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الزوج
نبذة النيل والفرات:
هذه رواية "الزوج The Husband" للكاتب الأميركي "دين كونتز Dean Koontz" وهي الرواية التي احتلت المرتبة الأولى على قائمة "نيويورك تايمز" للكتب الأكثر مبيعاً. وكعادته في كل ما يكتب يدخلنا "كونتز" في عالم التشويق والغموض والترقب في آن معاً. في رواية تحمل معنى الانتظار الذي لا يخلو من مسحة من رعب. وعبر إيقاع سريع اعتمد أسلوب الفلاش باك يطرح "كونتز" في روايته هذه سؤالاً هاماً: ماذا تفعل لأجل الحب؟ هل تموت من أجل الحب؟ هل تقتل؟ بعد ظهر يوم عادي يتلقى "ميتش رافيرتي" البستاني المفتون بجمال الطبيعة اتصالاً هاتفياً شكل له أسوأ كابوس في حياته حيث بدا له أن المتصل جاد إلى أقصى الحدود. لم يبالِ المتصل إن كان بوسع ميتش جمع هذا القدر من المال. إنه واثق بأنه سيجد طريقة ما... إذا كان يحب زوجته كفاية... وميتش يحب زوجته كثيراً. يحبها أكثر من الحياة نفسها. وهو يملك ستين ساعة فقط لإثبات ذلك. وعليه تأمين المليوني دولار قبل الوقت المحدد. لكنه مستعد ليدفع أكثر من ذلك بكثير. سيدفع أي شيء. من بدايتها إلى ذروتها المرهقة للأعصاب، تأخذك رواية الزوج في رحلة مثيرة تحبس الأنفاس عند كل منعطف، ومع كل صدمة، وعند كل بوح. إنها في النهاية رواية دين كونتز. وما من تجربة أخرى مثلها...
هذه رواية "الزوج The Husband" للكاتب الأميركي "دين كونتز Dean Koontz" وهي الرواية التي احتلت المرتبة الأولى على قائمة "نيويورك تايمز" للكتب الأكثر مبيعاً. وكعادته في كل ما يكتب يدخلنا "كونتز" في عالم التشويق والغموض والترقب في آن معاً. في رواية تحمل معنى الانتظار الذي لا يخلو من مسحة من رعب. وعبر إيقاع سريع اعتمد أسلوب الفلاش باك يطرح "كونتز" في روايته هذه سؤالاً هاماً: ماذا تفعل لأجل الحب؟ هل تموت من أجل الحب؟ هل تقتل؟ بعد ظهر يوم عادي يتلقى "ميتش رافيرتي" البستاني المفتون بجمال الطبيعة اتصالاً هاتفياً شكل له أسوأ كابوس في حياته حيث بدا له أن المتصل جاد إلى أقصى الحدود. لم يبالِ المتصل إن كان بوسع ميتش جمع هذا القدر من المال. إنه واثق بأنه سيجد طريقة ما... إذا كان يحب زوجته كفاية... وميتش يحب زوجته كثيراً. يحبها أكثر من الحياة نفسها. وهو يملك ستين ساعة فقط لإثبات ذلك. وعليه تأمين المليوني دولار قبل الوقت المحدد. لكنه مستعد ليدفع أكثر من ذلك بكثير. سيدفع أي شيء. من بدايتها إلى ذروتها المرهقة للأعصاب، تأخذك رواية الزوج في رحلة مثيرة تحبس الأنفاس عند كل منعطف، ومع كل صدمة، وعند كل بوح. إنها في النهاية رواية دين كونتز. وما من تجربة أخرى مثلها...
357 pages
First published May 30, 2006
938 people are currently reading
17111 people want to read
About the author
Dean Koontz
879 books39.8k followersAcknowledged as "America's most popular suspense novelist" (Rolling Stone) and as one of today's most celebrated and successful writers, Dean Ray Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character, mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be human.
Dean, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.
Facebook: Facebook.com/DeanKoontzOfficial
Twitter: @DeanKoontz
Website: DeanKoontz.com
Dean, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.
Facebook: Facebook.com/DeanKoontzOfficial
Twitter: @DeanKoontz
Website: DeanKoontz.com
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,275 reviews
July 8, 2015
I liked it but it wasn't as good as my old Koontz's books
BACK TO KOONTZ
There was a while since I had read a new novel by Dean Koontz, well, at least a new novel to me, and I was quite excited to read this one.
I thought that the premise was very good...
A husband is threatened by some unknown people kidnapping his wife and demanding two million dollars, that indeed he doesn't have and he hadn't the least clue of how to get it.
The book is divided in three parts, and I think that the first part is the more solid one of the whole book, since you are in the same boat that the main character, the husband, you know only what he knows and that's a brilliant way to manage a thriller.
However, just at the end of the first part you started to know events of other places and from other characters so, many of the mystery is getting to lose its strength and with that a pretty good part of the excitement is getting weaker.
KEEP THINGS SIMPLE
I think that the basic premise was just enough to build a quite good thriller, the husband fighting alone against the world to save his wife.
However, the story gets more complicated reaching some too far-fetched levels, that in my opinion were totally unnecessary.
It saturated a story that it could way simpler.
I have to admit that some of the twists in the story have a lot of air of a Hitchcock film, that in my opinion it's a big compliment coming from me.
However, I supposed that all it's about expectations and some of those twists were against my initial expectations for the novel, so instead to increase my reading experience with the book, it got more erratic and/or harder to accept it.
KEEP THE PACE
While the book started with engines kicking to full speed, avoiding a singlee rest to the reader...
...when the second part of the book started, there were too many chapters, in my humble opinion.
In a plot that it could be solved a lot quicker and simpler, giving a better overall reading experience to the read, one ends with a book spreading more than necessary.
Finally, in the climax part (I won't spoil it, don't worry!), many of the main threat got weaker, and not by actions of the main character, so it's a bummer, and some interesting twists that were arising are left without exploiting their whole potential.
The story is solved too easy to my taste.
But I can't deny that I liked enough the reading of the novel, but definitely it could be quite better.
BACK TO KOONTZ
There was a while since I had read a new novel by Dean Koontz, well, at least a new novel to me, and I was quite excited to read this one.
I thought that the premise was very good...
A husband is threatened by some unknown people kidnapping his wife and demanding two million dollars, that indeed he doesn't have and he hadn't the least clue of how to get it.
The book is divided in three parts, and I think that the first part is the more solid one of the whole book, since you are in the same boat that the main character, the husband, you know only what he knows and that's a brilliant way to manage a thriller.
However, just at the end of the first part you started to know events of other places and from other characters so, many of the mystery is getting to lose its strength and with that a pretty good part of the excitement is getting weaker.
KEEP THINGS SIMPLE
I think that the basic premise was just enough to build a quite good thriller, the husband fighting alone against the world to save his wife.
However, the story gets more complicated reaching some too far-fetched levels, that in my opinion were totally unnecessary.
It saturated a story that it could way simpler.
I have to admit that some of the twists in the story have a lot of air of a Hitchcock film, that in my opinion it's a big compliment coming from me.
However, I supposed that all it's about expectations and some of those twists were against my initial expectations for the novel, so instead to increase my reading experience with the book, it got more erratic and/or harder to accept it.
KEEP THE PACE
While the book started with engines kicking to full speed, avoiding a singlee rest to the reader...
...when the second part of the book started, there were too many chapters, in my humble opinion.
In a plot that it could be solved a lot quicker and simpler, giving a better overall reading experience to the read, one ends with a book spreading more than necessary.
