by Stella Coles

Created on: November 25, 2009

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Seventeen years ago, I came upon a hard-back book containing three novels by Dean Koontz.; Midnight, The Bad Place and Lightning. As soon as I read the first few pages, I was spell - bound and I couldn't understand why it had taken me so long to find this brilliant author. Thereafter, every time I was in a book shop, I had to buy another novel and would sit mesmerised with every turn of the page.

I often wonder how he found the ideas for his novels. Not only are they horror but contain science fiction and elements of the supernatural within them. I used to think Stephen King had a vivid imagination, but Dean Koontz is, well, just brilliant. All his early novels were such that it was impossible to put the books down, because you just had to find out what happened next. I read them all and I would be hard-pushed to choose which is my favourite. I've started to read them again and have just finished "The Bad Place", so I'll start with that one.

The Bad Place

Bobby and Julie Dakota are private investigators as well as being happily married. Frank Pollard wakes up one night not knowing anything about himself and he's got lots of money with him. Someone's after him and he's scared. He needs to find out what he's done. He has blood on his hands and doesn't know what to do. He approaches Dakota and Dakota to ask them to help him and Julie is reluctant at first. After some persuading from Bobby and their colleague, they take on the case, little knowing what's ahead of them. Horrors that even their own nightmares couldn't think up.

Can they find out who Frank is and what he's done? It's a race against time because someone bad is after him. Their lives are threatened, and it isn't safe for their families and friends. This novel grips you right from the start and doesn't let go. One horror after another is revealed, and you can't wait to see what happens next.

Lightning

Lightning is a fascinating story which keeps your attention all the way through. It focuses on Laura Shane who is born during a lightning strike, but her mother dies. Her father dies when she is twelve, so she has to adjust to life in an orphanage.

Throughout her life she has a guardian angel who helps her, and one night when she and her husband are are on a mountain road in perilous danger, he shouts at them to get out of the way and saves them. But as in all Dean Koontz books, there is always a bad element somewhere and Laura has to fight for her survival. Time travel is focused on and this

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