Breathless Review

Breathless – Dean Koontz

Publisher: UK - Harper

In the Colorado mountains something miraculous comes into the life of Grady Adams, a strong, gentle man whose past experiences have alienated him from the modern world and driven him to live in the wilds. When he sees it, he knows that one of Nature's great mysteries has been revealed to him.
He takes his friend Cammy Rivers to bear witness to the phenomenal presence. As a scientist, she is stunned and awed. She emails photos to colleagues in far places to try and find a name for the wonderful beings. Before they know what is happening, Homeland Security has quarantined the wilderness around them and sent in assorted scientists to track down and 'neutralize' the threat to the known world.

If I’m in a mood for an easy, comfort read, I pick up one of Dean Koontz’s many books and know I’m going to get a thrilling ride with haunted characters who despite all their scarred and horrible pasts’ still believe in good and right and eventually triumph over evil. And they usually own a clever, intelligent dog. With Breathless this is what you get to a certain level. The writing is classic Koontz, melodic and easy to read. There is a man, woman and dog who suddenly find themselves in the middle of extraordinary circumstances. There is a man who’s dead brother is haunting him. A gambler who wins big and gives it all away. And finally there is a down and out bum who has a mysterious encounter that changes his life. Each of these stories has enough mystery and intrigue to pull you in and make you want to find out more.

Usually with a tiered story like this you’re waiting to see how the various strands relate to each other – how they build together. Like taking some caramel, nougat, chocolate and peanuts and knowing how to make snickers bars out of them. However, this time I didn’t get a snickers bar – I got caramel, nougat, chocolate and peanuts. The stories of each where each interesting and fascinating but there is barely any cross over between them. It seemed a little disparate. And I was a little disappointed. The ending seems rather abrupt and convenient with little actually earned by our main characters. It just happens.

Having said all that, a poor Dean Koontz book is still a Dean Koontz book with plenty of philosophy, suspense and heart to make it a very enjoyable read. The various story points keep you reading as you want to find out what happens to each character – whether they get their comeuppance or not!

Recommended for fans of Dean Koontz and Lee Child. 6 out of 10

Book Chick City's Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge Book 6/12