The Husband

By: Dean Koontz

Narrated by: Holter Graham

Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

With each and every new novel, Dean Koontz raises the stakes—and the pulse rate—higher than any other author. Now, in what may be his most suspenseful and heartfelt novel ever, he brings us the story of an ordinary man whose extraordinary commitment to his wife will take him on a harrowing journey of adventure, sacrifice, and redemption to the mystery of love itself—and to a showdown with the darkness that would destroy it forever.

What would you do for love? Would you die? Would you kill? We have your wife. You can get her back for two million cash. Landscaper Mitchell Rafferty thinks it must be some kind of joke. He was in the middle of planting impatiens in the yard of one of his clients when his cell phone rang. Now he’s standing in a normal suburban neighborhood on a bright summer day, having a phone conversation out of his darkest nightmare.

Whoever is on the other end of the line is dead serious. He has Mitch’s wife and he’s named the price for her safe return. The caller doesn’t care that Mitch runs a small two-man landscaping operation and has no way of raising such a vast sum. He’s confident that Mitch will find a way. If he loves his wife enough. . . Mitch does love her enough. He loves her more than life itself. He’s got seventy-two hours to prove it. He has to find the two million by then. But he’ll pay a lot more. He’ll pay anything.

From its tense opening to its shattering climax, The Husband is a thriller that will hold you in its relentless grip for every twist, every shock, every revelation…until it lets you go, unmistakably changed. This is a Dean Koontz novel, after all. And there’s no other experience quite like it.

©2006 Dean Koontz (P)2006 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The Husband moves like a roller coaster without brakes….Without a doubt, Koontz is America's No. 1 author of thrillers today … The Husband is one of his finest novels."—The Denver Post

"Dean Koontz thrillers are the perfect way to chill out on a hot summer day."—The Chicago Tribune

"Fast-paced.... Koontz often pulls the rug out from under his readers' assumptions about his characters and their motives."—Associated Press, Book Review

Truly Enjoyable

I truly enjoyed listening to the book! I read other people's review before I purchased and based on their reviews, I must say that I was skeptical and almost didn't purchase it, but since I am a Dean Koontz fan, I decided to give it a try and I am glad that I did!

a good book

I've listened to all the other Koontz books and really enjoyed them. This was good and I squeezed in time to finish. I enjoyed watching the world through the eyes of someone changing, unlike others I enjoy the unabridged works. Definitely worth the credit but read the others! I'm still waiting to be surprised at the end like odd thomas.

Glad I Listened!

I was intrigued by the reviews that I read about the print version, yet I almost decided not to buy the Audible Book because of all of the negative Audible reviews. I can understand how some people got frustrated by the lengthy and drawn out passages, but I actually enjoyed the juxtaposition between the tension of the fast-paced plot and the "touchy feely" stuff. A very good, if not necessarily great listen.

Bad narration

Decent story, narrator was difficult to listen to. The story had many twists , but the reader was melancholy and tedious .

Third reading is as good as the first

I just listened to this for the third time. The book is both a love story and an intense adventure. Koontz is best when listened to. This was a great experience,

Good book but…

I’ve read many Dean R. Koontz books over the last 20 or 30 years, and while this one was good, it seem to be missing that thing. I kept waiting for twists that never truly came. I think one of the things about Koontz is there is that moment near the end, Where something you didn’t really see coming hits you. That’s the one thing I can say did not happen with this book. All in all a good read, not bad, but definitely not one of his best.

Not bad if its not your primary book

I found that during the book I kept thinking; 'This is happening in 1 day?' hmmm
It is an interesting concept but it was a little 'wordy'. I had to rewind a couple times because a change of thought happened too quick.

The Husband

This was a really good story from start to finish. I read the book years ago, but justblostening to it man I really loved it.

The Husband

Great story. I wanted to do more driving to finish it.

Fresh Breath of Koontz

I really enjoyed this book - sometimes the sci-fi tendency of Koontz goes too far, and this books lack of that is a huge positive in my opinion. All of the characters were relatable, and the story kept moving. I would recommend this book for all Koontz fans, as well as those looking for a fast moving adventure, with twists of course!