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The Key to Midnight: A Thriller
Joanna Rand left the U.S. almost ten years ago to become a singer in a Japanese nightclub. Still, she could never escape the strange dream that haunted her night after night: a single, disturbing image of a man with steel fingers, reaching for a hypodermic syringe. When she awoke she felt violated, used - and terrified.
Alex Hunter desperately wanted to help this beautiful, fascinating woman. He knew he had seen Joanna before - in news photographs of a senator's daughter who'd disappeared ten years ago. Slowly, tenderly, he helped awaken her to a terrifying fact: that she was not who she thought he was... that her mind, her memories, had been created for her...
And there was only one was to unlock the dark secret of her soul... The Key to Midnight
Alex Hunter desperately wanted to help this beautiful, fascinating woman. He knew he had seen Joanna before - in news photographs of a senator's daughter who'd disappeared ten years ago. Slowly, tenderly, he helped awaken her to a terrifying fact: that she was not who she thought he was... that her mind, her memories, had been created for her...
And there was only one was to unlock the dark secret of her soul... The Key to Midnight
486 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
1854 people are currently reading
8641 people want to read
About the author
Leigh Nichols
25 books192 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Leigh Nichols is a pen name of Dean R. Koontz / Dean Koontz.
Leigh Nichols is a pen name of Dean R. Koontz / Dean Koontz.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 499 reviews
May 15, 2023
This book was a surprise departure from the usual supernatural/horror you expect from Dean Koontz.
It was originally released as action/suspense/romance under Koontz's pen name of Leigh Nichols in 1979. It was then revised and rewritten for publication in 1995 in this version. The reason being that the plot revolves around the Cold War with Russia and a Russian espionage charade that backfires. The fall of communism in Russia facilitated that change.
Nevertheless, the female protagonist had to endure a personal horror of her own.
Set mainly in Japan and Switzerland - and a surprise change-of-pace from Koontz which was unexpected - I really enjoyed what I read despite the romance. Give it a try.
It was originally released as action/suspense/romance under Koontz's pen name of Leigh Nichols in 1979. It was then revised and rewritten for publication in 1995 in this version. The reason being that the plot revolves around the Cold War with Russia and a Russian espionage charade that backfires. The fall of communism in Russia facilitated that change.
Nevertheless, the female protagonist had to endure a personal horror of her own.
Set mainly in Japan and Switzerland - and a surprise change-of-pace from Koontz which was unexpected - I really enjoyed what I read despite the romance. Give it a try.
March 9, 2019
A twisty novel that keeps you thinking and ends well.
October 16, 2025
LOVE…LOVE…LOVE!!!!
I highly recommend experiencing the genius that is Dean Koontz🤩
I highly recommend experiencing the genius that is Dean Koontz🤩
May 30, 2023
This is an earlier (1970s) Dean Koontz book published under the Leigh Nichols pseudonym. Koontz wrote several of these books as romantic, political thrillers, which he liked to try his hand at writing distinct genres. Although I could understand his refusal to be pigeonholed as writing for one specific genre, I always found it ironic how he could accept being a writer of thrillers when quite frankly, almost everything he writes has a supernatural, horror bent, as it does so here.
Joanna Rand is a formerly British nightclub owner in Japan. When a gentleman private investigator meets her at her club, he is not just taken with her beauty. He finds that she is the disappeared daughter of an American Senator he was tasked to find over a decade ago. As Alex Hunter begins to involve himself, he learns that Joanna has suffered crippling nightmares of her former life and the evil Dr. that psychologically brainwashed her into leaving her former personality as Lisa Chelgrin behind. There are several recognizable Koontz tropes, but he really does endeavor to create something unique. Most of the pacing at the beginning is really quick, but because the actual plot is layered with complexity somewhere along the line (during psychological regression) the initial rapid pace gets lost. This is really my only gripe, but it is a mostly forgivable peevish gripe.
