Product Description

The latest Odd Thomas thriller from the international bestselling author Dean Koontz. A mystery in Magic Beach, California has lured Odd to the small town by the ocean -- but is it the call of the deep or the cry of the desperate? Odd Thomas knows more about the mysteries of the universe than the rest of us. He can see the lingering dead. He has learned that there are no coincidences. Even in chaos, there is order, purpose, and strange meaning. Intuition has brought Odd Thomas to the quaint town of Magic Beach on the California coast. In his desert home, Odd once found an ocean filled with love, and lost it. Now, scarred and alone, the only magic he finds by the vast, indifferent Pacific is in the name of the town where he has come to rest. As he waits to learn why he has been drawn to Magic Beach, he has found work as cook and assistant to a once-famous film actor who, at eighty, has become an eccentric with as long a list of fears as he has stories about Hollywood's golden days. Odd is having dreams of a red tide, vague but worrisome. But nothing prepares him for the hard truth of what he will discover. For in Magic Beach, he will come face to face with a form of evil that will test him as never before. Odd Hours is a brilliantly observed chronicle of good and evil in our time, of illusion and everlasting truth. Pick up a Dean Koontz thriller and you can't put it down: try one

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #131066 in Books
• Published on: 2008-07-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 368 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
There are many reasons why Dean Koontz has managed to remain at the top of the authorial tree for so long (and his sales are the envy of many of his contemporaries). Firstly, of his course, there's his totally assured storytelling skill (something that seemed to arrive fully formed even in his earliest books); his command of a variety of popular genres, from horror to the blockbuster crime novel; and his skill at creating distinctive characters. But -- most of all – it's Koontz's direct contact with his readership - a talent he has few rivals at -- that has assured his popularity.

The Odd Thomas sequence has been one of Dean Koontz's most successful series, with its supernaturally gifted protagonist a strong creation. In Odd Hours, Odd finds himself in Magic Beach, California, an oceanside town. His ability to communicate with the dead is both a blessing and a curse -- and his life is currently in a state of crisis, as he tries to find spiritual peace. He is working as domestic assistant to an elderly film actor -- and part of his job is to listen to lengthy stories of the star's golden past. But Odd is experiencing worrying dreams of a red tide -- and his instincts tell him that something evil is on his horizon. He is not prepared, however, for the magnitude of what he will have to confront.

Koontz admirers will know what to expect here: unsettling, atmospheric prose that exerts a steadily growing grip. Some may be uncomfortable with Koontz taking on the threat of terrorism (is this really his territory?), but aficionados know that he won't let them down. And Odd Hours -- discursive though it is -- is still one for Koontz admirers. --Barry Forshaw

Review
Praise for Dean Koontz: 'Odd Thomas is certainly a page-turner -- this is a read-at-a-sitting novel -- with a terrific final twist' Observer 'A terrific pursuit story ! clever, up-to-the-minute, and riveting' Guardian 'There's surprise after surprise, including a killer finale ! a read-in-one-go novel' Independent on Sunday 'Velocity hits its pace from the first page and races through to a suitably climactic ending' Sydney Sunday Telegraph 'Dean Koontz is not just a master of our darkest dreams, but also a literary juggler' The Times 'Psychologically complex, masterly and satisfying ' The New York Times 'One of the great masters of suspense, Koontz has an undeniable gift for playing on the reader's innermost fears ... What we have come to expect from Koontz are exciting, fast-paced thrillers that make your flesh creep. Once again, he doesn't disappoint' Northern Echo 'A modern Swift ! a master satirist.' Entertainment Weekly 'If Stephen King is the Rolling Stones of novels, Koontz is the Beatles.' Playboy 'Dean Koontz writes page-turners, middle-of-the-night sneak-up-behind-you suspense thrillers. He touches our hearts and tingles our spines.' Washington Post Book World 'Tumbling, hallucinogenic prose. Serious writers might do well to study his technique.' New York Times Book Review 'Fast-paced and dark ! Koontz knows we live in a world where evil delights in justifying itself ! Classic literature that deserves a place on the bookshelf beside Orwell's 1984 and Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.' California Literary Review 'Koontz is writing right where popular culture swells into something larger, just as it did for Homer, Shakespeare, and Dickens. He's got the gift.' Australian 'Koontz is a superb plotter and wordsmith. He chronicles the hopes and fears of our time in broad strokes and fine detail, using popular fiction to explore the human condition.' USA Today 'Inspires both chills and serious thought ! has the power to scare the daylights out of us.' People 'The poet laureate of paranoid pop fiction.' Denver Post 'Koontz achieves a literary miracle ! stunning physical description, unique turns of phrase.' Boston Globe 'Near Dickensian powers of description.' Los Angeles Times

