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The Darkest Evening of the Year | 
 enlarge | Author: Dean Koontz
Publisher: Bantam
Category: Book
List Price: $27.00
Buy Used: $0.58
You Save: $26.42 (98%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  214 reviews
Sales Rank: 5069
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.6
ISBN: 0553804820
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780553804829
ASIN: 0553804820
Publication Date: November 27, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Used Condition - GOOD can be a well cared for Book (including Audio) that is in great condition to a Book that may show some signs of wear. GOOD Books may be marked; have some spine or page creases; exibit signs of aging or an ExLibrary copy. ** Possible marking on cover. 100% Satisfaction guaranteed on all purchases. Delivery is 7-14 days for standard mail. **
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Amazon.com Review
Amazon.com Exclusive:
The Darkest Ice Cream of the Year by Dean Koontz I once said writing a novel is sometimes like making love and sometimes like having a tooth pulled--and sometimes like making love while having a tooth pulled. I arrived at one of those joyful yet excruciating moments while working on The Darkest Evening of the Year. Because I am obsessive about the revision of each page--the word fussbudget is embarrassingly apt when I am brooding over whether to use a comma or a semicolon--I have more than once held on to a manuscript until the drop-dead date for delivery. When that date rolled around for this book, I had written everything, but I was unwilling to send all of it to my editor. I withheld the last fifty pages for another four days, causing a quiet panic in those at my publishing house who are responsible for meeting production deadlines. Although the book was done, I felt that something was wrong with Chapter 63. The action worked, the characters were in character, the mood was sustained...but something felt wrong with it, some fine point of the villain's motivation. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I worked 12-hour days, trying to identify the source of my doubt, but couldn't specify it to my satisfaction. Nothing like this had ever happened to me. Previously, my worst struggles with a story had come in the first two-thirds, and the final third had been, if not a sweet swift toboggan run, at least a sleigh ride. Sunday, I got up at 6:00 and set to work, revising, looking for the thorn I could feel but couldn't see--and ended up working 22 hours, eating at my desk, before tumbling to the problem at 4:00 a.m. Monday morning. "Eureka!" I cried, but I was so weary and my voice was so weak that my shout of jubilation came out as a squeak. The revisions required to Chapter 63 were minor, but after working 58 hours in four days, after having passed a night without sleep, I was unable to focus sharply enough to get them done in the little time that remained before the production schedule would be derailed. In desperation, I turned to that source of creative energy and literary enlightenment that is without equal: ice cream. I shuffled to the kitchen and snared a Dreyer's Slow-Churned Vanilla Almond Crunch bar from the freezer. I devoured this sweet-and-creamy muse, and felt the scales lift from my eyes; inspiration sparkled between my ears. I finished the revisions and e-mailed the final version of Chapter 63 to my editor with not a minute to spare. Although the American Heart Association will take issue with me, my advice to young writers stuck on a scene is to stop worrying about your arteries and give your wheel-spinning imagination what it needs to find traction: a tasty shot of fat and sugar. --Dean Koontz, October 2007
Product Description
With each of his #1 New York Times bestsellers, Dean Koontz has displayed an unparalleled ability to entertain and enlighten readers with novels that capture the essence of our times even as they bring us to the edge of our seats. Now he delivers a heart-gripping tour de force he’s been waiting years to write, at once a love story, a thrilling adventure, and a masterwork of suspense that redefines the boundaries of primal fear—and of enduring devotion.
Amy Redwing has dedicated her life to the southern California organization she founded to rescue abandoned and endangered golden retrievers. Among dog lovers, she’s a legend for the risks she’ll take to save an animal from abuse. Among her friends, Amy’s heedless devotion is often cause for concern. To widower Brian McCarthy, whose commitment she can’t allow herself to return, Amy’s behavior is far more puzzling and hides a shattering secret.
No one is surprised when Amy risks her life to save Nickie, nor when she takes the female golden into her home. The bond between Amy and Nickie is immediate and uncanny. Even her two other goldens, Fred and Ethel, recognize Nickie as special, a natural alpha. But the instant joy Nickie brings is shadowed by a series of eerie incidents. An ominous stranger. A mysterious home invasion.
And the unmistakable sense that someone is watching Amy’s every move and that, whoever it is, he’s not alone.
Someone has come back to turn Amy into the desperate, hunted creature she’s always been there to save. But now there’s no one to save Amy and those she loves. From its breathtaking opening scene to its shocking climax, The Darkest Evening of the Year is Dean Koontz at his finest, a transcendent thriller certain to have readers turning pages until dawn.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 209 more reviews...
 A harrowing, spine-tingling, suspense thriller. November 15, 2008
This novel is made for dog lovers, so if you are one of those persons, you can't go wrong. Yes, there are references to dog abuse and neglect, because the main protagonist, Amy, is deeply involved with Golden rescue. However, anyone that is a dog advocate knows these situations do occur and that it is actually good for the subject to reach as many as possible. I suspect there have been a few Koontz readers who have been compelled to adopt after reading this novel. It does touch your heart.