Joanna Rand is a formerly British nightclub owner in Japan. When a gentleman private investigator meets her at her club, he is not just taken with her beauty. He finds that she is the disappeared daughter of an American Senator he was tasked to find over a decade ago. As Alex Hunter begins to involve himself, he learns that Joanna has suffered crippling nightmares of her former life and the evil Dr. that psychologically brainwashed her into leaving her former personality as Lisa Chelgrin behind. There are several recognizable Koontz tropes, but he really does endeavor to create something unique. Most of the pacing at the beginning is really quick, but because the actual plot is layered with complexity somewhere along the line (during psychological regression) the initial rapid pace gets lost. This is really my only gripe, but it is a mostly forgivable peevish gripe.
September 27, 2022
Koontz first novel originally published under the name Lee Nichols. It's different than most of his current writings, but a fine first novel. 7 of 10 stars
April 17, 2023
The Key to Midnight was published in 1979 as by Leigh Nichols and it was the only novel by Dean Koontz to appear that year. It's a political thriller with a heavy romantic element, as was common for all of the Nichols books. It has some horrific mental imagery, and reminded me more of The House of Thunder with all of the psychological tropes than any of the other Nichols novels. I also wondered if it was perhaps influenced by the Algys Budrys novel, Who?, another good book about military brainwashing, but that was a rather common literary convention in those cold war days. There are some goods twists and turns in the plot, and I found it engaging to the end. It was revised and published under his own name in 1995, but I've only read the original and so can't compare the two versions.
March 9, 2021
I remember reading this back way back in high school. This was it! This was the book that convinced me to take up psychology.
August 22, 2022
One of the better ones by Koontz, initialy written under a pen name...
WOW!!!
Loved it...
A beautiful young woman trapped behind invisible bars...
Thanks to the love for a man, the struggle for freedom at last beginns!!!
But which truth will they unearth at the end?
What fate will be awaiting them?
Read for youself and see!!!
Fast paced, dense, and full of unexpected turns...
Couldn't put it down...
Another great reading!
Believable characters and a stunningly good story written with bravado and much heart blood!!!
Dean;)
WOW!!!
Loved it...
A beautiful young woman trapped behind invisible bars...
Thanks to the love for a man, the struggle for freedom at last beginns!!!
But which truth will they unearth at the end?
What fate will be awaiting them?
Read for youself and see!!!
Fast paced, dense, and full of unexpected turns...
Couldn't put it down...
Another great reading!
Believable characters and a stunningly good story written with bravado and much heart blood!!!
Dean;)
January 9, 2013
Oh, curse you, Dean Koontz! *shakes fist*
For years, every time I pick up a Dean Koontz novel, I swear I'm not going to get obsessed with it. Every time, I end up reading it in a night or two.
"The Key to Midnight" was originally published in 1979 under the pseudonym, Leigh Nichols. In the Afterword, Koontz describes how he went back in 1995, with the intention of just giving it a little polish, when he ended up excising a great deal of it, then adding yet more. Then, he pretty much rewrote the whole thing line by line.
Part of what always amazes me about Dean Koontz's novels is the beauty of the language he uses. Sometimes--rarely--he overwrites a bit, but he has a wonderful sense of imagery: "On their last night in Japan, they didn't sleep at all. They wrapped the hours of the night around them, as though time were a brightly shining thread and they were a wildly spinning spool." (p.282)
Seriously, most authors in this genre would write something like, "Their plane left at 8 the next morning, so they (screwed) all night."
Mr. Koontz also has a way with a story. Admittedly, some of his stories are pretty far out there--he's hugely prolific, and they can't all be winners--but "The Key to Midnight" is a sharp little thriller.
Joanna Rand, an expatriate American, owns her own nightclub in Kyoto. It's successful, too. In addition to being a shrewd businesswoman, Joanna is also a talented singer, and her penchant for jazz and swing has made her club, The Moonglow, a steady draw. One night, a handsome vacationing American named Alex Hunter happens by The Moonglow. He's back the next night. Then the next. Joanna is intrigued, and shares a few cocktails with Alex one night, then agrees to meet him for lunch the next day.
