Relentless

By: Dean Koontz

Narrated by: Dan John Miller

Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins

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)

Relentless

An implausible plot; telling a story that shouldn't be told in artless form. I fault the publisher for printing it.

DeJa Vu

As I started listening to this book it began to dawn on me that I had started this book sometime ago and never finished it. As I got through the first 5 chapters I said to myself "I have already read this book so why was it still in my library?" After 7 chapters it became clear why I had stopped listening to this book. Now, I am a Koontz fan and have read just about everything he has written and "Odd" is one my favorite characters. However "Relentless" is without a doubt the worst Koontz I have ever read. A book critic turned homicidal maniac! Gimme a break. The dialogue between characters is absurd to say the least and the plot is non existent. The book also reads as though the author had a Roget's Thesaurus right next to his laptop that he continually referred to as he wrote the story. The characters are unbelievable and the scenarios defy reality. A mad man breaks into your house and used a tazer on you and many times on your husband and in lieu of calling the police you "want a cookie"??? I did not finish the book and will not go back to it again, I deleted it this time. Where is Odd Mr.Koontz?

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.

This book is just stupid

I hate to be that direct, but the entire premise, characters, plot, ending are all stupid. The only reason I gave it 1 star is that it was short, the narrator did a good job, and really the dialog between husband, wife, and son was good. This book never did catch fire though. I never felt any urgency or sense of pending doom. In my opinion anyway, do not waste a credit on this book.

Awful.

This is the worst Koontz book I’ve ever come across. It’s hard to believe he even wrote this garbage. I was rooting for the bad guy just to get rid of this beyond stupid family.

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???)

Silly Book

Kept trying to get involved. Improbable premise, improbable characters, dumb story. Save your credits.

Had me at the start, lame ending

Had me at the start, decent beginning. The ending was lame and unbelievable...Basically, a cop out. It was like he didn't know how to end the story so he just made up a childish ending to get it over with. I won't waste my time on another of his books.

Relentless???? Not so great

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Story line was ok but I wanted more.

Would you ever listen to anything by Dean Koontz again?

Yes

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He was ok

What character would you cut from Relentless?

The dad

Any additional comments?

Still big fan of koontz

Relentlessly bad.

Would you try another book from Dean Koontz and/or Dan John Miller?

Yes, if in the same class as Odd Thomas.

What do you think your next listen will be?

John Lee Burke

Would you be willing to try another one of Dan John Miller’s performances?

Depends.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment and annoyance. Despite the attempt to enrich the dialogue with streams of adjectives, analogies, etc., the dialogue was trite and the musings were overdone.

Any additional comments?

Dean Koontz has great range; he goes from extremely good to extremely bad.