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With each of his #1 New York Times bestsellers, Dean Koontz has displayed an unparalleled ability to entertain and enlighten readers with novels that capture the essence of our times even as they bring us to the edge of our seats. Now he delivers a heart-gripping tour de force he’s been waiting years to write, at once a love story, a thrilling adventure, and a masterwork of suspense that redefines the boundaries of primal fear—and of enduring devotion.
Amy Redwing has dedicated her life to the southern California organization she founded to rescue abandoned and endangered golden retrievers. Among dog lovers, she’s a legend for the risks she’ll take to save an animal from abuse. Among her friends, Amy’s heedless devotion is often cause for concern. To widower Brian McCarthy, whose commitment she can’t allow herself to return, Amy’s behavior is far more puzzling and hides a shattering secret.
No one is surprised when Amy risks her life to save Nickie, nor when she takes the female golden into her home. The bond between Amy and Nickie is immediate and uncanny. Even her two other goldens, Fred and Ethel, recognize Nickie as special, a natural alpha. But the instant joy Nickie brings is shadowed by a series of eerie incidents. An ominous stranger. A mysterious home invasion.
And the unmistakable sense that someone is watching Amy’ s every move and that, whoever it is, he’s not alone.
Someone has come back to turn Amy into the desperate, hunted creature she’s always been there to save. But now there’s no one to save Amy and those she loves. From its breathtaking opening scene to its shocking climax, The Darkest Evening of the Year is Dean Koontz at his finest, a transcendent thriller certain to have readers turning pages until dawn.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
November 27, 2007 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780553904895
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780553904895
- File size: 1276 KB
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 1020
- Text Difficulty: 6-8
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Reviews
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Starred review from October 29, 2007
Set mostly in Southern California, this topnotch thriller from bestseller Koontz (The Good Guy
) depicts with unabashed emotion and wit the magical powers of golden retrievers—in particular, a female named Nickie, who will stop at nothing to save innocent children and protect their guardians. Amy Redwing, the survivor of a horrifying marriage, establishes Golden Heart to rescue golden retrievers, rehabilitate the abused ones and find “forever homes.” A supernatural chain of events ensues after Amy and her architect boyfriend, Brian McCarthy, rescue Nickie during a violent intervention in a family dispute. Soon the pair are on a mission that leads to a transformative confrontation with a number of ugly characters—Gunther Schloss, a frustrated aspiring novelist turned killer-for-hire; Moonglow, a psychobitch in the Mommie Dearest league; and Moonglow’s lover, Harrow, a self-obsessed sicko. This is the perfect book for thriller addicts who know the darkest hour is just before dawn and for canine lovers who remember “dog” spelled backwards is “god.” -
January 28, 2008
Koontz's latest tale of a mysterious canine that devoted animal rights activist Amy Redwing brings into her home is a powerful thriller that should have the listener's pulse racing. Sadly, the narration by singer and entertainer Kristen Kairos is bland and uninspired, resulting in a near-tedious listening experience. Her voice is machine-like and conventional, droning on in a monotonous tone that leaves little room for improvisation. Redwing becomes a ditzy airhead from the get-go, which makes it harder to feel sorry for her when things eventually fall apart. Unless the character is a drunken maniac or soft-spoken nun, Kairos offers little shift in tone and dialect for the large cast of characters that pop up throughout. Moments of the utmost tension and suspense are lost in Kairos's insipid reading, a shame considering the story is one of Koontz's best in years. By the third chapter most listeners will have lost interest. Simultaneous release with the Bantam hardcover (Reviews, Oct. 29).
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