Hideaway by Dean Koontz

Strange visions plague a man after he survives a near-death experience in this chilling thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz. Surviving a car accident on a snowy mountain road is miraculous for Lindsey Harrison, but even more so for her husband, Hatch, who was clinically dead for eighty minutes. After experimental procedures bring Hatch back to life, he awakens with the terrifying feeling that something is it out there. But it soon becomes apparent that the evil stalking Hatch is within him--a dark force of murderous rage that hides within us all... Editorial Reviews A chiller capable of leaving emotional bruises on readers.--Associated Press Koontz leaps beyond the bounds of the usual supernatural thriller. Hideaway is a novel of ideas.--Lexington Herald-Leader This is not just a chilling novel; it's an igloo in mid-winter with the air-conditioning on. Taut...gripping...the ending is dead-solid perfect.--The Raleigh News & Observer A taut serial-killer thriller and surprising occult fantasy. Chillingly convincing. It does exactly what it sets out to do and does it well.--Locus More Praise for Dean Koontz Dean Koontz is a prose stylist whose lyricism heightens malevolence and tension. [He creates] characters of unusual richness and depth.--The Seattle Times Tumbling, hallucinogenic prose....'Serious' writers...might do well to examine his technique.--The New York Times Book Review Lyrical writing and compelling characters...Koontz stands alone.--Associated Press In every industry there exist 'artists' that are not only unforgettable, but know their craft better than the rest. Dean Koontz...is among these artisans.--Suspense Magazine [Koontz] has always had near-Dickensian powers of description, and an ability to yank us from one page to the next that few novelists can match.--Los Angeles Times Perhaps more than any other author, Koontz writes fiction perfectly suited to the mood of America...novels that acknowledge the reality and tenacity of evil but also the power of good...[and that] entertain vastly as they uplift.--Publishers Weekly - From the Publisher After a near-fatal car accident, a Californian must deal with the deranged killer with whom he now shares visions. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club selections in cloth. (Dec.) - Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly YA-- Koontz's latest thriller sits at the intersection of the weird and the ordinary. Once again, he explores a ``what if'' scenario in a most satisfying fashion. In this case, a near-death survivor accidentally carries a piggy-backing evil spirit through an open door from the afterlife. Hatch Harrison, the typical good-guy hero, is revived by a brilliant team of doctors more than an hour after drowning. Strange visions and half-waking dreams soon convince him that his recovery is not at all normal. His fears are soon magnified when people who have annoyed him are murdered, and he knows that he is somehow responsible. Paralleling the story of Hatch's recovery is the unfolding revelation of a young man so evil that ordinary people cannot imagine his existence. As he skulks about selecting victims to murder and mutilate, a bizarre bond develops between the two men. Gory incidents tumble one after another as the two men become locked in first a psychic and then a physical battle between good and evil. The violent climax is symbolically set in an abandoned amusement park where at last the true duel identity of the murderer is revealed. Once again, evil is resoundingly defeated, but as any Koontz fan knows, the victory is only temporary.--Carolyn E. Gecan, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA - School Library Journal Koontz's novels crest bestseller lists not only for their heart-pounding horrors but also for their celebration of righteousness and redemption. Here, the author of Cold Fire, etc., offers his most overtly religious tale yet-a fiercely exciting battle between two men who have returned from the dead. The California-set conflict is as simple as good vs. evil. In a roaringly suspenseful opening, antique-dealer Hatch Harrison, the soul of sweetness, drowns during a car accident that nearly kills his wife Lindsey as well, and is surgically reanimated after a record 80 minutes dead. Meanwhile, a life-hating young man known only by his self-adopted demonic name of Vassago stalks the subbasement of a nearby abandoned amusement park, admiring the rotting bodies of those he's sacrificed to Satan in hopes of being allowed to return to hell-which he apparently visited during his own brush with death. Upon awakening, Hatch's first words are Something's out there-for he now suffers a psychic link with Vassago, who, days later, reaps a new trophy as Hatch helplessly flashes on the savage killing. And at the same time, Vassago flashes on Hatch's world, including Lindsey and spunky, crippled Regina, the orphan the Harrisons have just adopted in their new embrace of life after years of mourning a son lost to cancer. Deciding that vibrant Regina would make the perfect final offering to Satan, Vassago-revealed through tense and brutal flashback as the homicidally deranged son of the surgeon who saved Hatch-cuts a bloody path to the Harrisons' door, kidnapping Regina off to his underground lair. In a slam-bang finale, amidst charnel- house horrors, the Harrisons take onVassago with a gun, a crucifix, and a little angelic help. A grandly melodramatic morality play that will have Koontz's fans-both here and in heaven-cheering. (Literary Guild Dual Selection for March) - Kirkus Reviews Dean Koontz presents a cast of characters strangely entwined in a fascinating plot which ultimately brings the forces of good and evil face-to-face in an abandoned fun house. Michael Hanson and Carol Cowan, more storytellers than readers, are perfectly suited to Koontz's style. Both presenters use excellent phrasing, pace and pitch. Hanson's resonant tone oozes with evil as he narrates the story of Vassago, the Prince of Darkness. Cowan is at her best as 10-year-old Regina whose conversations with God are full of brisk, lively dialogue. The audio quality is excellent, and the presentation attractively packaged. T.J.M. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine - JULY 92 - AudioFile