If you read my last couple of Koontz reviews you’ll know I was pretty disappointed with The husband, but felt some of the spark returning when I read The Good Guy. So it was that I bought Darkest Evening of the Year on release date, and despite a busy schedule made the time to read the first few chapters, feeling strangely that this book was going to pack the punch that had been lacking in Koont’z previous two offerings.
I’m happy to say I was not wrong! The Darkest Evening of the Year sees Dean Koontz back on form as far as I am concerned, with a spooky and mysterious novel that I was happy to lose myself in over a few nights (I used to read such books over 1 or 2 sittings, but circumstances are different at the moment!). In any case, I was hooked on the plotline, and was pulled forward into the narrative, wanting to know what happened next, and somewhat seduced by Koontz’s sharp, crystal-crafted prose (whatever criticisms are levelled at Koontz, his descriptive powers are second to none)
So, what is the story about? Central character, with a mysterious past, Amy Redwing, dedicates her life to saving endangered Golden Retrievers, and has founded an organisation for just this purpose. Even among dog lovers, she’s a legend for the risks she’ll take to save an animal. One night she ends up at a home where an abusive drunk is doing his thing with wife and daughter, and offers him a large sum for the dog, as the wife and kid are getting out of there – in fact Amy puts herself at considerable risk, but there appears to be an immediate and uncanny bond between this new dog, Christened Nickie, and Amy.
But these happy dog rescuing events are thrown into doubt by some sinister and eerie incidents. An ominous stranger is following Amy, and her home is invaded and robbed of certain items – it appears Amy’s mysterious past may be catching up with her, and her boyfriend Brian has secrets of his own too. As the story progresses, the mystery unravels chapter by chapter, and it was this rush of wanting me to find out what was behind it all that kept me turning the pages.
This novel has a lot of stuff going on, twisted plotlines, shocking events – random murder, sexual perversion, child torture and infanticide; but somehow the characters of Amy and Nickie the Goldren retriever offer some kind of redemption. I will not be forgetting the supremely evil but beautiful Moon Girl in a hurry, one of the baddest girls I’ve come across in a book for a while, and the cold and merciless Harrow also makes the blood run cold. There’s also a strange hybrid character in the form of Billy Pilgrim, who despite being a cold blooded cyncial killer, also appears eminently likeable in a lot of ways, and I love one bit where Koontz, highly aware of plenty of recent criticism on the boards and book reviews sites, muses through the character on some of the benefits of not having become a writer, which was the killer’s initial ambition 
The novel does suffer slightly, I feel from an ending that seems rather rushed, and the introduction of deus ex machina may detract from its success to an extent (then again it is nice to see the supernatural element return to Koontz, where it belongs) but like they say, it’s the journey, not the destination that matters, and Dean Koontz’s The Darkest Evening of the Year took me on a narrative ride that I haven’t enjoyed so much in ages.
Just one word of warning, if you don’t like dogs, and have a gripe against dog lovers, this may not quite be the book for you!
I look forward to the next in the Odd Thomas Series, Odd Hours, to be released this summer!
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If you read my review of Dean Koontz’s The Husband, you’ll know I was pretty disappointed with that offering in the canon of Koontz latest works. Nevertheless, I still felt a frisson of excitement when I picked up the latest Koontz books (I will be reviewing the Darkest Evening of the Year no sooner than I have read it!) and settled down the read The Good Guy with a mixture of hope, trepidation and anticipation!
I am glad to say that The Good Guy by Dean Koontz is a far superior offering to The Husband, although I will stop short of saying that it’s Koontz back to his imimitable best (the guy has written some 90 novels, so he can perhaps be forgiven if they are not all up to magnum opus standards!). In any case, this was a book I really did enjoy reading, and if it doesn’t go back to Koontz’s creepy suspense roots entirely, it is steered in that direction by a pretty nasty and creepy antagonist in the form of killer for hire Krait.
