Midnight

by Dean R. Koontz

The No.1 bestselling classic from Dean Koontz, the master of chilling suspense, that will thrill fans of Stephen King and the Odd Thomas series.

A wealthy tech entrepreneur, intending to create superhumans by infecting them with nanotech to assist their physical and mental abilities, picks a California town as his secret pilot project, but things go terribly wrong. The citizens of Moonlight Cove, California, are changing, growing numbers of residents harbor a secret so dark it is sure to cost even more lives. Some are losing touch with their deepest emotions. Others are surrendering to their wildest urges. And the few who remain unchanged are absolutely terrified (if not brutally murdered in the dead of night). Survivors face a terror beyond the darkest realms of human nature.

Tessa Lockland and Sam Booker team up with natives Chrissie Foster and Harry Talbot to combat the evil that threatens the community. Tessa Lockland comes to town to probe her sister's seemingly unprompted suicide. Independent and clever, she meets up with Sam Booker, an undercover FBI agent sent to Moonlight Cove to discover the truth behind the mysterious deaths. They meet Harry Talbot, a wheelchair-bound veteran, who has seen things from his window that he was not meant to see. Chrissie Foster, a resourceful eleven-year-old, running from her parents who have suddenly changed and in whom darkness dwells, joins them. Together they begin to understand the depth of evil in Moonlight Cove and make a stand against darkness and terror.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Science Fiction, Fantasy

496 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Librarian's Note: This author writes under the name Dean R. Koontz and Dean Koontz. As both names appear on his works, both should be kept.

Acknowledged 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.

Known Pseudonyms:
Leigh Nichols,
Brian Coffey,
David Axton,
Owen West,
Deanna Dwyer
Aaron Wolfe.
K.R. Dwyer
John Hill
Richard Paige
Anthony North

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

A super rich 'mad scientist' experiments on the residents of a small town, with serious consequences. An average horror story with something a little extra… a very human heart. 5 out of 12, Three Star read

2010 read

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Koontz, you did it again!


THE RE-ASSURANCE OF FINDING A FAVORITE AUTHOR

After my happy encounter of the great author Dean Koontz in the novel Phantoms (see my review of that one here.) (back then in 1992). I knew that I want to read more books by him.

My second novel was this one, Midnight. And I am glad to say that I chosen well.

By then, I still wasn't able to read on English yet, so that novel I read on Spanish then.

At that moment I didn't know much about which novels to choose from Dean Koontz, also at that time, I depended of which titles were translated and available in the local book stores.

KOONTZ'S TOWNS & DOGS

Happily, not matter of the language limitations (back then in 1992), my second choice was the perfect one after my experience with Phantoms since this book has one of the elements that I enjoyed the most in my reading experience of Phantoms, that it was how detailed, Koontz, described the town of the story.

In Phantoms, he did such wonderful job describing the whole town of Snowfield, and here on Midnight, he did the same favor for the town of Moonlight Cove.

During the reading experience, one is able to reach a feeling that you are there, in those towns along with the characters (humans and animals alike).

Each character in the story is well developed with a strong background and they act according with their personalities.

So, this book has another trademark of Koontz' style that it's having a wonderful dog with great intelligence becoming another main character with an important role in the story.


KOONTZ'S HONESTY

Dean Koontz got inspired to write this novel on the works of the film Invasion of the Body Snatchers and the book of The Island of Dr. Moreau and he isn't afraid of just telling so at certain point of the narrative.

Something that also I admired of him, his honesty, since there isn't anything to be ashamed in admiting his inspirations for his own original novel.

I hate when an author doesn't admit that he/she watched some movie or he/she read some book and saying that it's a "coincidence" the similarities on the stories. Geez! They think that readers are dumb or something?

So, Dean Koontz doesn't even wait for later questioning, he knows that people will notice the similarities and he knows how to mention his inspiration in the middle of the story.

Great tale of horror and suspense...

...that keep you entertained during the whole book.

Now, it's better to go,...

...since midnight is almost upon us!

[Debra - can't post any comments on site today grrr · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

There are people in Moonlight Cove who are dying. There are also those in Moonlight Cove who are changing. Then there are those just trying to survive the night.....

This book was published in 1989 but has stood the test of time. A brilliant and evil inventor is using the town of Moonlight Cove and the inhabitants in his experiment - a horrible, horrible experiment.

The book is told through the POV of various book characters and show the horrors of the experiment and the plight to survive.

I found this book to be entertaining and thought provoking. I could see this book playing out like a movie while reading it. Koontz did a good job giving the reader characters to root for and care out - including a lovable dog - and also created characters readers will want to boo and hiss at.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I unashamedly love this book. I can't even begin to count how many times i've read it. Despite being a classic horror novel, it's one of my warm blanket reads because it reminds me of the time when I was young and branching out into new genres. Dean Koontz was a library staple, I must have read his entire back catalogue. But the two that forever stayed with me were this one and Watchers. I bought both right after returning the library versions and I still have those same copies today. I won't tell you how many years later it is, but it's a lot. A LOT. Recently, I happened to notice a load of his books, and those of Richard Laymon (another old favourite), are only 99p on Kindle UK- it was impossible to resist being able to carry them with me at all times. So: REREAD!

