Book Review: Odd Hours by Dean Koontz

Title: Odd Hours
Author: Dean Koontz
Series:  Odd Thomas #4
Genre: Paranormal Fiction
Publication date: 20 May 2008
Online presence::  http://www.deankoontz.com/
Source: My own audio copy
Narrated by David Aaron Baker
Amazon link:  Odd Hours: An Odd Thomas Novel

Goodreads blurb:
Only a handful of fictional characters are recognized by first name alone. Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas is one of those rare literary heroes who have come alive in readers’ imaginations as he explores the greatest mysteries of this world and the next with his inimitable wit, heart, and quiet gallantry. Now Koontz follows Odd as he is irresistibly drawn onward to a destiny he cannot imagine and to undreamed of places where the perils he will face and the stakes for which he fights will eclipse all that he has known.

The legend began in the obscure little town of Pico Mundo. A fry cook named Odd was rumored to have the extraordinary ability to communicate with the dead. Through tragedy and triumph, exhilaration and heartbreak, word of Odd Thomas’s gifts filtered far beyond Pico Mundo, attracting unforgettable new friends—and enemies of implacable evil. With great gifts comes the responsibility to meet great challenges. But no mere human being was ever meant to face the darkness that now stalks the world—not even one as oddly special as Odd Thomas.
After grappling with the very essence of reality itself, after finding the veil that separates him from his soul mate, Stormy Llewellyn, tantalizingly thin yet impenetrable, Odd longed only to return to a life of quiet anonymity with his two otherworldly sidekicks—his dog Boo and a new companion, one of the few who might rival his old pal Elvis. But a true hero, however humble, must persevere. Haunted by dreams of an all-encompassing red tide, Odd is pulled inexorably to the sea, to a small California coastal town where nothing is as it seems. Now the forces arrayed against him have both official sanction and an infinitely more sinister authority…and in this dark night of the soul dawn will come only after the most shattering revelations of all.
Burnishing Dean Koontz’s stature as a master of suspense and one of our most innovative and gifted storytellers, Odd Hours illuminates a legacy of mystery and hope that will shine on long after the final page.

My thoughts:
Let me start by saying that I love this narrator.  Some books are just better in audio form (I am thinking of THE TIME TRAVELLER’S WIFE) and I think  David Aaron Baker made this book for me.  His calm, smoothing voice just carried the story of Odd Thomas perfectly.  Sometimes Dean Koontz tends to wander off into some beautiful prose but David made it all just seem to flow together – loved that!

As with all the Odd Thomas books, the people that Odd meets, all have funny little quirks.  I guess that if you are a little funny yourself, you just gravitate towards such.  One of my favourites are the aging film director (actor) that employs Odd.  He lives in the past and through his old movies.  The conversations between him and Odd were just wonderful.

This book does not have loads of action and it all takes place inside of 24 hours.  As usual, not all questions are answered so we will have to see if book 5 and 6 brings everything together. 

I don’t think that any of the sequels of Odd Thomas will ever compare with the first book but the stories give us enough suspense and surprises to keep us reading (listening).