Twelve-year-old Crispin has lived on the streets since he was nine — with only his wits and his daring to sustain him, and only his silent dog, Harley, to call his friend. He is always on the move, never lingering in any one place long enough to risk being discovered. Still, there are certain places he returns to. In the midst of the tumultuous city, they are havens of solitude: like the hushed environs of St. Mary Salome Cemetery, a place where Crispin can feel at peace — safe, at least for a while, from the fearsome memories that plague him . . . and seep into his darkest nightmares. But not only his dreams are haunted. The city he roams with Harley has secrets and mysteries, things unexplainable and maybe unimaginable. Crispin has seen ghosts in the dead of night, and sensed dimensions beyond reason in broad daylight. Hints of things disturbing and strange nibble at the edges of his existence, even as dangers wholly natural and earthbound cast their shadows across his path. Alone, drifting, and scavenging to survive is no life for a boy. But the life Crispin has left behind, and is still running scared from, is an unspeakable alternative . . . that may yet catch up with him.
Wow. What happend? First let me start by saying I have been a Dean Koontz fan for 25 years. I was a Dean Koontz fan before he made the best seller lists and had millions of fans. I’ve read every book the man has ever written as well as his biographies. Stalker? No- I don’t know his address- but I am and will always be a die-hard Dean Koontz fan. THAT being said, this was the first and only thing I have ever read from Koontz – to include all interviews and dialogues recorded anywhere- that was actually…
A Return to Form Not the Koontz, I grew up with, certainly, but a mighty leap from lackluster tales like From the Corner of His Eye, False Memory and One Door Away from Heaven (all worthy novels, just not Koontz level in my mind). While it is just a short precursor, it goes a long way to getting me help me make the determination to pick up this new novel as soon as it’s released.Creepy and atmospheric, this tale is wonderful reading from a chilly winter’s night. A novella truly deserving of the…
A wild boy on the run in a city of mean streets Three short, simply worded sentences in I found myself thinking, I can deal with murder, mayhem, and treachery but please don’t kill off the dog. Whether or not Harley would make it to the end was enough suspense to keep me turning the pages. And this isn’t a story about the dog.The real suspense involves a “feral” boy of 12, Crispin, who lives in the wilds of a large city and guided by the dog is attempting to outrun his mother and stepfather and the memories that make the deviltry…