Midnight is quintessential Koontz: small town, evil megalomaniac, clever animals, strong female and male lead characters, atmospheric weather (fog and more fog), corrupt law or bureaucracy, and finally...terrifying creatures running around in the dark ripping people to shreds. It's giving me a rosy glow of nostalgia just writing that list out. Yet one of the surprising issues of this 1989 novel is how is stands up now. Not just the sometimes cheesy, but always brilliant writing style of the author, but the themes of man vs nature, man vs his own nature, man vs technology that form the basis for this story. It hits on so many of the deepest fears we can hold: loss of our humanity; being forced into the role of prey, chased in the dark by unknown predators; not knowing who is friend or foe; indiscriminate death, where even children aren't safe; the sometimes incomprehensible, almost alien forms of technological innovation...

On top of all that, it's got that perfect mix of silly and scary. You know, of course, that the goodies will save the day but before that you have to cope with the voices of the Regressives, their whispery, desperate needy tone.... *shudder*... I dare anyone to read this book and then go outside in the dark without repeatedly checking their surroundings and jumping at every noise.

[Argent Talonn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Midnight
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Publication year: 1989

Review: Dean Koontz like most great post modern writers is a master at characterization. So it is only natural to expect that the characters in his books will carry the day. However, Koontz is really good at plotting intriguing stories, too. In those ways and more, Midnight is a really great read.

Moonlight Cove has a problem: people are dying and the answers given as to why are causing more questions that have reached beyond the borders of the small California town. The FBI has sent an agent Sam Booker to quietly, secretly investigate. Also, Tessa Lockland has come to the town to investigate her sister's "suicide." She knew her sister and if her sister was having trouble, she would have reached out.

The simple fact remains that something odd is happening in Moonlight Cove and there are witnesses to the oddities. Both, Chrissie Foster and Harry Talbot have witnessed citizens transforming into ravening beasts and their fears have prompted them to hide, but can they hide well enough to survive long enough for help to arrive? I loved it!

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Midnight is one of my favorite Koontz books. It's got a cool dog, a nice blend of horror/romance/science fiction/mystery & more genre tropes, bits that hearken back to Invasion of the Body Snatchers and werewolves, quirky and likable characters, some characters who aren't like that all, some characters who change a lot, breezy SoCal atmosphere and presence, a quote from The Book of Counted Sorrows, excellent page-turning pacing, and a cool dog. I think it's one of his best.

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Midnight by Dean Koontz is in almost every good way a Dean Koontz book. It has conspiracy, characters that are familiar tropes, and an amazing dog. However, he has built a story that is compelling, horrifying, and filled with unique scares. Just when you think he has written “just another werewolf story,” you realize it is not. The citizens of this quiet coastal town of Moonlight Cove are changing into something different. Lately there have been more accidental deaths in this town than mathematically plausible, so the FBI has sent an undercover agent to investigate. The investigator is maudlin and jaded by what he has witnessed, but even he finds that he wants to survive more than he ever believed possible. Top notch and a high recommend.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eddie era stato un bambino fantastico: vivace, intelligente ed educato. Era stato. E ora... Orribilmente percosso, morso selvaggiamente, graffiato e pieno di lacerazioni, il collo spezzato, il piccolo era poco più di un mucchietto di rifiuti in decomposizione, tutto il suo promettente potenziale distrutto, privato della vita - e la vita di lui.

Moonhight Cove, idilliaca località costiera della California del nord, per alcuni rappresenta un angolo di paradiso, ma per altri si trasforma in un posto da incubo, quando una catena inspiegabile di morti raccapriccianti ne inizia ad insanguinare le strade.

Meditò allora sulle dodici persone morte, sui cadaveri bruciati nel crematoio, sull'omicidio e il suicidio per arma da fuoco, sui corpi martoriati dai pesci, sulla donna sbranata, e questi pensieri lo condussero a speculare morbosamente sul destino della carne. Ricordò la propria moglie, morta di tumore, Scott e la loro conversazione telefonica: a quel punto, apri la seconda bottiglia.

Ma mentre alcuni abitanti della cittadina muoiono in maniera atroce, altri iniziano a cambiare trasformandosi in esseri abominevoli ed affamati, ed altri ancora lottano disperatamente per cercare di sopravvivere alla notte quando, allo scoccare della mezzanotte, il progetto Falco Notturno sarà finalmente portato a termine dando inizio ad una nuova era per l’umanità e coloro che ne prenderanno il posto…

Gridando per la disperazione, Peyser cominciò a regredire nuovamente, Con un secco rumore di ossa in fase di ricostituzione e il suono umido-scivoloso della carne in metamorfosi, la creatura selvaggia riasserì il proprio dominio; nello spazio di qualche minuto, tornò cio che era stato pochi istanti prima: una belva infernale.

