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Ticktock
Ticktock
Author: Dean Koontz
Tommy Phan is a 30-year-old Vietnamese-American detective and novelist living in Southern California, and a chaser of the American Dream. He drives home his brand-new Corvette one day to discover a strange doll on his doorstep. It's  a rag doll made entirely of white cloth, with no face or hair or clothes. Where the eyes should be, the...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780345384300
ISBN-10: 034538430X
Publication Date: 3/2/1997
Pages: 352
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 287

3.7 stars, based on 287 ratings
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Ticktock on + 46 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
The story centers around a Vietnamese author named Tommy Phan who writes detective novels. One night, Tommy receives a strange package on his porch. When he opens it, Tommy discovers that it is a rag doll. Unfortunately, things start to become deadly serious rather quickly. There is an evil demon inside the doll that breaks out and is obsessed with killing Tommy. Not only is the demon a deadly one, but it is also highly intelligent as well. It managed to leave Tommy a note on his computer that comprised of "The deadline is dawn. Tick tock... Tick tock". Now Tommy not only has to survive the night without being killed, but he also has to solve the mystery of who sent the demon to him and why they want him dead.

Over the years I have read most of Koontz's books. However, Tick Tock was always a book that I put off reading. The premise sounded like a rip off of the film "Child's Play", and I had heard some bad feedback on the book from certain people who had read the book. I finally decided to put my skepticism aside, and give Tick Tock a chance. I am so glad that I did, because it is seriously one of the best books that I have read in awhile, and that is just not limiting the criteria to Dean Koontz novels either. I am talking overall, and I read a lot of books. The book manages to hook you in from the first page and keeps you there until the very end. The suspense that this book brings is so intense, that it is almost unreal.

However, although the demon may be scary and the suspense is almost overwhelming at times, the book's real appeal comes from Koontz's character development. Tommy Phan is one of my favorite Koontz characters. Koontz portrays Tommy as a man who is constantly fighting against his heritage to become more American, and it is his battle against those beliefs that makes his war with the demon harder. Koontz also manages to create one of the best female leads he has ever written as well. Along the way, Tommy meets and eventually falls for a woman named Deliverance Payne who joins him in the fight against the demon no questions asked. Del's different philosophies on life, her twisted sense of humor, and her wild past make Del an extremely interesting and likeable character. The relationship that develops between Del and Tommy is one of Koontz's more enjoyable ones. It truly brings a new meaning to the phrase "opposites attract".

Overall, Tick Tock is now one of my favorite Koontz books. This book showcases Koontz's character development at its best, and supplies a perfect mixture of horror, suspense, humor, and romance.
reviewed Ticktock on + 28 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
As printed on book cover:
Thirty-year-old detective novelist Tommy Phan has just become the proud owner of a bright aqua Corvetter. But as he drives his new purchase home on a balmy California day, he is suddenly seized by a teeth-chattering chill and the feeling that he is being followed by something sinister. When Tommy arrives home, a mysyerious rag doll-with crossed stitches for eyes and mouth, and one over its heart-is sitting on his doorstep.
Tommy takes the doll inside. That evening, he is horrified when its fabric rips open, revealing a beating heart and a blinking green eye. It evolves into a hulking, formidable creature bent on destroying him. On Tommy's computer screen, it writes, 'THE DEADLINE IS DAWN.' With his new friend Del, a beautiful, strangely intuitive blonde, Tommy frantically flees. He must discover what this fierce enemy is and why it's pursuing him...before his very life ticktocks away.
reviewed Ticktock on + 32 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
scary scary but really good.
Read All 36 Book Reviews of "Ticktock"

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reviewed Ticktock on
Great book as all of Dean Koontz books are
reviewed Ticktock on
This book was one of the creepiest I have ever read. I loved it but also did not did not want to reread it because it scared me so much. Great writing by one of my favorite authors', Dean Koontz. My advice, don't read it alone in your house at night!
reviewed Ticktock on + 11 more book reviews
This is my very favorite of all Dean Koontz books. It's fun and quirky, and has the usual good mystery as well.
maryhadalittlelamb avatar reviewed Ticktock on + 12 more book reviews
it was good and kind a wonder.....


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