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ludacrystal414's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't know if I would like this. But I did. A lot. Maybe it was the corny love story in between action sequences and running from the bad guy. I don't know. But I smiled at the ending and I don't care who knows it.
paulabrandon's review against another edition
2.0
Talk about coming up with an intriguing premise and then going nowhere with it!
Tim Carrier is in a bar having a drink when a man comes in, and seems to mistake him for someone else. Indeed, he's mistaken Tim for a hitman! Before Tim can stop him, in comes the hitman himself, who confuses Tim for the man who wants someone killed! Tim tries to call the hit off, it doesn't work, so Tim sets out to save the target, Linda Paquette, himself, also putting himself in the line of fire.
After that set-up, the book is nothing more than one, long, mostly boring chase as Tim and Linda flit from place to place, trying to evade capture. This is interspersed with the perspective of the hitman, Krait, who also flits from place to place, passing judgement on the insides of various people's houses, and sometimes killing the odd person or two who get in his way. Meanwhile, Tim, Linda and Krait spend a lot of time musing about society in general, and engaging in dialogue that is not how normal people speak. It's all wrapped up with a fairly anti-climactic showdown, and a silly conspiracy over why Linda was targeted in the first place.
I mostly skim-read this and didn't miss anything. Tim and Linda are so virtuous to the point that they're actually snore-inducing. I learnt far more about Krait than was necessary. As far as psychopathic hitmen go, he rated high on the boring and tedious scale.
I loved Dean Koontz when I was a teenager, moving from YA horror to adult thrillers. I think I need to have a stern word with my twenty-years-ago self. It's her fault that I'm still picking up Dean Koontz books today!
Tim Carrier is in a bar having a drink when a man comes in, and seems to mistake him for someone else. Indeed, he's mistaken Tim for a hitman! Before Tim can stop him, in comes the hitman himself, who confuses Tim for the man who wants someone killed! Tim tries to call the hit off, it doesn't work, so Tim sets out to save the target, Linda Paquette, himself, also putting himself in the line of fire.
After that set-up, the book is nothing more than one, long, mostly boring chase as Tim and Linda flit from place to place, trying to evade capture. This is interspersed with the perspective of the hitman, Krait, who also flits from place to place, passing judgement on the insides of various people's houses, and sometimes killing the odd person or two who get in his way. Meanwhile, Tim, Linda and Krait spend a lot of time musing about society in general, and engaging in dialogue that is not how normal people speak. It's all wrapped up with a fairly anti-climactic showdown, and a silly conspiracy over why Linda was targeted in the first place.
I mostly skim-read this and didn't miss anything. Tim and Linda are so virtuous to the point that they're actually snore-inducing. I learnt far more about Krait than was necessary. As far as psychopathic hitmen go, he rated high on the boring and tedious scale.
I loved Dean Koontz when I was a teenager, moving from YA horror to adult thrillers. I think I need to have a stern word with my twenty-years-ago self. It's her fault that I'm still picking up Dean Koontz books today!
scantz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Book on CD narrated by Rick Ferrone
4****
From the book jacket: Timothy Carrier, having a beer after work at his friend’s tavern, enjoys drawing customers into amusing conversations. But the jittery man who sits next to him tonight has mistaken Tim for someone very different – and passes to him a manila envelope full of cash, a photo of a pretty woman marked for death, and her address. Minutes later, another stranger sits next to Tim. This one is a cold-blooded killer who believes Tim is the man who has hired him. Tim tries to call off the deal, giving the man the money “to do nothing.” But when Tim secretly follows the killer out of the tavern, he gets a shock: the guy is a cop.
My Reactions
This thriller just grabbed me. I could not figure out why this woman was targeted, and why the killer was so relentless in his pursuit. Tim is the quintessential good guy. A gentleman, smart, determined, creative and principled. And I loved his mother! Several of the close calls stretch credulity (timelines just didn’t work), but Koontz kept me turning pages (or changing CDs) to see what would happen next.
