88 reviews for:

Dragon Tears

Dean Koontz

3.56 AVERAGE

summerbooks78's review

4.0
dark mysterious medium-paced
dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
kristins911's profile picture

kristins911's review

4.0
challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous dark emotional fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Woofer is the best boy.
dark slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Brisk and entertaining, ludicrous fun. I'll happily read another from this author.
medium-paced
adventurous 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

I haven't read a Dean Koontz novel since middle or early high school, I used to love this guy's books, I'm glad I went back because this was a fun fast paced read.  Plus we get a dog POV! Which I remember loving from, I believe, The Watchers (and I've since heard he's continued to include them in other works).

This book is mostly a strait forward police procedural, but with a psychic burgeoning God as the antagonist.  The detective, Harry Lyon (who I couldn't help but think of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch), is told by a vagabond, tick-tock you'll be dead by dawn.  He and his partner race to figure out this mysterious person.  Along the way they meet other tortured victims of this psychic man-child: a homeless drunk, an abused mom and son barely getting by living in their car, and a very good dog (Woofer!).  

This book screams the early 90s!  From the screams of societal collapse and rising crime to the fears of the coming millennium.  Koontz sprinkles in bits of horrific real life events that filled the news back in the early 90s.  Looking back you see it for the overreaction it was, but that's also the rise of 24 hour news for you. 

Koontz writing feels a little dated and stilted in places, dropping definitions of terms, especially in the rave scene.  But overall I enjoyed this story and might have to check out some of his more recent prose.