Dean Koontz's canine-oriented thriller, The Darkest Evening of the Year
keeps readers guessing right from the start. A medley of storylines are woven together to create a fast-paced, easy to read mystery that makes for a great beach read, or a good story for a rainy weekend. His love of the Golden Retriever breed of dog has bled into his fiction, and he does a wonderful job of personalizing the dogs, and describing the idiosyncrasies and uniquely lovable characteristics that those familiar with retrievers will recognize in an instant. Nickie, and her newly acquired Golden sibling, Fred and Ethel, are as much a part of the storyline as their human counterparts.
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Amy Redwing, the human protagonist of the novel, shares the same character-type as many created by
Koontz. Appearing, at first simple-minded and quirky, Redwing's complicated past materializes as the plot moves forward. Those who are fans of
Koontz's Odd Thomas series will find Redwing falls below expectations on the quirkiness scale, but it quite likable nonetheless. Her relationship with her architect boyfriend Brian is innocent, sweet, and endearing. Perhaps too much so at times, since it is difficult to believe that characters with such complicated pasts would be capable of such long-term simple relationships.
Koontz is able to create plots with supernatural overtones that still seem completely plausible. Characters have psychic abilities, or find themselves in unusual circumstances, and are still completely believable as average, everyday folks. He sometimes overlooks the minor dramas that would cause major freak outs if they were happening in real life, as when Redwing is being followed by a mysterious stranger. She takes the tail in stride, as would befit the easy-going attitude of many of the heroes in his books. In classic good vs. evil writing, his protagonists are pushed to their absolute breaking point before fighting back and prevailing. But, like the Odd Thomas series and other Koontz thrillers, things are never quite as black and white as a happy ending.
In
The Darkest Evening of the Year,
Koontz weaves together multiple storylines, and with an air of mystery and intrigue, all of them are easy to follow. There could be additional follow-up with various characters, and the reader may get a sense of an Amy Redwing/Nickie the Dog sequel on the horizon. One would expect to hear from many of the undeveloped characters later in Redwing's life. Many are acquaintances, and one gets the sense that they will periodically pass through her life at various times, just as an acquaintance would.
Some of the most likable aspects of the book include the way
Koontz develops the dogs as characters. His familiarity with having a dog as a member of the family is touching. It is not often a story involving child abuse, torture, and murder comes off as heart-warming, but
Koontz manages to do it. He writes dialogue in a comfortable and natural manner, something that is sometimes lacking in popular fiction. Because of this, the story is easy to understand, moves at a comfortable pace, and holds the reader's interest until the end. Readers will once again find themselves rooting for the survival and happiness of another
Dean Koontz created character.
The Darkest Evening of the Year holds its own among
Koontz novels, as well as bestselling fiction.