2,659,870+ Books Available - 162 Members Online
Your source for swapping books online - Read...Swap...Save!
How To Swap Books?
Sign Up
Search 
Kiosk
All Books
Book Browser
Advanced Search
Books Posted Today
Club Wish List
Member Book Reviews
NYT Best Seller List
Login
Community
Member Directory
Discussion Forums
Live Chat (1)
Box-O-Books
Book Journal
Maps
The Eclectic Pen
Fun Stuff
Top 50s
Pulse of PBS
Spread The Word
Photo Gallery
Recipes
Club Tag Cloud
Member Testimonials
Help Center
Kiosk
Need Help?
Search - The Darkest Evening of the Year
|
|
|
||||
Book Description:
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.
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.
Members who requested this book also requested:
  |
Genres:
Top Member Reviews
Pippa M. (
8 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book is truly a love story to Koontz's dog Trixie,who has passed.Mystery surrounds Amy,who is the founder of a Golden Rescue group.While this book is a bit thin on character development, since it is pretty much a 3 day slice of life, I will forgive.You never feel like you are missing anything,as the story moves so quickly.And above all, while this book may make you cry (if you care anything about dogs),it will leave you with a sense of hope and wonder.Which is exactly what he wants you to take from this experience.
7 member(s) found this review helpful.
I am not sure who gave the book a half a star here, but to me it was at least a 4. So good that I stayed awake to finish it all in one sitting. Dean Koontz is often called the Master of Suspense, and in this book he once again keeps you on your toes. The plot is slightly predictable, however his ability to make you laugh while dealing with the tragedy of human nature, make you smile while you are on one page and cringe when you are on the next,continues to make him one of my favorite authors. It isn't his best work. It isn't his most unique story either. But it is a sweet story of redemption and faith.
Jennifer W. (
7 member(s) found this review helpful.
I really loved this title, much more so than Mr. Koontz's last two releases, THE GOOD GUY and THE HUSBAND. Although this title follows in the same vein as regards to time (it only covers roughly 48-hours), it has characters who are easier to relate to and a chilling, supernatural-based storyline.
As the other reviewer mentions, it's a kind of memorial to Mr. Koontz's own Golden Retreiver, Trixie, who has passed away. In the book, a dog named Nickie is at the center of the story, along with the humans that she must protect.
This is an emotional thriller with some pretty messed-up bad guys, and if you like that type of story, you'll love this one, too!
5 member(s) found this review helpful.
When my wife bought this book for me for Christmas, I thought it was about a non-fictional dog rescue organization that found homes for mistreated golden retrievers. What a surprise, while it did have the dog rescue org as a part of the story, it was so much more. It is Koontz at his best. I have read all of his novels and must say that this one ranks up there at the top. Don't pass this one up. You won't be able to put it down.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
A little hard to stay focused on this one for me. I like the plot and it has kept me guessing for the most part. I don't care for the way it seems to jump around from one thing to the next. That's just my opinion though. I rarely spend more than a week reading a book even with my hectic lifestyle. This one is taking me a lot longer than usual to read.
Finally finished the book and boy am I glad I stuck with it. The last five or so chapters were by far the best of the book!
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Not one of Koontz's best. The plot is very loosely written, the onlt believable characters were the golden retrievers. The story requires more than his usual suspension of belief on the reader's part. The plot only holds together by wildly improbable coincidence and divine intervention.
Susan R. from HASTINGS, NE wrote on 1/1/2008...
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is not one of his best. I've always liked Koontz but he's getting more and more like Stephen King in that he wanders and doesn't always make connections.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
I read this book in one evening - it totally kept my interest. Not only was it a tribute to his beloved dog and a cry against animal cruelty, he also spoke of child abuse and domestic violence. Having both children and dogs I appreciated that. How anyone can abuse helpless children or animals is beyond the comprehension of any sane individual and I think Mr Koontz makes that view perfectly clear in this book.
Tonya B. (
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is my first Koontz novel. If you're a dog lover you will love this book. I will read more of his books.
Wendy S. (
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
This was a totally enjoyable read. I love Koontz but have been a bit disappointed in his last few books. This one was not disappointing! He has gone back to his supernatural twist and this book was great. The seemingly unrelated events that we follow lead to a very interesting climax, that while it is not totally a surprise, is interesting when it comes together.
Rate These Member Reviews
You can tell that Koontz is missing his own dog, this seemed like a tribute. Entertaining, but the end sort of just "ended".
THIS IS NOT ONE OF MY FAVORITES,JUMPS AROUND TOO MUCH,KINDA HARD TO STAY FOCUS.
Jennifer C. (Didn't like how this book constantly jumped around, wasn't very suspenseful. One could practically guess the outcome. Seemed to take forever to get through.
Seemed like a very built up book that wasn't as good as it was made out to be.