Life Expectancy Summary

Life Expectancy

Published: 2004

Author: Dean Koontz

Genre: Comedy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Literature, Metaphysical, Occult, Psychological, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller, Visionary Fiction

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Life Expectancy

Summary

James Tock was born at Colorado's Snow County Hospital at the same time his grandpa, Josef Tock, a pastry chef, died of a stroke. 

Though incapacitated by a stroke earlier in the week, Josef unexpectedly recovers to give his son Rudy 10 cryptic prophecies, including that his grandchild would be named James—but that everyone will call him Jimmy. Josef also foresees five dreadful days in his grandson's future. Despite his coherent statement, Josef Tock does not recover from this catastrophe and dies immediately before the baby is delivered.

Earlier in the evening, Rudy Tock met a weird man named Konrad Beezo. Beezo is a clown for the same circus that Tock's pass is for, and he is a fitful, nasty, frightening, chain-smoking guy partially dressed as a clown. 

Natalie, a well-known trapeze performer from a decent family, is said to be in labor, and her relatives have nearly shunned her for marrying him. He speaks glowingly about his soon-to-be-born kid, who will be named "Punchinello" and will continue on the family clowning legacy. He uses several colorful epithets to describe his father-in-law.

Tock is overjoyed to be leaving Beezo. However, his mourning over his father's death was brief. Beezo goes wild after learning Natalie died during childbirth, shouting about her family sending assassins to assassinate her and opening fire, killing a doctor and a nurse. 

Tock, in arguably the only heroic moment in his modest baker's life, convinces the furious clown that his foes have fled, temporarily quelling his rage.

On the eve of his fifth and final awful day, Jimmy Tock creates the book, a vague autobiography of personal experience, reminisces, and second- or even third-hand recollections of events, transcribing it from a series of recordings. 

The story is told in a self-deprecating, humorously restrained tone. Certain experiences, however, stand out sharply, most notably blundering into a terrifying, yet almost strange, bank robbery by a trio of plastique-wielding crazed history buff clowns led by none other than Punchinello Beezo — during which Jimmy gradually realizes he's falling for a comely fellow hostage—and a huge gamble of chicken with a severely disturbed predator on an icy road the night his wife Lorrie (on the second predicted date). 

Konrad Beezo is the guy after the Tocks, seeking vengeance for his imprisoned and accidentally-gelded son. Beezo's insatiable yearning for a male Tock kid as his treasure, a new son to nurture in the good clown tradition, frames both this horrible day and the following prophesied day.

The maniac will go to any length to recover what he feels is owed to him, even many facial plastic procedures to assume new identities and evade the authorities. 

Jimmy believes that everyone and everything in the universe is tenuously yet inextricably linked to one another, just as his toes were at birth. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as "six degrees of separation." 

Punchinello, who is presently incarcerated, is urged by Jimmy and Lorrie, who assisted in his conviction and punishment, to donate one of his kidneys to help save Annie Tock, Jimmy, and Lorrie's daughter. 

Punchinello only agrees to the gift in exchange for several favors that are little in contrast to the valuable kidney. 

As the arrangement nears completion, Punchinello requests that Jimmy assassinate Virgilio Vivacemente as a final favor. 

Jimmy learns a lot about himself as the prophecies come true one by one, as do Konrad, Natalie, Punchinello, and Konrad's father-in-law, Virgilio Vivacemente, the pompous, cruel patriarch of the world-famous acrobatic dynasty who throws a long shadow over both the Tocks and the Beezos' lives. 

Some of Jimmy's findings are lovely; others are terrifying; and still, others rattle his quiet, lumbering pastry chef's existence to its core, forcing him to consider the actual meaning of syndactyly—as both a disease and a life philosophy.

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

Ever Read, Highly Recommend, Jimmy Tock, Koontz Books, Page Turner, Prepare To Be Enchanted, Stephen King, Story Line, Terrible Days, Twists And Turns

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The Face Summary

The Face

Published: 2003

Author: Dean Koontz

Genre: Espionage, Fiction, Literature, Psychological, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller

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The Face

Summary

The main premise of the novel follows Ethan Truman, an ex-cop who now works as the head of security for Hollywood's most renowned actor, Channing Manheim, a.k.a. "The Face." 

Ethan is attempting to locate the sender of multiple horrible "messages" received in black boxes. 

Ethan now has six black boxes to decipher the contents of. Ethan ultimately uncovers the conspiracy and rushes to stop the kidnapping of Manheim's son, Aelfric, after hunting down leads and tracing the "ghost" of his dead buddy Duncan "Dunny" Whistler (technically, Dunny is not a ghost, as he came back to life in the morgue).

