Frank Pollard is afraid to fall asleep. Every morning when he awakes, he discovers something strange--like blood on his hands--a bizarre mystery that tortures his soul. Two investigators have been hired to follow the haunted man. But only one person--a young man with Down's Syndrome--can imagine where their journeys might end. That terrible place from which no one ever returns.
The Bad Place
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A psychic child warns of danger as a murderous family stalks its amnesiac brother and the married detective team the brother has hired to help him. "Koontz should lure even more readers to his myriad following with his terrifyingly credible fantasy," predicted PW.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Mark Annichiarico, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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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
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By M. I.
VINE™ VOICE
Format: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.
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.
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
By Theresa W
Format:Mass Market 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
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market 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.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
very good
I liked the way Koontz was able to keep three stories going in a single story. I thought the character descriptions and "personalities" were well portrayed.
Published 20 days ago by Fred Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars
So good!!
Dean Koontz is great at writing a wonderful, engaging, nail-biting book. What I particularly love is that he gets you so into his characters, they become important, you really... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Deadwood
5.0 out of 5 stars
The bad place
The bad Place was one of Dean Koontz most interesting and climactic story plot lines. With fasinating characters whose families are loving and caring and some that are down right... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Angelfire
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read it in a day!
This book never has a dull moment. I actually think it would make a great movie. It has good guys and an alluring, yet appalling little family of bad guys that go beyond... Read more
Published 1 month ago by amj991
5.0 out of 5 stars
The bad place
The first book I've ever read twice. The second time every bit as good as the first. The afterwards saddens me with the realization that The Bad Placewill never be a movie.
Published 2 months ago by scott palmer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kept me reading.
As always kept the pace up and page turning till the end. Read this on a cruise and got a nice suntan. Should have gotten the audio version
Published 3 months ago by L. Yates
4.0 out of 5 stars
a good, fast-paced horror story
I read this book as a teenager. It was so good that I read it slow, at a neighborhood park at night, underneath a small, dim lantern, and cherished every word. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dean Henryson
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Bad Place
It is the best book I have ever read I read the book the first time in five hours. Then I waited a day and read it again. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Sharonda Johnson
1.0 out of 5 stars
Wow, bad to worst
This plot is so unbelievable and implausible that there was no enjoyment in reading it. Sure, as with every suspense novel you want to know what is going on and why, but this... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Katie Leone
1.0 out of 5 stars
Made me swear off Koontz forever
I loved Watchers, Lightning, and the Mask. But this book was SO disgusting and creepy I had to take a bath inside and out. It literally left a bad smell in my nose. Read more
Published 6 months ago by M. Bergen
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