The Husband
by Dean Koontz
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Book Reviews of The Husband
Book Review: Great one...if you like "new" Koontz
Summary: 5 Stars
This book has no monsters. No scary, scaly things living under the stairs. No evil vortex, psycho monkeys, or bad mojo. If you want that in a Koontz novel...look elsewhere and at his earlier works. For those who dont like the "new" Koontz, you will hate this book. Plain and simple.
But I like "New" Koontz. I like the look at good and evil on a different plane. I like the short chapters, the engaging characters, the plot twists, the heartfelt despair, and the cold calculated evil. I like the heroics at the endings, the peaceful wrap-up and the wonderful pseudo-epilogue. I like the situations, the inclusion of a golden retreiver, the connections that go way back with the characters, the love factor and the dialogue. I like thinking one of the good guys is a bad guy, then being wrong. I like thinking something will go right for our hero (knowing that it wont) and then being wrong.
This is a good book if you like those things. A fast read that can be completed in an afternoon. Its straightforward, has good characters, a good plot and moves along at a great pace.
As mentioned previously, if you are a fan of the new Koontz, you will love it. If you want creepy and oozy and mysterious whispered shadowy figures...you will hate it. I for one, loved it and hope Dean continues to write more novels in this vein. Evil isnt just the creature from your nightmares...evil can be the unknown kidnappers that have your wife and want 2 million dollars by Wednesday evening.
Book Review: An action-filled summer read
Summary: 4 Stars
Prior to "The Husband," my only experience with Dean Koontz was the 1988 horror film Watchers / Watchers II. But after years of seeing his books like the shelves at airport bookstores, I decided to relent to the marketing over saturation and try one, and was pleasantly surprised. "The Husband" follows the story of Mitchell Rafferty, a 28-year gardener who finds out his wife has been kidnapped, and the ransom is 2 million dollars, which is obviously greater than his current 5-figure salary. The rest of the story focuses on his attempt to get her back and what happens when he decides to take matters into his own hands instead of following the kidnapper's demands.
While I didn't find "The Husband" to be an exceptional example of literary merit, the story was fairly entertaining. The book is very fast paced and is a short read. There are no real boring moments in the book and lots of action. It is a fairly mindless read with a satisfying climax and I would compare it as a cross between John Grisham's The Firm and the Mel Gibson movie, Ransom (Special Edition). It would make for a decent film and has encouraged me to try other Koontz novels the next time I'm traveling.
Book Review: rambling
Summary: 2 Stars
I am not sure how anyone can like this book or most koontz books for that matter. This one especially has pages and pages of rambling about possible scenarios in someones head that could take place. For example when he is in the trunk of the car and wants to shoot the other guy it just gets rediculous. I found it painful to read. Well...what if i shoot and it hits his shoulder and he as able to turn and shoot me back(3 pages) what if i shoot and there is a metal plate in the back of the seat that stops the bullet(5 pages) what if my gun jams and he hears the click (4 pages)what if i shoot him and the bullet isnt actually lead and it is just a BB, could happen (2 pages) what if i move to shoot and he feels the car move and he shoots me (3 pages) what if i shoot, hit the gas tank, which leaks on the starter, which sparks and the bad man smells smoke...or worse yet a fire starts ( 4 pages) this sound familiar to anyone???? Not to mention the twist in the middle of the book that just comes out of nowhere (in a bad way because it is rediculous) and then the 2 pages at the end of the book he uses to sum up all the open story lines....leave this one on the shelf trust me....but what if i leave it on the shelf and it falls and starts a fire, then the fire wakes up my wife...and then my dog wakes up and barks...and then i have to get up...it could happen....has too..... <---i just wrote my own koontz chapterBook Review: Underwhelmed
Summary: 2 Stars
Mitchell Rafferty is happy with his life. He's not rich nor is he poor. He owns a two man landscaping business which provides him with satisfying work and a good friend to work with. The light of his life is his wife Holly. His whole life changed for the better when he met and eventually married her. He and his beautiful wife have a future to build, children to have and businesses to expand once Holly becomes a real estate agent. Mitch's love for his wife takes a dramatic turn when he receives "the call" demanding $2 million in ransom for his wife or her life would be taken within 60 hours. Mitch describes himself as a gardener, one who certainly doesn't have $2 million laying around for ransom. At the kidnappers mercy he has to decide, and fast, how he will get the money so that he can get his wife and his life back.
There was plenty of imagery, some suspense but not enough bite to The Husband. I can appreciate Mitch's desperation, which turned into drive and then into control of the situation. A true hero is he, but there are other characters, the sinister ones, including his parents whom I would have liked to learn more about. In addition the novel felt rushed with and ending that was a bit too tidy.
I've not read any previous Koontz works, so I can not say that I am disappointed, however based on this novel, I'm not so rue that I would pursue any more.
Book Review: Cooked to Perfection
Summary: 5 Stars
One of Dean Koontz's many skills is coaxing the reader to keep reading. Mr. Koontz knows how to stoke the coals until the plot is cooked to perfection. Each twist is hard to anticipate and hard to ignore; each page makes turning more pages inevitable. There's no stagnation in his stories.
And, the effectiveness of the plot comes, in part, from strong characters. Mr. Koontz knows his characters well. A reader senses that he has "been in the moment" with each of them and knows what they are feeling and why. He has studied each scene from each character's vantage point and the reactions are consistent throughout.
This particular novel is slightly similar to my debut novel, Wearing the Spider, as both main characters are being framed and cannot explain the evidence that accumulates around them, although the circumstances are completely different. As in my novel, there is a reluctance to involve the authorities for various reasons, which plays into the suspense, as the authorities close in on their own. Since I write thrillers myself, I read Mr. Koontz's work as a student as well as an admirer. There are truly great passages in this book and, overall, it is a highly entertaining read.
Susan Schaab
Wearing the Spider