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Bad Guy, Channing Manheim, Corky Laputa, Corner Of His Eye, Ethan Truman, Head Of Security, Koontz At His Best, Koontz Books, Page Turner, Year Old

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By the Light of the Moon Summary

By the Light of the Moon

Published: 2002

Author: Dean Koontz

Genre: Action, Adventure, Conspiracy, Fiction, Horror, Literature, Mystery, Psychic, Psychological, Suspense, Thriller

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By the Light of the Moon

Summary

Dylan O'Conner, his autistic brother Shepherd, and a comedian called Jillian Jackson's life are permanently changed by an amoral doctor who instigates a new force for good through his wicked activities.

Dylan O'Conner, 20, is traveling with his younger brother Shep. During a visit to an Arizona hotel, he is knocked unconscious and restrained by a doctor, who administers 18 cc's of a golden liquid by syringe using a large-bore hypodermic needle. He warns Dylan that it may have unanticipated consequences.

The doctor ties up Jillian Jackson, a touring comic, and chloroforms her before injecting her with the same medicine.

After escaping their bindings, the two meet just as a huge number of SUVs approach. They had a brief scuffle before fleeing.

They are overtaken with the desire to do the right thing when traveling. Dylan develops psychometric abilities, and Shep demonstrates the capacity to 'fold' from one location to another. They eventually grow to appreciate one other's strengths.

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

Autistic Brother, Away From Heaven, Brother Shep, Corner Of His Eye, Door Away, Jillian Jackson, Koontz Books, Light Of The Moon, Mad Scientist, Main Characters

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One Door Away from Heaven Summary

One Door Away from Heaven

Published: 2001

Author: Dean Koontz

Genre: Action, Adventure, Conspiracy, Fiction, First Contact, Literary, Literature, Mystery, Psychological, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller

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One Door Away from Heaven

Summary

A shape-shifting extraterrestrial, along with others of his kind, has arrived on Earth to save us from ourselves. 

After seeing his whole family slaughtered by wicked aliens focused on stopping him, he embarks on a cross-country quest to save himself. 

He stops in the middle of the night at a farmhouse to "borrow" some cash and supplies and finds a sleeping youngster his age. He is able to "become" Curtis Hammond, the boy's exact replica, using a drop of blood from an old bandage. 

The terrible aliens arrive seconds after he leaves the house and slaughter the family, leaving just the dog alive. Curtis and the dog escape and wind up at the site of an extraterrestrial sighting. 

Castoria and Polluxia Spelkenfelter, twin UFO enthusiasts, know Curtis from news coverage of his murder and resolve to assist him. He eventually confesses his actual nature to them, and they promise to help him finish the assignment he has come to Earth to perform. 

The twins, boy, and dog set off together towards Nun's Lake, Idaho, the next place on the twins' schedule while they determine what to do next.

Michelina (Mickey) Bellsong was just released from jail. She has moved in with her Aunt Geneva to start again, but things aren't going as planned. She is adrift and aimless, simply trying to get through the day. 

A clever but crippled little girl approaches her as she is sunbathing in the backyard. Leilani Klonk has a malformed hand and a misshapen leg that necessitates the use of a brace. She is smarter and more talkative than the usual nine-year-old, and her wit charms Mickey. 

Mickey and Geneva get to know the youngster and discover that her mother is a psychotic drug user and her stepfather is a killer. He murdered her older brother Lukipela, and Leilani is the next victim. 

Leilani feels that no one can assist her since Preston Maddoc is well-regarded in the academic community. Preston and Leilani's mother, Sinsemilla, travel throughout the country hunting for UFOs, and Leilani knows it's just a matter of time until they return to Montana, where Preston murdered her brother Lukipela. 

Mickey and Geneva resolve to find a method to assist Leilani, but Preston discovers this and flees with the family in the middle of the night. 

Mickey realizes that they have vanished and sets out to find them in order to save Leilani. Leilani had said that they are heading to Nun's Lake, Idaho, the location of a rumored close contact, and Mickey rushes to the town in order to discover the girl. 

Mickey comes and proceeds to talk with the man who was "healed" by aliens, only to discover that Leilani's step-father hasn't arrived yet. She searches the home for Preston and follows him to Leilani. 

Preston is alerted to her existence by the cured man, whom he murders. He slips out of the home and approaches Mickey, knocking her out. He drags her into the deceased man's house and binds her up before speeding back to the campsite. 

Curtis meets Leilani at the Nun's Lake campsite and realizes she's in trouble. While Preston is away, he and the twins approach her and persuade her to accompany them. 

Leilani is kidnapped by her stepfather and taken to the home where he has concealed Mickey as they rush for the twins' RV. 

His objective is to have Leilani witness him kill Mickey before torturing and killing her. When he returns home, he sees that Mickey has escaped her chains. He ditches Leilani, takes her brace and begins looking through the maze of old periodicals and newspapers for Mickey. 