Finally, in the climax part (I won't spoil it, don't worry!), many of the main threat got weaker, and not by actions of the main character, so it's a bummer, and some interesting twists that were arising are left without exploiting their whole potential.
The story is solved too easy to my taste.
But I can't deny that I liked enough the reading of the novel, but definitely it could be quite better.
September 28, 2010
This books contains the funniest simile ever: The man character drives his car and is accompanied by The hobgoblins of wind. Yes, HOBGOBLINS OF WIND.
Okay, so I've read The Husband when it came out and forgot it entirely. Deciding to write a review of it, I grabbed a paperback and began to read.
The Husband is one of those airport books that will keep your attention during the flight, but you can leave them on the plane without feeling any guilt. Character development is practically nonexistant. But it's all about the plot, eh? The book starts with a bang: A gardener's wife is kidnapped, and the kidnappers want 2 million dollars. Obviously, a gardener doesn't have such money, but the kidnappers are serious - they shoot an innocent passerby just to prove it.
It all gets better and better from here. As I was reading I kept saying "hey Dean ,it'sa not bad, not bad at all!". Sure, the characters are bland, the villains are bland, but who cares, it's not a book that you'd read for school. The tension keeps increasing, and our gardener finds himself in situations that neither he nor the reader could have expected.
Until the end.
Koontz has been carefully building his house of cards to impress the reader, but at the very end he gets like "whew, who gives a crap anyway!" and blows the whole thing down. It crashes painfully and ruins the whole experience.
Because there's absolutely no need to even try to explain how the gardener got out of the mess he has made. He committed various things, illegal of course, and there are no repercussions. All we get is "3 YEARS LATER" 1 page epilogue where everyone is happy and sappy. Not one word is devoted to any sort of explanation. Which one might think would come, if there were whole pages devoted to Koontz's philosophy and the whole book was written in his "new" prose, short sentences being interrupted by paragraphs of some new-age bullshit. Yes, describing the inspirational grass is absolutely necessary, but satisfying the reader is not. You're wondering how Koontz will tie up all the loose ends? Here's your answer: he doesn't do it at all.
This could have been an enjoyable beach read, but Koontz decided to write another 50 books that year so he had to call it quits. Shame on you, Dean.
Okay, so I've read The Husband when it came out and forgot it entirely. Deciding to write a review of it, I grabbed a paperback and began to read.
The Husband is one of those airport books that will keep your attention during the flight, but you can leave them on the plane without feeling any guilt. Character development is practically nonexistant. But it's all about the plot, eh? The book starts with a bang: A gardener's wife is kidnapped, and the kidnappers want 2 million dollars. Obviously, a gardener doesn't have such money, but the kidnappers are serious - they shoot an innocent passerby just to prove it.
It all gets better and better from here. As I was reading I kept saying "hey Dean ,it'sa not bad, not bad at all!". Sure, the characters are bland, the villains are bland, but who cares, it's not a book that you'd read for school. The tension keeps increasing, and our gardener finds himself in situations that neither he nor the reader could have expected.
Until the end.
Koontz has been carefully building his house of cards to impress the reader, but at the very end he gets like "whew, who gives a crap anyway!" and blows the whole thing down. It crashes painfully and ruins the whole experience.
Because there's absolutely no need to even try to explain how the gardener got out of the mess he has made. He committed various things, illegal of course, and there are no repercussions. All we get is "3 YEARS LATER" 1 page epilogue where everyone is happy and sappy. Not one word is devoted to any sort of explanation. Which one might think would come, if there were whole pages devoted to Koontz's philosophy and the whole book was written in his "new" prose, short sentences being interrupted by paragraphs of some new-age bullshit. Yes, describing the inspirational grass is absolutely necessary, but satisfying the reader is not. You're wondering how Koontz will tie up all the loose ends? Here's your answer: he doesn't do it at all.
This could have been an enjoyable beach read, but Koontz decided to write another 50 books that year so he had to call it quits. Shame on you, Dean.
April 29, 2023
Buena novela, un thriller adictivo que lamentablemente falla en su último tercio.
Acá conocemos a Mitch, un jardinero al que le raptan la esposa, solicitándole 2 millones de dólares por el rescate, embarcándose así en una trepidante aventura contrarreloj con varios giros y mucha acción.
Novela dividida en tres partes: La primera cargada de misterio, la segunda cargada de acción -a mi opinión la mejor- y una tercera que lamentablemente falla en su resolución, simplificándose y restándole toda esa sensación de misterio, peligro y urgencia que tan bién venía ejecutando su autor al punto que para el final ya lo único que quieres es que el asunto se acabe pronto para saber en qué queda todo... y no es que este tercer tramo sea un desastre ¡Para nada! Se mantiene digna dentro de todo. Solo que las dos primeras partes están tan bien escritas que resulta un tanto decepcionante el tono simplista que termina adquiriendo. Toda esa tensión de las primeras páginas, toda esa acción, para una resolución tan simple ¡Bah, esperaba más!
Y es una lástima porque Dean Koontz tiene una muy buena pluma, sabe darle profundidad a sus personajes, sabe atraparte con la escritura... es simplemente la trama la que no termina de cuajar acá.
Un libro que te hará pasar un buen rato, bien escrito, pero no mucho más. El autor tiene mejores.
Acá conocemos a Mitch, un jardinero al que le raptan la esposa, solicitándole 2 millones de dólares por el rescate, embarcándose así en una trepidante aventura contrarreloj con varios giros y mucha acción.
Novela dividida en tres partes: La primera cargada de misterio, la segunda cargada de acción -a mi opinión la mejor- y una tercera que lamentablemente falla en su resolución, simplificándose y restándole toda esa sensación de misterio, peligro y urgencia que tan bién venía ejecutando su autor al punto que para el final ya lo único que quieres es que el asunto se acabe pronto para saber en qué queda todo... y no es que este tercer tramo sea un desastre ¡Para nada! Se mantiene digna dentro de todo. Solo que las dos primeras partes están tan bien escritas que resulta un tanto decepcionante el tono simplista que termina adquiriendo. Toda esa tensión de las primeras páginas, toda esa acción, para una resolución tan simple ¡Bah, esperaba más!
Y es una lástima porque Dean Koontz tiene una muy buena pluma, sabe darle profundidad a sus personajes, sabe atraparte con la escritura... es simplemente la trama la que no termina de cuajar acá.
Un libro que te hará pasar un buen rato, bien escrito, pero no mucho más. El autor tiene mejores.
May 24, 2024
Suspenseful and brilliant, Koontz is the master with words indeed. Brilliant plot, fast paced and thrilling. I read this book expecting less after reading mixed reviews but whilst Koontz hasn't added his usually spooky side to things it's still a very well written book. I loved the twists and turns that stopped me from thinking I had things all worked out.
Thanks so much for reading my review! If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request.🐱
** “She needed books like others
need air to live” **
Thanks so much for reading my review! If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request.🐱
** “She needed books like others
need air to live” **
July 4, 2017
I envy the simple life that Mitch and Holly have created for themselves. I agree with Holly's belief that we create our own realities (this idea was also presented in By The Light of the Moon, one of my favorites by Dean Koontz). I also believe in Mitch's belief that there is meaning to be found.
Having recently read Intensity of June 2017, and The Husband in July 2017 - I found a connection in the phrase "untouched and alive", Chyna's mantra. In The Husband, the phrase is reversed to "alive and untouched."
