From Dean Koontz, the international bestselling master of suspense, comes an epic thriller about a terrifying killer and the singular compassion it will take to defeat him.
Woody Bookman hasn’t spoken a word in his eleven years of life. Not when his father died in a freak accident. Not when his mother, Megan, tells him she loves him. For Megan, keeping her boy safe and happy is what matters. But … happy is what matters. But Woody believes a monstrous evil was behind his father’s death and now threatens him and his mother. And he’s not alone in his thoughts. An ally unknown to him is listening.
A uniquely gifted dog with a heart as golden as his breed, Kipp is devoted beyond reason to people. When he hears the boy who communicates like he does, without speaking, Kipp knows he needs to find him before it’s too late.
Woody’s fearful suspicions are taking shape. A man driven by a malicious evil has set a depraved plan into motion. And he’s coming after Woody and his mother. The reasons are primal. His powers are growing. And he’s not alone. Only a force greater than evil can stop what’s coming next.
more
It was a very good read, I love it when he has dogs as hero’s as well as humans!!! Very enjoyable and hard to put down!
Koontz has written another wonderful story where good triumphs over evil.
Megan Bookman, a widow, who was mother to Woodrow “Woody” Bookman. Megan lived in isolation taking care of her son, and painting.
Woody, has a rare form of autism. He was homeschooled and at the age of four taught himself to read. He has a high IQ, and unknown to his mother was deviling into the Dark Web. He had written a document about his deceased father.
Dorothy, who was caretaker of Kipp, a Golden Retriever. Dorothy at 76 was near death, and had a live-in hospice-care nurse, Rose Leon.
Kipp was a very special dog, Dorothy was aware of how special he was, and arranged for his care to go to Rose following her death. Despite Dorothy planning to make sure Kipp was well taken care of, Kipp knew he had somewhere else he had to be.
Lee Shacket, a 34 year old CEO, working in a facility makes a get away and on his way to the Costa Rica, he decides to make a pit stop to see Megan.
Lee Shacket is carrying a secret and has left those under his supervision to take the fall for him. Being full of himself, Lee thinks that Megan, who he dated a few times, would want to go away with him. When she politely turns him down, he decides he’ll make her see things differently.
Woody thinks that he had covered his tracks, but four words on his computer state otherwise: We Will Find You!
Woody retreats within himself, but evil is very close at hand.
I love that the main protagonist in the story was an autistic 11 year old boy with a genius IQ, and the other protagonist was a Golden, Kipp, a very unique dog with mysterious origins. The two, meeting help to open doors for both. Along the way, strangers become friends and come together to protect one another.
I borrowed this book from Kindle Unlimited, and have voluntarily reviewed it.
I have just started getting into Dean Koontz and I have liked all the books that I have read and this one was great! If you love dog and are into action packed stories you will love this book.
Makes you wish your dog could talk.
Another fine Dean Koontz book. I have been a fan for years. Strong character, high stakes, and edge of the seat action.
Heartwarming, unique and as mysterious as you could imagine!
Dean Koontz has a truly unique way of writing that evokes such emotion it leaves you unable to let go of what you read. And this magical tale of a dog and the boy that needs him, the families that love them and the evil that wants to hurt that boy do exactly that. The mystical bond these special dogs share is thought-provoking and the utmost wished for in a world dominated by the constant need for more, me me me and a hate so thick even humans can smell it. Well done on this beautiful story of a boy and a dog and the possibilities of a world that they could create if they only existed for real.
I loved the relationship between Woody and Kipp, however the rest of the book was just mediocre. The ending was rushed and quite a letdown after the big character buildup of the antagonists.
The ending was like a checklist and too abrupt for me.
Loved this book. Could not read it fast enough. With pandemic it hits close to home and makes you wonder if this will happen.
Reading this book in these times of worldwide unrest and upheaval makes me want to join the community of good people and dogs connected by the Wire, together with my sweet little Chihuahua Vincent!
“In Spite of Evil, the World is Made for the Innocent”
~For adult/mature readers
~Sex, including sexual fantasies & references to perversions: These are not central to the story, but in my opinion make it unsuitable for young readers
~Violence: When it happens it can be graphic, but in true Koontz style falls just short of making the reader throw the book down, screaming, “enough!”
~Strong language
Flawlessly written suspense sequences. Well-crafted surprises. I’ll say there was one “surprise” that an alert reader would probably anticipate.
Plot no spoilers:
If you’ve read “Watchers,” and you really should, you’ll recognize part of the premise. Immediately we meet Kipp, a dog with enhanced intelligence. He is as capable of reasoning as a human, but with the wonderful added trait that dogs can’t lie. Because of dog ESP (lacking a better description of what it is), after his first human companion passes away, he is drawn on an ‘incredible journey’ to an autistic boy named Woody who lives miles away.
Meanwhile, an accident at a laboratory has set free a deadly-dangerous mutating force. Had protocol been followed, no one affected would have escaped. One did. This one is among Dean Koontz’s most monstrous villains, and his plan is to reacquaint himself with Woody’s mother whether she is receptive to him or not.
Yes, it’s an intense read, but worth every page turn.
Recommended!
Dean Koontz is a master of fantasy fiction thrillers and I have read nearly every book that he has written. The latest release Devoted, which was part of the contract he now has with Amazon, (including the six Nameless novels), gave me a sense of anticipation and I jumped straight in and read it in one sitting. I don’t think that it rates as highly as his previous books, it seemed a bit rushed and had many echos of one of my most favorite books from him, called Watchers. Unlike many of his other books, which made me sit on the edge of the seat, this one felt too cozy and left me with a sense of ordinary, which is not what I expected.
It was good, but like a lot of Koontz books, he tends to wrap things up a little too quickly and neatly. A little hokey in the end
At last; a new Dean Koontz book that takes us back to his roots of exciting, strange and a bit demented action packed fiction. Up until the “Jane Hawk” series that has been his focus for the past two or three years, I had read every single book that Dean had written. Now that I believe he’s back in the groove, I will be awaiting each new book as they are published. If you like action packed, slightly twisted stories about evil villains praying upon good people who ultimately survive with the help of unlikely heroes and their dogs, then you will enjoy this novel. I added the comment about dogs, because the power and beauty of canines has been a recurring theme in many of Dean’s books over the decades and made them even more enjoyable to those of us who couldn’t imagine life without our dogs.
Woody Bookman hasn’t spoken at all in his whole life and he’s eleven years old. But Woody isn’t dumb and he believes his father was murdered. He will soon have an unknown ally. Kipp is a Golden Retriever but he isn’t an ordinary dog. When he hears a young boy on a mode of communication where there has never been a human, Kipp knows that he has to get to that boy before it’s too late.
Woody’s suspicions have come to fruition. There’s a man out there who allows maliciousness to drive him. He has set a degenerate plan into motion and he’s coming after Woody and his mom. Can he be stopped before the innocent die?
I’m a huge Dean Koontz fan and this book is a prime example of why. I was drawn into this book from the beginning, reading it in one sitting. I was kept on the edge of my seat and ran the gamut of emotions. This was a thrilling read and was one of Dean Koontz’s best. If I could give it more than five stars I would. I highly recommend this book.
I really liked this book, it would be great if we could communicate with our dogs
A continuation of my absolute favorite of his books….Watchers.
Great
I hope this becomes a series. The story caught my attention and heart
I loved his previous book with the super-intelligent dog, and this one takes that theme to the next level. If you love dogs and the way they relate to people, you will be charmed and enchanted and bemused all through this book! Highly recommend.