So this is what the fuss is all about!

Last night I finished my very first Dean Koontz novel! I picked up “The Bad Place” at a local Salvation Army thrift store. I find that they have children and adult books for a mer 10 cents. Needless to say I stocked up on a bunch. Anyway, what drew me to this book was it was by Koontz. I had never read any of his work but I had heard of him many times. I started this book with high expectations and he exceeded them!

The Main Characters:

Frank Pollard~ a strange middle-aged man who has a strange case of amnesia. We are introduced to him in the beginning of the book. He wakes up in a alley scared and confused not being able to remember who exactly who and where he is. He knows someone is chasing him and he takes off with a bag that he found next to him in the alley. Upon opening the bag he finds that the contents inside is 40,000 dollars in twenty’s and hundreds. He falls asleep again and when he wakes up he is covered in blood and his face is scratched up. He is now afraid to sleep and goes to a Private Inspectors (PI) service for help.

Robert and Julie Dakota~ a married couple who are PI’s. They have been married for 6 or 7 years. In the beginning of the book they are in a shoot out. Julie is a tough chick! Her husband is a humorous guy and seems to make a joke out of everything. Robert keeps having a feeling as if something bad is going to happen to Julie. Frank comes to them for help and after thinking about it briefly, they take his case.

Thomas~ he is Julie’s little brother with Down’s syndrome. He is a very special person. He is simple but he possesses a telepathic ability where he can send messages to people.
He is a very loveable person and I was much “attached” to him in the story.

Candy~ It is hard to really say anything…I do not want to give anything away but this guy is Franks brother. He also has special powers where he can transport himself anywhere. He’s really creepy and is a serial killer.


The Plot:

Well, as I said in Frank’s character description he has some problems. Frank seems to be chased by something in his sleep. He goes to sleep and he wakes up tired and more confused and scared. Sometimes he wakes up with fine red diamonds, a strange bug, sacks of money, and him all scratched up and covered in blood.

He goes to the couple for help (to find out who he is and what exactly happens while he is sleeping) and they accept his case. They find out a lot from the clues that Frank brings back with him. Thomas seems to sense that there is “a bad thing” after Julie. Little does he know but the bad thing is also after him.

Teleportation, ESP, killings, mutations fill this book to the brim! The plot is pretty good.
Not predictable at all and Koontz seems to have a huge imagination. The beginning isn’t at all slow and neither is the middle or the end. It kept my attention the whole time. It was hard to put down the book!

Misc information:

How many pages is the book?: 417

What type of book is it?: It’s a sci-fi mystery/horror. Lots of suspense!

It’s scary? How scary? Is there gore?: It’s not that scary. Yes, there is gore but not much

Give me some examples: Well, there is a scene where a character kills a cat. A killer bites and drinks the blood of his victims, stabbings with scissors, a suicide.

Did this book keep my attention? Heck ya! I could not put the book down until I finished it!

Is this book similar to any other book I have read? Yeah, Steven King has a similar writing style as Dean Koontz (in my opinion)

How much does the book cost?: about 6.99- 8 bucks… unless you get it used.

Who is the author? Dean Koontz

What other books has he written? Hideaway, Dragon Tears, The mask, The vision…

Will I check out any other books by this author since I read this one? Yes!


Final Thoughts:

This was the first Koontz book I have read therefore I really can’t compare it to his earlier/ later work (sorry!). I found that it sort of reminded me of Steven King’s works. I really enjoyed this book. It was face-paced and it seemed like after I had started reading it I had finished it! Which isn’t bad at all…I hate to go though a book that isn’t interesting enough to keep me reading and reading! The gore isn’t that bad in my opinion but I seem to have a stomach that can take a lot. This book was published in 1990. I’m sure if you want to check this book out you can find it at your local library or even at a used bookstore. It sure beats the average 7 dollars! This book has given me a good impression towards Koontz. I will defiantly be checking out some more of his novels.
I really hope this review helped you. I could not say very much about the plot…or even the characters without giving TOO MUCH away! Trust me. Read the book and you will see what I mean! I recommend this book to any crime, sci-fi, horror or suspense fan!
Happy Reading!
(and always, comments are welcomed! Thanks for reading and rating.)