The Husband is better than The Darkest Evening of the Year, Your Heart Belongs to Me and Breathless, but not in the top-tier category of From The Corner of His Eye, By The Light of the Moon, Cold Fire, False Memory, The Voice of The Night ... just to name a few :-)
Favorite Passages:
"Maybe that's what a hero is - someone who instinctively does the right thing."
______
.... he seemed to be gaining for what he had lost, what so quickly healed the hole in him, was a capacity for awe, a deeper sense of the mystery of all things.
Then he pulled back from the brink of awe, to terror and to grim determination.
______
He had to do what he didn't want to do, because whether the sonofabitch was a carcass or unconscious, he possessed a weapon. Mitch needed a weapon. And quick.
______
A pair of synchronized spiders, his hands crept left to right across the surface, testing. He pressed gently, and then a little harder.
______
"YOU'RE A BAD SONOFABITCH, A BAD, BAD SONOFABITCH!"
Having recently read Intensity of June 2017, and The Husband in July 2017 - I found a connection in the phrase "untouched and alive", Chyna's mantra. In The Husband, the phrase is reversed to "alive and untouched."
The Husband is better than The Darkest Evening of the Year, Your Heart Belongs to Me and Breathless, but not in the top-tier category of From The Corner of His Eye, By The Light of the Moon, Cold Fire, False Memory, The Voice of The Night ... just to name a few :-)
Favorite Passages:
"Maybe that's what a hero is - someone who instinctively does the right thing."
______
.... he seemed to be gaining for what he had lost, what so quickly healed the hole in him, was a capacity for awe, a deeper sense of the mystery of all things.
Then he pulled back from the brink of awe, to terror and to grim determination.
______
He had to do what he didn't want to do, because whether the sonofabitch was a carcass or unconscious, he possessed a weapon. Mitch needed a weapon. And quick.
______
A pair of synchronized spiders, his hands crept left to right across the surface, testing. He pressed gently, and then a little harder.
______
"YOU'RE A BAD SONOFABITCH, A BAD, BAD SONOFABITCH!"
June 28, 2007
I thought it started well... with a twist that surprised me and captured my interest. From there, it just got less and less believable. From a storytelling standpoint, it was marginal, but as a quality piece of writing it was much worse. It felt churned out, quickly crafted without much afterthought other than the meticulous use of landscaping vocabulary. I'll say this for it, though, there weren't a lot of words on the page so I didn't waste a lot of time getting to the end.
December 5, 2017
Koontz Group Read July 2017
July 2017 read - In my second read, it reminds me of "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn, where Nick Dunne is being lead by Amy Dunne to her "phony" kidnapping & ransom.
In "The Husband" is Mitch Rafferty being lead by real kidnappers? or is he just being lead by his wife Holly Rafferty?
July 2017 read - In my second read, it reminds me of "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn, where Nick Dunne is being lead by Amy Dunne to her "phony" kidnapping & ransom.
In "The Husband" is Mitch Rafferty being lead by real kidnappers? or is he just being lead by his wife Holly Rafferty?
My September 2014 read - How does a husband running a landscaping business save a kidnapped wife for $2,000,000? This shows how he needs to get others to get the money for him. The end is a "thriller" on how does the husband -or- wife save themselves when meeting the kidnapper/murderer? This would be a good movie. This was a NYT number 1 best seller on June 18, 2006.
Character Notes:
"Big Green Landscaping" owned by Mitch Rafferty.
Iggy Barnes works for Mitch.
Lt.Det. Taggert & Mortonson.
Audio on YouTube - 9:32
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MAG2j3J...
February 10, 2024
This book was off its rocker crazy! Dean Koontz sure has some insane ideas in his head. I am really torn on this one because there are parts that are really great and parts that are WAY over the top.
There are many subplots going on at all times, and the threads weave together in pretty crazy ways. This could be an amazing movie, and I know the rights have been purchased, but it was a few years ago, so hopefully, it will come out someday soon.
It is worth a read, but know that it will get OVER the TOP crazy. The family stuff was super jacked up, and also the stories told by one of the kidnappers were highly disturbing.
Ultimately it's a solid 3-3.5 star for me since it made me think about it.
There are many subplots going on at all times, and the threads weave together in pretty crazy ways. This could be an amazing movie, and I know the rights have been purchased, but it was a few years ago, so hopefully, it will come out someday soon.
It is worth a read, but know that it will get OVER the TOP crazy. The family stuff was super jacked up, and also the stories told by one of the kidnappers were highly disturbing.
Ultimately it's a solid 3-3.5 star for me since it made me think about it.
May 20, 2020
Koontz comes up with another interesting idea… Mitch, a middle-class gardner, is told that his wife has been kidnapped and is asked for a huge ransom demand. What makes them think Mitch has so much money? A nicely layered tale of betrayal as Mitch is left with 60 hrs to save his wife's life. 6 out of 12.
February 7, 2017
Audiobook performed by Holter Graham
3.5***
Mitch Rafferty runs a small, 2-man, landscaping business. He’s in the middle of planting impatiens in a client’s yard when he gets a call on his cell-phone. His wife starts with “Whatever happens, I love you.” Then the kidnapper gets on the line and demands $2 million. There must be some mistake; he and his wife have less than $12,000 to their name. But the kidnapper is adamant that “If you love your wife enough” Mitch will find a way to come up with the ransom in time.
Well, this was a wild ride! The formula is pretty standard, and I was pretty certain the “good guys” would win. Trouble is, who are the “good guys”? Koontz includes multiple twists in the plot so that every time I thought I had figured it out, I was proven wrong. The ending felt rushed and unfinished to me, but I definitely enjoyed the ride.
This is the first book by Koontz that I’ve read. It’s not great literature, but it sure held my attention and I’ll definitely read more from him. Especially when I’m in the mood for a fast-paced, entertaining thriller.
Holter Graham does a fine job narrating the audio version. He has good pacing and I believed in the characters as he voiced them.
3.5***
Mitch Rafferty runs a small, 2-man, landscaping business. He’s in the middle of planting impatiens in a client’s yard when he gets a call on his cell-phone. His wife starts with “Whatever happens, I love you.” Then the kidnapper gets on the line and demands $2 million. There must be some mistake; he and his wife have less than $12,000 to their name. But the kidnapper is adamant that “If you love your wife enough” Mitch will find a way to come up with the ransom in time.
Well, this was a wild ride! The formula is pretty standard, and I was pretty certain the “good guys” would win. Trouble is, who are the “good guys”? Koontz includes multiple twists in the plot so that every time I thought I had figured it out, I was proven wrong. The ending felt rushed and unfinished to me, but I definitely enjoyed the ride.
This is the first book by Koontz that I’ve read. It’s not great literature, but it sure held my attention and I’ll definitely read more from him. Especially when I’m in the mood for a fast-paced, entertaining thriller.
Holter Graham does a fine job narrating the audio version. He has good pacing and I believed in the characters as he voiced them.
April 30, 2014
One would expect with a storyline revolving around an average Joe struggling to ransom his kidnapped wife back that it'd be super intense and keep me on the edge of my seat, right?
It dragged on and on and the writing wasn't something I'd expect from a bestselling author. It was sketchy and the dialogue at times was just plain awkward.
There were some moments that made me sit up, but those were far and in-between and mostly had to do with the wife, Holly. The husband, Mitch was a fucking pansy and I hated him even after he grew balls at the very, very end of the book.
The ending was a happily-ever-after of the likes that have not been seen since Breaking Dawn. I want trauma. I want psychological pain. Or at the very least, signs of healing. I don't want a chocolate syrup-coated sundae with fucking rainbow sprinkles. This is an Adult book, no? Then give me the bitter reality, don't airbrush it out. That's what I read romances for.