As beautifully as Koontz draws out his dog characters and their caregivers, in contrast, he delves into the sociopathic mind of some of the creepiest characters, ever. Their evil deeds are far more frightening than the supernatural aspects of this book. The battle between good and evil that ensues, as the multiple story-lines are expertly drawn together, will leave you squinting through your fingers, fearing to read yet another word. The story of Piggy/Hope, alone, will leave you horrified at the depths of torture that a mother could manifest toward a child.
The individual stories begin to collide into a crescendo of a conclusion, where you may have to suspend some disbelief. But for me, it was refreshing to believe---just for that moment, that we do have Angel warriors on our side fighting such evil and that goodness will prevail.
There Ought to be a Law November 11, 2008
There should be a warning stamped on Dean Koontz's books: "Don't start reading if you have some important unfinished tasks." Perhaps the newly-elected Congress will pass such a measure.
I have read at least five of his novels and have quickly become interested in the stories, putting the books down only with reluctance before reaching the final page. The only complaint I've had is that he sometimes writes himself into a plot corner and chooses to escape by introducing some funky supernatural themes.
This book has a wife beater who also abuses his children and pet dog. You have a soulless sadistic woman and her vicious boyfriend who torture her Down's syndrome daughter. Then there's a merciless hired killer who also murders random strangers for fun.
On the good side you've got a kind woman who takes care of abandoned and abused golden retrievers. There's her loving boyfriend. There are several golden retrievers, one of which seems to have supernatural powers. Koontz thinks highly of golden retrievers and glorifies them in this book.
How all of these elements intersect is the heart of the matter. Koontz's prose is flawless. He shows a profound grasp of human nature, and is fascinated with the existence of evil in a world that can be so wonderful.
Koontz knows exactly how to keep the reader enthralled. The pages keep turning.
Because there was no government-mandated warning on the cover, I started reading. I kept reading, although I had important unfinished tasks.
On second thought, maybe the tasks were not so important.
 Bad- Ending makes no sense- at all! November 11, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've like some of Koontz's books in the past. But I couldn't even finish this one. It is literally a dog of a book. Boring... boring boring.
I skipped ahead to the end it got so bad, and the ending makes no sense whatsoever.
The dog jumps over the bad girl and guy, and they just... disappear or something???!! Who knows, I surely don't.
 I bought a lemon! November 8, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the first book by Dean Koontz I have ever read. I will not spend any more money on his novels. I will get them from the library. This story is far-fetched and pathetic. I gave it two stars because the dogs made the book.
 A slight improvement over recent Koontz books November 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The nice thing about Dean Koontz is that he rarely disappoints. The bad thing about him is that he rarely wows you over either: he is--in Amazon terms--a consistent four star writer. That means when you pick up one of his books, you know it will be decent. That isn't to say that he is completely without relative clunkers: I consider his recent novel The Good Guy to be subpar Koontz. Fortunately, despite some definite flaws, The Darkest Evening of the Year is an improvement that shows the old Koontz magic is still there.
The heroine in Darkest Evening is Amy Redwing, a typical female protagonist for Koontz: young, beautiful and with a traumatic past. The nature of these traumas will take a while to unfold in the story as she has more pressing issues to contend with. The first issue deals with her rescuing a dog from an abusive owner (and incidentally rescuing the abuser's wife and kids); this golden retriever named Nickie has something special about her that bonds her quickly with Amy and also has a profound effect on her boyfriend Brian (who has his own secrets).
Meanwhile, a couple known as Moongirl and Harrow are up to mischief. Moongirl is a complete sociopath, and Harrow is no better, making them get along in a twisted relationship. When they are not committing random acts of savage violence, they have a plot that will entangle both Brian and Amy in a web of vicious revenge. At first, Brian and Amy will be unaware of this plot as well as the possibly related work of a private eye more interested in his virtual life than his real one and an assassin that likes to take on names of various Vonnegut characters.
Unlike many of Koontz's recent novels (outside his Odd Thomas books), this novel does have a supernatural element, though it remains subdued for the most part. It seems to focus on Nickie, which is not a complete shock: anyone familiar with Koontz knows that he has a particular reverence for dogs. Thematically, I think Koontz is saying that there is enough evil in mankind that occasionally non-human forces are required to balance things out.
Some of the things that hurt Koontz's writing are evident in this novel, notably the banter between characters that is so artificial as to take the reader temporarily out of the story. In addition, things do fall apart towards the end, particularly in the last chapter when something happens that creates a forced reversal in events. On the other hand, this story also reflects Koontz's strengths: a fast-paced, action-filled story with likeable heroes and loathsome villains (Moongirl is one of Koontz's better recent villains). Overall, this is typical Koontz, which is to say a four-star book.
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