After lunch, while they're touring a museum, she freaks the hell out, apparently over nothing. It turns out, Joanna has been having the same recurring nightmare for years, about a man with a metal hand, and a hypodermic needle.
Alex, as it turns out, heads a hugely successful investigations and security company based in Chicago. Years ago, one of Illinois' US Senators hired Alex's company to find his missing daughter, Lisa. As they get to know each other in Kyoto, Alex becomes certain that Joanna is really Lisa, only she has no memory of Lisa.
Using hypnosis and plain old detective work, it becomes clear that Lisa's mind was wiped, and she was given a whole new identity, with no memory of her old self. It's like the scene in "Inception," where Cobb and Ariadne are sitting at the cafe, talking, and Cobb asks Ariadne, "How did we get here?" She can't describe how--they just were. That's how Lisa/Joanna is.
Soon, people are trying to kill the couple, and they decide the first thread to the truth lies in London. So off they go. From there, everything points toward Switzerland, and that's where the showdown happens.
The Afterword really explains the tone in "The Key to Midnight." It has a very "middle of the cold war" feel to it, with bad Russians, and all manner of clandestine operations. This isn't the sort of behavior we'd expect from post-USSR Russia--at least not to the degree here. Also, much is made about the Vietnam War, and various Soviet-Communist activities there. Again, it makes sense in a 1979 novel moreso than in a 1995 novel (especially reading the 1995 novel in 2013).
The 1995 adjustments Mr Koontz make explain a lot, but in '95, there was still more flux in US-Russian relations. Today, if you ask who our biggest enemies are, you'd get Middle East denizens, and terrorist cells.
I like the finale to "The Key to Midnight," and the book is gripping. There's one series of hypnosis sessions where a kindly Kyoto psychologist is trying to break through the firewalls installed in Lisa/Joanna's mind. It's like "The Manchurian Candidate": I don't care if the brainwashing techniques exist on that level, it's scary enough to imagine they do.
The slight anachronism is the only thing that feels wrong here: happily, the bad Russian vs good American spy game is no longer prevalent, at least not to the Alger Hiss sort of degree.
Beyond that, "The Key to Midnight" is a taut, engaging thriller, with likeable characters. I should note that Alex avoids one of my great thriller-character pet peeves. I all-caps HATE when a book or movie takes an everyman or everywoman character, puts him or her into a situation where he or she is being chased by professional spies/killers/whatevers, and suddenly--through amazing personal strength--the sous-chef from Salinas is driving like Dale Earnhardt, shooting like Doc Holliday, and thinking like a career CIA operative. Alex does some fairly elaborate evasive driving, smuggles weapons across international borders, and has unerring survival instincts. He also has been a professional international security expert for two decades. Of COURSE he has these skills. They aren't the product of a miracle, necessity-fueled evolution.
So well done, Alex.
Anachronisms and all, "The Key to Midnight" is an awesome read. Then again, Dean Koontz could write a story about a garlic press, and I'd probably end up reading it.
Recommended (with the anachronism caveat (And I promise, I won't use the word "anachronism" anymore))
For years, every time I pick up a Dean Koontz novel, I swear I'm not going to get obsessed with it. Every time, I end up reading it in a night or two.
"The Key to Midnight" was originally published in 1979 under the pseudonym, Leigh Nichols. In the Afterword, Koontz describes how he went back in 1995, with the intention of just giving it a little polish, when he ended up excising a great deal of it, then adding yet more. Then, he pretty much rewrote the whole thing line by line.
Part of what always amazes me about Dean Koontz's novels is the beauty of the language he uses. Sometimes--rarely--he overwrites a bit, but he has a wonderful sense of imagery: "On their last night in Japan, they didn't sleep at all. They wrapped the hours of the night around them, as though time were a brightly shining thread and they were a wildly spinning spool." (p.282)
Seriously, most authors in this genre would write something like, "Their plane left at 8 the next morning, so they (screwed) all night."
Mr. Koontz also has a way with a story. Admittedly, some of his stories are pretty far out there--he's hugely prolific, and they can't all be winners--but "The Key to Midnight" is a sharp little thriller.