Needless to say, I will not be reading another Dean Koontz book anytime soon. Honestly, you'd be better off with Stephen King. Heck, even Christopher Pike would be more entertaining than this.
It dragged on and on and the writing wasn't something I'd expect from a bestselling author. It was sketchy and the dialogue at times was just plain awkward.
There were some moments that made me sit up, but those were far and in-between and mostly had to do with the wife, Holly. The husband, Mitch was a fucking pansy and I hated him even after he grew balls at the very, very end of the book.
The ending was a happily-ever-after of the likes that have not been seen since Breaking Dawn. I want trauma. I want psychological pain. Or at the very least, signs of healing. I don't want a chocolate syrup-coated sundae with fucking rainbow sprinkles. This is an Adult book, no? Then give me the bitter reality, don't airbrush it out. That's what I read romances for.
Needless to say, I will not be reading another Dean Koontz book anytime soon. Honestly, you'd be better off with Stephen King. Heck, even Christopher Pike would be more entertaining than this.
May 9, 2012
I found this book in the attic of a house i just moved into, after spending the day lugging around heavy boxes and sorting thru everything i thought why not take a break and read a few chapters, well turns out this is not one of those books you can read for a couple chapters at a time, as soon as i picked it up and started reading i found myself competely unable to stop! Before i knew it i had read the entire book anaware of how much time had passed!! It seems to me that the majority of the books Dean Koontz writes do this to me they are so well written and exciting i can never seem to put them down, i dont smoke im not a drinker but these books are like my addiction! Even though the blirb on the back of the book wasnt something i would normally pick up i devored ever word untill the very last one! I find DK creates the most amazing real feel characters the main characters you cannot help but like and the bad guys you cannot help but dislike, his writing technique is so wonderful that his words breathe life into each character making them seem more real then some people i know, anyways this book was exciting form the very first chapter. I Really liked mike as a main charater i wish more people could be like dks main charaters to live thru such adversty in your youth and come out to be modest kind and so very brave and strong he really would be the perfect husband hehe
August 22, 2016
Estuvo bueno, la verdad. No fue increíble ni me cambió la vida, me molestaron varias partes, sobretodo el final, pero fue entretenido.
Vídeoreseña: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-FIr...
Vídeoreseña: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-FIr...
June 27, 2018
Όταν ενδιαφέρεσαι περισσότερο για το εάν θα μαγειρέψεις αύριο φασολάκια ή φακές αντί για τη μοίρα του άμοιρου πρωταγωνιστή, τότε το λες και φιάσκο. Sorry, not sorry.
October 19, 2019
My first novel by Koontz and it might've been my last had I not made it my life's mission to figure out why the guy was popular.
Characters: There are a generous handful of them. Mitch, the gardener protagonist. His brother. His parents. The Detective Taggart. The kidnappers. None of them are really developed, save for Mitch: his developmental arc centers around his realization that evil exists....except he already seemed to know it existed already.
For all Koontz rantings about the fact that evil exists (he honestly seems to think his readers don't know this already), he doesn't say what the nature of evil is. In Relentless, it seemed it was "progressive ideology" going against "tradition." But in The Husband, he doesn't really say at all. I think the most obvious sources would be selfishness (on the part of the perpetrator) and apathy (on the part of the witnesses), but what do I know?
Plot: Centers around Mitch's wife being kidnapped. He has to find $2 million in cash in order to get her back alive. It sounds exciting. It isn't. Mitch doesn't have to pull off any heists or anything Hollywoodish like that. He just gets it from his brother. He gets kidnapped and nearly killed at one point and the "hunting" chapter following that had the potential to be interesting but wasn't. Mitch overthinks a lot of his decisions, over-examining every single detail and it slows the action to a crawl. Except there isn't really that much action to speak of. There's a couple shootings. A couple tazings. That's it.
Climax: Boring. The main problem is that the kidnappers totally suck.
The dogwalker at the beginning: he is one of the kidnappers. He's dumb enough to agree to walk a dog out across the street, thinking that his buddies will shoot the dog. Of course they shoot him instead, improving their share of the 2 million.
One of the kidnappers stalks Mitch, but then is killed by falling boxes in a freak accident (real significant threat these people are). Then another kidnapper (the craziest one) grows paranoid and murders the rest of the men holding Holly hostage.
So now, Mitch has to fight only one of them. That kind of thing lowers the tension instead of raising it. Sure, Holly is now trapped in a room with a guy that is giving off more rapey-vibes than the bad guy from Lovely Bones. But after the third or fourth conversation in which he doesn't so much as touch her, that threat is also reduced.
The final, climactic battle should be the most difficult, most painful fight. Or at least, it should be both painful and difficult. Here, Mitch shoots the crazy guy off a motorcycle. The exchange lasted two pages. Compare this with Lighting's final battle. Nuff said.
Prose: People other than those who are fans of James "I'm too lazy to write my own books" Patterson, will find the prose and format jarring. Short sentences. Like this. Short paragraphs too. Chapters three maybe four pages long. This is one of Koontz's recent entries that doesn't have long-wided descriptions about the environment simply because Koontz doesn't want the paragraph to be more than three or four lines long. The form was so bad I wasn't even aware of the political message at the time.
Another thing that stood out to me when I first read it: squeaky clean language. People in real life swear. The average person in real life swears a lot. I have heard people swear while making statements under oath. I have heard lawyers swear in their own offices with the doors open. Criminals probably swear even more than that.
The worst thing people say in The Husband is shit and bitch and even that is relatively occasional. The kidnappers (hardened veteran criminals) refer to Holly as "honey." Huh? People get betrayed by loved ones, criminals get fastened to chairs and trapped in laundry rooms and nobody says the word "fuck"?
I get that you don't want it to be a crutch or make it be distracting. But when you are billed as a writer of "suspense" exploring the darkness of humanity, you can't be afraid of it like Tolkien is going to rise out of his grave and take your Catholic card away.
With the lack of detailed violence and clean language, the end result is that The Husband reads more like young adult fiction.
Conclusion: Not recommended.
Update: I've actually reread it a little bit, after reading stuff like Lightning, and Frankenstein and Odd Thomas, and the Door to December. And I've read previews for stuff like Dragon Tears and Phantoms and By the Light of the Moon and Life Expectancy.
It really is just such a plain-Jane novel from an author known to use sci-fi and government conspiracies and supernatural stuff. Literally anyone could've written such a basic kidnapping story.
Characters: There are a generous handful of them. Mitch, the gardener protagonist. His brother. His parents. The Detective Taggart. The kidnappers. None of them are really developed, save for Mitch: his developmental arc centers around his realization that evil exists....except he already seemed to know it existed already.
For all Koontz rantings about the fact that evil exists (he honestly seems to think his readers don't know this already), he doesn't say what the nature of evil is. In Relentless, it seemed it was "progressive ideology" going against "tradition." But in The Husband, he doesn't really say at all. I think the most obvious sources would be selfishness (on the part of the perpetrator) and apathy (on the part of the witnesses), but what do I know?
Plot: Centers around Mitch's wife being kidnapped. He has to find $2 million in cash in order to get her back alive. It sounds exciting. It isn't. Mitch doesn't have to pull off any heists or anything Hollywoodish like that. He just gets it from his brother. He gets kidnapped and nearly killed at one point and the "hunting" chapter following that had the potential to be interesting but wasn't. Mitch overthinks a lot of his decisions, over-examining every single detail and it slows the action to a crawl. Except there isn't really that much action to speak of. There's a couple shootings. A couple tazings. That's it.
