Velocity

Velocity by Dean Koontz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was an excellent thriller, exciting, fast paced and it keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. That said, it is not without problems. The plot hinges around the protagonist taking an irrational step when he first receives a sinister note. In addition, it is never clear how the villain came across Billy to begin with. We're told it cane from reading his short stories and villain himself makes mention of 'serendipity' but that seemed a bit of a stretch. In addition, Billy's sudden understanding of art and its underlying meaning near the end seemed rather out of character. Still, I think the reader has to let a few things go in most works of fiction.

Dean Koontz is a very thorough author. His character, Billy, is meticulous in taking every step necessary to hide evidence the killer plants to incriminate him. This is all very well, but having to listen to each and every detail right down to the construction of older homes grew a bit tedious from time to time. Likewise the author's reflections on religion didn't seem necessary. As with modern writing, the protagonist undergoes a transformation throughout the course of the book. Since the plot kept moving right along I could live with Billy's interior growth but for me it didn't add much. Some reviewers claimed the climax was obvious but I didn't see it coming and so found it surprising and a nice twist. If you like mystery in general and thrillers in particular I think you'll like this one.



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