Joanna Rand, an expatriate American, owns her own nightclub in Kyoto. It's successful, too. In addition to being a shrewd businesswoman, Joanna is also a talented singer, and her penchant for jazz and swing has made her club, The Moonglow, a steady draw. One night, a handsome vacationing American named Alex Hunter happens by The Moonglow. He's back the next night. Then the next. Joanna is intrigued, and shares a few cocktails with Alex one night, then agrees to meet him for lunch the next day.
After lunch, while they're touring a museum, she freaks the hell out, apparently over nothing. It turns out, Joanna has been having the same recurring nightmare for years, about a man with a metal hand, and a hypodermic needle.
Alex, as it turns out, heads a hugely successful investigations and security company based in Chicago. Years ago, one of Illinois' US Senators hired Alex's company to find his missing daughter, Lisa. As they get to know each other in Kyoto, Alex becomes certain that Joanna is really Lisa, only she has no memory of Lisa.
Using hypnosis and plain old detective work, it becomes clear that Lisa's mind was wiped, and she was given a whole new identity, with no memory of her old self. It's like the scene in "Inception," where Cobb and Ariadne are sitting at the cafe, talking, and Cobb asks Ariadne, "How did we get here?" She can't describe how--they just were. That's how Lisa/Joanna is.
Soon, people are trying to kill the couple, and they decide the first thread to the truth lies in London. So off they go. From there, everything points toward Switzerland, and that's where the showdown happens.
The Afterword really explains the tone in "The Key to Midnight." It has a very "middle of the cold war" feel to it, with bad Russians, and all manner of clandestine operations. This isn't the sort of behavior we'd expect from post-USSR Russia--at least not to the degree here. Also, much is made about the Vietnam War, and various Soviet-Communist activities there. Again, it makes sense in a 1979 novel moreso than in a 1995 novel (especially reading the 1995 novel in 2013).
The 1995 adjustments Mr Koontz make explain a lot, but in '95, there was still more flux in US-Russian relations. Today, if you ask who our biggest enemies are, you'd get Middle East denizens, and terrorist cells.
I like the finale to "The Key to Midnight," and the book is gripping. There's one series of hypnosis sessions where a kindly Kyoto psychologist is trying to break through the firewalls installed in Lisa/Joanna's mind. It's like "The Manchurian Candidate": I don't care if the brainwashing techniques exist on that level, it's scary enough to imagine they do.
The slight anachronism is the only thing that feels wrong here: happily, the bad Russian vs good American spy game is no longer prevalent, at least not to the Alger Hiss sort of degree.
Beyond that, "The Key to Midnight" is a taut, engaging thriller, with likeable characters. I should note that Alex avoids one of my great thriller-character pet peeves. I all-caps HATE when a book or movie takes an everyman or everywoman character, puts him or her into a situation where he or she is being chased by professional spies/killers/whatevers, and suddenly--through amazing personal strength--the sous-chef from Salinas is driving like Dale Earnhardt, shooting like Doc Holliday, and thinking like a career CIA operative. Alex does some fairly elaborate evasive driving, smuggles weapons across international borders, and has unerring survival instincts. He also has been a professional international security expert for two decades. Of COURSE he has these skills. They aren't the product of a miracle, necessity-fueled evolution.
So well done, Alex.
Anachronisms and all, "The Key to Midnight" is an awesome read. Then again, Dean Koontz could write a story about a garlic press, and I'd probably end up reading it.
Recommended (with the anachronism caveat (And I promise, I won't use the word "anachronism" anymore))
October 13, 2025
Intriguing
A spy program, new love, and an extreme ending.
I recommend this book for spy lovers of this adventure. I was not asked to review this book.
A spy program, new love, and an extreme ending.
I recommend this book for spy lovers of this adventure. I was not asked to review this book.
Want to read
October 2, 2017This hardcover is numbered 88 of 550 copies and is signed signed by Dean Koontz and Paul Parks on the limitation page.
