The Bad Place [Hardcover]

Dean Koontz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 16, 1990

Frank Pollard develops a fear of sleep because each time he wakes he finds strange and frightening objects in his hands and pockets.

Detective team Bobby and Julie Dakota agree to investigate where Frank goes when he sleeps. They encounter an ominous figure stalking Frank and ultimately learn that bad places exist in the world of the living; places so steeped in evil that, in contrast, death seems almost a relief...

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his imaginative new novel, Koontz soars beyond the limits of Midnight and his other bestsellers. The principal characters, married detectives Julie and Bobby Dakota, agree to help frightened amnesiac Frank Pollard figure out what he does when he's asleep. (Not only can Frank not remember his past, but he wakes up mornings to find mysterious bags of large-denomination bills by his bed.) In due course, Frank and the Dakotas join forces against murderer Candy Pollard and his weird sisters, who want to kill Frank--evidently the sole human in the monstrous family. Candy extends psychic feelers toward potential victims, emanations that are sensed by Julie's younger brother Thomas. A Down's syndrome child, Thomas is telepathically gifted and able to warn Bobby of the demons who threaten Julie. Horror follows horror with each crime perpetrated by Candy & Co. as they come ever closer to the Dakotas and other prey. Besides episodes of shriek-worthy suspense, the book features out-of-body flights, and data on insects and gems of impossible origins, no less unnatural than the Pollard villains, who could incite envy in Lucifer himself. Koontz should lure even more readers to his myriad following with his terrifyingly credible fantasy. Literary Guild main selection.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Pencil in two more best sellers for Koontz, author of Strangers ( LJ 4/15/86), Watchers ( LJ 3/1/87), and Lightning ( LJ 1/88). Originally written under the pseudonym "Leigh Nichols" and published as a Pocket Books paperback in 1979, The Key to Midnight (#8 on the 11/1/89 LJ Prepub Best Sellers List) tells the story of expatriate songstress Joanna Rand, owner of a trendy Japanese night club in Kyoto. When vacationing private eye Alex Hunter recognizes Joanna as the victim of an unsolved ten-year-old kidnapping case, the tale takes an eerie turn into the all-too-real science of mind control and psychological conditioning. In Koontz's latest offering, The Bad Place (#20 on the 11/1/89 LJ Prepub Best Sellers List; Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/89), amiable Frank Pollard hires a husband-and-wife detective team to watch over him while he sleeps. Every time poor Frank nods off, he awakens covered with blood and in possession of some decidedly weird objects. Soon, our detectives discover that Frank is teleporting in his sleep, endlessly pursued by a grotesque genetic freak which threatens to destroy them all. This masterful rendition marks Koontz's full maturation--and the point at which he displaces Stephen King as America's premier weaver of horror yarns. Public libraries should expect big demand for both novels.
- Mark Annichiarico, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 382 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (January 16, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399134980
• ISBN-13: 978-0399134982
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (163 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #523,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born and raised in Pennsylvania where I graduated from Shippensburg State College (now Shippensburg University). When I was a senior in college, I won an Atlantic Monthly fiction competition and have been writing ever since. My first job after graduation was with the Appalachian Poverty Program, where I was expected to counsel and tutor underprivileged children on a one-to-one basis. During my first day on the job, I discovered that the previous occupier of my position had been beaten up by the very kids he had been trying to help and had landed in the hospital for several weeks. The following year was filled with challenge but also tension, and I was more highly motivated than ever to build a career as a writer. I wrote nights and weekends, which I continued to do after leaving the poverty program and going to work as an English teacher in a suburban school district outside Harrisburg. After a year and a half in that position, my wife, Gerda, made me an offer I couldn't refuse: "I'll support you for five years," she said, "and if you can't make it as a writer in that time, you'll never make it." By the end of those five years, Gerda had quit her job to run the business end of my writing career. Gerda and I, along with our dog, Trixie, live in southern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fireflies in a Windstorm...., July 19, 2005

By 

M. I. "krushedvelvet" (Old Bridge, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Bad Place (Mass Market Paperback)

Frank Pollard is completely terrified and perplexed upon waking in the middle of an alleyway. He has no idea why he is there or who he is. He remembers his name, but hasnt a clue as to how old he is, where he lives, what he does for work...all he knows is that something or someone is after him for reasons he cant guess...he has to run or die - there is no other choice. While on the run, hopping from one motel to the next, Franks fears begin to escalate as upon waking he is met with one new shock after another. One morning he wakes covered in blood, another morning he is fully clothed and covered in sand after having crawled into bed clean and in his pajamas - and he has absolutely no memory of what events took place. Frank needs help, but because he cant remember who he is, he has no idea who his friends are; whom can he trust? Thats where Bobby and Julie Dakota come in. Frank hires the team of Private Investigators to watch him, follow his every move, monitor him as he sleeps...only NO ONE expected what is ultimately revealed.
The Bad Place was a good, entertaining read. It wasnt a favorite of mine, but still worth it. I am finding that any Koontz book is pretty much a safe bet. The man can write. His characters are so well drawn and his mind comes up with wild and unpredictable turns. I just love his mind. If you have never read Koontz before, I highly recommmend him.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another classic, December 29, 2003

By 

Theresa W (mi, usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bad Place (Paperback)

If a Koontz book like this can't scare you- nothing will!! One of his best in my opinion, The Bad Place is about true evil. Beware if you are reading this before you go to bed. But don't worry- when you finish, there are many other Koontz books to satisfy your appetite! You'll be hooked.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A WILD RIDE!, October 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bad Place (Paperback)

There are so many positive things to say about "The Bad Place". It was thoroughly absorbing and suspenseful from beginning to end, never failing to entertain. As usual, Dean Koontz writes about the horrific and bizarre with an eloquent flair. I was really taken in by the character of Bobby. Everybody KNOWS a Bobby...and loves them! Some of the dialogue between Bobby and his wife was hilarious. (I can't remember ever laughing out loud while reading a Koontz novel until now) There is only one reason I didn't give "The Bad Place" a 5 star rating; I got the feeling that the last quarter of the story was rushed and possibly not as well thought out as the rest of the book. Even so, it was a great read and I highly recommend it.