Climax: Boring. The main problem is that the kidnappers totally suck.
The dogwalker at the beginning: he is one of the kidnappers. He's dumb enough to agree to walk a dog out across the street, thinking that his buddies will shoot the dog. Of course they shoot him instead, improving their share of the 2 million.
One of the kidnappers stalks Mitch, but then is killed by falling boxes in a freak accident (real significant threat these people are). Then another kidnapper (the craziest one) grows paranoid and murders the rest of the men holding Holly hostage.
So now, Mitch has to fight only one of them. That kind of thing lowers the tension instead of raising it. Sure, Holly is now trapped in a room with a guy that is giving off more rapey-vibes than the bad guy from Lovely Bones. But after the third or fourth conversation in which he doesn't so much as touch her, that threat is also reduced.
The final, climactic battle should be the most difficult, most painful fight. Or at least, it should be both painful and difficult. Here, Mitch shoots the crazy guy off a motorcycle. The exchange lasted two pages. Compare this with Lighting's final battle. Nuff said.
Prose: People other than those who are fans of James "I'm too lazy to write my own books" Patterson, will find the prose and format jarring. Short sentences. Like this. Short paragraphs too. Chapters three maybe four pages long. This is one of Koontz's recent entries that doesn't have long-wided descriptions about the environment simply because Koontz doesn't want the paragraph to be more than three or four lines long. The form was so bad I wasn't even aware of the political message at the time.
Another thing that stood out to me when I first read it: squeaky clean language. People in real life swear. The average person in real life swears a lot. I have heard people swear while making statements under oath. I have heard lawyers swear in their own offices with the doors open. Criminals probably swear even more than that.
The worst thing people say in The Husband is shit and bitch and even that is relatively occasional. The kidnappers (hardened veteran criminals) refer to Holly as "honey." Huh? People get betrayed by loved ones, criminals get fastened to chairs and trapped in laundry rooms and nobody says the word "fuck"?
I get that you don't want it to be a crutch or make it be distracting. But when you are billed as a writer of "suspense" exploring the darkness of humanity, you can't be afraid of it like Tolkien is going to rise out of his grave and take your Catholic card away.
With the lack of detailed violence and clean language, the end result is that The Husband reads more like young adult fiction.
Conclusion: Not recommended.
Update: I've actually reread it a little bit, after reading stuff like Lightning, and Frankenstein and Odd Thomas, and the Door to December. And I've read previews for stuff like Dragon Tears and Phantoms and By the Light of the Moon and Life Expectancy.
It really is just such a plain-Jane novel from an author known to use sci-fi and government conspiracies and supernatural stuff. Literally anyone could've written such a basic kidnapping story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2022
يعني المفروض الواحد بيقرأ روايات البوليسية والمغامرة والجو ده عشان اساسا بيكون زهقان ومش قادر يقرأ حاجة تقيلة ، فيقول اقرء اي حاجة تشد تعدي ام الزهق ده ، انا مشفتش في حياتي رواية ولا فيلم ولا حتي مسلسل اذاعي بوليسي وخطف وقتل وموضوع بالملل ده في حياتي
يعني واحد مراته اتخطفت يقعد يرغي سبعتلاف صفحة ليه ويوصف ويحكي حواديت ملهاش اي علاقة بالموضوع ومملة
متخيلين جزء مثلا مراته المخطوفة ده فاضل ٣ دقايق واحتمال يا ترجع يا تاخد طلقة في سنانها هي وجوزها ويغتصبوها كمان ...مكان التسليم قصر مهجور تقوم سايبه الدنيا ده كلها وتقعد تفكر في قصة ملياردير وقصة كفاحه وازاي بقي ملياردير
طيب ايه اللي جاب ام الملياردير في القصة...اصبر الحكمة في الاخر ان شاء اللة
المهم الملياردير ده كان عايز يبيع قصر عنده فيااا سلام لو عرفت هي تبيعه عشان تاخد عمولة اصل انا محكتلكش ...هي كان نفسها تبقي وكيل عقاري وتنجح ...يا ديني علي اللفة تستعاشر صفحة عشان نعرف انها نفسها تبقي وكيلة عقارات امال لو كان نفسها تطلع مهندسة
وكيل عقاري مين وقصر مين يا رفدي ده انتي هتموتي قبل ما تأجري شقة اساسا في الزلزال
حتة تانية الزوج طلعان عينه ومضروب ومسحول سحلة ولا الحرامي وبيتضرب عليه نار واحتمال يموت بعد اربع ثواني مش الكاتب بقي يكمل موضوع القتل ده عشان القاريء يتشد بقي ، لأ يقوم يخلي البطل يسيب المعجنة ده ويتخيل ويفكر في شغله وامه وعيد ميلاد جوز خالته وطلبات يجيبها من اولاد رجب مع وصف ورغي مش طبيعي
تقوم انت تنسي اساسا هو كان فين ومين كان بيحاول يقتله ومين أساسا الي اتخطف وبيدوروا علي مين
طبعا شتيمة للصبح اللي هو لو خالتك بتحكي القصة مش هتحكيها كدا
والنهاية ضايعة يعني نهاية فيلم عصر القوة بتاع نادية الجندي نهايته واقعية عن نهاية فيلم الكرتون ده
يعني واحد مراته اتخطفت يقعد يرغي سبعتلاف صفحة ليه ويوصف ويحكي حواديت ملهاش اي علاقة بالموضوع ومملة
متخيلين جزء مثلا مراته المخطوفة ده فاضل ٣ دقايق واحتمال يا ترجع يا تاخد طلقة في سنانها هي وجوزها ويغتصبوها كمان ...مكان التسليم قصر مهجور تقوم سايبه الدنيا ده كلها وتقعد تفكر في قصة ملياردير وقصة كفاحه وازاي بقي ملياردير
طيب ايه اللي جاب ام الملياردير في القصة...اصبر الحكمة في الاخر ان شاء اللة
المهم الملياردير ده كان عايز يبيع قصر عنده فيااا سلام لو عرفت هي تبيعه عشان تاخد عمولة اصل انا محكتلكش ...هي كان نفسها تبقي وكيل عقاري وتنجح ...يا ديني علي اللفة تستعاشر صفحة عشان نعرف انها نفسها تبقي وكيلة عقارات امال لو كان نفسها تطلع مهندسة
وكيل عقاري مين وقصر مين يا رفدي ده انتي هتموتي قبل ما تأجري شقة اساسا في الزلزال
حتة تانية الزوج طلعان عينه ومضروب ومسحول سحلة ولا الحرامي وبيتضرب عليه نار واحتمال يموت بعد اربع ثواني مش الكاتب بقي يكمل موضوع القتل ده عشان القاريء يتشد بقي ، لأ يقوم يخلي البطل يسيب المعجنة ده ويتخيل ويفكر في شغله وامه وعيد ميلاد جوز خالته وطلبات يجيبها من اولاد رجب مع وصف ورغي مش طبيعي
تقوم انت تنسي اساسا هو كان فين ومين كان بيحاول يقتله ومين أساسا الي اتخطف وبيدوروا علي مين
طبعا شتيمة للصبح اللي هو لو خالتك بتحكي القصة مش هتحكيها كدا
والنهاية ضايعة يعني نهاية فيلم عصر القوة بتاع نادية الجندي نهايته واقعية عن نهاية فيلم الكرتون ده
November 3, 2016
This book was recommended to me by a co-worker after I let him borrow my Life Expectancy copy. Compared to that, this was a huge disappointment.
