Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A THRILLING PAGE TURNER..., January 29, 2006
Once I started this book, the plot grabbed me right from the beginning and would not let go. Even though it is a plot driven book, the main character is well developed, even though others, perhaps, are not. It makes no difference, however, as it is the intricate, tightly constructed plot that will grab the reader. This is quintessential Koontz at his best, producing a riveting page-turner, once again.
Billy Wiles is a formerly promising writer turned barkeep. He has experienced a goodly amount of tragedy in his life. Orphaned at fourteen, he is haunted by the unusual circumstances surrounding the death of his parents. He is also devoted to his fiancee, Barbara, who lies in a comatose state in a nursing home, the victim of the fickle finger of fate. She has been given little hope of recovery. While Billy appears to be an easygoing, hardworking regular Joe, he goes through life with despair etched in the very way that he lives.
One night, however, a pivotal event occurs that will forever change Billy's life. A note is left under the windshield wipers of his car. The note gives him a most unusual ultimatum. It tells him that if he does not take the note to the police, securing their involvement, "a lovely blonde schoolteacher from the Napa Valley" will be murdered. The note also conversely tells Billy that if he does take the note to the police, "an elderly woman active in charity work" will, instead, be murdered. These are the two choices for which Billy has been given six hours to decide.
What Billy chooses to do and what follows are the stuff of which nightmares are made. Suddenly, Billy's formerly quiet, prosaic life takes on a new dimension, one in which reality is suspended, as the first note is followed by a series of them. Each note ups the ante, leaving Billy with having to make choices no human being should have to make. The ingenious plot takes the reader on a thrill ride of terror and suspense.
This was a book that I could not put down, so intriguing, original, and mesmerizing was the plot. Fans of the author, as well as those of Stephen King, should find much to like about this brilliantly plotted, fast-paced book, which puts a new spin on the age old struggle between good and evil. Written by a master storyteller at the top of his game, the book should keep the enthralled reader turning the pages, until the very last one has been turned. This is, without a doubt, one of the author's best books.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A PAGE-TURNER..., September 11, 2005
Once I started this book, the plot grabbed me right from the beginning and would not let go. Even though it is a plot driven book, the main character is well developed, even though others, perhaps, are not. It makes no difference, however, as it is the intricate, tightly constructed plot that will grab the reader. This is quintessential Koontz at his best, producing a riveting page-turner, once again.
Billy Wiles is a formerly promising writer turned barkeep. He has experienced a goodly amount of tragedy in his life. Orphaned at fourteen, he is haunted by the unusual circumstances surrounding the death of his parents. He is also devoted to his fiancee, Barbara, who lies in a comatose state in a nursing home, the victim of the fickle finger of fate. She has been given little hope of recovery. While Billy appears to be an easygoing, hardworking regular Joe, he goes through life with despair etched in the very way that he lives.
One night, however, a pivotal event occurs that will forever change Billy's life. A note is left under the windshield wipers of his car. The note gives him a most unusual ultimatum. It tells him that if he does not take the note to the police, securing their involvement, "a lovely blonde schoolteacher from the Napa Valley" will be murdered. The note also conversely tells Billy that if he does take the note to the police, "an elderly woman active in charity work" will, instead, be murdered. These are the two choices for which Billy has been given six hours to decide.
What Billy chooses to do and what follows are the stuff of which nightmares are made. Suddenly, Billy's formerly quiet, prosaic life takes on a new dimension, one in which reality is suspended, as the first note is followed by a series of them. Each note ups the ante, leaving Billy with having to make choices no human being should have to make. The ingenious plot takes the reader on a thrill ride of terror and suspense.
This was a book that I could not put down, so intriguing, original, and mesmerizing was the plot. Fans of the author, as well as those of Stephen King, should find much to like about this brilliantly plotted, fast-paced book, which puts a new spin on the age old struggle between good and evil. Written by a master storyteller at the top of his game, the book should keep the enthralled reader turning the pages, until the very last one has been turned. This is, without a doubt, one of the author's best books.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fast-moving (plenty of Velocity), May 26, 2006
At the very beginning of Velocity, there is a list of books that Dean Koontz has written; I did a quick count and figured that I've read over forty books by Koontz. I think that Koontz is a good writer; beyond that, he is also a reliable one. When I pick up a Koontz book, I know it will be good: most Koontz books I would rate four stars; there are few three or five star works, and none at all at the one or two star level. Velocity is no exception: it is another four star novel.
Velocity follows Billy Wiles, a bartender in a small Napa Valley community. Billy is something of a loner, deeply affected by his fiancee Barbara slipping into a coma four years earlier; the impact of her condition has kept him from getting really close to anyone else. He is detached from life as well; other than visiting Barbara, he just works and does little else. This detachment ceases when he finds a note on his truck: the unsigned message informs him that the writer intends to kill someone: either an old woman or a young one, depending on whether or not he contacts the police. Billy discusses this with a cop buddy, who advises that it appears to be a practical joke; the next day, however, a young woman is killed and another note appears.
Billy soon realizes he's the pawn of a cunning serial killer who seems to relish the way Billy is manipulated. With the killer - who Billy thinks of as the "freak" - always a couple steps ahead, Billy is hard-pressed to even have time to think. Most of the messages Billy gets forces him into painful dilemmas that makes him choose which of two people to kill; even inaction results in a death. As for who the freak is, Billy really only has one possible suspect, but as fans of the genre are well-aware, the most likely suspect is in reality the least likely to be the real culprit.
This is not a perfect book, with the ending a little weaker than it should be. Nonetheless, this is a good book overall. In a way, it is a mistitled book: it should be called Acceleration as it moves faster and faster the further you go. For thrillers, you can't go really wrong with Koontz as this book once again proves.
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