Wow! This book held my attention from the first
page and wouldn’t let go until I’d finished. Only the necessities of daily life
intruded to make me read it in instalments.
Exciting, moving, sensitive, sometimes violent,
thought-provoking and carrying a love story that explains the amazing action of
the main protagonists, this is a thriller with heart. I generally don’t much
like thrillers; they often lack character development and rely too much on
action. This is an exception. Mind you, having read previous books by Koontz, I
was unsurprised at the depth of character in all the players in this tale of
murder, conspiracy and action. The political manipulation, the suggestion of
some controlling force beyond the obvious, the arrogance of the chief antagonist
and the quiet confidence and credible fear of the two major protagonists gifts
the story with more depth than is usual in the genre.
I’m not going to attempt to synopsise the plot; it
would be a pointless exercise and would provide a less than adequate
explanation of the story. Suffice it to say that we are in contemporary USA, with
all the bluster, hype, overblown confidence and mad over-consumption familiar
to those of us in the West but not of the States.
Of course, there’s action that borders on the
incredible; this is a thriller. But Koontz has a way of persuading the reader
to extend his suspension of disbelief just enough to go with the tale. Because
the book is so well written, the language so apposite yet poetic, the
characters so beautifully drawn, the reader is willing to accept certain
aspects of the story that would become a hindrance in the hands of an inferior writer.
As the tale comes to its climax and the denouement
builds, the tension is so palpable that the reader speeds through the pages,
hoping for an ending that will satisfy all aspects of the story without leaving
a taste of either sourness or disappointment. That the final pages tie up the
necessary loose ends and manage to leave the reader satisfied, is testament to
the craftsmanship and skill of this excellent storyteller.
If you like your action books with emotional
punch, suitable humour, larger than life but credible heroes and heroines, and respect
for the reader’s intellect, you’ll enjoy this book. Thoroughly recommended.
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