Velocity (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: vineyard hills, lava pipe, hook wounds, Steve Zillis, Billy Wiles, Ralph Cottle (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. A diabolic killer plays a harrowing game of cat and mouse with a reclusive bartender in Koontz's latest gripping suspense thriller. Billy Wiles, a 30-something bartender and former writer, is content with his solitary Napa County existence listening to "beer-based psychoanalysis" from tavern regulars; visiting his hospitalized, comatose fiancée, Barbara; and carving wood sculptures. But the simple life gets mighty complicated when he finds a note with a deadly, time-sensitive ultimatum: he must choose between the death of a young schoolteacher or an elderly humanitarian in six hours. Reluctant local sheriff Lanny Olsen dismisses it as a joke until a comely teacher is found strangled and another threatening note appears—offering even less time for Billy to decide the fate of two more people. Who would have guessed that one of those people would be Olsen? After his friend's murder, Billy finds that the cunning killer has gained access to every aspect of his life as the ultimatums grow increasingly more personal. Suppressing horrific childhood memories, Billy scrambles to bury grisly incriminating evidence the murderer has deviously planted. More gruesome deaths and shaky suspicions trap Billy right in the demented killer's lair for just the beginning of Koontz's serpentine showdown. Graphic, fast-paced action, well-developed characters and relentless, nail-biting scenes show Koontz at the top of his game. (May 24)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Bartender Billy Wiles's life spirals out of control after he finds a note on his windshield telling him that he has a choice: involve the police, and a lovely blonde schoolteacher dies. Do nothing, and an elderly woman active in charity work dies. His options only become harder once the killer targets people whom Billy knows and plants circumstantial evidence tying him to the crimes. His greatest fear is for his comatose fiancée, and he works frantically to find the murderer before Barbara is hurt. Koontz keeps the plot moving at an accelerating pace, and there are enough twists and turns to keep the story from being predictable. Billy isn't a hero in the traditional sense, but he is a sympathetic protagonist, an average man pushed to his limits by an implacable foe. Although there is a great deal of violence and an impressive body count, the worst of it occurs off-screen. The themes aren't subtle, but they are worth considering--the importance of connection and community, the enduring power of love, and the validity of modern art. Velocity is a fast, entertaining read.–Susan Salpini, TASIS–The American School in England
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; X edition (April 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553588257
• ISBN-13: 978-0553588255
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (299 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #152,595 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #87 in

  Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( K ) > Koontz, Dean

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enthralling mini epic..., June 2, 2005

By	Jennifer Ortiz "jenortiz" (Morristown, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Velocity (Hardcover)

That is what Dean Koontz has been attempting to write. In a recent interview, Dean Koontz said that he has been trying to take everything he loved about epic novels and "write shorter books that had the same effect, the feeling and consequence and color and enthralling power and thematic intent of an epic, all in a book of fewer pages." Well, I think that he has achieved his goal.

This story focuses on the life of Billy Wiles, a bartender, former writer, wood carver, and otherwise solitary soul. Billy has been devotedly visiting and caring for his comatose fiancee, Barbara, who lives in a nursing home with the hopes that she will one day awaken. He sits with her for hours writing down phrases that she utters in her endless sleep. This is Billy's quiet and solitary life until one afternoon at the end of his shift, he finds a note under the windshield wiper of his car that will radically change his views on life and all it holds.

I was so enthralled in Billy's struggle that I felt my heart pounding and a tightness in my chest with each challenge he had to face. His character was so real and the story so vivid that I couldn't put it down. I finally finished it last night and I just laid awake thinking about the story. This story was as touching and moving as Odd Thomas, another of may favorite Koontz novels.

I have read thrillers and page turners on numerous occasions, but Dean Koontz's doesn't just write a mindless thrill ride. He makes you think. He puts substance in the pages and it grabs you and makes you take notice. I love his stories and hope that he continues on with his "mini epics."

I also recommend: Odd Thomas, Life Expectancy, and Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Book One: Prodigal Son

Jennifer Ortiz

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A THRILLING PAGE TURNER..., January 29, 2006

By	Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Velocity (Hardcover)

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.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A PAGE-TURNER..., September 11, 2005

By	Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Velocity (Hardcover)

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.