Dean Koontz Odd Hours

As in many of Dean Koontz' tales, the characters, places, the very worlds which he creates, not only seem to take on a life of their own, but in many cases seem very much 'interconnected'. This adds a sort of 'surreal realism', for want of a better term, which allows any reader with imagination to become quite immersed in the life, and the world, of Odd Thomas. I would most highly recommend the series to anyone, with only one caveat:Although each of the Odd Thomas books can stand alone, I would most strongly urge the reader to begin with the first of the line, Odd Thomas - which may be the best of the group - to become acquainted with this young fry cook who walks a thin line between the natural and supernatural... to learn of his narrative style, his code of honor, his beliefs and doubts, as well as his all-too-real joys and heartrending tragedies. If these books are read in their proper sequence, an extra element of enjoyment will be present.

Odd Hours

Dean Koontz

Bantam, May 2008, $27.00

ISBN: 9780553807059

Odd sees the dead, has prophetic visions and dreams, and has saved many lives because he chose to do good deeds with his gift. After leaving the monastery, his plan was to go home to Pico Mundo to return to his former job as a short order cook. His plan is put on hold when he has visions of turbulent events and a woman floating over a red ocean. Odd somehow knows something dangerous is happening near the seaside town of Magic Beach where he goes.

He gets a job as a cook for a noted retired actor and children's book author. He meets Annamarie who was the woman in his vision who talks in cryptic words, but has no information to give to him. When the local sheriff picks him up assuming Odd is an indigent, they shake hands and in both their minds they see the Red Tide. The sheriff thinks Odd knows more than he is telling. If he passes a lie detector test he will free him and pay him to keep quiet about what he supposedly knows. Odd escapes and learns what his visions mean; he will do anything to prevent this calamity from happening; failure or inaction means America will cease to exist.

Dean Koontz has created a character who wins the hearts of mostly everyone including readers who adore his innocence and courage. His innocence combined with his ability to challenge evil make him a special and aptly named person. In this tale he knows he cannot go to the authorities with his knowledge as a small cabal inside the sheriff's office and the harbor patrol are part of what is coming. ODD HOURS is a special supernatural thriller because besides the save America plot, the hero who travels and lives off the land his way has a ghost dog named Boo for a pet and the shade of Frank Sinatra who appears to Odd. The hero wants to help him move on.

Harriet Klausner