Leilani enters the maze in search of a route out, where she and Mickey meet. Preston corners them and sets fire to the newspapers in front of them, intending to listen as they burn to death. 

Curtis and the twins arrive at the residence, helped by a disillusioned ex-PI sent by Aunt Gen. The PI, Noah Farrell, shoots Preston Maddoc as he speeds through the maze looking for Mickey and Leilani. 

Preston staggers away, becoming increasingly dizzy from blood loss and smoke inhalation. Noah and Cass locate Mickey and Leilani, and the four of them look for a way out. 

Curtis appears in his normal form to save them, and they all flee the home. Preston Maddoc is killed after he gets buried behind a mound of flaming rubbish.

Leilani, Mickey, Aunt Gen, and Noah join Cass and Polly in their attempt to assist Curtis in completing the assignment that has been assigned to him.

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

Aunt Geneva, Away From Heaven, Corner Of His Eye, Curtis Hammond, Door Away, False Memory, Koontz Books, Leilani Klonk, Old Yeller, Preston Maddoc

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False Memory Summary

False Memory

Published: 1999

Author: Dean Koontz

Genre: Contemporary, Crime, Fiction, Horror, Literature, Psychological, Romance, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller

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False Memory

Summary

Martie Rhodes assists her friend Susan Jagger, who has agoraphobia, in attending appointments with psychotherapist Dr. Ahriman. Dusty, Martie's spouse, attempts to aid his brother Skeet by giving work in his painting business. 

Skeet, who had previously been in drug recovery, relapses, and attempts suicide by jumping from a roof. Dusty falls from the roof while trying to save Skeet and chooses to return his brother to rehab.

Martie has a puzzling case of autophobia and comes home, only to be terrified by her own mirror. Later, her condition increases, and she quickly develops a fear of sharp items, despite the fact that she is truly scared of the harm she may wreak with them. 

When Dusty leaves Skeet in the recovery facility, he observes a shadow in his brother's room window. Strange phenomena, such as Skeet, Martie's autophobia, and hypnotism, begin to occur for both Dusty and Martie.

The pair finally realizes that they have both been gradually indoctrinated and trained to obey Dr. Ahriman, a sexual psychopath who poisons and indoctrinates his victims before raping or ordering them to commit murders or suicide for his delight. 

After realizing that she had recorded him having sex with her, Dr. Ahriman ordered Susan to commit herself by cutting her wrists. Skeet has also been programmed by the doctor, resulting in his incapacity to fully heal from drug usage and skewed thinking. 

Dr. Ahriman creates control by mentioning a name and then reciting a haiku to patients, almost quickly putting them in a detached state of awareness. He tries to explain this by claiming that by directing specific patients to commit heinous crimes like as mass murders, bombings, and random shootings, he may compel laws to make the world a "better place."

Dr. Ahriman is finally slain by another patient who was terrified of Keanu Reeves' portrayal in The Matrix. Dr. Ahriman, the lady suspects, is one of the Machine operatives attempting to manipulate her. 

Dusty and Martie acquire a sizable sum from Susan's bequest and gradually attempt to rebuild their damaged lives.

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

Best Friend, Fear Nothing, Friend Susan, Main Characters, Manchurian Candidate, Martie And Dusty, Mind Control, Seize The Night, Stephen King, Twists And Turns

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Sole Survivor Summary

Sole Survivor

Published: 1997

Author: Dean Koontz

Genre: Assassination, Fiction, Ghost, Horror, Media Tie-In, Occult, Psychological, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller

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Sole Survivor

Summary

Joe Carpenter is the protagonist of the tale, having lost his wife and two kids in an aircraft disaster the previous year. Joe has never really recovered from their deaths, and on the one-year anniversary, he encounters a strange lady named Rose, who claims to be a survivor of the accident despite the fact that none were recorded. 

Rose says she'll tell Joe the truth, but not yet. Finally admitting that the crash narrative never made sense to him, Joe continues his search for information about what actually happened that night, learning that others may be interested in stopping him even if it meant sacrificing his life.

There have been a great number of suicides among the families of the accident victims, which leads Joe to believe that Rose is somehow convincing them to commit suicide by showing them an image of a cemetery. 

This leads him to a development involving his deceased daughter and a laboratory produced girl, CCY 21–21, with healing skills that resemble his daughter and want to live the life she was unable to enjoy. 

This girl has the ability to heal and provide hope to everybody she comes into contact with. Her sole flaw is that she cannot cure herself if she is injured.

Rose had been protecting this girl until her healing abilities and full potential evolved until Rose was shot by agents aiming to murder her and the kid. 

SSW-89-58, another experiment, has the ability to telepathically perceive and know things by gazing at photos of areas, as well as manipulating the minds of living organisms in that region. 

