Tag Archives: thriller

Seize the Night by Dean Koontz

Seize the Night by Dean Koontz: This is the second Chris Snow book, after Fear Nothing, and the character has finally found his own voice. One of my complaints in the previous novel was Chris’s lack of a personality: he acted differently depending on who he was talking to. This time, however, he’s far more consistent, as are the other characters. Unfortunately, the plot surrounding him is far weaker. Koontz can’t decide what to use as the Big Bad, so he throws in a little bit of everything: sociopathic serial killer, genetic engineering, time travel, evil government/military types, etc. It gets a little silly after a while. Chris’s XP (a genetic disorder which means he can’t handle UV light) is almost forgotten for most of the story, which is a little strange considering how many times there are talks about fluorescent lights blinking on and, more importantly, the infrared goggles. Perhaps Koontz doesn’t know this, but IR goggles require a digital screen, meaning that Chris basically put a small computer monitor against his eyeballs which are supposedly so sensitive he can’t sit too close to a television. But oh well, that’s certainly the least of the inconsistencies in these books. Chris Snow is a great character, as are his buddies (Sasha, Bobby, Roosevelt, Doogie, Orson); I just wish they’d been given a better plot to play in.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Fear Nothing by Dean Koontz

Fear Nothing by Dean Koontz: Chris Snow has a genetic disorder which causes UV light to inflict permanent and cumulative damage. Thus his life is necessarily lived between dusk and dawn. Soon after his father dies from cancer, Chris starts running into a bunch of weirdness and people not telling him things. There’s a lot of vague talk of the end of the world, of people “becoming,” and not a whole lot of straight answers. Chris spends his time running from suspicious-acting friend to suspicious-acting friend to find out The Truth. I remember really liking this book when I first read it a few years ago, but this time I felt more lukewarm. Chris didn’t have a whole lot of personality, flipping from surf bum to intellectual to philosopher, depending on who he was talking to. This would be a good book for someone new to bio-thrillers. As for me, well, it was a decent way to spend the commute, but I won’t be reading it again.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Brother Odd by Dean Koontz

Brother Odd by Dean Koontz: The third of the books about Odd Thomas, a man who sees the lingering dead, witnesses demon-like creatures that thrive on violence, and can find anyone via “psychic magnetism.” Here, Odd is on sabbatical at a local monastery, figuring there shouldn’t be much death or violence in the area. Of course he’s wrong, or we wouldn’t have a story. But he’s wrong in a terribly contrived and unconvincing way. I guess I probably should have stuck with the first book and not bothered with the others, but Koontz does occasionally churn out a real gem (like, for instance, the first Odd Thomas book) and hope springs eternal. But the characters were flimsy, not to mention the preachy theology mixed with the obnoxiously earnest pseudoscience really got on my nerves. The whole thing felt really forced.

I know I shouldn’t get irritated with an author for using quack science to further the plot of a novel that already starts with a pretty outrageous premise, but it still annoys me because so many people think it’s true. Say it with me now: human will does not alter reality, even on a subatomic scale. Sure, it makes for an easy out in fiction, but I’d much rather people gave it up entirely.

All in all, I think I’ll skip any further Odd Thomas books, as there are sure to be more, unless someone recommends it highly. I’m tired of being disappointed.

Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon: The gorgeous governess Lucy marries the much older and wealthier Sir Michael Audley, much to the dismay of his daughter Alicia. Michael’s nephew Robert visits with his recently widowed friend George Talboys, who then mysteriously disappears. I was a little disappointed when I figured out the titular secret in the second chapter, but as I read on I discovered that solving that mystery is not the point of the book. This story is not a whodunit so much as it about the battle of wits between Robert and Lucy, all carefully kept within the bounds of Victorian propriety.

I am usually wary of so-called “classics”, after so many bleary-eyed attempts in school to discover the symbolism and hidden truths lurking somewhere between the lines, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover Braddon was a writer of thrillers for the general public. The footnotes in this particular edition were especially helpful given the large number of pop culture references. These take away from any timelessness this story might have had, but it was still fun to watch Robert connecting the dots and building up evidence.

Robert is an intriguing character as he makes the slow transformation from lazy trust fund kid to passionate mystery solver. Alicia is delightfully obnoxious as well. The ending did not impress me much – it felt too neat, especially the final word on George Talboys’s disappearance – but after hundreds of pages of build-up I suppose there wasn’t much else to be done. It felt almost as if Braddon had written herself into a corner. All the same, it was a pleasant way to pass the time, if not a terribly memorable story.