The first hundred or so pages dragged on, but I kept reading in hopes of it becoming something more entertaining. I think it had the potential, but just fell short.
After the twist of his brother's involvement, I thought for sure the plot would get thicker and more complicated. But instead the book just plodded on with the same mediocre sense of suspense.
Though the part that still looms in my mind takes place at the end of Part I. Mitch gets stuffed into the trunk of the old Chrysler and the lid is slammed. The end of the next chapter describes Holly hearing a trunk lid close. I'm assuming this wasn't a coincidence. Was she being kept above the mobster's garage? Was Anson in on her kidnapping? This would have been more interesting. Alas it was never brought up again or explained.
The first hundred or so pages dragged on, but I kept reading in hopes of it becoming something more entertaining. I think it had the potential, but just fell short.
After the twist of his brother's involvement, I thought for sure the plot would get thicker and more complicated. But instead the book just plodded on with the same mediocre sense of suspense.
Though the part that still looms in my mind takes place at the end of Part I. Mitch gets stuffed into the trunk of the old Chrysler and the lid is slammed. The end of the next chapter describes Holly hearing a trunk lid close. I'm assuming this wasn't a coincidence. Was she being kept above the mobster's garage? Was Anson in on her kidnapping? This would have been more interesting. Alas it was never brought up again or explained.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2020
My first Koontz
Such a strong first part, such a strong husband. This is what binds this book, the strength of Mitch's commitment to being a husband and what that meant.
Such a strong first part, such a strong husband. This is what binds this book, the strength of Mitch's commitment to being a husband and what that meant.
February 2, 2025
Non il massimo della valutazione per un semplice motivo: l'epilogo non mi ha pienamente convinto. Sbrigativo, non approfondito e scarno mi verrebbe da dire.
Per il resto, tolta questa "pecca" se così vogliamo definirla, il romanzo mi è molto piaciuto!
Ricco, davvero strabordante, di colpi di scena. Incalzanti, non ti danno tempo di reazione all'accaduto perché subito ne sussegue un altro. Serrati e mai banali. Incredibilmente riusciti insieme a una scrittura lineare, semplice ma accattivante.
Un ottimo libro!
Per il resto, tolta questa "pecca" se così vogliamo definirla, il romanzo mi è molto piaciuto!
Ricco, davvero strabordante, di colpi di scena. Incalzanti, non ti danno tempo di reazione all'accaduto perché subito ne sussegue un altro. Serrati e mai banali. Incredibilmente riusciti insieme a una scrittura lineare, semplice ma accattivante.
Un ottimo libro!
December 8, 2021
The Husband is different from most of Koontz's more familiar novels, being a fast-paced suspense story without the familiar trappings for which he became most known. It's divided into three parts which become progressively less convincing, but with hard cuts and fast action that leave little room for reflection. It's like an action/adventure interpretive version of Indecent Proposal. Not really too memorable, but a fun read.
November 5, 2022
3.75/5
While this was not among the best Koontz novels this was fast-paced and very entertaining. There are a lot of plot holes in this one like the novel was missing its final draft. Also, the ending felt very rushed and the antagonists were oddly two-dimensional for a Koontz story.
While this was not among the best Koontz novels this was fast-paced and very entertaining. There are a lot of plot holes in this one like the novel was missing its final draft. Also, the ending felt very rushed and the antagonists were oddly two-dimensional for a Koontz story.
March 23, 2018
Koontz isn't reinventing the wheel with this book but it is some damn fine entertainment.
Great page-turner for a lazy weekend.
Great page-turner for a lazy weekend.
March 4, 2021
رواية رائعة ومشوقة، أحداثها مثيرة، ستجعل القارئ يقبل على قراءة دين كونتز البارع في أدب الجريمة وعوالمه البوليسية وحبكاته اللاهثة الأنفاس.
December 28, 2008
Although Dean Koontz isn’t quite as successful as Stephen King, he’s certainly been writing for a long time now, almost as long as King himself. In the old days he used to do supernatural horrors but these days he seems to have re-branded himself as a thriller writer, and there’s no doubting that he’s extremely prolific – I see new books coming out from him all the time. The Husband was released a couple of years ago and it’s familiar territory for thriller fans: a seemingly innocuous man finds himself caught up in a whole heap of trouble when his wife is kidnapped and held for ransom.
What follows is a novel that’s chock-full of twists and turns and an easy writing style that makes it an effortless read. The problem is that it all seems so familiar. I love thrillers but this type of ‘ransom’ plot really has been done to death, and the little tweaks and touches that Koontz adds to the plot don’t really do anything new. I know there are no new stories left in the world but I think a little more imagination would have gone a long way.
Still, there are positives. The everyman hero is appealing and the characters well drawn. Koontz ably hides the motivation of supporting characters and you’re never quite sure who’s good or who’s bad. The opening chapters of the novel are extremely suspenseful and packed with shocking surprises, and up to the mid-way point it’s a bit of a rollercoaster read. Unfortunately, the book starts falling apart at around this mark as the author runs out of steam and resorts to hefty padding to up the page length. There’s a whole monologue on fossil collecting to endure and lots of other unnecessary elements that don’t really add much to the way of the story. The ending is also a little tired, as the bad guy and the good guy duel it out to the death and one of those “recurring villain” deaths so beloved of Hollywood horror movies where the bad guy keeps coming back to life. It’s clichéd and a little dull, and it feels it.
So a great first half and a subdued second half equal a distinctly average novel. It’s okay but far from the pulse-pounding read I was hoping for. Koontz, you can do better than this, and turning autopilot off would be a great start.
What follows is a novel that’s chock-full of twists and turns and an easy writing style that makes it an effortless read. The problem is that it all seems so familiar. I love thrillers but this type of ‘ransom’ plot really has been done to death, and the little tweaks and touches that Koontz adds to the plot don’t really do anything new. I know there are no new stories left in the world but I think a little more imagination would have gone a long way.
Still, there are positives. The everyman hero is appealing and the characters well drawn. Koontz ably hides the motivation of supporting characters and you’re never quite sure who’s good or who’s bad. The opening chapters of the novel are extremely suspenseful and packed with shocking surprises, and up to the mid-way point it’s a bit of a rollercoaster read. Unfortunately, the book starts falling apart at around this mark as the author runs out of steam and resorts to hefty padding to up the page length. There’s a whole monologue on fossil collecting to endure and lots of other unnecessary elements that don’t really add much to the way of the story. The ending is also a little tired, as the bad guy and the good guy duel it out to the death and one of those “recurring villain” deaths so beloved of Hollywood horror movies where the bad guy keeps coming back to life. It’s clichéd and a little dull, and it feels it.
So a great first half and a subdued second half equal a distinctly average novel. It’s okay but far from the pulse-pounding read I was hoping for. Koontz, you can do better than this, and turning autopilot off would be a great start.
January 25, 2015
زوجتك في قبضتنا، يمكنك استعادتها مقابل 2 مليون دولار، نقدًا، أمامك ستون ساعة
we've your wife, you can get her back for 2 millions dollars ... cash
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ستون ساعة؟!! ... مليوني دولار ؟!!! ...
لكن كيف ؟!! فأنا مجرد بستاني بائس .. يا إلهي الرحيم . ماذا أفعل ؟
" Mitch Rafferty ميتش ريفيرتي "
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رواية "الزوج" للكاتب الفريد من نوعه "دين كونتز"
the husband ... by : Dean Koontz
"زوجتك في قبضتنا، يمكنك استعادتها مقابل مليوني دولار .. نقدًا"
بمنتهى البساطة هي رواية ممنوعة لأصحاب القلوب الضعيفة، ولكل من يتناول أدوية وعقاقير للقلب... رواية مرهقة للأعصاب ... 355 صفحة تدور أحداثها في 43 ساعة زمنية ...
