Murder

4.5 stars

When John was a kid, his entire family was murdered. He killed the murderer. His family was the last of four families to be murdered at the time. John is now married with kids of his own and is a cop. 20 years later and another family is murdered, seemingly by the 14-year old son. But there are too many similarities to the first of the four family murders 20 years earlier for there to be a coincidence…

I really liked this. It drew me in immediately. It did slow down in the middle (but in part, I also think that’s because I had shorter amounts of time that I could sit and read; I would have liked to sit for longer periods of time for this book), and it picked up again at the end. It is horror, it is violent. I found many parts of it, especially at the start, very creepy (which I love, but wasn’t great to be reading right before bed, which I mostly was for this one!). Definitely creepy... ( )

I liked how the novella circled back to John's story. It told the story of Howie but you get to find out what happened to John a few weeks after shit it the fan for him. The novella gave the story itself an extra depth that you don't get from other books. ( )

Better than some of his recent books, the characters are all nicely developed and unique. There is, of course, a dog. ( )

I quite enjoyed this book. Any book that can make me too jittery to read it at night is a pretty good scary book to me.

This story follows a man who is haunted by the horrors of his past: his family having been killed by a psychotic murderer when he was 14. He now has to deal with the resurgence of the evil spirit along with his demon familiar killing once again and gunning for his family once more.

The killer was absolutely depraved and had me shuddering at some of the scenes and his back story.

The main character himself, along with his family, were well done overall, though the kids did seem a little pretentious.

The story was compelling and had me on edge for most of it and the ending definitely quickened my pulse. ( )

I quite enjoyed this book. Any book that can make me too jittery to read it at night is a pretty good scary book to me.

This story follows a man who is haunted by the horrors of his past: his family having been killed by a psychotic murderer when he was 14. He now has to deal with the resurgence of the evil spirit along with his demon familiar killing once again and gunning for his family once more.

The killer was absolutely depraved and had me shuddering at some of the scenes and his back story.

The main character himself, along with his family, were well done overall, though the kids did seem a little pretentious.

The story was compelling and had me on edge for most of it and the ending definitely quickened my pulse. ( )

So begins my 55th Dean Koontz book... he has not been everything I wish for lately... but after 55 books I can't stop now.

I love Dean Koontz because he is the antithesis of Stephen King. There is always a flawed but good protagonist who triumphs over the truly evil (and not merely misunderstood) villian. The dog is always unflawed and never dies. There is always something poignant and even sentimental in Koontz. The good guy always wins. The dark is truly dark and the light is always triumphant. (this is exactly opposite of Stephen King) If you have never read Koontz I don't want to give you the idea that his stories are light hearted mush - they are dark thrillers. But goodness always wins the day.

However, my problem with Koontz is that he used to give you more in his older stories - Mmre twists, more character development, more creativity. He just seems to be going through the motions for the last few years. I keep reading hoping to find a gem again, but keep on being disappointed. Unfortunately this book is no exception. It's not a bad story. It is compelling even hard to put down - but not that fantastically satisfying story that you keep thinking about and stay with you. Lightning, Twilight Eyes, Fear Nothing, Seize the Night, Strangers, Door to December are all great books by this author. Start with one of those if you what to try Koontz. If you already read Koontz - this one is fine just not great. ( )

You totally creep me out! I mean it—I have never been more terrified—What the Night Knows is your creepiest, most fantastical, bizarre, and terrible thing of beauty you have ever written. We have been through a lot over the years and over the many, many books. You were only toying with me with The Face and Dark Rivers of the Heart—playing with comedy through Odd Thomas, Forever Odd, Brother Odd and Odd Hours, introducing me to characters I could love with Seize the Night and Fear Nothing, painstakingly building your craft with The Vision and The Face of Fear, but toying no more, not with this opus—you have me as a fan forever.



What the Night Knows preys upon people’s darkest fears: evil in its most incarnate--evil able to enter anywhere and do anything. Evil that can enter anyone and use them. Evil that can lay dormant in a dwelling and wait. No one can escape it; no one can be saved.

Alton Turner Blackwood is the product of repeated inbreeding from 3 generations. He is the epitome of evil. He graduates from killing animals to torturing and murdering entire families. One such family was that of now detective John Calvino who at the age of 14 was the lone survivor of Blackwood's evil quest, having shot and killed Blackwood in order to live on. Unfortunately, early on we learn that Blackwood's ghost also lives on to enter the bodies of others to continue his evil quest that will reach John Calvino's home and family.

Dean Koontz's stories always sit smack at the intersection of Weird and Main. He writes about normal, extraordinarily nice people who are called upon to do battle with extraordinary evil - the evil of devils and demons, often by invoking the power of angels and God....and children and golden retrievers. This story is very graphic, but I was mesmerized and kept reading because I had to know what was going to happen in the next chapter. ( )

Very good. Hadn't read one of his books in awhile. I really enjoyed it.

So annoying. Most of the time I only read in bed. The problem is this book is scary so I can't sleep. Meaning i can only read this one during daytime. (I used to be able to read the scariest books and had no trouble sleeping. I am getting old)

Update. I stopped reading because of the above mentioned problem. Will pick it up when the time comes Vacation or something. Sepr 18 2012

Evil never dies… The stunning new thriller from the bestselling author of Velocity and Breathless. Billy Lucas confesses to a shocking crime. He's only fourteen years old but he's a sadistic killer and proud of it. He's in the secure wing of the state hospital but … he seems too wise for his age, not crazy, too knowing. About the nature of evil, and whether it lives on beyond death. Too knowing about other crimes that took place before he was born … Other murders from twenty years ago surface in the mind of Detective John Calvino as he interviews young Billy Lucas. Calvino carries away a signed confession … and a sense of great danger. That night he feels that somehow Billy has come home with him, to his family. Over the next weeks, this haunted feeling does not go away. It only gets worse. Then another killing spree happens, just as and when John Calvino dreaded it would. Billy is safely locked away, but not the ghost, if the ghost exists, that links these murders with past crimes, and with John Calvino. Anything could happen, and surely will … again.