FROM THE CORNER OF HIS EYE; By Dean Koontz; Bantam, 622 pages; $26.95
From perhaps the country's most prolific suspense novelist comes an ambitious turn, probably the most creative and most far-reaching book he has ever written.
In this riveting novel, Dean Koontz explores the multiple ways our lives are interconnected. It is human relationships adapted to quantum mechanics, and it necessitates an immense cast of colorful characters. Yet, the book has no subplots where some characters have little or nothing to do with the main characters or the main plot.
This is a book about many different relationships, all of which converge in often surprising ways. In fact, the hallmark quality of Koontz's work is his continuing ability to surprise the reader, which he does very early in this novel.
Detailing surprises in this review would be inappropriate because it would quickly ruin the suspense of the book.
But Koontz is skilled in telling a suspenseful story involving violence and murder, while maintaining a surprisingly good balance with the other myriad problems people experience as a part of life.
His villain, Junior Cain, is a disgusting sociopath so self-absorbed that he often manages to be unintentionally funny. The other characters all have their problems — some, such as the brothers Jacob and Edom, are strange without being dangerous, while several are genuinely good people who perform selfless acts of service.
One of his main characters, Agnes Lampion, "the pie lady," is a woman plagued by personal problems, yet she remains a determined, optimistic champion of the poor and the oppressed.
Thomas Vanadium, a detective who narrowly escaped being a priest, is a fascinating man with unusual abilities to spot criminals, a wily strategy in dealing with them, yet a warm heart that easily endears him to others.
Dr. Walter Lipscomb is a doctor of obstetrics and pediatrics with a highly developed ethical compass, a man who genuinely cares about his patients, so much that he follows their progress and even sacrifices his resources to help them.
Angel and Barty are two little kids who are prodigies, while at the same time being unusually dynamic personalities. Although they have many dangerous moments in this story, their natural talents are both intriguing and creative.
These are just a few of the many characters, some of whom are victimized by tragedies.
Near the end of the book, Koontz clarifies his theory of interconnectedness: "All human lives are so profoundly and intricately entwined — those dead, those living, those generations yet to come — that the fate of all is the fate of each, and the hope of humanity rests in every heart and in every pair of hands."
Sounds like philosophy rather than a suspense novel — but Koontz believes suspense surrounds all of us. So a reader who picks up this book with the profound desire to be scared out of his or her wits is likely to be surprised that there is much more substance to this book.
This is a long, hard reflective look at life's varied challenges and threats. Yet it is very well-written, and the author manages to tell a story that is often disturbing without littering the pages with four-letter words.
Who said thrillers have to be laced with obscenities?
This book says a great deal about why Koontz is on top of his field — he's very good.
E-MAIL: dennis@desnews.com