Wednesday, December 1, 2010

"What the Night Knows" by Dean Koontz

Dean Koontz has been my favorite author since I first picked up a copy of “The Bad Place” back in 1990. I liked it so well that I subsequently purchased nearly every book he has ever published. When I was selected to be an early reviewer for “What the Night Knows”, I was beside myself with joy and anticipation. Let me just say, the book did NOT disappoint.

Two decades ago as a young boy, John Calvino snuck back into his house only to discover his parents had been brutally murdered. When he hears the strange sound of bells ringing in his sisters’ room, he locates a gun and investigates to find the sinister, hulking, misshapen form of Alton Turner Blackwood standing over his dead sister, his other sister already viciously and violently killed as well. After taunting John and issuing a promise to revisit the atrocities on his future family, Blackwood turns and John shoots him and empties the ammunition into the killer’s face.

Later, John learns that his family was the last of four families that Blackwood intended to kill, 33 days apart. Now a homicide detective, John Calvino learns that impossibly, the murders are somehow happening all over again. With his own family to protect, John has to figure out a way to stop the cycle from repeating and deal with Alton Turner Blackwood once and for all.

“What the Night Knows” is a suspenseful, riveting, pulse-pounding, spine-tingling, creepy, supernatural thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat and checking your closets, mirrors and crawlspaces for things that literally go bump in the night. Never before has Koontz dealt so well with the topic of ghosts, malevolent spirits and demons. This is definitely one of his best works to date and is a must-read, especially if you are looking for a gripping page-turner!

Cheers!
~ Peter West

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