As it turns out, the plane accident was part of a plot to assassinate Rose since she had smuggled CCY 21–21 out of the complex. SSW-89-58 was obliged to take control of the pilot in order to murder everyone on board.

The plane crashed, but the girl and Rose managed to escape and are now on the run. Joe escapes with Nina and goes underground towards the end of the story (CCY 21-21). Rose was shot and perishes in the last storm.

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Ticktock Summary

Ticktock

Published: July 1996

Author: Dean Koontz

Genre: American, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Literature, Suspense, Thriller

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Ticktock

Summary

Tommy Phan is a popular mystery author and first-generation Vietnamese American in southern California. His ultimate aim is to live the American Dream. 

The plot begins with Tommy purchasing a new Corvette. He disputes with his mother, declining her invitation to supper. In an act of defiance, he consumes two cheeseburgers, something his mother despises. 

There he encounters a gorgeous waitress (whom he will meet later in the story again). During one of these two travels, his radio stops working, and creepy voices can be heard in the static.

When he returns home, he discovers a Rag doll on his front steps, as well as a message written in Vietnamese that he learned as a youngster but has forgotten in his effort to be a genuine American. 

When Tommy takes the doll inside his study, it breaks open to reveal a terrible entity bent on murdering him. 

Tommy's computer screen is left with a message indicating he has till daybreak, but he has no idea what will happen at dawn. 

They go on a race to flee the beast after encountering Del, a lady who appears to talk rather cryptically. She believes him too soon and frequently has conflicting explanations for all of her skills. (At one point, she stole an automobile, claiming she hotwired it one minute and the key was in the ignition the next.)

As their adventure proceeds, the doll appears to expand in size. They go to Tommy's brother, Gi, to try to decipher the note. 

They then proceed to Del's place, where we find she is incredibly wealthy yet still works as a waitress. She also reveals a different side of herself when Tommy asks to view her paintings and threatens to shoot him if he does. Tommy is concerned because her dog appears to be extremely intelligent.

Tommy's Corvette is damaged, two automobiles are stolen, and one enormous boat is trashed on their drive to escape the ever-growing doll. 

They arrive at Del's mother's house, which appears strange. They claim to be able to listen to live radio broadcasts from the past using their radio. Del's mother has an unusual sense of timing when she predicts when the rain will end. 

Gi calls and warns Tommy not to bring the blonde with him to their mother. Tommy drags Del along nevertheless, where he discovers the doll was created by a friend of his mother to terrify him back home. They start a rite that, after a few terrifying minutes, utterly extinguishes the creature.

Tommy notices Del's paintings, which are of him. She had been watching him from afar for the past two years because she knew he was her fate.

He and Del marry in Las Vegas. They then return to their hometown.

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Icebound Summary

Icebound

Published: 1995

Author: Dean Koontz (Written as David Axton)

Genre: Adventure, American, Assassination, Contemporary, Fiction, Horror, Literature, Psychological, Science Fiction, Suspense, Teen, Terrorism, Thriller, Young Adult

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Icebound

Summary

The narrative revolves around a group of multinational scientists who are working on a project to tow an iceberg to be used as drought relief. 

It is led by Rita and Harold (Harry) Carpenter, a husband and wife partnership. Rita is secretly terrified of the cold, ice, and snow. 

The scientists become stuck on the iceberg due to a sudden storm, with explosives ticking beneath them. 

They will perish if they do not find a way out. A Russian submarine is attempting to save them, but the operation is hampered by ice. Meanwhile, another issue has arisen. One of the team members is a covert assassin with his own purpose.

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

David Axton, Edge Of Your Seat, Even Though, Fast Paced, Group Of Scientists, Harry And Rita, Koontz Books, Russian Submarine, Stranded On An Iceberg, Tom Clancy, Well Written

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Dark Rivers of the Heart Summary

Dark Rivers of the Heart

Published: 1994

Author: Dean Koontz

Genre: Conspiracy, Espionage, Fiction, Ghost, Horror, Literature, Political, Spy, Supernatural, Suspense, Technothriller, Thriller

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Dark Rivers of the Heart

Summary

Spencer Grant is a guy with a contaminated, yet hazy history who teams up with Rocky, a lovely dog, on a mission to find a life with Valerie Keene, whom he meets in a nightclub. 

When Grant and his dog return to the club, they discover that the woman is late for work. When Grant attempts to locate her at her house, a SWAT-style force bombards the area, confusing Grant. Grant is now on a mission to find Valerie.

In Las Vegas, he hunts for her and is chased by a covert federal organization that is also hunting for Valerie. He is hurt when he is caught in a storm in the Nevada desert. Valerie saves him and treats Spencer's injuries.

Meanwhile, the major antagonist is Roy Miro, a high-ranking official in the agency who has been seeking for Valerie for months. He and the government utilize a satellite to track down Spencer and Valerie in the desert. 

