80 out of 80 people found this review helpful.
Velocity is Koontz' Best Work So Far!
Date of Review: Jun 15, 2006
The Bottom Line: Velocity is a surprisingly great read from author Dean Koontz. I highly recommend it!
My father recently read Velocity by Dean Koontz and he said it was really weird, but he just couldn't stop reading it. I've read Koontz before and I always thought his books were somewhat 'simple' and mediocre. Velocity has changed my mind completely. This book is a fast paced thriller with interesting characters and a unique plot!
The Story
Billy Wiles is a seemingly 'Average Joe' bartender at a local Tavern. The scene at the bar is like any other dumpy joint. The regulars sit and drink while the characters serving them try to entertain. The evening bartender is Steve Zillis, and he's always joking around and doing cheesy tricks to entertain the bar flies.
At first we think there is nothing much to Billy. He's a single guy, he finds the money as a day bartender to be sufficient, and he seems friendly enough. Immediately Koontz shocks us as Billy receives the following note: If you don't take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a lovely blond schoolteacher somewhere in Napa County. If you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have six hours to decide. The choice is yours.
At first Billy thinks this is a sick joke. He takes the note to his buddy Lanny Olsen, who is a police officer. He tells Billy to ignore the note. But 24 hours later, a lovely blond woman in Napa is killed. And, the notes keep coming.
As Billy deals with notes and threats his life spirals out of control. We discover Billy's personal side, and we find that he has a very gray past. We also meet his girlfriend, who is in a coma at a hospital. She sometimes talks aloud and she is kept alive only by a feeding tube. Billy wants to protect her from 'the freak' (his name for the bastard who is writing the notes and murdering people).
Billy finds himself in a race against time, and in a terrible nightmare. He has to make choices that effect the life or death of innocent people, and he must find a way to stop 'the freak' before he himself is killed.
My Thoughts
As I said before, I normally don't appreciate Koontz' writing style or his novels. Velocity however, was fast paced and exciting. I found myself wanting to read more, and I rarely find a book that I literally can't put down.
Some might say the 'killer's' identity is cheesy. I think the end of the book was perfectly written. The suspense never ends, and the author presents fabulous twists and turns that are hard to figure out. I mean, I figured them out of course, but a friend of mine read the book and he was clueless! (smile)
I think this is a must-read this summer. Readers will love the characters in the book as the connection is easily made. I think any reader will become grossly involved in this novel from the beginning. Koontz surprises and delights with this thriller.
This is not for the squeamish or for those who have nightmares. This is however, a fantastic novel. I give it 4.5 stars.