Also posted on Blog a Penguin Classic and BookCrossing.

From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz

From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz: First and foremost, this was a refreshing change from your Standard Koontz Novel (that is, one long chase scene as the main character desperately tries to figure out what’s going on). The story revolves around three groups of people: Agnes, her amazing son Barty, and her two eccentric brothers; Celestina and the charming child Angel; and the psychotic Junior and his pursuer, Detective Vinadium. The connection between all the characters is not clear at first, but everything does get tied up in the end. Some of the pseudoscience was a touch painful, and the last couple chapters felt really rushed and more than a little bit contrived, but all in all I liked it. The characters were delightful. It’s these sorts of books that keep me coming back to Koontz time after time. I just wish he was a bit more consistent in quality.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

A Calculated Risk by Katherine Neville

A Calculated Risk by Katherine Neville: This is my third Neville book (of three, as far as I can tell) and I think it’s probably my second favorite (with The Eight being the clear winner). All of these books have followed strong, intelligent women dealing with high-risk situations. There is also another plot, which takes place hundreds of years earlier, that somehow relates to the modern storyline. In this case, we have Verity Banks, a vice president of Bank of the World (Neville worked for Bank of America; perhaps there is a parallel here?), continually fighting with her chauvenistic management who dismiss her suggestions unless they can somehow claim them as their own. Fed up, she decides to demonstrate how faulty their computer security is by temporarily stealing money herself. Enter Zolan Tor, Banks’s brilliant former mentor, who decides that he wants to play too, and can do it better. So they make a bet. The historical side story is about the Rothschild family some 200 years ago, who apparently have a lot to do with why banking is the way it is. I couldn’t quiet follow it, and I don’t think it added anything to the story. The modern thread, on the other hand, was a real page-turner. I just couldn’t put it down. Banks and Tor had a wonderful chemistry, and the other characters were a blast. My favorite was Lelia, the French Russian dame who spoke no language well and thus several broken languages at once. I would certainly recommend this one if you’re looking for a fun thriller, but if you only read one Neville book, I’d still have to steer you towards The Eight.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Ticktock by Dean Koontz

Your typical Dean Koontz story: Ordinary Man finds ordinary life turned upside down out of nowhere by Pure Evil, in an event that is usually inexplicable and/or random. Most of book involves Ordinary Man being chased by Pure Evil. Along the way he finds or confirms his True Love. In the end, Pure Evil is destroyed, Ordinary Man is (re)united with his True Love, and everything ends happily.

In Ticktock, Vietnamese-American Tommy Phan discovers a strange ragdoll on his doorstep which turns into a demon trying to kill him. Most of the book is spent on Tommy and his newfound love Del fleeing from said demon. Del is extremely mysterious in what I suppose was meant to be an amusing way, but I thought she was really obnoxious, and I couldn’t figure out what Tommy saw in her. On the other hand, I loved Tommy’s mother.

Yes, the story is a tad silly (Del’s secrets, when finally revealed, are even sillier), but it’s Koontz. If you like Koontz, you’ll like this one. It’s a fun, light read.

The Echelon Vendetta by David Stone

The Echelon Vendetta by David Stone: Most books I get free off the internet are worth about what I paid for them, so my expectations were not high coming into this. I expected it to be another generic thriller, just something to pass the time. I was pleasantly mistaken. I liked the characters, no matter how despicable. The scenery was described in wonderful detail without getting long-winded, and the action was well paced. I think my favorite part was the snarky ghost (or maybe he was just a hallucination) who haunted the main character as he attempted to solve the ghost’s murder. There was a good balance between humor and drama. I read in a review somewhere to remember David Stone’s name because he will be known for excellent thrillers. If this book is any indication of his future work, I think that’s a definite possibility.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Good Guy by Dean Koontz

The Good Guy by Dean Koontz: It’s a good thing I don’t expect more from Koontz than one long chase scene with all the loose ends rather sloppily tied up at the end. It’s not all bad, of course. The dialogue had some funny bits and the miscommunication that starts off the book was cleverly done. Unfortunately, the villain wasn’t especially convincing and the ending seemed thrown together at the last minute. In short, this was a nice diversion while recovering from surgery but I’m glad I didn’t spend any money on it.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Husband by Dean Koontz

The Husband by Dean Koontz: I have remarkably little to say about this one. As it says on the cover, this is about a gardener who gets a phonecall from his wife’s kidnappers, demanding two million dollars in sixty hours. It’s got a lot of good suspense, though the ending is so tidy as to be unbelievable. I like Koontz, but I’m glad I only paid a dollar for this one.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

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