Velocity

De: Dean Koontz

Narrado por: Michael Hayden

Dean Koontz’s unique talent for writing terrifying thrillers with a heart and soul is nowhere more evident than in this latest suspense masterpiece that pits one man against the ultimate deadline. If there were speed limits for the sheer pulse-racing excitement allowed in one novel, Velocity would break them all. Get ready for the ride of your life.…

Bill Wile is an easygoing, hardworking guy who leads a quiet, ordinary life. But that is about to change. One evening, after his usual eight-hour bartending shift, he finds a typewritten note under the windshield wiper of his car. If you don’t take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a lovely blond schoolteacher. If you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have four hours to decide. The choice is yours.

It seems like a sick joke, and Bill’s friend on the police force, Lanny Olson, thinks so too. His advice to Bill is to go home and forget about it. Besides, what could they do even if they took the note seriously? No crime has actually been committed. But less than twenty-four hours later, a young blond schoolteacher is found murdered, and it’s Bill’s fault: he didn’t convince the police to get involved. Now he’s got another note, another deadline, another ultimatum…and two new lives hanging in the balance.

Suddenly Bill’s average, seemingly innocuous life takes on the dimensions and speed of an accelerating nightmare. Because the notes are coming faster, the deadlines growing tighter, and the killer becoming bolder and crueler with every communication—until Bill is isolated with the terrifying knowledge that he alone has the power of life and death over a psychopath’s innocent victims. Until the struggle between good and evil is intensely personal. Until the most chilling words of all are: The choice is yours.

©2005 Dean Koontz (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Graphic, fast-paced action, well-developed characters and relentless, nail-biting scenes show Koontz at the top of his game."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Genuinely terrific."—Booklist

“Just in time for summer, Dean Koontz again delivers a top-notch thriller full of well-drawn characters and anxiety-spiked sequences.”—Chicago Tribune

The suspense & chills of choice

Dean Koontz and his secret formula work again to captivate the reader and keep you reading to the end. The plot and the continuous suspense are original and the chills are deadly. It’s a story about a struggling author whom is a bartender in a small town and begins to receive notes, where he must decide the death of others. He quickly realizes they are no hoax. The notes begin to increase and he learns they are leading to his entrapment of the killings. Therefore he must outsmart and stop the killers next move. This book is full of suspense, chills, and bravery. I recommend this book, but I notice this author truly uses the same prescription in most books. Thus, if you have read his work it’s as good as his others.

Had me guessing at ever turn.

Would you listen to Velocity again? Why?

This book is a head trip. Half the book you think you have it figured out but then the next second you have no idea. There are so many twist and turns and when you finally get to the end and think that it is all over BOOM! another plot twist!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Velocity?

When a certain character was part of it the whole time!

Have you listened to any of Michael Hayden’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not but he read this book fantastically!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book Shocked me and kept me on the edge of my seat. At the end I was reeling and all I could say was... WHAT!

The title FITS!!

Dean Koontz titled this book right. Almost from the beginning the story takes off and doesn't let up. Surprises around every corner!

Not Koontz?s Best Work

You know the horror movies where you want to yell at the dumb kids not to go anyplace alone, not to explore, not to do anything dumb? Well that is how I felt about Billy and his friend in the beginning of this book. I wanted to yell at them both for being soooo stupid!

At the half-way point I actually considered giving it up, but having an insatiably curious nature I had to find out what happened. I'm glad I did.

It was not at ALL like I expected. Why Billy behaves the way he does becomes clear as you understand his past. An understanding of childhood horrors explains why he is the unemotional person that he is.

Be forewarned, this is a very cerebral novel in many ways -- with true horrors. NOT for the faint of heart.

While Velocity was clearly NOT Koontz's best work (and I have read well over 35 books of his) it was an interesting ride.

redefines psychological thriller!!!

This novel of Koontz is well written, well read and very fast paced. After driving to and from work, I found it hard to stop the listen after I arrived. One of his best!

Well crafted

Billy Wiles is the typification of the anti-hero. He is trapped in the machine and takes control of it, of is life, even though taking control means utilizing violence. As a Dean Koontz fan, I found this to be one of his most unnerving but well resolved in the end.

good

I thought it was exciting. Not one of the best but it kept me interested.

WOW

Very fast paced, reader is easy to listen to. Classic Koontz suspense with a twist at the end that will leave you gasping for breath!

still his best style

it is his early work. the best part of fear and good all at once

Typical Koontz Plot Twists

I found the story to be a little slow and frustrating at first - not typical Koontz. Then the plot twists and turns and the bizarre story unfolds in classic Koontz fashion. A very enjoyable book that left me with a good feeling when it was done. The narrator was not the best, but he was adequate.