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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
Not my fav. The narrator was over the top. Not everything needs that level of stressful narration. Story, went around in circles.
Good mystery, bad execution.
I was drawn in almost immediately to the mystery of The Other Emily and I read the book quickly in order to find out the explanation behind it. Unfortunately nothing else lived up to my expectations. The main character isn’t relatable, he makes choices that make absolutely no sense whatsoever, he drones on and on and on about the same three topics, and then the end felt cobbled together.
I ended up skimming a LOT from halfway through on just because it was the same repeating thoughts, annoying and illogical as they were.
I was drawn in almost immediately to the mystery of The Other Emily and I read the book quickly in order to find out the explanation behind it. Unfortunately nothing else lived up to my expectations. The main character isn’t relatable, he makes choices that make absolutely no sense whatsoever, he drones on and on and on about the same three topics, and then the end felt cobbled together.
I ended up skimming a LOT from halfway through on just because it was the same repeating thoughts, annoying and illogical as they were.
I feel like I’m being very generous with this rating! The narrator wasn’t great in this audible version. Very lackluster and hard to determine who was talking.
The story was so unbelievable and def not a story line I would have signed up to read. Completely far fetched and took a bad turn into sci fi! I finished but it was quite a chore. This was the first book I read by this author and doesn’t make me interested to read any more. Def would not recommend and I don’t see how this makes it in the psychological thriller genre!
The story was so unbelievable and def not a story line I would have signed up to read. Completely far fetched and took a bad turn into sci fi! I finished but it was quite a chore. This was the first book I read by this author and doesn’t make me interested to read any more. Def would not recommend and I don’t see how this makes it in the psychological thriller genre!
Unfortunately I didn’t end up connecting with this one. Koontz describes this as a creepy love story & I’d agree, although there are several genres meshed within the book and I can’t really mention them without spoiling the mystery. Writer David Thorne’s girlfriend or wife went missing 10 years earlier; it’s suspected she fell victim to serial killer Ronny Lee Jessup. Jessup is in prison now and David pretends he’s writing a novel based off Jessup’s crimes so he can interview him and hopefully find out what happened to Emily, the love of his life. Did she walk away? Is she a victim of foul play? Then he see’s and meets Emily’s doppelgänger or clone or could it possibly be Emily? And that’s all I’m going to say about the plot. I will say it did keep me guessing! I don’t read a ton of horror bc too often it comes off as campy to me, which is fine once in a while... Idk
I've read many of Dean Koonz's books and typically have liked them. This book was a disappointment. Had a good catch at the beginning and then it just drug on and on..I found myself wishing I was done with it.
Wow this one was really bad. I couldn’t finish it. My mind kept slipping away and the characters were very poorly written. I mean, it’s been years now since I’ve picked up one of his books, but what happened to the Dean Koontz I could always trust for a good story?
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence
If this book only ended at the half way point it would have been more stars. The second half goes off in a totally different direction and seems like another author took over. By the end I was hardly taking anything in and just reading to get to the end of the book.
I wasn't sure whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars but ultimately decided to round up due to the excellent writing. I really enjoyed Koontz's writing style even though it was a bit flowery at times. It sucked me into the story, especially during the parts involving the serial killer Jessup.
That being said, I wish we had more of the serial killer storyline and less of the sci-fi. I found both of David's visits to the Jessup house to be very suspenseful, particularly the second time. The scene where he discovers that Urlich has been watching a movie, not torturing a girl, was super well-written. He really got me there. The scene where he murders Urlich was also a great read.
However, I thought that the sci-fi futuristic human alien ending was out of place. As many other readers have said, it felt silly and rushed. A star was docked because of the Travelers storyline as well as for the slightly demeaning way Koontz writes about women. Examples of this include how he describes "Maddison" during their second encounter and the two young women in the lake at the beginning of the story. Maybe I can pin this on the fact that he is a 76-year-old male writing about young women but I felt uncomfortable with the way he described them.
Overall, I would rate this story highly just for the Jessup storyline. I might check out another one of Dean Koontz's books in the future just because he is such a big name in the genre but for now I think I will stick to my usual mystery-thriller authors.
That being said, I wish we had more of the serial killer storyline and less of the sci-fi. I found both of David's visits to the Jessup house to be very suspenseful, particularly the second time. The scene where he discovers that Urlich has been watching a movie, not torturing a girl, was super well-written. He really got me there. The scene where he murders Urlich was also a great read.
However, I thought that the sci-fi futuristic human alien ending was out of place. As many other readers have said, it felt silly and rushed. A star was docked because of the Travelers storyline as well as for the slightly demeaning way Koontz writes about women. Examples of this include how he describes "Maddison" during their second encounter and the two young women in the lake at the beginning of the story. Maybe I can pin this on the fact that he is a 76-year-old male writing about young women but I felt uncomfortable with the way he described them.
Overall, I would rate this story highly just for the Jessup storyline. I might check out another one of Dean Koontz's books in the future just because he is such a big name in the genre but for now I think I will stick to my usual mystery-thriller authors.
I have mixed feelings about this one. This has so many of the things I've come to both like and dislike about Dean Koontz: On the plus side, his writing is lovely and almost poetic at times. There were a few chapters that were truly intense and had me sitting on the edge of my seat in suspense. That's the kind of Koontz I love! But there was also the kind of Koontz that drags out character development to the point of beating a dead horse. Yes, we know David has a lot of feelings about this new girl and his old girlfriend. We get it. This was also the kind of Koontz that weaves a delightful beginning and middle story, and then throws out what feels like a very abrupt ending. I loved a lot of this story, but I still feel pretty dissatisfied about a rushed ending.