Customer Reviews

The Husband [Paperback]

5 star:		(141)
4 star:		(105)
3 star:		(55)
2 star:		(30)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

As I read this novel I just kept thinking to myself that no one takes a bad, awful situation, and then makes it shockingly worse, better than Dean Koontz. When you think things are as bad as they can get, he ratchets down and you realize just how wrong you are. Things can get much worse, oh indeedy. Then, of course, he defies your comprehension and makes it worse again, and then again. Koontz does escalating tension and events better than anyone, and does it with such deceptively simple writing that his stories feel like terrifying roller-coaster rides: the hair curling build-up of tension, the shrieking plunge into depths of despair and hopelessness, then the shocking, violent twists and turns, and finally, heart-pounding and breast heaving, you safely glide to a controlled stop and the safe normal world you are accustomed to can resume again.

In The Husband, a simple gardener is interrupted while working by a cell call. His wife says she loves him and then abruptly screams in pain. A merciless voice comes on and informs him that they have his wife and they want $2 million. He only has $11,000 in his checking. Events unfold rapidly from there, and, as I said above, things slide from awful and impossible, to horrfyingly worse, through many lightning quick, and equally shocking, plot twists. Details about the kidnappers and Mitch's strange family are parceled out in tantalizing bits and pieces which make the bizarre and incomprehensible beginnings finally make sense.

Mr. Koontz has focused on themes of love, goodness, family, and kindness confronting evil, despair, and self-interest in many of his recent books and this one is no exception. A good man, who truly loves his wife, is called upon to face the unthinkable, contend with evil more complex than simple kidnappers, and confront his past in a haunting, complex story that is a well-told, lovingly crafted page turner. This is a story of goodness, love, and hope, beset on all sides by evil, deceit, maliciousness, and despair and a couple who must persevere and face these things head on in order to triumph. I really enjoyed this novel as I have many of his previous ones like the Odd Thomas duo and Life Expectancy. This is in the same vein as those novels. I didn't much like Intensity, perhaps because it didn't follow the same formula as these other novels. If you enjoyed Life Expectancy and Odd Thomas though you'll be sure to enjoy this one from Koontz too.

Once again, Mr. Koontz has given us a wonderful rollercoaster ride of action and suspense. The story opens with an outstanding scene in which an ordinary, nice man, owner of a small two-man landscaping business, is called on his cell and told that his wife has been kidnapped. A bystander is shot to show that the kidnappers are watching and mean business. And they expect Mitch, the main character, to obtain 2million dollars within a few days to get his wife back. It seems an impossible task. Along the way, Mitch meets with terrible betrayals as we learn his compelling family history, while his wife deals with strange, strange kidnappers. I don't want to say much more, lest I give away too much. But I do recommend this book highly. I bought it at 6pm last night and couldn't go to bed till I was finished reading it! It will keep you turning the pages anxiously trying to find out what will happen next!

One of the serious pitfalls of the so-called thriller is with the writer trying to pack ten pounds of jeopardy into a five-pound bag. Instead of adding to the horror and suspense, the story breaks into comedy. And that's not good at all. It's also exactly what happens here.

The characters are just a tiny bit unrealistic. Oh, maybe more than a tiny bit--the last kidnapper, for example. He's a foolish romantic with about a sixth-grade mentality but he is a nearly super criminal who is able to plan and carry out intricate actions. The hero's brother is even more unrealistic, a genius with the one-dimensional morality of a tiger. I never believed once in the people, after the first fifty pages or so.

But enough said. This starts well enough but goes steadily downhill into an improbable ending. By the way, what happened to the bag of money? Who ends up with it?

Usually, I LOVE Dean Koontz. I own almost all of his books, and have stayed up many nights reading them. I have to say that this book pales in comparison to his previous books. The plot was very shallow and the motive was just not developed. You didn't get the "chills" that you usually do with a Dean Koontz book - overall, was very disappointed.

What a start to this book. Mitch Rafferty is mindlessly working away planting red and purple impatiens for his client. Life is good and Mitch is an optimist. Then his world goes down the toilet. His cell phone rings. His wife Holly has been kidnapped. The caller tells Mitch he has 60 hours (not even three days) to raise $2 million dollars or his wife is a goner. To prove the will to kill, an innocent walking his dog is shot through the head. What an opening scene. Stephen King in Cell might have beaten Koontz on openings for stories but not by much.

The Husband reminded me a lot of his novel Velocity. Both grab the reader early. Both seem to be endlessly suspensful (a good thing). Both seem to have the protagonist is a situation that is hopeless. The Husband is its own story however and is worth you while to read.

Koontz has evolved as an author over the years. He is often unfairly maligned because of this evolution by readers that want the same dose of Koontz each time. His novels stand a lone as do his characters.

