Book Review: Shadowfires by Dean Koontz

Synopsis: a genius in the field of genetics, Eric Laban, is killed in an accident, shortly after he and his wife begin divorce negotiations. He's a violent man, driven practically mad when his wife refuses to take the millions of dollars that he is worth. The wife, Rachel, is terrified but we, the reader, aren't sure of what. Her boyfriend, Benny, is also left in the dark. Shortly after Laban's death, his body disappears from the morgue. The detectives assigned to the case are the passionate Julio Verdad and the ever-loyal Reese Hagerstrom. The results are car chases, murder, growing relationships, and horror.

The Good: I love Koontz's imagination and writing. He has a way of making the reader see exactly what he sees in his mind's eye. The book is pretty scary at times, especially if you're reading alone at night, or listening to the audio book in the car. While the antagonist is not completely original, it was for the time period in which the book was written. It has the power to absorb the reader with the plot.

The Bad: The dialogue is definitely lacking, as well as the character development. I think Koontz has a tendency to make his lead characters perfect. Rachel, for example, is the perfect woman: she's hot, she's smart, she's nice, she's rich, etc. She doesn't really seem to have any flaws (except for her murderous husband, of course). Benny is also perfect: ex-soldier (trained along the lines as a Navy Seal), wealthy, honest, loyal. They both have an unusually high level of morals and values, and are quick to talk about it. They wait for nearly six months to sleep together, and when they do it's beautiful and magical and it just deepens their emotional bond. (I'm rolling my eyes at this one.) I know many real-life people with high morals and values, but nobody is that perfect. They have flaws: they talk too much or they make dumb jokes or they cheated on their last girlfriend. Luckily, Koontz doesn't romanticize all of his characters. The detectives, Verdad and Hagerstrom, seem more realistic (if not a little too dedicated to their jobs). The antagonist of the book is particularly interesting: maintaining his evilness while simultaneously expressing his confusion over the situation and growing primeval state.

Score: 3 out of 5