The Darkest Evening of the Year

Thriller writer extraordinaire Dean Koontz returns with his best novel in recent memory. Animal rights activist and unabashed dog lover Amy Redwing brings a mysterious canine into her home, and soon discovers a deeper level of mystery surrounding the animal. Sadly, narrator Kirsten Kairos delivers a poor reading and turns Redwing into a stereotypical California blonde rather than the intelligent, caring, powerful woman she is. As a result, the story loses its mystery, and the character becomes downright annoying after the first few minutes. Many listeners will find their fingers on the stop button. A disappointing interpretation of a thrilling novel. L.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Starred review from October 29, 2007
Set mostly in Southern California, this topnotch thriller from bestseller Koontz (The Good Guy
) depicts with unabashed emotion and wit the magical powers of golden retrievers—in particular, a female named Nickie, who will stop at nothing to save innocent children and protect their guardians. Amy Redwing, the survivor of a horrifying marriage, establishes Golden Heart to rescue golden retrievers, rehabilitate the abused ones and find “forever homes.” A supernatural chain of events ensues after Amy and her architect boyfriend, Brian McCarthy, rescue Nickie during a violent intervention in a family dispute. Soon the pair are on a mission that leads to a transformative confrontation with a number of ugly characters—Gunther Schloss, a frustrated aspiring novelist turned killer-for-hire; Moonglow, a psychobitch in the Mommie Dearest league; and Moonglow’s lover, Harrow, a self-obsessed sicko. This is the perfect book for thriller addicts who know the darkest hour is just before dawn and for canine lovers who remember “dog” spelled backwards is “god.”

January 28, 2008
Koontz's latest tale of a mysterious canine that devoted animal rights activist Amy Redwing brings into her home is a powerful thriller that should have the listener's pulse racing. Sadly, the narration by singer and entertainer Kristen Kairos is bland and uninspired, resulting in a near-tedious listening experience. Her voice is machine-like and conventional, droning on in a monotonous tone that leaves little room for improvisation. Redwing becomes a ditzy airhead from the get-go, which makes it harder to feel sorry for her when things eventually fall apart. Unless the character is a drunken maniac or soft-spoken nun, Kairos offers little shift in tone and dialect for the large cast of characters that pop up throughout. Moments of the utmost tension and suspense are lost in Kairos's insipid reading, a shame considering the story is one of Koontz's best in years. By the third chapter most listeners will have lost interest. Simultaneous release with the Bantam hardcover (Reviews, Oct. 29).

April 1, 2008
Two dominant themes of Koontz's recent story linesspiritual redemption and the intuitive intelligence of dogsreach maturity and convergence in this novel. Protagonist Amy Redwing is a dedicated rescuer of endangered or abandoned golden retrievers. She feels an immediate and special bond with Nickie, a golden she removes from an abusive household. In alternate plot threads we become aware that Amy's past contains an agonizing and dangerous secret that is finally catching up to her with a vengeance. Can Nickie be the miraculous key to the safety and well-being of Amy and her friends? The story moves along well, but the extreme sappiness will be a matter of taste, with the ending, especially, provoking a mental double take. Reader Kirsten Kairos doesn't provide any additional incentives to listen, with a merely adequate, fairly uninspired narration. Even Koontz fans may be split on this one. Not recommended.Kristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IA

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