RELENTLESS
Dean Koontz
Bantam
Thriller
ISBN: 9780553807141
Cullen “Cubby” Greenwich is a happy man. His sixth novel (One O’Clock Jump) has just been released and is bound to be another bestseller. He has a beautiful, intelligent wife named Penny, who loves him; a gifted six-year-old son, Milo; and a dog, Lassie. They live in a nice house, and their neighborhood is wonderful. What could possibly be wrong with that?
Nothing, until Cubby gets a bad review from one of the nation’s leading book critics, Shearman Waxx. It’s not just a bad review, it’s a scathing one. Everyone tells him to ignore it, to “just let it go.” Cubby intends to do that, but when he inadvertently finds out that Waxx will be having lunch the next day at a nearby restaurant, he can’t resist the urge to be there just to get a glimpse of the man. Although he doesn’t intend to make personal contact with the reviewer, an unexpected encounter brings the writer and the critic face-to-face in the men’s room. Cubby’s life is never the same after that.
First, Waxx breaks into Cubby’s house. He doesn’t steal anything, but leaves a photo of the happy family in the oven, which of course destroys the picture and sends an ominous message to Cubby and his loved ones. Believing their lives may be in danger, Cubby and his family make plans to leave the house temporarily. They pack suitcases with clothes and necessities with the idea they will depart the next morning. But when Cubby discovers what he believes is a bomb attached to the furnace, he urges his wife and son to flee immediately. They get out moments before their house explodes into a million pieces. The next few weeks are spent playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse, where the Greenwich family is pursued by Waxx and his group of lunatics bent on destroying him and other writers like him.
RELENTLESS features a number of eccentric characters. Goofy and lovable Cubby has a dark secret from his past. Penny is the creator of children’s books and the daughter of survivalist parents who have built their own underground safe house just in case the world is taken over by terrorists. Milo is only six years old, but he is a mathematical and mechanical genius who is constantly tinkering with electronic gadgets and gizmos, one of which comes in very handy in the storyline. Lassie isn’t your ordinary, run-of-the-mill pooch, as you will discover. Waxx is not only a book critic, he is also a lunatic; so is his mother. Milo’s babysitter is the widow of a former Marine and police officer, but according to the text, her husband “never won an arm-wrestling contest with her.” And the list goes on.
Prolific novelist Dean Koontz brings this zany cast of characters together in this suspense thriller with a touch of science fiction and humor. Whether you’re a longtime reader of Koontz or not, if you’re looking for a sci-fi novel with a good storyline, this would be it. If you’re looking for a book with humor and angst, this would be it. If you’re looking for the perfectly crafted novel, with a totally believable plot, this might not be it, as some parts of the tale are a bit far-fetched and the ending is a tad weak. But, overall, this is a good story and worth the time it takes to read it.
--- Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin
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