Monday, January 21, 2008

The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz

Amy Redwing is dedicated to rescuing and taking care of Golden Retrievers. She even went so far as to found an organization to do just that. She is seen as rather reckless at times when it comes to getting the dogs out of homes. Especially her boyfriend Brian McCarthy, he really does not understand why she does it and honestly wishes she would stop. It won’t be until they meet a beautiful golden retriever named Nickie that things will begin to make sense for him. Though at the same time, Amy starts to feel like she is being followed and watched. Someone wants her to become fearful and hunted just like the animals she is always saving. But will anyone be able to save her this time?

Dean Koontz has done it again! This man just boggles my mind how he creates the stories that captivate you. I was enthralled from page one and then as Amy’s back-story is revealed and as I slowly put the picture together I was in awe! His characters run the gamut of cruelty and nice. Yet that is what makes them so real. This is one author who is completely become my favorite!

Amy has told no one of her past. She thinks it is safer that way. I can understand that sometimes it is just better to let the past be in the past. Yet when Brian experiences things of his own, Amy realizes she needs to tell him everything. He might be the one who can help her get through this mess. The dogs in this story were amazing what they had been through and how well they were healing. I also appreciated how realistic Mr. Koontz could be at times with some of the dogs in the story not making it.

I appreciated the fact at how discreet Mr. Koontz kept the details of the horrible lives of some of the dogs. This was one compelling story not only because of the dogs but also of Amy and Brian. The twists and turns in this book had me going for a loop. Not to mention the unexpected thing that kept happening from time to time. Nickie was a sweet dog and I can only imagine how sweet Trixie, Mr. Koontz’s dog was. This is one book I highly recommend!

Dean Koontz/Thriller/354 pages/4 out of 5/Dogs

Even though the copy I had from the library was rather smokey, I could not put this book down!

Third Degree by Greg Iles

Laurel is having one of the worst days ever. She came home early from school to find her husband Warren tearing apart their house looking for something. She initially thought it had something to do with the audit that was going to happen at his doctor’s office but when he blindsided her with the fact that he had found a love letter to her. Her world crashed around her not to mention the fact that she had found out she was pregnant this morning but didn’t know who the father was. Now she has to try to calm her hubby down before the kids come home and hope she can keep her secret.

Greg Iles is a fantastic writer. He devises scenes that are not easy to wrap your mind around. The situations are similar to other books but the thing I like the most is how Mr. Iles makes his characters react to it. That is what sets his books apart. Yet I had a difficult time getting past how some of the characters were not wanting to pay for their crimes.

Laurel did what a lot of women do today by looking for love in other places than their husband. That is her first mistake not to mention the fact that she won’t get caught. Warren seems obsessed with finding out who wrote the letter to his wife. It overtakes him as part as his OCD. It just became surprising how important that was to him. Nothing else mattered not even his kids; Warren needed to know the truth. The man became very creepy and reminded me again why adultery is so horrible.

This book was quite the thriller not only for the fact that Laurel was trying to figure out how to keep her kids safe. But also she wanted her lover to remain unknown. This one was not one of my favorites by him but still he is one of my favorite authors. Mr. Iles really knows how to make you think and I appreciate that. I will read his next one and I have a few of his older ones that I have not read yet.

Greg Iles/385 pages/ Thriller/ Family/3 out of 5

I finished this one and The Darkeste Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz this wekeend. both very well written and authors I have really come to like their writing style. :)