truly heinous villain. The length of the novella made the story fly, and it never felt like there was unnecessary details to wade through. If this had been my first Koontz book instead of Ashley Bell, I probably would have checked out more of his stuff sooner.
April 18, 2018
This is another fantastic Dean Koontz thriller. How he can come up with these ingenious plots , paint the characters into a corner and then somehow satisfactorily tie up the loose ends amazes me every time. This is a stand alone novella with amazing characters. There is a second novella with the same characters and another nail biting plot. I recommend you read this one first and then Final Hour. Both amazing books.
November 2, 2019
"Going for a long swim in the cooking pond at a nuclear power plant" drew me in.
At th start I was concerned about more poetry than prose but enjoying descriptions of a beautiful place and horrified by the violence I read the story in one sitting.
Koontz always reels me in and keeps me engaged.
The ending is radical and a bit anticlimactic but well worth the few hours I had to read from beginning to end.
At th start I was concerned about more poetry than prose but enjoying descriptions of a beautiful place and horrified by the violence I read the story in one sitting.
Koontz always reels me in and keeps me engaged.
The ending is radical and a bit anticlimactic but well worth the few hours I had to read from beginning to end.
February 23, 2020
I’ve had “Ashley Bell” on my want to read list for quite some time now. This prequel was a great little read. I loved the characters and would have happily read a full length novel about them. Bob was my favorite, of course! I look forward to getting into their next tale, “Final Hour”.
May 23, 2020
The idea of the story was more exciting than the story itself.
November 14, 2017
Fun, easy to read short story. The first of the series. Enjoyed the action.
July 23, 2019
I purchased Ashley Bell a while back at a library sale, and had seen on our library's website that it had a couple of prequel novellas, so I wanted to read those first.
Last Light did not disappoint (except when I learned Makani—who is an absolutely fantastic character—would not be in the novel).
Makani is a surfer who can read people's darkest secrets via skin contact. When she meets Rainer Sparks, who holds a similar power, but uses his to kill, which he enjoys a great deal.
Makani, her dog, Bob, and her surfer friend/love interest Pogo become targets for Rainer, and a tense cat and mouse struggle for survival ensues.
I did enjoy the relationship between the main protagonists, and was grateful for the author's note that Pogo (at least) would be reappearing in Ashley Bell.
This is a good, short read, that introduces an interesting main character, and then sort of shoves her aside (apart from the novella that is sequel to this and prequel to Ashley Bell).
Last Light did not disappoint (except when I learned Makani—who is an absolutely fantastic character—would not be in the novel).
Makani is a surfer who can read people's darkest secrets via skin contact. When she meets Rainer Sparks, who holds a similar power, but uses his to kill, which he enjoys a great deal.
Makani, her dog, Bob, and her surfer friend/love interest Pogo become targets for Rainer, and a tense cat and mouse struggle for survival ensues.
I did enjoy the relationship between the main protagonists, and was grateful for the author's note that Pogo (at least) would be reappearing in Ashley Bell.
This is a good, short read, that introduces an interesting main character, and then sort of shoves her aside (apart from the novella that is sequel to this and prequel to Ashley Bell).
May 6, 2020
Great little read!
April 14, 2022
Typical Dean Koontz but a short novella so tricky to develop the characters enough to become a truly enjoyable read. Read on Kindle, it’s an intro to Ashley Bell which I haven’t read yet. Quirky characters with unusual powers, a dog, a psycho & a positive ending. You know what you’re getting with a Koontz book & I’m not ashamed to say I like it that way. Quick read, 3-3.5*
October 15, 2015
ahhh! i LOVE this man!!!
gotta say, im still in love with my nook and these little novellas are one of the reasons why!
soo, this novella is just a random little story that will have a 2nd part released on 10/27/2015. but im starting to wonder what it could be about since it was resolved in this one.
so, this book, its based on Makani. a young native Hawaiian living in CA who has some sort of supernatural power. (DK has this amazing writing style that doesn't...how it could even possibly come to light!?)
anyways...
she has the power that when she touches another person, she can see their dark/darkest secrets. that's why she left her home at the age of 20 (i think it was.)
so shes surfing one day when she notices a guy watching her.
she gets out, he walks up to her, he "hits" on her and they meet up to go eat.
thats when she discovers that he also has the same power as her. except that this dude is a crazy mass murderer. he's hired for murder. of course she sees it and he basically tells her that hes out to get her because its a fascination of his to "conquer" her. it has been since she was 16.
long story short (how much shorter than 90 pages can you get? ...well...), he goes after her and it does not end well for one of them.
i will say this, i kinda read super fast over the whole set up and i missed how it all happened so when i reread that paragraph it made a whole lot more sense. because of the way he ended the story, im really interested to see what he brings back in the second novella. all i can say is, im glad Bob is still alive! :)
i dont want to completely spoil it in case you want a really quick read.
