The Darkest Evening of the Year

By: Dean Koontz

Narrated by: Kirsten Kairos

Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

With each of his number-one New York Times best-sellers, Dean Koontz has displayed an unparalleled ability to entertain and enlighten listeners with novels that capture the essence of our times, even as they bring us to the edge of our seats. Now he delivers a heart-gripping tour de force he's been waiting years to write - at once a love story, a thrilling adventure, and a masterwork of suspense that redefines the boundaries of primal fear and of enduring devotion.

Amy Redwing has dedicated her life to the Southern California organization she founded to rescue abandoned and endangered golden retrievers. Among dog lovers, she's a legend for the risks she'll take to save an animal from abuse. Among her friends, Amy's heedless devotion is often cause for concern. To widower Brian McCarthy, whose commitment she can't allow herself to return, Amy's behavior is far more puzzling and hides a shattering secret.

No one is surprised when Amy risks her life to save Nickie, nor when she takes the female golden into her home. The bond between Amy and Nickie is immediate and uncanny. Even her two other goldens, Fred and Ethel, recognize Nickie as special, a natural alpha. But the instant joy Nickie brings is shadowed by a series of eerie incidents: An ominous stranger. A mysterious home invasion. And the unmistakable sense that someone is watching Amy's every move, and that, whoever it is, he's not alone.

Someone has come back to turn Amy into the desperate, hunted creature she's always been there to save. But now there's no one to save Amy and those she loves.

From its breathtaking opening scene to its shocking climax, The Darkest Evening of the Year is Dean Koontz at his finest.

©2007 Dean Koontz (P)2007 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"With a magician's expertise, Koontz sets his multiple story lines spinning forward, jumping from one cliffhanger to the next....[T]his is a compulsively readable book that inexorably pulls the reader along." ( The Boston Globe)

Koontz at his very BEST!

So good, I simply wanted to read "The Darkest Evening of the Year" all over again; and I probably will in the near future. (I just recently reread/listened to "From the Corner of His Eye" - the third read of this one! :-) ) There's no one that I know of who's beter, but I'll enjoy the search to try to disprove this, with the help of this great audio service!

Great but Short

Beautiful feel good story about love, hope and dogs. How can you go wrong with that combination? My only critique is that it felt rushed. More character development would have been nice, and the end was anti-climatic. It was almost as though the writer was in a hurry for the book to be over.

Terrific

Loved this book., Great vaca book, or weekend. Not for break at work. You're gonna get in trouble for reading instead of working!!

Not so dark anymore

I am new to the world of Dean Koontz, and I am his newest superfan! I discovered Dean's talent when I read his book "A Big Little Life" about his Golden Trixie. I LOVE any story that includes or is about dogs. This particular story combined his signature abhorrent crime content and a story about a dog, Nikki, that reveals the true Heavenly nature of all animals as Nikki guides her loved humans through their Darkest Night and brings them out the other side with much to be thankful for and new hope for their life together. If you are not used to reading Dean Koontz, make sure you are paying attention to the flip=flopping between stories, but once you get in the groove, you will be glued! Thank you, Dean, for bringing me into your world as a new fan!

Chill book

Yeah this book was pretty chill made me feel things. Not a dog person but golden retrievers are like the chillest dogs and this book makes that clear

Ok book not great reader

The story is ok, although you get hit over the head almost every chapter with an advertisement/plea about puppy mills and such, but not fond of the reader. She voices the main character in a way that sounds like she is a 9 year old girl

if you have a dog you know an angel

this was a really great book enjoyed it so much. once I started I could not stop, LOL. so it was an all-day thing:-) joy and Mysteries that happened all the time and that we just don't pay attention to happened in this book. I believe that angels are amongst us. when you read this book or listen to the audible you know that the author is very observant

Dean did it again

Pretty good story, entertaining, gave me all the emotions; Heebie-Jeebies, cringed, laughed, rolled my eyes, and heartbreak.
The reader, Kirsten Kairos, was excellent! She speaks very clear and I understood every word, what a pleasure!

good story excellent reader

good story excellent reader. was a little nervous about a woman reader but enjoyed listening to this book excellent character voices.

If you love dogs and puzzles…. This is a great story

Honestly, I thought this book was sorta sweet… then it really got started. There is great evil and great good here. It’s a little bit of everything you want in a Koontz story… plus some.