As I looked for a book to read to get rid of the growing boredom that seemed to engross me on days that seem to last a life time, I saw an interesting book by Dean Koontz - From the corner of his eye. It wasn’t the book cover that attracted me it was in fact the title. There was a variety of books I could of choose with attractive book covers, but none with the tell tale signs of a book well read and well enjoyed. After I then chose “From the corner of his eye” I wondered what it could be about. “From the corner of his eye” could suggest anything from a murder mystery to a horror story, so being the sensible person I am I turned it over and read the blurb: It was about a boy called Bartholomew; this just created more mystery to surround this book.
This is an exciting book, set in the 1965’s onwards, that subverts your expectation at every turn, the start of the book is very unexpected because it gives you an overview of what made Bartholomew blind and healed so he could see again. Then it starts to explain to you a bit about Agnes (Bartholomew’s mother) who is known as the pie lady. The second chapter then goes back to the perfectly expected explaining about Agnes and Bartholomew’s Farther Joey Lampien and what lead to the unexpected death of one of the Parents. Following this chapter Dean Koontz cleverly introduces a new character during the third chapter, where all starts happily with Junior (who later becomes one of my two favourite characters in the book) and his wife Naomi having a picnic. All starts happily until… well you will have to read the book to find out what happens after the picnic.
I would gladly recommended this book to anyone who loves to read and anyone who wants a tale of the unknown and one to regularly subvert your expectations throughout the book. This book is different from any book I have ever read (trust me I have read a lot of books in my time!) because every character in this book from the most seemingly unimportant character to the main character links together throughout the book from a serial killer to a innocent girl who gets raped and has a child from the rapist. Also the characters that most drew me into this book would have to be Enoch Cain Junior and the detective Tom Vanadium who at first look and throughout the start of the book is apparently slightly deranged and a workaholic. Vanadium plays a cat and mouse game throughout the book until it leads him to the main character Bartholomew. This book is not only full of interesting characters and suspense it is also full of various aspects that no one expects and that are surreal to out expectations. I’m not the only one who enjoyed this book: “A master of the thriller genre” Washington Post.