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From Publishers Weekly
Koontz (Forever Odd) is likely to have himself another bestseller in this pulse-pounding thriller with echoes of Hitchcock and Cornell Woolrich. One morning, Southern California gardener Mitchell Rafferty gets a call on his cellphone from a stranger saying that Mitch's beloved wife, Holly, has been kidnapped and that he has less than three days to come up with $2 million in cash. Of course, he's warned not to involve the police. While Mitch is still on the phone, the kidnapper proves his seriousness by directing Mitch's attention to a man walking a dog across the street. A moment later the man is shot dead. Mitch must walk a fine line—cooperating with the police inquiry into this murder without revealing Holly's plight. Koontz ratchets up the tension in a manner sure to captivate most readers, though some may find the ending anticlimactic. (May 30)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* It's another boring day in paradise for gardener Mitch Rafferty, planting impatiens on a rich client's lawn. Then his cell rings. It's Holly, his wife, and she doesn't sound good. Someone slaps her, she screams, and a man comes on to tell Mitch that he has 60 hours to raise $2 million to ransom her. Just so Mitch knows they mean business, the man says, see the guy walking a dog across the street? Mitch looks and blam! A bullet to the head kills the dog walker. Let this be a warning, too, that the kidnapper-killers will know if Mitch says word one to the cops about his predicament, and Holly will suffer. Where is a gardener supposed to get $2 million? The sinister caller says he'll let Mitch know; just be a good machine and follow instructions. Despite his terror, Mitch does until . . . But uh-uh-uh, nothing should be given away about this sinuous nail-biter's developments. Suffice it to say that Mitch's intensely warped family, managed according to his rigidly materialistic psychologist-father's theories; two betrayals, one of Mitch, the other of the kidnappers; a slick child pornography entrepreneur; a humane but persistent police detective; and a New Ager psychopath all help ratchet up the suspense and the violence. But Koontz focuses relentlessly on Mitch and, in chapters scattered judiciously throughout the latter 230 pages, Holly. Not for him the flirtation with evil thinking that an Elmore Leonard does so well or the temptation to sympathize with evildoers that an Alfred Hitchcock offers. And yet Koontz is no less an artist for his championing of the good and his determination to have readers identify with it, as this hair-raising thriller attests. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping! Couldn't Put It Down,
By Janet Boyer "Author of Tarot in Reverse" (JanetBoyer(dot)com) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Husband (Hardcover)
I've been a fan of Koontz (he used to be known as Dean R. Koontz) since a classmate gave me a set of paperbacks for a Christmas gift exchange back in 1988. She said 'If you like Stephen King, you'll LOVE Koontz. Trust me."Of course, she was right. Even the worst of Koontz blows away the best of King. But I digress. I've been a bit disappointed with the last few Koontz novels. Mostly, it's been Koontz's obsession with describing weather that distracts from the story. But also the stories didn't seem as suspenseful as they used to be--nor believable. (Alien fungi are best left to the ramblings of King. The Taking by Koontz reminded me of King's alien book Buick 8--which isn't good. That is, neither King's book nor the comparison.) I hadn't given up on Koontz, though, and when I read the back of the dustjacket of The Husband, I KNEW I had to buy it! With The Husband, Koontz weaves a believable, taut story that is (initially) gripping for one reason: the premise could happen to any of us. Imagine that you're a middle-class gardener working in an upscale suburb with your partner. You are digging and planting on a hot day--and then you get a call on your cell. Your beloved has been kidnapped and you have 60 hours to pay 2 million dollars for the ransom. Just so you know that the kidnappers are serious, the caller directs your attention to the sidewalk across the road, where a passer-by is walking a dog. Next thing you know, there's a pop and the passer-by falls to the ground--dead from a gunshot wound to the head. You hear your beloved screaming on the phone, you are warned not to go to the police or your beloved dies--and the clock begins ticking. So goes the page-turning suspense in The Husband. It is truly a thrill-ride from first to last. I could NOT put it down. I didn't WANT to put it down! There are several shocking surprises in this book--ones I did NOT see coming. There were times I would hurriedly shut the book, exclaim "Oh my God!"--and sit there with mouth agape. Once I wrapped my head around the revelation, I'd dive right back in for more! Yes, Koontz still describes the weather with gorgeous metaphors (this time, it's mostly the wind) but in this book, the word pictures don't distract from the story--they accentuate it. (Perhaps because they seem less elaborate?) I was waiting for Koontz to use "susurration", and by God he did...but not in reference to the rain or wind--but a heartbeat. To say The Husband was an exciting read is an understatement. My flight-or-fight response was triggered more than once during this wild ride! As usual, Koontz imbues heart and hope--so this story is oh-so-satisfying on many levels. I finished reading The Husband in the wee hours of this morning and LOVED it!!! I even told my husband "You have GOT to read this!" (He read One Door Away From Heaven at my prompting, and was introduced to the writings of the late Richard Brautigan thanks to a repeated reference to In Watermelon Sugar. My husband is now a rabid fan of Brautigan, thanks to Koontz!) Dean Koontz, you have once again showed what a truly suspenseful writer you can be!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprising twists,
By
This review is from: The Husband (Paperback)
This is a Dean Koontz psychologically complex novel with mysterious and fantastical characters with an unrealistic plot. The dynamics of parents and siblings play an important role in this novel, so is the love between husband and wife. Of course Koontz is a master storyteller that features creepy villains, this book is no exception.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Koontz does it again!,
By Dr. Jekill (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Husband (Paperback)
Another page turner - one you won't want to put down. Koontz is able to throw us twists that you don't see coming and keep you on the edge. A great read and great entertainment. The characters are well developed and he makes every turn believable. This is one to get!
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