This was written sixteen years ago, but the whole
Rick Ferrone does a great job of narrating the audiobook. He is a gifted voice artist and even does a reasonable job of bringing the women characters to life.
4****
From the book jacket: Timothy Carrier, having a beer after work at his friend’s tavern, enjoys drawing customers into amusing conversations. But the jittery man who sits next to him tonight has mistaken Tim for someone very different – and passes to him a manila envelope full of cash, a photo of a pretty woman marked for death, and her address. Minutes later, another stranger sits next to Tim. This one is a cold-blooded killer who believes Tim is the man who has hired him. Tim tries to call off the deal, giving the man the money “to do nothing.” But when Tim secretly follows the killer out of the tavern, he gets a shock: the guy is a cop.
My Reactions
This thriller just grabbed me. I could not figure out why this woman was targeted, and why the killer was so relentless in his pursuit. Tim is the quintessential good guy. A gentleman, smart, determined, creative and principled. And I loved his mother! Several of the close calls stretch credulity (timelines just didn’t work), but Koontz kept me turning pages (or changing CDs) to see what would happen next.
This was written sixteen years ago, but the whole
Spoiler
Deep State conspiracy at the end was so reminiscent of recent conspiracy theories floated by a certain former President and his minions that it made me uneasy. So far, # 45 and his crew aren’t anywhere near so smart as Koontz’s characters, so that’s some consolation.Rick Ferrone does a great job of narrating the audiobook. He is a gifted voice artist and even does a reasonable job of bringing the women characters to life.
harperrg's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this one off of a recommendation, got me started reading Koontz again!
devansbooklife's review against another edition
1.0
So I stopped 117 pages in. This is my first Koontz book. I won't necessarily write him off because I found his writing to almost be lyrical with good prose. However I found the plot itself too far fetched. This isn't in the genre of fantasy or sci-fi. This is mystery. The characters and their respones to the situations they find themselves in are so wildly absurd it is comical. I have too many things I want to read to continue.
luvrunr's review against another edition
3.0
Not one of my favorite Dean Koontz books. It didn't have as much of the supernatural aspect in it as some of his other books have. I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters. There weren't really any big surprises in the book and the ending left me feeling disappointed. If you are a Koontz fan you will like but not love this book.
thebookhaze's review against another edition
4.0
Well, Dean Koontz is a name that I’ve heard many times and very long ago but surprisingly, I’ve never read any of his books until now.
This book is about a man, Timothy Carrier, who is mistaken as a hit man and given ten thousand dollars and a woman’s picture to kill her. When the real killer arrives, Tim gives him the ten thousand as a no-kill fee and keeps the woman’s picture, saying that he changed his mind and didn’t want her killed.
Of course, the mistake is eventually, and too soon, discovered. Tim and the target woman, Linda, is forced to run and evade the killer.
The book is very fast-paced, and not at all what I expected. I’ve read quite a few similar thriller stories like this, but somehow the way Koontz presents the story is very different. It’s a completely fresh perspective to me, and I like how the suspense holds all the way to the end.
My only regret is not reading Koontz’s books earlier, but I’m glad that I have another “new” author to add to my ever-growing To Be Read pile.
This book is about a man, Timothy Carrier, who is mistaken as a hit man and given ten thousand dollars and a woman’s picture to kill her. When the real killer arrives, Tim gives him the ten thousand as a no-kill fee and keeps the woman’s picture, saying that he changed his mind and didn’t want her killed.
Of course, the mistake is eventually, and too soon, discovered. Tim and the target woman, Linda, is forced to run and evade the killer.
The book is very fast-paced, and not at all what I expected. I’ve read quite a few similar thriller stories like this, but somehow the way Koontz presents the story is very different. It’s a completely fresh perspective to me, and I like how the suspense holds all the way to the end.
My only regret is not reading Koontz’s books earlier, but I’m glad that I have another “new” author to add to my ever-growing To Be Read pile.
richter10's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
ashdawn's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0