Roy and some agents board a chopper and pursue them into a retail mall. Spencer and Valerie hijack a helicopter and travel from Nevada to Colorado to visit Spencer's childhood home. 

Spencer was 14 years old when he heard a disturbance in the night and went out to the rear barn to investigate. Spencer discovers his father abusing a lady inside the barn, and he finds a revolver but only wounds his father. His father was later sent to a psychiatric institution. 

Roy visits Spencer's father in the hospital and then goes to Colorado to face Spencer and Valerie. 

Spencer's father shoots Roy in the barn, barely paralyzing him. Spencer then fatally kills his father as he and Valerie exit the barn. 

They utilize a satellite heat beam to disable the other agents before fleeing the house and establishing a new life together by assisting a rebel organization against the government agency.

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

Asset Forfeiture, Dark Rivers, Edge Of Your Seat, Forfeiture Laws, Government Agency, Koontz Books, Roy Miro, Spencer Grant, Valerie Keene, Years Ago

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Winter Moon Summary

Winter Moon

Published: 1975 (as Invasion) - 1994 (as Winter Moon)

Author: Dean Koontz (Written as Aaron Wolfe)

Genre: Alien Invasion, Crime, Family Life, Fiction, Ghost, Horror, Literature, Paranormal, Rural, Small Town, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller, Zombie

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Winter Moon

Summary

The narrative opens with Jack McGarvey, a 32-year-old Los Angeles police officer. Jack is caught in the middle of a firefight at a petrol station. He kills the gunman but is severely injured and spends months in the hospital recuperating. 

When Jack comes home, the McGarveys receive word that he has inherited the Quartermass Ranch in Eagles Roost, Montana, from his late partner's father, Eduardo Fernandez.

Eduardo was having unusual happenings in Montana as Jack was healing from his injuries. He notices blazing lights in the trees and weird noises. He discovers a large black circle one night and assumes it is a doorway established by an extraterrestrial. 

Soon later, he finds wild raccoons spying on him and in his home. Eduardo visits the local veterinarian, Travis Potter when all of the raccoons mysteriously die. The veterinarian conducts an autopsy, which yields no definitive information on the cause of death. 

Squirrels and birds are now watching him. Despite his fear, Eduardo ultimately dares the visitor to come to him in its actual form rather than using animals. He hears a shambling on his doorstep one night. He opens the door, shotgun in hand, and discovers the traveler piggybacking on his late wife's corpse, taken from the family cemetery on the ranch. Travis Potter discovers Eduardo's body, and an examination reveals that he died of a heart attack.

With his wife, Heather, and kid, Toby, Jack moves onto Eduardo's property. They are looking forward to a calm life in Montana, away from big-city violence, and a secure school for Toby. Falstaff, the family's golden retriever, is smitten with Toby.

Strange things begin to happen to the McGarveys. Travis Potter and attorney Paul Youngblood both suggest that something peculiar happened soon before Eduardo died. 

All three McGarveys have repeated nightmares about an entity promising bliss if they let it into their thoughts, but each recognizes the promises are fake and violently rejects the offer. Heather refers to it as the Giver. 

The Giver uses technological equipment to mesmerize Toby and seeks to speak with Jack through Toby. 

The family gradually admits to each other the resemblance of their dreams and several perplexing happenings.

The Giver grows impatient and bolder, having never encountered opposition from any species before. It tries to trap the family during a blizzard by cutting off their cars and phone lines. 

Jack walks out of the house to urge a neighbor to take his wife and son away, while Heather and Toby stay armed with gasoline cans and pistols. 

Despite the fact that they have locked the home, the Giver is able to enter. It manifests itself in two distinct forms, each riding a body from the ranch's family plot. 

Heather realizes that gunshots do not harm the Giver riding Eduardo's body, so she sets fire to the home in the hopes that the fire would kill the thing. She fires at the second body, injuring it, and learns the Givers are unable to move without their hosts. 

The first Giver has walked its corpse through the flames, and as it continues to follow them, Heather notices that half of it has been devoured by the fire, giving her hope. 

Toby captures the Giver in his thoughts by convincing it that he accepts its offer, so immobilizing the Giver and allowing him, his mother, and Falstaff to flee the home. 

Harlan Moffit, a snowplow driver, picks up Jack and sees the home on fire as they come into the driveway. Heather and Toby are lugging gas cans up the back stairs when Harlan arrives and informs them of an extraterrestrial invasion. 

Toby claims that he can't keep the Giver hostage for much longer and that the Giver is actually at the caretaker's house. When they get to the caretaker's house, they witness a third creature riding another body, trapped immobile by Toby's mind. 

The Giver's primary body is located further back in the home and is a huge creature that spawned three lesser extensions of itself. Toby maintains the being's will as the grownups pour gasoline on the structure and set it on fire.

