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I have had a number of conversations with friends since I finished reading THE HUSBAND by Dean Koontz. I could best summarize them all in three words: Read this book. Arguably it is not only Koontz's most superior work, it is also one of the best books by anyone this year.
THE HUSBAND is a strong and confident novel in which each and all of Koontz's considerable strengths --- characterization, dialogue, plot, narration --- show up at the worksite tanned, rested and ready, demonstrating how the job is done. To be fair, Koontz has had books in which one or more of those elements were not doing their share of the lifting, and others recently where the tone might have been just a bit too whimsical for the subject matter. Forget all of that, and apply the "Jim Smith" rule to this book: "If THE HUSBAND was by Jim Smith, would you love it?" The answer is a resounding and emphatic "Yes!"
Koontz's everyman this time around is Mitch Rafferty, a successful small businessman who runs his own landscaping service. His life is difficult, but his work is good and his marriage to Holly is wonderful. Rafferty in fact is working when he gets a telephone call from a total stranger informing him that his wife has been kidnapped and that two million dollars in 60 hours or so will get her back. Oh, and don't contact the police. The caller appears to be omnipresent; just to prove it, in the middle of the call a man walking his dog across from Rafferty is shot dead.
Rafferty has no idea what to do. There is a wonderfully persistent police detective who suspects that something is up with Rafferty and who has a habit of turning up at the worst possible times. There is the problem of lacking funds --- Rafferty is solvent, but he hardly has a spare two million, or even two hundred thousand, lying around --- and he is under the gun. He's a brave enough guy, but he's not going to hold a televised press conference, flash the money at the kidnappers and spit in their eye. What Rafferty will do, however, is slowly but steadfastly take steps to get his wife back. To do this, he will figure out the whys, the whos and the wherefores behind the kidnapping. Why did they pick Holly, who is married to a landscaper? When Rafferty finds out, he will get the shock of his life. And so will you.
A lesser author would have saved these revelations until the end, but here the cat is let out of the bag within the first half of the novel. So at a point where most books would end, THE HUSBAND is just beginning. Oh, is it ever. There are surprises and bogeymen and violence and romance, and Koontz is at the absolute top of his game. Rafferty is a great, empathetic character, the bad guys will chill your blood, the plot twists and turns, and the original turns of phrase come at you so quickly that you'd think it was Koontz's first book rather than his 47th (or 49th, depending on which ones you count). Oh, and don't even think about putting it down. You'll wonder so much about what's going to happen that you won't get anything done until you finish it.
If you think that Koontz isn't as strong as he used to be, check out THE HUSBAND. He's stronger and better than ever. Highest possible recommendation.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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