Relentless by Dean Koontz

As with all Koontz novels, Relentless is well written, fast paced, and engrossing. Unlike most thrillers, this book is well seasoned with humor. In that respect, it's a lot like an earlier Koontz book, Life Expectancy, in which a menacing clown and assorted circus performers (aerialists) threaten the life, liberty, and happiness of a long line of bakers. This book is certainly less tongue-in-cheek, but it's still a fun read.

The main character in Relentless is an author. (It's never explained what types of books he writes, but they aren't thrillers.) His wife is a writer and illustrator of children's books, and his six-year-old son is a certifiable genius. These are the good guys, and Koontz does a good job of making them a likeable family, filling in their lives with laughter and an eccentric extended family. If the whole book focused on characters like these, I would urge my 14-year-old to read it; however, there is a darker side ...

Granted, that's the point of a thriller. There has to be conflict, some sort of tension against which the heroes must struggle, but the villains in Relentless are the reason I can't let my teenagers read it. These guys are brutal. Yes, this kind of character has a purpose. It provides the pure evil backdrop against which goodness, nobility, and self-sacrifice can be easily identified.

I think that's what keeps drawing me back to Dean Koontz: the nobility of his good guys. The heroes in Relentless are not much different than you and me (with the exception of the six-year-old genius), but together they overcome overwhelming odds. In the end, they are stronger and more appreciative of one another.

I'm glad I read the book, but I'll be glad for a respite from the gruesome villains. That's the reason I swing back and forth between being a huge Koontz fan to needing a break. There is almost always something noble and redeeming in his books, but you have to struggle through a good bit of darkness to reach it.