After the authorities had gathered everyone's statements, Toby informs his father that, towards the very end, the Giver produced a few little worms that tried to escape by digging into the wood. He's not sure if any of them survived, and Jack says they'll leave it up to the experts and authorities. A few weeks later, the family returns to Los Angeles.

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

Good Read, Half Of The Book, Jack McGarvey, Keeps You Turning, Koontz Books, Los Angeles, Page Turner, Police Officer, Years Ago

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Mr. Murder Summary

Mr. Murder

Published: 1993

Author: Dean Koontz

Genre: Fiction, Genetic Engineering, Ghost, Horror, Mystery, Psychological, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller

Check out the review of this book here:

Mr. Murder

Summary

Marty Stillwater, a best-selling mystery writer, was recording himself one day when he discovered he kept saying "I need..." over and over again. When he rewound the tape, he discovered that he had been mindlessly repeating "I need" for more than 7 minutes. Marty was nervous the entire day, but as he put the kids to bed, he cooled down and was finally calmed.

Meanwhile, the Killer is out and about before his shift. He enters the pub and walks out with a prostitute to a hotel. He has sex with her and then murders her since she is unable to relieve his rage. He kills his targets and returns to his hotel. That night, still restless, he feels pulled to Topeka for some reason. Suddenly, he begins to say:

"I must... be... I have to be... I have to be..." As the suburbs and, eventually, the dark plains speed by on both sides, his enthusiasm grows gradually. He trembles on the verge of an epiphany that, he believes, will transform his life. "I must be... to be... I feel the urge to be someone." He immediately grasps the significance of what he has spoken. He does not mean what another guy may mean by those three words; he does not imply that he has to be someone famous, wealthy, or significant. Just one person. Someone who has a legitimate name just an ordinary Joe, as they used to say in 1940s movies.

— Mr. Murder, pp. 48-49 (the above paragraph is from the book but I changed the way it is in the book to be safe from the Copywrite issues)

The Killer is drawn to the Stillwater mansion like a magnet by an unknown power. On his route, he murders many people, including an elderly couple for a pair of clothes and a gas station employee for food and money. 

When he breaks into the Stillwater home, he discovers a photograph of Marty and thinks it's him. He notices Marty's books and decides they are his. He views images of Emily and Charlotte, as well as Marty's wife Paige, and decides he wants to be the father and husband. He tries to write a book but is unable to do it, so he breaks the computer in fury. 

Marty was concerned about his fugues (a lapse in recollection) and decided to consult a doctor. The doctor blamed it on stress. When Marty returns home, he discovers that his belongings have been missing and his computer has been shattered. 

The Other then enters and accuses him of forgery. Marty shoots him twice in the chest in response, but The Other seems unmoved. The battle catapults them over the banisters, injuring The Other but allowing him to flee. 

Marty's family arrives home, and Marty directs them to their next-door neighbor's home. The cops come soon after. The investigator, Cyrus Lowbock, interrogates Marty and doubts his account, implying it is a publicity ploy. Marty and his wife refuse to comply, so the cops go.

The Other's body has recovered quickly from his injuries, but the exertion has left him hungry. He returns after devouring copious amounts of food to reclaim Paige and the girls from Marty, whom he believes has taken them. He "rescues" the daughters from the neighbor's house, but Marty spots him and pursues him. The car smashes, and the girls flee, but the Killer disappears once again.

Drew Oslett and Karl Clocker, two operatives from a shadowy government agency, are dispatched to find the Killer (referred to as "Alfie") they find the bodies of the two seniors as well as Alfie's tracking gadget. 

A note from their agency directs them to a People magazine article about Marty Stillwater, where they learn of his link to the Killer. 

They encounter someone who might be able to assist them find Alfie. To keep their cover, they determine that the Stillwaters must be murdered/suicide, and Alfie must be brought in.

Meanwhile, the Stillwaters retreat to a cabin in Mammoth Lakes to prepare for an attack by The Other. Paige hides beneath a boulder to ambush The Other, but he unexpectedly drives through the cottage. 

After that, the Stillwaters retreat to an abandoned church. Marty has been shot, and Paige and the girls are imprisoned. 

Drew and Karl seek down The Other as he prepares to murder them. Drew murders The Other, only to be murdered by Karl, who has turned against the agency. He saves the Stillwaters and gives them new identities, a new house, and proof to bring down the agency. 

He says that cloning and genetic engineering were utilized to produce a breed of elite killers, with Marty's tissue samples inadvertently being used in the creation of Alfie. Marty submits the proof to the authorities under an unknown name after a few months, and the Stillwaters begin their new lives.

