Book Review: The Husbandby Dean Koontz

Mitch and Holly Rafferty are in love. Mitch is a successful landscaper and Holly works in real estate. Everything is idyllic and peaceful in their "pre-baby", successful couple lives.

Mitch came from a family that makes the Manson family seem like angels. His father, Daniel and his mother, Katherine have very unique views on child-rearing, the reader will be chilled by the things they have done to their five children. Each child is a genius mentally, and successful in their lives.

Mitch owns a landscaping company called "Big Green". At first he has one employee, Iggy, who works hard, but is a board-head with not enough boards. Mitch and Iggy are working at one the fine homes that retain their services when Mitch idly notices a man across the street walking a golden retriever.

Suddenly Mitch's serene life is shattered forever when a crack rends the air and the dog walker falls to the sidewalk. Mitch hurries over to help and calls 911; from there he descends into hell.

Detective Taggert speaks slowly, but sees deeply and he has his eye on Mitch. For just as the dog walker fell to his death, Mitch's phone rang and his wife Holly told him she had been kidnapped. He was warned not to call the police or she would be hurt, badly. One of the kidnappers makes her scream. It is enough for Mitch Rafferty. He won't say a word to the police. He is finally let go from questioning and makes his way home, where he finds a ransacked kitchen with bloody hand prints still tacky on the cabinets.

What would do for a loved one? Would you kill for your wife or husband? How far would you go to return your world to its former order? These are the questions Mitch faces.

There is a twist next and Mitch goes to talk with his brother, Anson. It is a twist that takes the wind out of Mitch's sails and renders him stunned. From this point on the book is filled with twists and turns that keep a reader turning pages far into the night. The suspense is so palatable that not finishing the book is not an option.

Dean Koontz weaves a spell with his writing, making us care about his characters and what they encounter. This is definitely one of Koontz's finest stories, out of a lifetime of fascinating work. You will want to leave a light on - and take a better look at your relatives when you read this great suspense novel.