A Riveting Thriller. Review on Face, The - Dean Koontz

This is the first book I read from the author Dean Koontz. I had a choice of free books in a local promotional offer and just randomly picked this up from the selection. So I had no idea on what to expect.

'The Face' in the title is a hollywood actor with super good looks, and even more wealth and fame. The story is about a recent set of threat messages that leaves his chief of security Ethan, a retired homicide detective (and our hero), completely perplexed. The events that follow as he tries to trace the source are even more bizarre. Meanwhile, the Face's 10-year old son, Fric receives spooky phone calls to warn him of a big imminent danger. It's Christmas season, and with the Face shooting for a film away from home and all his employees on vacation, Ethan and Fric are the only occupants of the actor's huge, but thoroughly protected, mansion. That's when our villain makes his move in a bid to cause mayhem. In the end, all's well as his attempts are foiled but not without some other worldly help.

This is a great thriller with a story that's quite compelling. There are twists and turns throughout, and thanks to the author's wonderful exposition of both the scene and action, one can effortlessly visualize most of it while reading. The characterizations are excellent, even if overly dramatic at times. Although one can't easily relate to a son of a hollywood mega star, halfway through the story you're very likely to feel sorry for him and the situation he is in. You almost want to help out with tracking down the source of the trouble, especially when our hero and his fellow detective are completely off track in pursuit of the bad guy.

There were some minuses too. For all the suspense and momentum gathered throughout, the ending is abrupt and somewhat unconvincing. There are supernatural elements woven in the story and if you do not resonate with those, it is possible you may hate it for that reason alone. I personally don't, even as I consciously chose to overlook that fact and enjoy the book. Finally, there are some fringe characters that I could not empathize with completely.

To summarize, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would willingly pay for a book by Dean Koontz next time. I recommend it wholeheartedly.