زوج فقير .. بستاني .. مراته اتخطفت، والخاطفين طالبين 2 مليون دولار في خلال 60 ساعة مهلة... وهو بيحب مراته جدا، وعشانها ممكن يعمل اي حاجة.
* الوصف رائع، ممتع، شيق، بيذكر فيه أدق التفاصيل حتى الذبابة الميتة على الترابيزة وصف جناحها ... !!!
* الإثارة والتشويق عالي جداً، أنا فعلا مسكتها وبالعافية بسيبها، الأحداث كتير جدا جدا ...
* الساسبينس .... دة لوحده محتاج اسبوع اتكلم فيه... غير إنه بيتعرض لقضايا مختلفة زي البيروقراطية الامريكية ـ وطرق التربية وتأثيرها على النشأة وتكوين شخصية الطفل... والفساد في أمريكا ... واغتصاب الأطفال..
ــ الرواية قريتها بالانجلش السنة اللي فاتت، وبالصدفة البحتة لقيتها مترجمة، ترجمة أمينة دقيقة للأروع "روي معوض" .. الدار العربية للعلوم ناشرون.
س : ماذا تفعل لأجل الحب ؟ هل تموت من أجله ؟ هل تقتل ؟
* مكالمة بائسة تلقاها ميتش تشكلت له أسوء كابوس في حياته، حيث بدا المتصل أنه جاد إلى أبعد الحدود، لم يهتم كيف سيستطيع أن يجمع "ميتشل" الـ 2 مليون دولار، لكنه واثق أنه سيفعل، إذا كان يحبها بالفعل حبًا صادقًا... ... وبالفعل فهو يحبها أكثر من الحياة نفسها، ويملك ستون ساعة فقط ليثبت ذلك، وعلى استعداد أن يفعل أكثر من ذلك بكثير، أن يفعل أي شيء...
رواية ... ممنوعة لأصحاب القلوب الضعيفة... إن كنت رجلاً فستسأل نفسك، هل يوجد امرأة في هذا الكوكب تستحق ذلك ؟ ...
إن كنتي فتاة فستسألين نفسك .. هل بالفعل يوجد رجل مثل ميتش ؟
أنصح بقراءتها بشدة ...
October 31, 2016
Αυτός, ένας απλός κηπουρός, τρυφερός σύζυγος, καλός φίλος. Η γυναίκα του, μια απλή κτηματομεσίτης. Οι απαγωγείς, ρεμάλια που συμμετέχουν συνήθως σε κακουργηματικές πράξεις. Και οι απαγωγείς αρπάζουν τη γυναίκα του κηπουρού και ζητούν από τον καλοκάγαθο σύζυγο 2 εκατομμύρια δολάρια για να του δώσουν την γυναίκα του. Πρέπει να βρει 2 εκατομμύρια σε 60 ώρες. Μέχρι που μπορεί να φτάσει ένας γλυκός κηπουρός, που όμως αγαπά πολύ την γυναίκα του; Μπορεί να τα βγάλει πέρα με τους στυγνούς απαγωγείς, όταν το μόνο όπλο που μπορεί να χρησιμοποιήσει είναι το κλαδευτήρι του; Ωραίο βιβλίο, γρήγορο με ένταση και νεύρο. Καμμία σχέση με τον Κούντζ που ξέρω. Δεν έχει ίχνος μεταφυσικού σε αυτό το βιβλίο. Θα το τελειώσετε μέσα σε μια μέρα.
January 8, 2019
the last 4 chapters was the best of the whole book
November 9, 2011
First Impressions:
What I liked about The Husband has to do with the husband's reactions to the news that his wife has been kidnapped and the kidnappers seem to have unlimited resources and can kill him at any time.
Plots (some spoilers):
His name is Mitch, and he lives a good life as a gardener. He knows he does not have the money. Later the criminals get him to get his brother Anson involved, who, it turns out, is a criminal himself. The kidnappers know this and want to pull one over on Anson.
Despite these criminals thinking they have it all under control, Mitch finds deep inside himself the balls to do something about it, including killing (in self defense, of course) and stealing to get the money together.
Dean Koontz does get into a sub-plot of Mitch and his brother and their relationship with their parents who had an unusual way of raising children, including a sense-deprivation room that was designed to "help" but really it was to break them. The book really does not explore this fascinating item very well. We meet his dad, Daniel, but his mother Kathy is barely mentioned and not at all developed. They were caricatures to me and not really well-developed, despite them being a critical influence on Mitch and Anson and their sisters (who are not even mentioned until near the end of the book and even then not developed).
The book does get into the criminal minds and only fully develops the last guy – the one with a spiritual bent and who has no problem killing people so that they may attain "ascendancy".
Holly is the kidnapped wife who we don't even meet until well into the book – at least not to any great degree. She too has depth and needs to reach in for strength and is surprised to find that she too can be devious.
Why The Book Fails:
The book fails for me in touching on certain characters (Julian Campbell with his child porn business is never developed, so you have no sympathy nor care that the guy gets his later) and leaves a huge plot hole at the end (Mitch kills and steals and then near the last chapter he has kids and is friends with the Columbo-like detective – huh? What happened?). Too much landscape vocabulary to show us how smart and real Koontz is, but does not add to the tale.
Conclusion: Not Dean's best, though I do appreciate his writing a "straight" novel. However, I much prefer his supernatural stuff.
What I liked about The Husband has to do with the husband's reactions to the news that his wife has been kidnapped and the kidnappers seem to have unlimited resources and can kill him at any time.
Plots (some spoilers):
His name is Mitch, and he lives a good life as a gardener. He knows he does not have the money. Later the criminals get him to get his brother Anson involved, who, it turns out, is a criminal himself. The kidnappers know this and want to pull one over on Anson.
Despite these criminals thinking they have it all under control, Mitch finds deep inside himself the balls to do something about it, including killing (in self defense, of course) and stealing to get the money together.
Dean Koontz does get into a sub-plot of Mitch and his brother and their relationship with their parents who had an unusual way of raising children, including a sense-deprivation room that was designed to "help" but really it was to break them. The book really does not explore this fascinating item very well. We meet his dad, Daniel, but his mother Kathy is barely mentioned and not at all developed. They were caricatures to me and not really well-developed, despite them being a critical influence on Mitch and Anson and their sisters (who are not even mentioned until near the end of the book and even then not developed).
The book does get into the criminal minds and only fully develops the last guy – the one with a spiritual bent and who has no problem killing people so that they may attain "ascendancy".
Holly is the kidnapped wife who we don't even meet until well into the book – at least not to any great degree. She too has depth and needs to reach in for strength and is surprised to find that she too can be devious.
Why The Book Fails:
The book fails for me in touching on certain characters (Julian Campbell with his child porn business is never developed, so you have no sympathy nor care that the guy gets his later) and leaves a huge plot hole at the end (Mitch kills and steals and then near the last chapter he has kids and is friends with the Columbo-like detective – huh? What happened?). Too much landscape vocabulary to show us how smart and real Koontz is, but does not add to the tale.
Conclusion: Not Dean's best, though I do appreciate his writing a "straight" novel. However, I much prefer his supernatural stuff.
September 24, 2016
All my reviews are at: www.jessicasreadingroom.com
The premise of the book catches your attention and pulls you in. The actual novel not so much.