April 25, 2017
Not bad for an early Koontz read. Nice twist with Russian doppelgangers. Not heavy on horror, but definitely filled with mystery and questions. Is Joanna really Lisa? How can someone have their memory erased and altered so efficiently? This would make for a good spy movie, I think. Really entertaining with strong characters. I could completely picture the Russian body builders. Big galoots. Alex Hunter is a true hero to Joanna, though Joanna is a strong woman and a hero of sorts all on her own. She survived a kidnapping, brainwashing, memory erasure, and still managed to make a name of herself in a country she was not native in. Impressive.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2020
Es un libro trepidante, es el primero que leo del autor y me ha enganchado y atrapado desde la primera página, le quito una estrella porque su final es muy abrupto, te quiere resolver el misterio muy rápido y para mí le faltan páginas al final. No considero la novela de terror, más bien, de suspense e intriga. Muy recomendable para aquellos que quieran una lectura ágil, con un misterio que resolver y a pesar de sus casi 400 páginas, se lee muy rápido y engancha muchísimo.
January 25, 2024
First off, I'm giving this book 4,5 stars, because it is pretty dated. expect things like faxes and sending an express envelope by mail to send someone a photo.
That said.... holy rollercoaster!!!! 5 Stars for speed, plottwists, and mostly for me nostalgia.
I had this book on my TBR for probably almost 20 years. I always kept reading Koontz but we all know (if you're a Koontz reader) that the books became less good over the years and sometimes even bad.
For me this started after False Memory, which I love, and at the beginning of Odd Thomas, which is a series I do not care for at all.
That said, The Key to Midnight is written in 1979 and therefor a very early Koontz, but under one of his pennames and he revised it mid '90's (and I think revising this book inspired him to write False Memory, but that's just a wilde guess from my side.)
I'm not going to spoil anything, because labeling this book other than a thriller would already be a spoiler and I know in all those years people will probably have spoiled too much already, but I don't want to be that guy.
But this story started off with planting seeds into the plotline that would make you think in a totally different direction than it eventually will go. And then you are hit with a twist, you read on, feel that you start to get things more clear, and bam. twist. and especially in the final 60 to 70 pages it sucked me in and just held on so tight that I could feel the tention from the story and had to relax a little, letting it sink in.
For me, this book drew me back in to the old Koontz I know from my youth. I have read about 40 books by him and he was one of the first authors I discovered in the '90's, devouring story after story. The writing is so smooth, his storytelling wasn't formulaic yet (even though this could be considered formulaic now, but back then I didn't feel it like that) and he knows to get your attention and hold it. When he's good, he's very good.
So considering the story I'd say its a solid 4 to 5 stars. minus 0.5 for the dated parts, but +1 for the nostalgia. So I'm just going to give it 5 stars. I loved this.
Fun Fact, I read this as a buddy read with someone who hasn't read a lot of Koontz yet, and this book is perfect for that. We were totally into it and curious what the other would think. I can highly recommend reading this book with someone who's new to the Koontz universe.
That said.... holy rollercoaster!!!! 5 Stars for speed, plottwists, and mostly for me nostalgia.
I had this book on my TBR for probably almost 20 years. I always kept reading Koontz but we all know (if you're a Koontz reader) that the books became less good over the years and sometimes even bad.
For me this started after False Memory, which I love, and at the beginning of Odd Thomas, which is a series I do not care for at all.
That said, The Key to Midnight is written in 1979 and therefor a very early Koontz, but under one of his pennames and he revised it mid '90's (and I think revising this book inspired him to write False Memory, but that's just a wilde guess from my side.)
I'm not going to spoil anything, because labeling this book other than a thriller would already be a spoiler and I know in all those years people will probably have spoiled too much already, but I don't want to be that guy.
But this story started off with planting seeds into the plotline that would make you think in a totally different direction than it eventually will go. And then you are hit with a twist, you read on, feel that you start to get things more clear, and bam. twist. and especially in the final 60 to 70 pages it sucked me in and just held on so tight that I could feel the tention from the story and had to relax a little, letting it sink in.
