Thanks to the literary gods! In The Husband (Bantam Books, New York, 2007 in paperback, 415 pages), author Dean Koontz again shows the form that makes him a favorite to millions of readers.
On an ordinary afternoon, Mitchell Rafferty, an unassuming gardener of modest means, “receives a phone call out of his worst nightmare”. At the time, he’s on his knees, planting red and purple flowers.
“We have your wife. You can get her back for two million cash.”
Always entertaining, often chilling, Koontz, a master of suspense, recently displayed a serious flaw. Unlike his early novels, some of the latest suffered from verbosity, the annoying habit of stringing together unnecessary words. The Husband has no such defect.
In a race against time to ransom Holly, his beloved wife, Mitch must cope with tragedy and disillusionment, battle assassins and elude the police. Is this mild-mannered soil-turner capable of violence, even murder? Can he stare down the Grim Reaper time and again? To make matters worse, Mitch’s closest allies deliver a string of bitter disappointments.
Even the descriptive passages contribute to mounting tensions: “The moon lay drowned in the swimming pool, as pale and undulant as an apparition.”
Later, “Along the night streets, queen palms thrashed, like madwomen in frenzies, tossing their hair….”
Buffeted by events, tormented by enemies, Mitch needs to tap into every ounce of his inner strength: “Shoes caked with mud and wet leaves, clothes rumpled and dirty, a white trash bag cradled in his arms and pressed against his chest as if it were a precious baby, eyes so bright with desperation that they might have been lamps to light his way if this had been night, Mitch hurried along the shoulder of the highway.”
Needing little introduction, Koontz, a Californian, is the prolific creator of many bestsellers, such as: By the Light of the Moon, Mr Murder, Cold Fire, The Bad Place, Shattered, The Funhouse, Dark Rivers of the Heart and Demon Seed. Yet another novel, The Good Guy, appeared earlier this year.
The Husband thrills, chills and entertains, moving forward so rapidly and smoothly that the author’s presence goes unnoticed. The well-told story prevails, just as it should.
Approval rating: 86 per cent
For more information: www.deankoontz.com
(October 17, 2007)
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Dean Koontz:
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