Product Description

Ben Chase is a war hero with bitter memories. Vietnam left him with a hard drinking habit, a mental breakdown – and massive guilt.

So who will believe him when he swears a psychopath is out to get him? When society is sick, the mad are sane – and persecution is a killer’s game…

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #149193 in Books
• Published on: 1990-05-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
Dean Koontz was born into a very poor family and learned early on to escape into fiction. His novels have sold over 200 million copies worldwide and more than thirty have appeared on national and international bestseller lists. He lives in southern California with his wife, Gerda and a vivid imagination.

Customer Reviews

Early Koontz. Good, but there was something missing.
Originally published under the pseudonym K R Dwyer, this is Koontz's reworked version of one of his early works.

Chase, a straight psychological suspense novel, tells the story of Vietnam veteran Ben Chase a reluctant war hero who would rather drown his memories with alcohol than be in the spotlight. But when he witnesses a murder and saves an intended victim, he finds himself in the spotlight once more but this time the murderer is after him too.

This short novel is a quick, gripping read with an intriguing protagonist but when I read is I couldn't help feeling that there was something missing. Compared to many other novels this is a great read but it's not as good as Koontz more recent work. Nevertheless, this is worth a read if only to see how Koontz's style has developed.

Efficient, suspenseful page turner. If a little strange at times.
Dean Koontz is a prolific writer of thriller novels having written over 50 novels in the past 35 years under various names. Up until "Chase", I had never read any of his work, so I thought I'd start with his earliest stuff with the intention of reading all of his Headline published releases. "Chase" was originally released under the K W Dwyer name, written in the early 70s, but not released until the mid 80s.
Ben Chase is a war hero that is haunted by his horrifying experience in Vietnam. The guilt that he feels affects his everyday life and he has become reliant upon alcohol to simply get by. His existence is a cheerless routine that will lead to an inevitably sad and lonely end. Yet after witnessing a murder and saving the life of a would-be victim, Ben becomes the serial killers next intended kill. Or is he just imagining this plot due to his unstable condition? What follows is a thriller in the most literal sense and one which involves action, clues, sex and suspense.
I ripped through this book in 2 days, mainly due to its relatively short length (240 pages), but also due to the fact I couldn't put it down. It gets straight into the action from the first paragraph and really doesn't muck around with heavy descriptions or background information. Koontz tells this story very efficiently and the reader can't help but be pulled in, never hesitating to turn the page to find out what happens next. But this is by no means a perfect novel. Koontz was only 25 when he wrote it and although the book is thoroughly gripping, the characters and the action seem somewhat amateurish at times. It's hard to be concerned for Ben when the serial killer that's after him is hopeless at what he does. Instead of the usual chilling, professional hitman from other stories, we have a bumbling, inaccurate, motiveless loser that is much less a killer than our hero. Also, gorgeous sexpot Glenda's understanding reaction to Ben's completely insane (not to mention impotent) first date antics is a little far-fetched. I can't help but get the feeling that Koontz was going through a bit of a hormonal period himself when he wrote this as there are some rather off-putting and seemingly unnecessary sexually charged thought processes throughout. But there is simply not enough time to ponder these anomalies in what is a very enjoyable, based on infinite clichés, yet somehow original and enjoyable story. I'm looking forward to reading his next books.

Koontz's Earliest In-Print Novel
212 pages (includes 2 page 1995 author's note forward). Originally penned under the name of K. R. DWYER in 1972, revised in 1995.

It is the early 70's and Ben Chase has survived Vietnam. However, the horrors of war still haunt him. He has nightmares about the enemy, some female, which he had no choice but to kill during the war.

His life back home consists of eating little and drinking a lot. He can't sleep - instead he read books and watches old movies on TV until a restless sleep eventually comes.

Things get worse when he is honoured by his hometown for bravery during the war. Chase can't understand why this should happen. Why should someone who had killed woman be honoured? He reluctantly accepts the honour along with a brand new sports car.

While driving the sports car for the first time things get even worse. He is sitting in a local secluded area frequented by lovers in their cars. He sees a shadowy figure slowly moving towards a car. His soldier senses kick in, he follows the figure but he is too late. The figure strikes, murdering a teenage boy in a car but Chase does enough to save his girlfriend from a similar fate.

Once again Chase is a hero. But Chase is now a victim. That murderer, known as "The Judge", has decided that Chase should be investigated to see if he is worthy of living or dying. After investigation, The Judge decides that Chase is not worth and should be his next victim. It's a race against time - Chase has to find the identity of The Judge before he becomes a victim of his murderous intentions.

The first half of this book really had me gripped. Chase is a brilliant character. You really feel empathy for him and hope that he manages to get out of his downward spiral of self-loathing. The introduction of The Judge ups the pace and the suspense of the book.

The only criticism I have of the book is the introduction of the "love interest" character Glenda. Glenda, like Chase, is a typical Koontz character - a good but scarred person. Chase and Glenda instantly become soul mates. Chase has his Vietnam problems and Glenda is a survivor of sexual abuse from her father. The speed in which their relationship develops is a bit hard to believe. And Glenda is nowhere near as well a developed character as Chase. However, this is a minor quibble but is one of the reasons preventing the book from getting a perfect 10/10 rating.

Considering it's the earliest in print Koontz book it makes remarkably good reading. Sure, Glenda could have been better developed and perhaps the The Judge could have been explored further. However, there is something to be said for just over 200 pages of page-turning excitement. This is a book that could easily be read in one sitting.

As with the 1973 follow-up "Shattered", Koontz sets the book perfectly in early 70's America. You get a feel for the Vietnam years from the point of view of a surviving soldier and the ignorance of Middle America. It's most definitely a book of that time but it hasn't aged badly and actually enhances the story.

As with "Shattered", this is not a complex novel. 212 pages are all you get but the story does grip and Chase is one of the more interesting characters of that era in Koontz's writing.

8/10