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Relentless  By  cover art

Relentless

By: Dean Koontz
Narrated by: Dan John Miller
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Publisher's summary

Best-selling novelist Cullen "Cubby" Greenwich is a lucky man and he knows it. He makes a handsome living doing what he enjoys. His wife, Penny, a children's book author and illustrator, is the love of his life. Together they have a brilliant six-year-old, Milo, affectionately dubbed "Spooky", nd a non-collie named Lassie, who's all but part of the family.

So Cubby knows he shouldn't let one bad review of his otherwise triumphant new book get to him - even if it does appear in the nation's premier newspaper and is penned by the much-feared, seldom-seen critic Shearman Waxx. Cubby knows that the best thing to do is ignore the gratuitously vicious, insulting, and inaccurate comments. Penny knows it; even little Milo knows it. If Lassie could talk, she'd tell Cubby to ignore them, too.
Ignore Shearman Waxx and his poison pen is just what Cubby intends to do. Until he happens to learn where the great man is taking his lunch. Cubby just wants to get a look at the mysterious recluse whose mere opinion can make or break a career - or a life.

But Shearman Waxx isn't what Cubby expects, and neither is the escalating terror that follows what seemsto be an innocent encounter. For Waxx gives criticism; he doesn't take it. He has ways of dealing with those who cross him that Cubby is only beginning to fathom. Soon Cubby finds himself in a desperate struggle with a relentless sociopath, facing an inexorable assault on far more than his life.

Fearless, funny, utterly compelling, Relentless is Dean Koontz at his riveting best, an unforgettable tale of the fragile bonds that hold together all that we most cherish - and of those who would tear those bonds asunder.

©2009 Dean Koontz (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

Critic reviews

"Koontz is a master of the edge-of-your-seat, paranoid thriller and perhaps the leading American practitioner of the form." ( Newark Star-Ledger)
"Koontz is working at his pinnacle, providing terrific entertainment that deals seriously with some of the deepest themes of human existence: the nature of evil, the grip of fate and the power of love." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Relentless

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Like a roller coaster that fizzles.

The first 85% was great...character development, backstory, compelling plot, great narration...then the last 15% was...contrived.

Sort of like a roller coaster that promises a great ride on the climbout...then during a long flat middle part, you realize you've been enjoying the scenery but forgot that you're still waiting for the action.

"But wait, it's coming...it's coming," you keep telling yourself...

Then before the promised climax, you pull into the station. And there's, I don't know, someone like Spock waiting there. And he says, "thank you for riding, come again." (wtf???)

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Koontz's worst from a "former" fan

It's fitting that the evil Sherman Waxx is a book critic, this is probably written after a sweaty nightmare Koontz had about the guilt he was suffering over the downward spiral of his riduculous plot lines.

I have always liked the supernatural / spirtual / psedo-religious story telling style of Dean Koontz but this one is like someone took the Koontz formula and tried to add a road trip and a psycho killer to fit the name "Relentless" because it would look good on the cover.

Spooky was never developed, motivation for Waxx was never revealed, the Boom family was never used, the satisfaction of a horrible death of the ultra bad guy was never gained, and the "twist" at the end was pathetic.

Don't waist your time, money, or credits on this turkey. Read Odd Thomas if you like Koontz but the new stuff has lost it's edge.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Gripping...till you reach the end

I realized my mistake half way through listening to the book. I am a fan of David Baldacci and I thought this was one of his books. I've never read Koontz so I don't claim to know his style. Certainly, I did like the "thriller" aspects of the book. I can't say the same about the frequent outpouring of philosophy that completely seemed out of context, almost as if the author was revelling in his ability to discuss philosophy or to describe a picturesque scene by the bay. Frequently, I would want to yell and tell the narrator (who, by the way, was quite good) to get on with it. All would have been well except that for some weird reason, the main protagonist kept doing the most obviously stupid thing possible, like that was the only way the author could justify the next twist in the story. But the last chapter seemed contrived and too pat for my likes. Besides, prior to the last chapter, there seemed really no reason for the parents to suddenly interrogate their 6-year old genius son. I say this because it did not appear that the two adults really had any major questions to ask of their son till then. Certainly did not seem that way from the narration. Finally, the book ended, quite rapidly, I must say and left me with a distinct sense of "huh?". It was a pity since it had lots of colorful characters who, I wish, had more to do in the story. And with several loose ends thrown all around, it made me wonder if there was a deadline that the author had to meet. Or, possibly, somebody in the publishing/editing side of the house decided to hack the story into a shorter, tighter piece and could only do it in the last chapter. On a final note, however, this was definitely quite gripping and I kept going back to listening to it, even late at night, when I normally avoid audiobooks for fear of falling asleep while listening.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Ultimately disappointing

The worst kind of suspense story - one that is good enough to keep you interested, building characters and plot, to only fail at the end and leave the reader completely unsatisfied and disappointed. Not worth the time or credit.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Am I missing chapters at the end? Que paso?

This book is the same category than most of his last books, a promise that never materializes. Is Koontz finding unfinished and unpublished stories and updating them with current technology but not spending time to wrap up complex plots? So short and rushed is the ending that I replayed the last chapters twice thinking I must have fallen sleep only to discover that was it!!! It reminded me of my little niece telling us all a convoluted story and resolving it by saying: "THE END" as she walked away. How is that a story of: a family running away from super evil doers, a ninja like wife, a tormented writer, a little boy wonder who happens to build technology wonders, a dog with who knows what powers, a dark menacing and almost supernatural enemy who tortures women and children, survivors from mass murders, survivalist families with complex underground hidey-holes, kidnaps, cross country chases etc, concludes with little more than a "THE END"...Fin.. :(
Thas is all Folks..

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Typical Dean Koontz

I love Dean Koontz, but his books seem to be formula. As usual, there's a strong woman, a dog and guns. With that said, I was glued to it. Very good and a cute qirky ending.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

He Phoned it in!

Koontz has been my favorite author for 25 years! I enjoyed this story, but it was somewhat a letdown. The tale had all those great Koontz elements, the dog, the all-too-brilliant kid, the creepy other-worldly villain, the survivalist inlaws, all those great characters just waiting to be developed - but it was all on the surface. There was not too much depth to the story. Then out of the blue it ended! I was really surprised at that. So I say the author 'phoned it in', as they say, for whatever reason. Doesn't mean I still don't love him, or Odd Thomas or Shep or Barty - they go on and on. Overall it's a good tale and fans will enjoy it, but they'll also be left wanting more.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

It was OK

This story was a bit more of the same, similar tone of the last few Koontz books. It was entertaining, the characters cute and funny, but then as others have said, unbelievable. I am still glad I listened.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Well Done DK!

For a while I have not been too keen to get a Dean Koontz novel as I have been disappointed by the last few (not the Odd books), but I must say that I was impressed with this book. I liked that this was 1st person narration; I loved that he balances the darkness and terror of the villains with lots humor, love and light (as seen in the main character, his family and friends). If you enjoyed Koontz's early books, you will love this one. If you have never read a Koontz book, get this. Just allow yourself to fully open up to the "what if" and enjoy the ride!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

"Ridiculous"

Apparently, Mr. Koontz couldn't decide whether to focus on horror, humor, science fiction, mystery, or a good old fashioned thriller--so he wrote this. An absolutely ridiculous and unfocused novel. Don't waste your time. The only thing "Relentless" about this novel is its absurdity.

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2 people found this helpful