"It's 2 days old, that's like, eighty-six in lasagna years"

This is a wonderful book.

I could stop my review right there, but I won't, I promise. False memory chronicles the story of Dusty and Martie Rhodes and their battle with un-explainable phobias, missing peices of time, and reoccuring nightmares. They soon discover that they are just a single peice in a gargantuan puzzle of lies, mystery, brainwashing, psychology, rape, murder, and abuse. Sound exciting? Oh, it gets better. (and better, and better, and better)

What I love most about Dean Koontz' thrilling masterpeice is that I genuinely cared about the characters--Martie and Dusty, Martie's friend Susan, and the loveable (though suicidal) Skeet continually played with my hearstrings all through the read. On the opposite of things, I came to detest the vile (yet, somehow charming) Dr. Ahriman as he engaged in his blood-thirsty games. (note: I love the name choices Koontz has made here. Ahriman is the "Evil Principle or Being of the ancient Persians; the Prince of Darkness as opposer to Ormuzd, the King of Light." --from dictionary.com)

This book has a rather high gore-factor for a read, describing rather graphic torturous deaths (including a murder with a black-and-decker power drill), but it's nothing that made me nauseous (or even close). This book however, did have me on the edge of my seat, literally unwilling to put it down for fear that I would miss the next exciting revalation. As Martie and Dusty begin to unravel the mystery surrounding their lives (with the help of the paperback 'the manchurian canidate'), it leads them to discoveries of a conspiracy even they could never imagine. Journeying through the west they make breakthrough discoveries about Ahrimans blood-stained past--but how does one bring down an enemy who can control you with a single word? How does one report a man who can erase your memory--or make you remember things that never took place?

There's only one way to find out.