Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18489 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

The Times
`Dean Koontz is not just a master of our darkest dreams, but also a literary juggler'

Synopsis
A fast-paced and emotionally devastating suspense novel from the bestselling author of Velocity and The Husband. Amy Redwing risks everything in her chosen field of dog rescue. She's as reckless as if she plans on living the life-span of a dog herself. When she confronts a violent drunk in order to rescue Nickie, a beautiful golden retriever, Amy has no misgivings. Dogs always do their best, and so will she. Whatever it takes. Riding shotgun nervously is her friend and lover, Brian, an architect who would marry her if only she were not so committed to these crazy ! heroics! He blames her work for her refusal to marry him. But everything is due to change in the Redwing household. Someone is trying to destroy Amy. Subtle intrusions escalate into terrifying assaults on everything she holds dear. Amy believes her attacker is Wes Greeley, just released after an eighteen-month stretch, thanks to Amy's testimony, for egregious animal cruelty. But if Greeley is the culprit, it's clear he's not working alone. At last Amy understands her need of Brian, and a lot more from her troubled past that has been hidden by her passion.Unable to turn to any authority, Amy and Brian are pressed to the edge of a precipice as Koontz's most emotionally devastating thriller races with inexorable speed to a wrenching climax.

About the Author
Dean Koontz is an international household name whose hugely entertaining parables for our times have been bestsellers in many countries, selling seventeen million copies each year. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, he lives with his wife Gerda in southern California.

Customer Reviews

All things Koontz
More a homage to the Golden Retriever than crime novel at times, Darkest Evening follows the story of a couple's lives as they get caught up in a (typically Koontz) cat and mouse game with psychopaths. Revenge is a dish best served cold and Koontz is a master in defrosting it in witty and clever ways. As expected, the narrative is sharp, engaging and the plot moves swiftly with the requisite twists. It is quite clear that this is tale told from the heart and it's full of old Koontz, reblended in to a new novel, with added self-referential satire about crime novels and Koontz's use of metaphors. There is a faint, almost whimsical supernatural undertone to the novel, and I question whether it was required at all, although Koontz calls the shots, not us. Overall, a solid Koontz novel, with lots of thrills, spills and great narrative; there are far worse ways to kill off a few hours.

Below-Par Koontz
I am huge Koontz fan and normally adore every new novel that he publishes. However, "The Darkest Evening Of The Year" didn't quite hit the mark for me and is my least favourite in recent years. It has many trademark Koontz characters - messed up male and female "goodies", a dog, interesting psychopathic "baddies" etc. The story is fast paced with a few unexpected twists. All sounds good but it didn't quite grab me. There's a child character in the book that is abused by her mother and I found that a little bit had going. I think this abuse aspect put me off the book a bit.

Overall definitely worth tracking down for Koontz fans but not a recommended starting point for those new to his work. Check out something like "Odd Thomas" instead.

6/10.

brilliance
another superb story from Dean Koontz. It is clear that Koontz has a particular respect for women and dogs. He makes his reader care what happens to the characters; everyday people are heroes when put in extraordinary circumstances. The most enjoyable book I have read for quite a while. I can recommend it most heartily