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

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Dragon Tears Summary

Dragon Tears

Published: 1993

Author: Dean Koontz

Genre: Animal, Contemporary, Fiction, Ghost, Literature, Mystery, Psychological, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller

Check out the review of this book here:

Dragon Tears

Summary

Harry Lyon is a law enforcement officer who values tradition and order. Connie Gulliver, his companion, is the polar opposite of Harry. 

Harry dislikes her messy workstation, her lack of social grace, and her occasionally careless attitude toward the law. 

Connie frequently advises him to submit to the anarchy of the 1990s. "Look, Harry," she says, "it's the Age of Chaos." "Get with the program." 

When Harry and Connie are forced to take out a high-octane shooter at a restaurant, the chase and firefight quickly devolve into a strange nightmare that seems to validate Connie's perspective on the current world. 

Soon later, Harry comes upon a dirty, rag-clad street dweller who murmurs ominously, "Ticktock, ticktock." In sixteen hours, you'll be dead." 

Harry is caught in an undertow of dread and violence as he tries to reclaim the ordered life he craves. Someone is pursuing him, Connie Gulliver, and the people he loves for reasons he doesn't comprehend.

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

Bad Guy, Bad Place, Dead By Dawn, Edge Of My Seat, Fast Paced, Great Read, Harry And Connie, Harry Lyon, Koontz Books, Point Of View, Serial Killer, Ticktock

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Hideaway Summary

Hideaway

Published: 1992

Author: Dean Koontz

Genre: American, Fiction, Ghost, Horror, Media Tie-In, Psychic, Serial Killer, Suspense, Thriller

Check out the review of this book here:

Hideaway

Summary

Following a car accident that leaves him clinically dead for more than 80 minutes, Hatch Harrison, a Southern California antique dealer, begins having weird dreams and visions that tie him to a psychotic killer known as "Vassago." 

The murderer thinks he is the human embodiment of one of Hell's demon princes, and that if he murders enough innocent people and sacrifices them to his Master, he will be allowed to return to the hereafter and rule at Satan's right hand. He also has an unusual disease that allows him to see in the dark while simultaneously making his eyes incredibly sensitive to light. 

Meanwhile, the catastrophe offers Hatch and his artist wife Lindsey a new lease on life as they battle to repair their marriage after their son died of cancer five years ago. 

Hatch continues to be plagued by visions, in some cases seeing through Vassago's eyes, while the couple attempts to adopt a small girl called Regina. To make matters worse, Vassago gradually learns about Hatch and his family in the same way, putting both Lindsay and Regina at risk.

Vassago's true identity is revealed to be Jeremy Nyebern; as a teenager, he brutally murdered his mother and sister before attempting suicide. 

Dr. Jonas Nyebern, Jeremy's father, who miraculously resuscitated Hatch, saved his life (thus facilitating the seemingly supernatural bond between the two men). 

Jeremy, like Hatch, was clinically dead for more than 30 minutes and thinks that during that time he went to Hell and was subsequently resurrected to serve Satan's work.

Vassago's visions lead him to abduct Regina and take her to his "hideaway" towards the end of the novel (an abandoned amusement park, where, as a boy, Jeremy committed his first murder). 

Hatch and Vassago fight there, and Hatch beats Vassago to death with a crucifix hooked to a flashlight, saving Regina and Lindsay. 

Hatch unexpectedly begins speaking in another voice and refers to himself as "Uriel" (whom Hatch subsequently discovers is an archangel described in the Bible), hinting that Vassago's ideas about his demonic origin and brief voyage to the afterlife were not wholly irrational after all. Uriel/Hatch informs Vassago/Jeremy that he will be sent to Hell as a slave rather than a prince.

Following Vassago's defeat, the Harrison family strengthens their ties, with Regina now referring to her adoptive parents as Mom and Dad.

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

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Cold Fire Summary

Cold Fire

Published: 1991

Author: Dean Koontz

Genre: American, Contemporary, Fantasy, Fiction, Ghost, Horror, Literature, Psychic, Psychological, Romance, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller

Check out the review of this book here:

Cold Fire

Summary

Jim Ironheart, a recently retired teacher, puts his life in danger to help others. In Portland, he rescues a small kid from an inattentive drunk driver in a van. He saves a toddler from an underground explosion in Boston. He disarms a guy in Houston who was attempting to shoot his own wife – and he isn't just lucky to be in the right location at the right time. He receives "inspiration" and knows he needs to go somewhere quickly. 

To the amazement of people around him, he hurries off to call a cab or board a plane, abandoning whatever he's doing at the time. He has no idea where or why these visions occur, but he feels he must be a God-sent guardian angel with a celestial ability.

Holly Thorne, a reporter, was in Portland to write a dull story on a school teacher who had produced a book of poetry full of poems Holly believes to be pure transcendental rubbish - but such is Holly's lot in life. 

She is a terrific writer, but she is failing as a reporter because she has too much ethics and compassion. As she walks away, she sees Jim rescue the child from the drunk driver and notices something fishy about Jim's statements of how he began rushing for the child before seeing or hearing the vehicle approaching. 