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, their dog Anna, and the enduring spirit of their dog Trixie in southern California.

Customer Reviews

Be Odd for a day!
I loved this book, which has reached the heights of "Odd Thomas" in a way that that the second and third books in the series, although enjoyable, did not quite manage. Again we have a conflict between the humble and wryly self-deprecating goodness of Odd's character and enemies which personify arrogant evil. Odd's character has become more mature and willing to accept the need for desperate measures; his new enemies have reached a new level of depravity that, while it beggars belief in its detail, may be taken to represent the greatest evils that exist on this planet in their abuse of trust and power and their utter lack of conscience.

I felt entirely immersed in the storyline, despite reading this over more than a week. The atmosphere and the descriptions of the many scenes with varied and rich atmosphere are in some way more important than the almost cartoon-like, but satisfyingly crisp action. The more minor characters including Hutch and Birdie, not to mention Sinatra's ghost, provide some wry smiles. The villains never cause any confused feelings by exposing a vestige of humanity. If you require sympathetic villains, don't buy this book!

The role of the intriguing character of Annamaria was one of the strong points of this book, and a factor which gave it form and a satisfying framework. As in previous Odd Thomas books, some things are not entirely explained, but enough is made clear to reveal the bigger picture.

This is a book I was sorry to have to come to the end of, and felt my life had been a little enriched by having read.

Disappointing
I am a long time fan of Dean Koontz and particularly enjoyed a lot of his earlier books. In more recent years, although I have tended to get his books as soon as they are issued, I have been very disappointed. This is no exception. I believe great things could be done with the character of Odd (or should that be with the Odd Character?) but in this book he just rambles and ambles through a story which did not make a lot of sense throughout. It may be that Mr Koontz was using the book as his "rant" at terrorism or as the latest in his love for dogs slant, but I feel he has lost his way.
I suppose I will continue to read him in the hope that he finds his way back to writing books like Lightning, Sole Survivor, Intensity and others.

A bump in the road.....
This is the forth Odd Thomas novel. I really enjoyed 'Odd Thomas', less enjoyed 'Forever Odd' and really enjoyed 'Brother Odd'. I thought that perhaps Dean Koontz could build upon the success of the previous Odd book but alas I am somewhat disappointed. In 'Brother Odd, the protagonist really grew in character and the story was very well put together. Unfortunately for 'Odd Hours' we have the same Odd Thomas and none of the original characters from the previous books.

The story is exciting in parts and you really want to keep reading on to see what Odd gets himself into next. However the story plays out like one used in several action movie plots. An action hero has to stop nuclear weapons going off and save humanity. That's it. There is nothing new here that hasn't been done before and a lot of the enchantment of the previous books has all but gone. We no longer have the ghastly presence of Bodachs, we have the one-dimensional bad guys and a new character called Annamaria who is as interesting as a pair of underpants.

I am disappointed Mr. Koontz. I will of course continue to read your books because I enjoy the writing. But please put Odd Thomas to rest. Give us one more adventure in Pico Mundo where Odd and the rest of us can rest in peace!