For me, this book drew me back in to the old Koontz I know from my youth. I have read about 40 books by him and he was one of the first authors I discovered in the '90's, devouring story after story. The writing is so smooth, his storytelling wasn't formulaic yet (even though this could be considered formulaic now, but back then I didn't feel it like that) and he knows to get your attention and hold it. When he's good, he's very good.
So considering the story I'd say its a solid 4 to 5 stars. minus 0.5 for the dated parts, but +1 for the nostalgia. So I'm just going to give it 5 stars. I loved this.
Fun Fact, I read this as a buddy read with someone who hasn't read a lot of Koontz yet, and this book is perfect for that. We were totally into it and curious what the other would think. I can highly recommend reading this book with someone who's new to the Koontz universe.
February 13, 2025
"Oldie but goody." I had bought several books at a yard sale last summer, and I am only getting around now into reading them- "The Key To Midnight" being one. This book did not disappoint, but I had to laugh at the time period and to the future reference to AI. Koontz has a way of bringing you into his dreaded fiction world with his character's being relentlessly terrorized. This book had plenty of gore, mystery and intrigue. It's been a while since I've read anything by Koontz. I'd forgotten how much I'd liked his writing style. I will be picking up a few of his other books. I will also say that his Frankenstein series was awesome and, to date, my favorite of his!
December 11, 2010
This novel was certainly interesting to say the least. A thrilling book about a woman, Joanna Rand, who had terrible nightmares of a man with a claw hand. When Alex Hunter arrives in Kyoto, Japan, he instantly recognizes Joanna as a missing girl from twelve years previously. The daughter of a United States senator. The two are set on a path of discovery to find the source of her chilling nightmares. As well as the reason why she was chosen to be implanted in a new life.
The book takes many unexpected twists and turns which leave the reader constantly wanting to know more what is going to happen to the characters. This was a great example of the diversity with which Dean Koontz can write books.
The book takes many unexpected twists and turns which leave the reader constantly wanting to know more what is going to happen to the characters. This was a great example of the diversity with which Dean Koontz can write books.
August 21, 2018
I always enjoy the shortness of D. K.'s chapters; it's something that always keeps me going.
It was easy to get through but nothing special. I enjoyed the story even if it was not my cup of tea.
One thing bothered me quite a bit: it struggled to not create an instant love, but I had the feeling of just this. When she finds out she's probably someone else, all she can think about is Alex and what is happening with her feelings (after a day they met). I found it very unrealistic.
It kinda bothered me also that there were a lot of things in other languages not translated.
It was easy to get through but nothing special. I enjoyed the story even if it was not my cup of tea.
One thing bothered me quite a bit: it struggled to not create an instant love, but I had the feeling of just this. When she finds out she's probably someone else, all she can think about is Alex and what is happening with her feelings (after a day they met). I found it very unrealistic.
It kinda bothered me also that there were a lot of things in other languages not translated.
October 7, 2012
The book is cringe worthy.Seriously, there were passages when I was genuinely embarrassed for Koontz.The characters are as deep as a puddle of rain water left in the wake of a light early autumn rain, and as one dimensional as a drawing on a piece of baking paper made by a bored housewife while waiting for her pie to finish baking,this is of course in the spirit of "Koontzian adjectivism" which should be new genre in literature.
Behold ladies and gentlemen, the following quotes may cause intensive involuntary eye rolling.
"The unique and exquisitely tortuous tension between Alex and Joanna transformed even the simple act of eating dinner into a rare experience charged with erotic energy."
"She blew on her sake to cool it slightly.Later,when the time is right, you can use both hands of me."
"A demon donkey inside his head kicking to get out."
"His scull seemed to be cracking under the punishing hooves of that indefatigable donkey."
"His eyes were pale brown, almost yellow, and in them shone controlled madness as cold as Arctic sun flickering on strange configurations of ice."
And if you didn't had enough of that demon donkey let me present you Koontz's favorite adjective, Byzantine.Like "Look he is so God damn Byzantine I can't stand him." and "I totally dig those shoes man,they are so Byzantine.".