i will say this though, its crazy how times have changed. that little sentence about Uber, i was like wooah! but i mean, woah. these are the new times. i cant even imagine what it would have felt like to know that i'd be reading that xx amount of years after high school.
anyways, do you like dean koontz?
i LOVE that man.
and for the record, im a H U G E chicken when it comes to scary stuff. like i mean i get scared easily. so just reading certain bits and pieces of this, i was all scared ._.
yea yea, make fun.
thanks for reading!
http://lovewhatyouread14.blogspot.com...
gotta say, im still in love with my nook and these little novellas are one of the reasons why!
soo, this novella is just a random little story that will have a 2nd part released on 10/27/2015. but im starting to wonder what it could be about since it was resolved in this one.
so, this book, its based on Makani. a young native Hawaiian living in CA who has some sort of supernatural power. (DK has this amazing writing style that doesn't...how it could even possibly come to light!?)
anyways...
she has the power that when she touches another person, she can see their dark/darkest secrets. that's why she left her home at the age of 20 (i think it was.)
so shes surfing one day when she notices a guy watching her.
she gets out, he walks up to her, he "hits" on her and they meet up to go eat.
thats when she discovers that he also has the same power as her. except that this dude is a crazy mass murderer. he's hired for murder. of course she sees it and he basically tells her that hes out to get her because its a fascination of his to "conquer" her. it has been since she was 16.
long story short (how much shorter than 90 pages can you get? ...well...), he goes after her and it does not end well for one of them.
i will say this, i kinda read super fast over the whole set up and i missed how it all happened so when i reread that paragraph it made a whole lot more sense. because of the way he ended the story, im really interested to see what he brings back in the second novella. all i can say is, im glad Bob is still alive! :)
i dont want to completely spoil it in case you want a really quick read.
i will say this though, its crazy how times have changed. that little sentence about Uber, i was like wooah! but i mean, woah. these are the new times. i cant even imagine what it would have felt like to know that i'd be reading that xx amount of years after high school.
anyways, do you like dean koontz?
i LOVE that man.
and for the record, im a H U G E chicken when it comes to scary stuff. like i mean i get scared easily. so just reading certain bits and pieces of this, i was all scared ._.
yea yea, make fun.
thanks for reading!
http://lovewhatyouread14.blogspot.com...
November 23, 2015
#83 or 84 from koontz for me...just finished that story...that i can't for the life of me remember the title.
ummm. heh! don't ya hate when that happens? on the kindle, like this one, so i have an excuse. not like you can spin around on the bar stool and see what paperback is on top of the pile behind you. onward and upward.
(this one and the previous i read...still nothing...that is not the title...have makani and pogo, they are both novellas, and pogo figures a bit in the story coming out december 8th. ashley bell.)
22 nov 15, finished. Final Hour (Short Story) is the name of the other...and if there is a chronology, i think that one is intended to follow this one, give or take a day or two, a year, something.
i liked this story more, couple notches more than the other. koontz has the ability to create these unbelievably evil bad things, unstoppable, monsters who fall ten stories, get up, and do it again. i'm really looking forward to Ashley Bell...i think i ordered it some time ago, kindle again. be nice to have the book-book, have a pile on the shelf, be good reading here, snow falling, december, feet up, blanket, my wife hollering at me (with amusement) 'you already finished that! you just started!'
ooga booga. one can always enjoy it again, like music, like spaghetti, cucumbers from the garden, tomatoes...sitting in a tree...snowfall.
onward, ever onward.
ummm. heh! don't ya hate when that happens? on the kindle, like this one, so i have an excuse. not like you can spin around on the bar stool and see what paperback is on top of the pile behind you. onward and upward.
(this one and the previous i read...still nothing...that is not the title...have makani and pogo, they are both novellas, and pogo figures a bit in the story coming out december 8th. ashley bell.)
22 nov 15, finished. Final Hour (Short Story) is the name of the other...and if there is a chronology, i think that one is intended to follow this one, give or take a day or two, a year, something.
i liked this story more, couple notches more than the other. koontz has the ability to create these unbelievably evil bad things, unstoppable, monsters who fall ten stories, get up, and do it again. i'm really looking forward to Ashley Bell...i think i ordered it some time ago, kindle again. be nice to have the book-book, have a pile on the shelf, be good reading here, snow falling, december, feet up, blanket, my wife hollering at me (with amusement) 'you already finished that! you just started!'
ooga booga. one can always enjoy it again, like music, like spaghetti, cucumbers from the garden, tomatoes...sitting in a tree...snowfall.
onward, ever onward.