The premise of the novel is a simple enough one of mistaken identity. Tim Carrier, a simple enough on the surface stone mason, is enjoying a quiet beer after work, when a stranger enters the bar and mistakes him for a killer for hire, giving him an envelope stuffed with cash and a photo of the victim, a woman named Linda Paquette. Perturbed, Tim tries to abort this mission by waiting for the real hitman to show up, and telling him the deal’s off – which buys him some time to get to the intended victim, and warn her. What ensues is a thrilling cat and mouse chase, with the dangerous and crazy contract killer determined not only to kill Linda and Tim, and end their blossoming relationship, but also to make them suffer.
I did enjoy reading The Good Guy (which seems to be a new Koontz sub genre, the good, quiet man with a simple life but a secretly exciting or dangerous past) and the prose was a pleasure to sit through, clean and crisp. The characters were interesting and not too simple, and Krait, the cold blooded, creepy, insanely civilised and yet death hungry killer, was a dark joy to experience. If you can forgive one or two substantial holes and some slightly frayed loose ends (one wonders how these get past the publishers’ editors, as they are spotted right away by amazon reviewers and everybody who reads the books), then this is a good old cat and mouse chase type thriller that will occupy a good chunk of your reading time
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Michael Palmer’s Miracle Cure is just one of several Michael Palmer books I’ve read lately, so I have a stack of reviews to add to this blog! This medical thriller is among the best Palmer books I have read so far, although they are all fantastic, and I eagerly await a few spare hours to read the latest releases!
The story of Miracle Cure is told, in third person narrative, largely from the point of view of its central character, Dr Brain Holbrook, a cardiologist who is on his way back from alcholism and addiction to prescription painkillers. Given a second chance, Holbrook starts work at Boston’s most prestigious heart unit – rapidly gaining even more Kudos for its involvement in drug testing for the new cardiovascular miracle cure, Vasclear, a substance the reportedly reverses arterial plaque and virtually eliminates heart attack risk within weeks. Holbrook is especially keen since his father has already had one bypass operation, and is deteriorating.
Holbrook is not in a position to risk his new job, afterall, it may be his one and only chance to still be a doctor. But he cannot help but notice when Vasclear patients begin to die – and not always from natural causes. Holbrook appears to be on to something sinister, and his suspicions are confirmed when first come the warnings, and then the threats, leading him to discover the sinister truth behind Vasclear…
I really enjoyed escaping into this long novel, and spent a couple of pleasant afternoons sunk into the story. Holbrook is a very believable character, certainly not two dimensional like many fictional character, with his own problems and foibles. The story is at times tragic, but always exciting, with plenty of twists and turns to keep even the most seasoned thriller reader guessing!
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Peace, quiet, calm – it’s a commodity in this tumultuous, stressful world that seems ever harder to come by! Looking for it “out there” seems ultimately mistaken, so when I saw this Glenn Harrold self hypnosis Audio book, entitled, “Creating Inner Peace and Calm”, I knew I had to give it a go, as I have bought a number of other Glenn Harrold recordings in the past and have been very impressed with the results! So I now play this hypnosis recording regularly with a view to getting close to the peace that can be found within!
The CD is split into around 59 minutes, with two separate hypnotic tracks of approximately equal length, although one is slightly longer than the other. Both tracks make use of background music and subliminal effects, but the music is never obtrusive or the kind that is “relaxing” in an forceful kind of way, but rather integrated into the words and narrative that Harrold skilfully delivers. I find it very useful to play it at night, but sometimes if I can find half an hour during the day, it really does give me an oasis of calm which gives me lingering effects for some time – although as with most things, the strength of the effects will vary from person to person.
Harrold’s voice takes you through a hypnotic journey, beginning with some breathing exercises that gently relax the body, and then you are taken deeper and deeper inside so that the hypnotic suggestion can work on your mind in a very relaxed state (indeed all hypnosis really is, is a very relaxed, focused state which enables things to get through to your subconscious workings better). I had been very anxious lately due to family bereavement and illness, but found I managed to relax to this recording, and felt very positive when Glenn Harrold brought me back up – although the effects have now worn off somewhat, these CD’s are best used regularly to give the subliminal messages a chance to sink in and do their work at an unconscious level – so as soon as I have finished this article, I am going to lie down and play the first session again!
You may also be interested to read my review of his Motivation hypnosis CD as well
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