thrillers

The story centers around two key characters. The first is an ex-cop named Ethan Truman. He is now the chief of security for one of the most famous actors in the world today Charles "The Face" Manhiem. As of late, The Face has been receiving packages that point towards his death, filled with strange and unusual items. Ethan takes it upon himself to catch the person responsible. However, Ethan's life gets even more complicated when he begins to see an old friend walking around that is supposed to be dead, and the fact that his friend's body dissapeared from the morgue makes things even stranger. Now Ethan must solve two mysteries - the identity of the person who wants The Face dead, and if his friend is really alive or not. The other main character of the story is The Face's son Aelfric Manhiem. Ten year old Fric begins to receive strange phone calls on his private line telling him that he needs to find a place to hide because something evil is coming. At first, Fric things that it is a prank. However, as time goes on, the mysterious caller begins to describe what has Fric has done during the day, what different rooms of the house look like, etc.. As Fric begins to prepare for this mysterious evil force, Ethan becomes wrapped up in his own problems which puts both Ethan and Fric in danger of being victims of events that are somehow connected.

This book seriously impressed me. I have been a fan of Dean Koontz for many years, and I have read the majority of his books. That is why I had my doubts about this one. When an author produces so many fantastic books, you begin to wonder if it is only a matter of time before they run out of ideas, and The Face is one of Koontz's latest novels. As soon as I began reading this book, my doubts were put to rest. The book is extremely well written, and very suspenseful. It combines aspects of a mystery novel, with those of a chase novel. This makes the book very interesting, and will keep you glued to the pages. The story is somewhat complex though, because it is told from three different points of view - what's going on with Ethan, what's going on with Fric, and the killer who is behind the attack on The Face. However, Koontz's character development is so great in this book, that you will become equally captivated reading about each character. The personalities of Ethan, Fric, and the killer are very well established which makes you appreciate them all.

Overall, The Face is one of the best Dean Koontz books I have ever read. The book offers likeable and well developed characters, the perfect combination of a mystery and chase novel, and an unpredictable and satisfying ending. If you are a fan of Dean Koontz you should definately check this book out.

Dean Koontz is known for his defiance of genre, with story themes ranging from alien invasions, homicidal machines, ghosts, murderers, and the world of the spiritual. While his latest novel, The Face, feels somewhat more low key in comparison to his other recent novels, it still manages to retain that feel that anything could happen at any moment. It's this feeling that the unexpected and amazing lies around every corner that makes this book an easy read.

The story revolves around an ex-cop named Ethan Truman who is now the chief of security for the world's most famous movie star. When strange gifts and messages begin finding their way onto his employer's estate, Ethan is plunged into a world he never knew existed, but that is closer to him than he could possibly imagine. As usual, the character development is moderate to good, and the characters themselves are fully fleshed out (most noticeable among them is young Aelfric Manheim, the son of the movie star himself, who is the latest in a long line of great child characters found in Koontz stories). Even the villain of the piece, Corky Laputa, is interesting and fun to read about. And hey, you'd be evil, also, if your parents named you that.

Koontz's lyrical writing style helps keep things fresh. It's always interesting to see what new metaphors he'll throw in. And while the story takes place over the course of only two days, there are so many characters and so many different events happening that it feels like weeks have passed by the time you reach the end. This can also be a drawback to some readers. Because the story moves slow and takes its time, some less patient readers might give up. The story does pick up near the end, however, and the theme of the novel is uplifting enough to make it feel more than worthwhile.

This is a book for fans of Christian and spiritual fiction who want to branch out into more mainstream novels. I wouldn't necesarily suggest it to horror fans, as there isn't much to make you shiver here until almost the story's climax. All in all, though, this is a safe story with moderate violence and tasteful dialogue. If you're a longtime Koontz fan, or looking for a good book to pick up and read off and on, you couldn't do much better than Dean Koontz's The Face.

Koontz really made it a great read with this one! Evil and scary all at the same time! It's almost as good as the new author's book I have just read-Evil Debts by Terse Skirritt! Now there was a scary and surrealistic story to be had! Couldn't put it down-alot like this book! I was constantly looking over my shoulder the entire time! Read this book by Koontz but give Evil Debts a try-you might find you like it better!