Behold ladies and gentlemen, the following quotes may cause intensive involuntary eye rolling.
"The unique and exquisitely tortuous tension between Alex and Joanna transformed even the simple act of eating dinner into a rare experience charged with erotic energy."
"She blew on her sake to cool it slightly.Later,when the time is right, you can use both hands of me."
"A demon donkey inside his head kicking to get out."
"His scull seemed to be cracking under the punishing hooves of that indefatigable donkey."
"His eyes were pale brown, almost yellow, and in them shone controlled madness as cold as Arctic sun flickering on strange configurations of ice."
And if you didn't had enough of that demon donkey let me present you Koontz's favorite adjective, Byzantine.Like "Look he is so God damn Byzantine I can't stand him." and "I totally dig those shoes man,they are so Byzantine.".
January 28, 2019
This one adds to my list Koontz stinkers. The good news is it’s not as horrible as Breathless which is my all time least favorite DK novel. It is pretty bad though. Boring story, some bad dialogue, an uninteresting romance between uninteresting characters and some unnecessary rape to top it off.
The entire novel is explained pretty much in the final twenty pages and that interested me a little so I’m giving it 2 stars for the ending and also because it’s not as bad as Breathless to which I gave 1 star.
Time to forget about this Koontz experience and find a Stephen King book to read...
The entire novel is explained pretty much in the final twenty pages and that interested me a little so I’m giving it 2 stars for the ending and also because it’s not as bad as Breathless to which I gave 1 star.
Time to forget about this Koontz experience and find a Stephen King book to read...
September 23, 2018
In this book, Dean pretends to be a woman and writes a romantic mystery. I thought it was intriguing but personally prefer The House of Thunder which is a variation on a similar theme and also written by that same fake woman named Leigh Nichols.
The Key to Midnight features some intense scenes and interesting twists.
The Key to Midnight features some intense scenes and interesting twists.
January 10, 2022
meh…
Not one of his best…. This was a moderately disappointing read… I guess I much prefer his books that have a supernatural element to them.
Not one of his best…. This was a moderately disappointing read… I guess I much prefer his books that have a supernatural element to them.
September 8, 2022
A good read to learn some history, Koontz "romance" and political illegal usage. Joanne Rand is a singer in a Japanese Moonlight nightclub with nightmares of her past. She meets Alex Hunter (private dectective) and they fall in love. Alex and Joanne try to uncover these nightmares. Dr. Rotenhausen (Russian) is a demented psychiatrist taking advantage of woman with his mechanical "steel hands" and he has ability to brainwash people. They discover her real name is Lisa Chelgrin, her father is a Chicago U.S. Senator Tom Chelgrin. But why did Tom let Lisa be brainwashed and left back 10 years ago in Japan during the "Cold War"?
The "Cold War" was the Eastern Bloc ("Warsaw Pac" - Russia and it's Europe communist countries) against the Western Bloc (United States and NATO allies).
Book is on YouTube.com.
The "Cold War" was the Eastern Bloc ("Warsaw Pac" - Russia and it's Europe communist countries) against the Western Bloc (United States and NATO allies).
Book is on YouTube.com.
December 16, 2021
Great read.
While this was different for Mr Koontz, (which make sense because it is one of his earlier novels) it is well worth the read. Suspense, intrigue, romance, yeasts and turns, it has it all. If your looking for supernatural, this isn't it, but he didn't need it. This book grabs one from the first page & keeps you guessing the rest of the way.
While this was different for Mr Koontz, (which make sense because it is one of his earlier novels) it is well worth the read. Suspense, intrigue, romance, yeasts and turns, it has it all. If your looking for supernatural, this isn't it, but he didn't need it. This book grabs one from the first page & keeps you guessing the rest of the way.
January 5, 2022
Interesting read
It's always fun to spend time with a Dean Koontz book..still probably my favorite author. One of the things that I really love about his books...they are proof read. It makes the stories so much more enjoyable when you aren't having to read around all the writing errors! Thanks, Dean, for that, and for so many years of reading pleasure.