November 6, 2015
Dean Koontz has published two short novellas as teasers to his new book, Ashley Bell. Last Light and Final Hour are available only in e-book format and feature the beautiful Makani Hisoka-O'Brien, her surfer buddy Pogo and Bob the dog. Both stories revolve around Makani's ability to read people's deepest, darkest secrets with only a slight touch. She meets an evil villain in each book through her paranormal powers and then is forced to destroy them, or be destroyed. The stories are vintage Koontz thrillers: I will say no more about the plots. I particularly enjoyed these stories as they are set in Newport Beach and the Balboa Peninsula where Koontz lives. No one is better at describing this fairy tale location than he. He paints the picture of beach and sea and the communities that line the shore like no other. In these two stories he also shows that he knows a lot about Hawaii and about surfing. Makani is Hawaiian and grew up on the islands. She now spends her time making custom hot rods (she drives a 54 Chevy) and tooling around Balboa with her black Labrador, Bob. Both Makani and Pogo are master surfers and long, wonderful paragraphs are spent describing the sport and some memorable rides. Koontz tells us that Pogo has a role in Ashley Bell but Makani does not. Both novellas are fast reads and they can be read in any order but I would suggest to start with Last Light. Read them while we wait for Ashley Bell which promises to be another Koontz masterpiece.
September 16, 2015
This book is a short story which has a character that will be featured in his upcoming novel Ashley Bell. In this one, Makani is a surfer and she also has a power that has led her lead a lonely life. Her power is when she touches someone she knows their darkest secret. She meets another surfer who has similar powers and soon we have a conflict between good and evil.
This was a quick, entertaining read and I was immediately absorbed by the material. The antagonist in this short story is one of the scariest that Koontz has ever created. I wish this was a full length novel as I believe the antagonist has enough personality to carry a whole book. This has the hallmarks one is use to when reading a Dean Koontz work. It has the chase between good and evil, the dog presence, and the final battle.
I believe fans of this author will enjoy this novella as one can easily recognize this as a work of Dean Koontz.
This was a quick, entertaining read and I was immediately absorbed by the material. The antagonist in this short story is one of the scariest that Koontz has ever created. I wish this was a full length novel as I believe the antagonist has enough personality to carry a whole book. This has the hallmarks one is use to when reading a Dean Koontz work. It has the chase between good and evil, the dog presence, and the final battle.
I believe fans of this author will enjoy this novella as one can easily recognize this as a work of Dean Koontz.
September 22, 2015
I find it hard to identify with a book's characters when they all resemble Greek gods and goddesses. Once I got past them all being a little too perfect, I was mentally screaming when Makani decided to flee in her car after the first round. C'mon, after going out of the way to show that you had been preparing for contingencies and that you're good under pressure, you really need to show that you aren't stupid at the very first opportunity.
The general idea was a decent one, but perhaps a longer story that presented more realistic characters might have done more for me. I'll note that the Mr. Koontz did an excellent job researching the book, however. His mastery of the jargon in a number of different subjects in this story was quite good. If you're looking for a quick read of a thriller, you might enjoy this story - just forgive the characters for their flaws.
The general idea was a decent one, but perhaps a longer story that presented more realistic characters might have done more for me. I'll note that the Mr. Koontz did an excellent job researching the book, however. His mastery of the jargon in a number of different subjects in this story was quite good. If you're looking for a quick read of a thriller, you might enjoy this story - just forgive the characters for their flaws.
November 29, 2015
No sleepless night with this book!
The lack of insomnia was simply because this was a novella. As with any Koontz novel, you are snagged immediately. You hunger for the meat and potatoes of the feast lain out before you but Dean has his own manner of serving his loyal guests. It was thrilling to feel the anticipation rise and within an hour or so, you were well fed and sated to your hearts content. I have an itch now, I need to read some more Dean Koontz but am looking for that book that will make laundry and or dishes wait until I finish the chapter! Well done Dean, you never fail me!
The lack of insomnia was simply because this was a novella. As with any Koontz novel, you are snagged immediately. You hunger for the meat and potatoes of the feast lain out before you but Dean has his own manner of serving his loyal guests. It was thrilling to feel the anticipation rise and within an hour or so, you were well fed and sated to your hearts content. I have an itch now, I need to read some more Dean Koontz but am looking for that book that will make laundry and or dishes wait until I finish the chapter! Well done Dean, you never fail me!
May 26, 2016
I often read about stories being 'predictable', but I never know what to expect from Dean Koontz. He is an incredibly talented writer and his stories are always a little paranormal (sometimes more than a little.)
The characters are what make this book. Surfer girl Makani Hisoka-O'brien who owns a hot rod store, and cute surfer dude Pogo, plus Makani's black lab, Bob.
Makani's special power is that if she touches someone she can read their bad thoughts. When she touches handsome stranger Rainer Sparks, she discovers he has the same power plus one extra thing, and she 'sees' that he is planning to murder her.
A fun, if a little dark, read.
The characters are what make this book. Surfer girl Makani Hisoka-O'brien who owns a hot rod store, and cute surfer dude Pogo, plus Makani's black lab, Bob.
Makani's special power is that if she touches someone she can read their bad thoughts. When she touches handsome stranger Rainer Sparks, she discovers he has the same power plus one extra thing, and she 'sees' that he is planning to murder her.
A fun, if a little dark, read.
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