She finds that a mystery good Samaritan called Jim with blue eyes has performed 12 last-minute rescues in different newspapers during the previous three months.

Holly is drawn to Jim and his intense but chilly blue eyes — eyes that burn with a passionate, cold fire, hence the title of the tale.

Holly agrees to accompany this humble yet enigmatic savior on his next "mission." Unbeknownst to Jim, she rushes to the airport and joins a United Airlines DC-10 flight heading for Chicago. 

She goes to face him and discovers Jim's weird yet incredible abilities. Jim informs her that he has been sent by God to save a woman and a kid on the plane - he has no idea why God has selected these two in particular, but he does know that they must swap seats or they will perish in the awful plane accident of which he has seen a vision. 

Holly is impressed by Jim's notion that he possesses some mystical power bestowed upon him by God.

Holly takes a more skeptical approach, arguing how silly such notions are. She wonders why "God" would choose to save these two people while killing 151 other passengers, as Jim predicted. There must be much more deserving individuals on board, and why would God allow the plane to crash at all? Holly encourages Jim to do more than simply inform the couple to relocate, but to notify the pilot and maybe rescue everyone on board. 

Jim first resists, and he is adamant about not questioning his visions. He just informs Holly that God sends him and that he solely follows the instructions - anything else would be going against God's plan. 

Who else, he wonders, could be sending him visions to save lives just in time? Holly talks him down and assures him that there is no reason for Jim (or God) to let someone die in vain. 

The plane, however, is beyond repair and crashes, reducing the number of deaths from 151 to 47.

Holly is able to earn Jim's trust after the tragedy. They are drawn to each other, but Holly is intrigued by Jim's unusual visions. She intends to find out how, why, and who, just as any reporter would. 

However, the more she probes, the stranger things get. Almost all of Jim's childhood memories are gone, save for the fact that his parents died when he was nine at his grandparents' ranch. He just has hazy memories of his youth and becomes irritated when Holly asks him. 

She realizes that his odd skills are related to his childhood and the absence of memory from that time. For numerous nights, she hears him mumble in his sleep, "There is an Enemy. It is on its way. It's going to kill us all. It is unrelenting." 

She and Jim begin to have identical terrifying nightmares surrounding the old mill from his grandparents' ranch, and during one of these "nightmares," they are both fully conscious and fighting some eerie force coming at them from the walls and ceiling – needless to say, they are convinced the force behind it all is neither God nor benign.

Holly certainly thinks they must return to the ranch to locate the cause of everything, despite her terror of what they may discover. Jim is first hesitant, but as they get closer to the ranch, he becomes increasingly persuaded that the entity is something truly big and strong — something not of this world.

Once inside the scary tower chamber of the windmill, the alien emerges from the neighboring pond, first through noises similar to church bells and then through a captivating show of swirling colors and bursting lights. 

The creature then begins to materialize as a voice by magically using a pen and paper to make words appear. It introduces itself as THE FRIEND from ANOTHER WORLD. When asked why, it responds, "TO OBSERVE, STUDY, AND ASSIST MANKIND." 

Holly questions why it assaulted them the night before, to which THE FRIEND responds that it was the work of its opposite half, THE ENEMY. 

When queried about the bells and lights, it responds, "FOR DRAMA?" When Holly starts asking questions as to why certain individuals are selected but not many others, THE FRIEND reveals that someone will solve all deadly diseases, another will become a fine leader, someone else will become an incredible spiritual leader, and on and on. 

While Jim is overjoyed, Holly cannot trust the answers since they do not make logical sense and appear banal, fanciful, and infantile to her. 

While Jim is out of the room, Holly asks THE FRIEND probing questions about him. All of the responses are too predictable to accept, and it ultimately responds to her pestering with threats, and then, most surprisingly, with the words "I," "MY," and "ME." 

At that point, it is determined that Jim is the source of both THE FRIEND and THE ENEMY, that it is he, not God or some foreign entity, who is generating the nightmares. 

After Jim's parents died, he got infatuated with a novel about an extraterrestrial in a pond close to a windmill – so enthralled that the youngster never grew up until one day, an adult-in-body Jim moved away and began a purportedly regular life. 

Holly assists Jim in dealing with his past, and the two embark on a new life together.

Useful Search Related Words & Keywords

Character Development, Great Read, Highly Recommend, Holly Thorne, Jim And Holly, Jim Ironheart, Koontz Books, Koontz Novels, Odd Thomas, Page Turner, Stephen King

Rating: 90/100

Recommended: 100/100 Yes.

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Phantoms (1998) (R)

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The Servants Of Twilight (1991) (R)

https://rebrand.ly/The-Servants-Of-Twilight-1991-R

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