The Husband is divided into three parts. The first part is very good. Mitchell (Mitch) Rafferty is a landscaper and working a job when he receives a call that his wife has been kidnapped. And the kidnappers want $2 Million cash. He has 60 hours to get the money and they know he is a gardener with limited means. They let him know they are serious by shooting a man walking a dog. And like other novels similar to this, no cops or they kill his wife.
Here starts Mitch’s journey to rush to get the money. Will he make it to the deadline? Will he get the money? Will he save his wife? What will happen?
The book’s direction falls flat. There is a twist that you find out early on who is responsible for this happening.
There are several subplots, one involves his family and his childhood. This includes a sense-deprivation room that his parents used on Mitch and his siblings growing up. You do get to see how experiencing that affects them in both extremes, good and bad. This could be a fabulous plot to be used… in another book.
Overall, I could not recommend this book. I did keep listening to it to see what would happen. When I finished it I did not really have an opinion of the book. This was disappointing as I was hoping it would keep me on the edge of my seat and have me wanting more.
This is my second Koontz book, the first was Life Expectancy which I had rated four stars. Despite being disappointed in The Husband, I will read Koontz again.
***I rated this books at 2.5 stars, but Goodreads doesn't let you do 1/2 star ratings.
The premise of the book catches your attention and pulls you in. The actual novel not so much.
The Husband is divided into three parts. The first part is very good. Mitchell (Mitch) Rafferty is a landscaper and working a job when he receives a call that his wife has been kidnapped. And the kidnappers want $2 Million cash. He has 60 hours to get the money and they know he is a gardener with limited means. They let him know they are serious by shooting a man walking a dog. And like other novels similar to this, no cops or they kill his wife.
Here starts Mitch’s journey to rush to get the money. Will he make it to the deadline? Will he get the money? Will he save his wife? What will happen?
The book’s direction falls flat. There is a twist that you find out early on who is responsible for this happening.
There are several subplots, one involves his family and his childhood. This includes a sense-deprivation room that his parents used on Mitch and his siblings growing up. You do get to see how experiencing that affects them in both extremes, good and bad. This could be a fabulous plot to be used… in another book.
Overall, I could not recommend this book. I did keep listening to it to see what would happen. When I finished it I did not really have an opinion of the book. This was disappointing as I was hoping it would keep me on the edge of my seat and have me wanting more.
This is my second Koontz book, the first was Life Expectancy which I had rated four stars. Despite being disappointed in The Husband, I will read Koontz again.
***I rated this books at 2.5 stars, but Goodreads doesn't let you do 1/2 star ratings.
May 19, 2016
Το συγκεκριμένο μυθιστόρημα του Koontz με κέρδισε εξαρχής, από την ευφυέστατη ιδέα που κατευθύνει την πλοκή. Ένας απλός κηπουρός πρέπει ξαφνικά να βρει 2 εκατομμύρια δολάρια για να σώσει τη γυναίκα του από τους απαγωγείς της. Κι αυτός έχει στην τράπεζά του μόλις μερικές χιλιάδες.
Χωρίς φανφάρες λοιπόν, αλλά με μια σειρά σκληρών σκηνών, καθώς και με μπόλικη δράση και ανατροπές, ο Koontz καταφέρνει και πάλι να δημιουργήσει ένα πολύ δυνατό βιβλίο. Δε θα το συγκατέλεγα στα κορυφαία του, αλλά νομίζω ότι πολύ δύσκολα θα απογοητεύσει όσους τον γνωρίζουν καλά.
Προσωπικά πάντως αυτό που με κέρδισε περισσότερο ήταν ότι o συγγραφέας κατάφερε να με κάνει να αναρωτιέμαι πολύ συχνά τι θα έπραττα αν ήμουν εγώ στη θέση του Μιτς. (Του πρωταγωνιστή). Μοιραία, όταν συμβαίνει κάτι τέτοιο, οι σελίδες του βιβλίου που διαβάζω αρχίζουν και κινούνται σαν να τις φυσάει ανεμιστήρας. Ακόμα καλύτερα, στις “60 ώρες”, σχεδόν όλες τις φορές σήκωσα τα χέρια μου ψηλά· αδυνατούσα να λάβω τις αναγκαίες αποφάσεις και έπεφτα με τα μούτρα στη συνέχεια για να μάθω πώς κινήθηκε αυτός.
Αν έχω μια μικρή ένσταση, είναι για το τέλος του βιβλίου. Νομίζω ότι κάπου στα κεφάλαια 66 και 67 χωρούσαν καμιά δεκαριά σελίδες επιπλέον, που θα έδεναν ακόμη καλύτερα τα όσα διαδραματίστηκαν. Φυσικά, αυτή είναι η προσωπική μου άποψη και μόνο, ενώ ακόμα κι έτσι όλα είναι μια χαρά.
Συνοψίζοντας, θα έλεγα ότι ο Koontz εδώ αποδεικνύει και πάλι γιατί βρίσκεται μονίμως στη λίστα των best sellers. Δε νομίζω πολλοί συγγραφείς να μπορούν να πάρουν τόσο ελάχιστα εφόδια ως τα βασικά τους για την ύφανση μιας ιστορίας και στο τέλος ο αναγνώστης να αισθάνεται πραγματικά γεμάτος με αυτό που διάβασε…
Χωρίς φανφάρες λοιπόν, αλλά με μια σειρά σκληρών σκηνών, καθώς και με μπόλικη δράση και ανατροπές, ο Koontz καταφέρνει και πάλι να δημιουργήσει ένα πολύ δυνατό βιβλίο. Δε θα το συγκατέλεγα στα κορυφαία του, αλλά νομίζω ότι πολύ δύσκολα θα απογοητεύσει όσους τον γνωρίζουν καλά.
Προσωπικά πάντως αυτό που με κέρδισε περισσότερο ήταν ότι o συγγραφέας κατάφερε να με κάνει να αναρωτιέμαι πολύ συχνά τι θα έπραττα αν ήμουν εγώ στη θέση του Μιτς. (Του πρωταγωνιστή). Μοιραία, όταν συμβαίνει κάτι τέτοιο, οι σελίδες του βιβλίου που διαβάζω αρχίζουν και κινούνται σαν να τις φυσάει ανεμιστήρας. Ακόμα καλύτερα, στις “60 ώρες”, σχεδόν όλες τις φορές σήκωσα τα χέρια μου ψηλά· αδυνατούσα να λάβω τις αναγκαίες αποφάσεις και έπεφτα με τα μούτρα στη συνέχεια για να μάθω πώς κινήθηκε αυτός.
Αν έχω μια μικρή ένσταση, είναι για το τέλος του βιβλίου. Νομίζω ότι κάπου στα κεφάλαια 66 και 67 χωρούσαν καμιά δεκαριά σελίδες επιπλέον, που θα έδεναν ακόμη καλύτερα τα όσα διαδραματίστηκαν. Φυσικά, αυτή είναι η προσωπική μου άποψη και μόνο, ενώ ακόμα κι έτσι όλα είναι μια χαρά.
Συνοψίζοντας, θα έλεγα ότι ο Koontz εδώ αποδεικνύει και πάλι γιατί βρίσκεται μονίμως στη λίστα των best sellers. Δε νομίζω πολλοί συγγραφείς να μπορούν να πάρουν τόσο ελάχιστα εφόδια ως τα βασικά τους για την ύφανση μιας ιστορίας και στο τέλος ο αναγνώστης να αισθάνεται πραγματικά γεμάτος με αυτό που διάβασε…
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