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Relentless by Dean Koontz
Not since Misery have I read a truly terrifying novel about a writer under attack and trying to stay alive throughout the course of the book Imagine a writer whose novels have just begun to hit the bestseller's list and then a major newspaper publishes a review that tears his newest book to pieces. The author then discovers that the book critic actually lives near him and eats at the same restaurant that he and his family does. Now, imagine a small, but relatively uneventful confrontation between the writer and critic. Let's take it one step further and say that the book critic isn't an ordinary critic, but rather a serial killer who thoroughly enjoys destroying and killing the writers of books that he didn't enjoy. After the brief confrontation in the restaurant's restroom, Cullen Greenwich, his wife, Penny, and their six-year-old, son, Milo, are going to be running for their lives as the book critic, Shearman Waxx, begins to hunt them with uncanny skills that seem almost supernatural. He doesn't plan on just murdering the Greenwich family, but rather torturing and then killing the boy and his mom in front of Cullen.
If the sound of this wets your appetite, and it did mine, you're going to love Relentless. After about thirty-five pages, the novels starts to pick up a speed that's both fast and compelling, and doesn't let up till the end. This book wears you out and leaves you totally exhausted. I found myself talking out loud to an empty room after each chapter, wondering aloud how the killer was finding the family so quickly as they attempted to escape his deadly intentions. Though the characters are sometimes too nice and the villains too evil, the pacing of the story is, well, relentless and will certainly hold your attention to the last few pages.
I will admit that the ending wasn't what I was expecting and felt a little disappointed. After such a fantastic buildup to the finale, I expected the final confrontation between the Shearman Waxx and Cullen to be more dramatic and powerful in scope and to blow me away with its intensity. Didn't happen. I don't want to give anything away, but the answers to the questions about how the villain was tracking the family down so quickly simply didn't agree with me, nor did the use of the salt shakers (you'll know what I'm talking about when you read the novel). The answers as to who Waxx really is seemed like a cop out to me, plus I'm not really sure that I understood or even accepted what the villain's mother was trying to explain to Cullen before the final shooting.
Still, I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants to be completely entertained for several hours, not to mention sitting on the edge of your seat in avid anticipation. As with a lot of books, it's the journey which is most important, and not the arrival at one's destination. Now, how to find a woman like Cullen's wife, Penny, who's beautiful, tough as nails, and a crack shot with a handgun?
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Originally Posted by aptpupil
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