The Husband will twist you in knots and that is a good thing. Up and down, in and out, Mitch is forced to deal with the reality of what is happening. Damn, how would I raise $2 mil? You'll love the book.

Dean Koontz's latest is a classic example of the high concept thriller--indeed, it's already headed to theater screens. Mitchell Rafferty is a perfectly average California landscaper until May 14th at 11:43 in the morning when he receives a cell phone call from his young wife:

"Mitch, I love you," Holly said.

"Hey, sweetie."

"Whatever happens, I love you."

She cried out in pain. A clatter and crash suggested a struggle.

Then her kidnappers come on the line and demand a $2 million ransom from this fellow with a few thousand dollar in savings and, to demonstrate how serious they are, the person walking his dog across the street from Mitch is felled by a single sniper shot. Thus, the concept, and Mr. Koontz never takes his foot off the gas pedal thereafter.

The first half of the book consists of Mitch unraveling why the men who have Holly would imagine that he could get his hands on this kind of money. Before he does there are moments when we're not only as bewildered as Mitch but eager to say how Mr. Koontz writes his way out of the mystery. The plot twist with which he does so is tremendously satisfying, so much so that it hardly matters that from there on in the wrap up is somewhat formulaic. It obviously helps that the formula happens to be in the hands of a very capable veteran novelist who knows how to keep us on the line once he's set the hook. Fans of Mr. Koontz won't be disappointed and for those who've never read him this would be a perfect place to start.

I haven't been overjoyed by some of Koontz's recent books like some other fans have, but The Husband sings with Koontz Mastery! I'm a very slow reader but I read this thick book over the course of three nights, which is amazingly fast for me. The motivation in this book is dead on.

In The Bible it talks about a man leaving his father's house, joining with his wife and they become ONE FLESH. This book illustrates that concept (and the meaning behind it) better than I've seen in countless other books.

When his wife is kidnapped, tortured as he listens helplessly, all Mitch can do is feel the pain of having half of his "flesh" ripped from him. Compliance is easy under the right terms. The killers know this and they use it to the fullest extent, driving Mitch to do the unthinkable.

Twists and turns were expected, then unexpected then expected then totally shocking. Even readers don't know who to trust in this roller coaster ride.

I LOVED this book and I'm glad to see Koontz back in the form that first attracted me to his writing!

Koontz's latest, The Husband starts off very strong for about the first third of the book but drags a lot through the second third, and completely falls apart in the final third, with the ending being highly predictable. In addition, all of Koontz's characters are one-dimemsional and, if that's not enough, they lack credibility as well. For example, Holly, the kidnapped wife never for a minute seems afraid of her kidnappers, with her main concern being that her husband hold it together. Further, at most, Koontz provide a very scanty description of her appearance and personality which limited this reader's ability to develop a strong reason to really care about her. If all of above reasons aren't enough to think twice about reading this book, Koontz's ending is unbelievable (i.e., after all the laws the husband broke while attempting to rescue his wife, he's able to go on with his life as if he did nothing wrong) and Koontz leaves some key issues unresolved (e.g., what happens to the ransom money?)

This book had potential. It would make for a great movie because Hollywood would be able to cut out a lot of boring stuff and hype up on the parts that make this book bearable.

I will spare you the synopsis because most of the reviews go into it. I will tell it like it is.

1 -The book has a hook in the begining. It grabs you and you become extremely interested.
2- As you start learning about the kidnapers the book tends to slow down and become just babbling dialog
3- Mid way through it will nail you with a hook again and you think,...WOw...this is crazy. I must keep on reading...
4-After 2/3 way through....it slows to a snails pace and worsens the longer the kidnappers thoughts are projected to his wife. The last 1/3 of the book is so bad that I can not believe it ended like this. Its typical and has no creativity. It went from being exciting to pathetic.

over all it gets a medium grade because this is an average book. Hopefully a director with more insight can take the underpinnings of this book and revamp it so it flows the whole way through with a better ending...it would not be that difficult.

The "The Husband" by Dean koontz at face value has the potential for a great read with an evolving plot with surprises and many hurtles for the protaganist, "Mitch". It is a fight between good and evil. It is the struggle to overcome what seems like insurmontable odds with a strict time table. It should have bee a great read. Unfortunately Mr. Koontz seems to have been in a hurry to meet a deadline. The plot at times is lightly developed and contains what I call "descriptive filler". What I mean is there will be an inappropriately long description of the wind or the sky when the murder or the fight scene is briefly described. In addition the plot left many issues that should have been resloved rather than skipping to a generalized ending barely satisfying the reader. Maybe it was written to become a TV movie.