It's always fun to spend time with a Dean Koontz book..still probably my favorite author. One of the things that I really love about his books...they are proof read. It makes the stories so much more enjoyable when you aren't having to read around all the writing errors! Thanks, Dean, for that, and for so many years of reading pleasure.
October 21, 2016
This book is a good cold war era book
July 25, 2021
i mean i literally couldnt put it down even tho is massive capitalist propaganda but damn it was good
September 27, 2018
Another of his older works released in 1979 as Leigh Nichols, this is arguably the start of his books with convoluted plots that still work in the end, new locations and deeper characters.
Definitely more thriller than anything to me, it's a good read and hints at what is to come from Koontz.
Definitely more thriller than anything to me, it's a good read and hints at what is to come from Koontz.
November 29, 2025
Oh come on. All that for what? Her abuse, rape and mind washing for what???
For Russia? Are you kidding me?
Didn't even feel good that they won in the end.
For Russia? Are you kidding me?
Didn't even feel good that they won in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2021
This book should have a trigger warning for rape and sexual assault. So that was annoying to have to read that, I feel like they could have left out 50% of the creepy rape fantasies altogether, and then just toned down the details given about the sexual assaults. The story would not have been effected at all.
This isn’t that great of a book, also not the worst. It wasn’t horrible, but it felt extremely dated. It was written in the 70’s, and it really shows. There is a target audience for this book, and I am not in it. If you are a white, working class man born in the 60’s, you’ll probably like this book a lot. At best, this is an easy to follow mystery spy type books with a tiny bit of sci fi.
Now for the good parts, the last 50 pages or so were really action packed and satisfying and entertaining. The author managed to answer most of the mysteries in the book in a satisfying manner. I liked the setting of Japan for the book, I haven’t read many books that take place in Japan, and this book makes me want to look up and read some more books that take place in Japan.
Back to the bad. The conversations between characters were so awkward and unnatural. Has the author never interacted with another human before? No one talks like that.
The title of the book is referenced in the book and then never ever explored or used. Trying to not spoil anything. It would be like someone naming a book Mystery in the attic, then the book saying the house has a creepy attic, but then never taking the reader into the attic and never mentioning the attic again. It was really frustrating.
Okay, last but not least. The book was pretty damn predictable, and the main point of the book was missing. You are given too many answers too early on in the book, and then there isn’t anything new until the very end when they just confirm everything they already told you, plus the tiny tiniest extra piece of information that’s given to you in a really odd exposition from someone on their deathbed. Wtf. The author could have structured this book in a much more enjoyable way, it was an early book in D. Koontz’s career, so I am trying to cut him some slack.
This isn’t that great of a book, also not the worst. It wasn’t horrible, but it felt extremely dated. It was written in the 70’s, and it really shows. There is a target audience for this book, and I am not in it. If you are a white, working class man born in the 60’s, you’ll probably like this book a lot. At best, this is an easy to follow mystery spy type books with a tiny bit of sci fi.
Now for the good parts, the last 50 pages or so were really action packed and satisfying and entertaining. The author managed to answer most of the mysteries in the book in a satisfying manner. I liked the setting of Japan for the book, I haven’t read many books that take place in Japan, and this book makes me want to look up and read some more books that take place in Japan.
Back to the bad. The conversations between characters were so awkward and unnatural. Has the author never interacted with another human before? No one talks like that.
The title of the book is referenced in the book and then never ever explored or used. Trying to not spoil anything. It would be like someone naming a book Mystery in the attic, then the book saying the house has a creepy attic, but then never taking the reader into the attic and never mentioning the attic again. It was really frustrating.
Okay, last but not least. The book was pretty damn predictable, and the main point of the book was missing. You are given too many answers too early on in the book, and then there isn’t anything new until the very end when they just confirm everything they already told you, plus the tiny tiniest extra piece of information that’s given to you in a really odd exposition from someone on their deathbed. Wtf. The author could have structured this book in a much more enjoyable way, it was an early book in D. Koontz’s career, so I am trying to cut him some slack.
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