Mr. Murder [Library Binding]

Dean R. Koontz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1999

Mystery writer Marty Stillwater's happy life in southern California is turned upside-down by a stranger claiming to be he. By the best-selling author of Midnight. Reprint. K. PW.

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

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Martin Stillwater is a novelist with a wife and children he adores -- and an imagination he can't control. One rainy afternoon, a stranger breaks into Martin's house and accuses him of stealing his family, his name, and his life. Martin has no choice but to take his family and flee, even as he questions his own sanity. But wherever they go, the stranger is right behind them. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The formula Koontz ( The Bad Place ) uses here is a familiar one: an overpowering evil stalks an innocent family that remains unaware of the menace until isolated from all help and forced to run for their lives. But enhanced by Koontz's lean prose and rich characterization, this fearsome tale summons up new frissons of horror. Marty Stillwater's second horror novel is bestseller-bound; he's the subject of a People magazine feature article; and his wife, Paige, and their two young daughters complete the perfect family. Then he begins having blackouts and paralyzing panic attacks that lead him to hide guns around the house. The weapons prove handy when an armed stranger--Marty's Doppelganger --breaks into the house to kill him and reclaim the life, family and destiny that he swears Marty stole. A fierce battle leaves the stranger dead but when Paige and the police arrive, the body is gone. Unable to trust the cops, the family runs for the hills to try to evade the seemingly indestructible "Other." Meanwhile, sinister agents are desperately tracking The Other for their own less-than-ethical ends. Playing on every emotion and keeping the story racing along, Koontz masterfully escalates the tension. He closes the narrative with the most ingenious twist ending of his career. Literary Guild & Doubleday Book Club main selection; Mystery Guild alternate selection.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Library Binding
• Publisher: Bt Bound (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785756167
• ISBN-13: 978-0785756163
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (117 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,637,932 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good novel, but too many similarities to the books Koontz wrote just before and after this one, September 13, 2006

By 

York Marahrens - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mr. Murder (Mass Market Paperback)

A mystery writer and his family are relentlessly pursued by a renegade profesional killer who may have some sort of psychic link to his quarry. The person(s) for whom the killer had worked - and bolted from - also get involved. I won't give away more as I don't want to spoil things for the reader.

"MR. MURDER" (1993) is the eleventh Koontz book that I have read. This novel employs the same style and has some similarities to both HIDEAWAY (1992) and DRAGON TEARS (1993) but transitions from supernatural ("nutcase antagonist with supernatural abilities") to science fiction (nutcase anatgonist for science-based reasons). "MR MURDER" introduces the "up against a high-tech organization that can track you anywhere" idea that Koontz delves into more deeply with his next novel "DARK RIVERS OF THE HEART" (1994) which also has some similarities to this one. So Koontz was in a slight rut during these years with his books not changing from one to the next as much as during his more inspired times. The core ideas are actually original enough in each of the aforementioned books, but similarities arise in the way the ideas are subsequently fleshed out. However, MR. MURDER is well-written and a little better written than his average book and a fun read. (I have never read a poorly written Koontz novel - he seems to be too much of a hard-working perfectionist to allow that to happen.)

I would rank MR. MURDER against his other books that I have read as follows. Note that I have a slight bias in favor of science fiction over horror and the supernatural. In chronological order:

#1 WATCHERS (1987) - Top tier Koontz! More frequently cited as his best novel than any other of his books and I totally agree. Suspense/love story/horror/ action/science fiction. Outstanding character development, even by Koontz standards. An absolutely wonderful dog.

#3 LIGHTENING (1988) - Inspired book with some of the same strengths as WATCHERS but a very different novel and almost as good.

#5 HIDEAWAY (1992) - Antagonist has supernatural abilities. Some similararities to Dragon Tears.

#9 DRAGON TEARS (1993) - Antagonist has supernatural abilities. The similarities to Hideaway make me rank it lower primarily because Hideaway was written first.

#8 MR. MURDER (1993) - Fairly strong middle tier Koontz. You can see the transition from Dragon Tears to Dark Rivers and it overlaps with both too much.

#6 DARK RIVERS OF THE HEART (1994) Science fiction-tinged conspiracy story with similarities to the movie "Enemy of the State".

#2 INTENSITY (1996) - Top tier Koontz! He breaks out his pseudo-rut with a vengeance. 2nd most frequently cited as his best book after WATCHERS. A straight horror story which is not my favorite genre, but the quality of this work is very high. I though the title was pretentious until I read the book: wow INTENSE!

#4 ODD THOMAS (2003) - Koontz's adoption of a rather different writing style is by many considered to work the best in this novel. Supernatural.

#11 THE FACE (2003) - Very slow moving but excellent character development. I had some trouble staying engaged in this one because it was so slow. Still a pretty good book. Supernatural.

#10 LIFE EXPECTANCY (2004) - Koontz's experimentation with a new writing style in the Odd Thomas direction. Has quirkiness and humor: he is competant at this, but humor is not Koontz's strength. Strong character development. Still a good book. No science fiction or supernatural stuff.

#7 THE HUSBAND (2006) - Koontz had changed his style again. Fast paced page-turner at the expense of character development. No science fiction or supernatural stuff. Ends too abruptly.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Koontz is hard to put down!, January 20, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: Mr. Murder (Mass Market Paperback)

After having read most of Koontz's catalogue 5-10 years ago, I've saved a few of his older works for later consumption & enjoyment. Mr. Murder was one of those books, and pulling it out last week & reading it reminded me why I was such an avid fan of his! There's nothing like "classic Koontz".

Mr. Murder is about Martin Stillwater and his family. The book opens as Martin begins to have a weird sense that something is going to happen to him. And sure enough, it does! Within a few days a dead-ringer for Martin walks into his home, claiming Martin stole his identity & then tries to kill Martin. The majority of the book is Martin & his family which consists of a wife & two young girls, on the run from this being that claims to be Marty. We also watch as "The Other" is getting closer & closer; and not too far behind him is people who are after him as well!

The book was full of action & adventure. And of course nail-biting suspense & curiosity of what will happen next. The only thing that could be improved on would be the pace- I think the book could have moved a bit quicker- especially the ending. As usual Koontz's characters take the cake, they make the book. He has a special talent for creating likeable characters & getting the readers to really care about them. Recommended!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Koontz re-hash, February 9, 2004

By 

Serene (Marina, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mr. Murder (Mass Market Paperback)

Marty Stillwater is a writer and a mystery novelist. He has a wonderful (beautiful) saintly wife, two super-cute kids, and the dream job: he writes horror novels for a living. His life takes an abrupt turn, when he is stalked by a serial killer intent on revenge. Can Marty and family survive the encounter?

First, let me state, I liked the first part of this novel. But about halfway through the book rapidly deteriorated. Koontz writing suffers greatly from rehashed characters: Unrealistic-too-perfect bombshell wife, silly and almost preternaturally smart children, and worse of all the evil sadistic sexual-predator villain.

When the villain began fantasizing about raping the hero's wife and kids I had to pass on this book. Just once I'd like to read a Koontz book who with a villain who /wasn't/ a sexual predator... This is a common theme and one that I find tiresome and gruesome. Villians can be evil without being sexually perverted.

Not the best Koontz book I've ever read. If you are looking for good Koontz material pick up a copy of "Fear Nothing."