Resident Evil 2l incontra L'isola del dr. Moreau, L'invasione degli ultracorpi, La Cosa e Tetsuo II: Body Hammer ed Halloween III: Il signore della notte, in minestrone mica male 100% stile Koontz, con il consueto misto di thriller, horror, mistery e romance marchio di fabbrica dell'autore che ha conteso per anni a Stephen King la vetta delle classifiche librarie con milioni di copie vendute.

I due uomini si fissarono.
Infine Shaddack affermò: « Continuerai a fare ciò che dico ».
« Non ho scelta. Proprio come tu mi hai reso: privo di scelte. Mi tieni in pugno, Mio Signore, ma non con l'amore: con la paura. »
« Meglio. »
Shaddack volse le spalle al poliziotto e s'incamminò lungo il corridoio, fuori dalla casa e nella notte piovosa.

Un racconto niente male che tiene incollati dalla prima all’ultima pagina, con personaggi ben sviluppati e dettagliati se chiudiamo un occhio sulla bambina di undici anni che si comporta in maniera fin troppo matura per l'età che ha, ma che purtroppo non è invecchiato proprio benissimo a mio parere, e risente di un numero di refusi che non avevo mai incontrato prima in una pubblicazione ad opera della Sperling & Kupfer.

Infine Chrissie esplose in un grido: « No! No! Vattene, lasciami stare! »
Le mascelle della cosa si allungarono, poi si aprirono fin quasi alle orecchie in un sogghigno minaccioso, delimitato da una doppia serie d'immensi denti acuminati.
« No! No! »
La bambina tentò di alzarsi.
E si accorse che lui la stava ancora tenendo per mano.

Per non parlare dell'infelice scelta da parte del traduttore di adattare il termine inglese “Silicon” come “Silicone” invece del più corretto, e visto il contesto decisamente più adeguato, “Silicio”, che mi ha infastidito e irritato non poco ogni volta che usciva fuori.

Chrissie si allontanò di qualche passo. Alle sue spalle, qualcosa ringhiò.
Senza voltarsi, lei si protesse il viso con le braccia e si gettò a capofitto attraverso il vetro, chiedendosi se la caduta l'avrebbe uccisa e supponendo che dipendesse dal punto di atterraggio: bene sull'erba, male sul marciapiede, malissimo sulle aguzze punte della cancellata.

Strano che nessuno abbia mai pensato di realizzarne un adattamento cinematografico, John Carpenter nel suo periodo d’oro ne avrebbe tirato fuori un piccolo capolavoro.

Inizialmente, la creatura proteiforme fu soddisfatta nel nutrirsi di ciò che trovava estendendo sottili propaggini lungo il pavimento della cantina, nelle fessure dei muri e nell'umido terriccio circostante: insetti, vermi, larve. Non conoscevano più i loro nomi, ma li mangiavano avidamente.

Se vi piacciono le fonti di ispirazione sopracitate, avete giocato Resident Evil 2 fino alla nausea, e soprattutto avete una alta tolleranza verso refusi e strafalcioni, dategli una possibilità.

Una lettura datata e decisamente invecchiata male, ma tutto sommato divertente.

Colonna Sonora Suggerita: John Carpenter's Lost Themes

[Elli Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story grabbed my attention from the first three pages. As I read on, I found that all I wanted to do was keep my nose in the book. I have read a few of Koontz' other books, but none had captured me like this.

When I had gotten about half way through the book, beginning to understand what is going on here, I started thinking about it constantly. The book honestly scared me to the point of nightmares - but I would not put it down.

If you are into suspense, horror, and sci-fi I completely recommend it! This is my favorite book of his! AMAZING!

[J.S. Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of Koontz's better novels--totally creepy, and totally awesome. Plus, the afterword at the end made me giggle.

The reason this novel resonated so strongly with me is because I can identify with the residents of Moonlight Cove who were losing touch with their emotions. There was a time a few years ago when I suffered from extreme depression and anxiety. I was prescribed an antidepressant, and lo and behold, the depression went away!

But so did everything else. I felt no joy. No happiness. I wasn't necessarily sad, either. I just existed in a bland emotional state that bordered between Blah and What's the Point? I finally became so frustrated with my lack of feeling that I quit taking my medicine against doctor's orders. I've been fine ever since. (Disclaimer: I didn't quit "cold turkey," so if you're in the same boat I was in, please at least slowly wean yourself off of your meds so nothing bad happens.)

In Midnight when Loman Watkins laments to Thomas Shaddack that life is basically meaningless without emotions and the pleasures that come with them, I was thinking, "Holy crap! YES!!!"

So, Mr. Koontz, congratulations for successfully touching my heart. :)

[Catherine Lurid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hurry, Hurry, Hunt, Hunt… Get Her, get Her! Hunger! I’m burning, burning, I HAVE to eat! I HAVE to Hunt...

Sometimes we might think (especially after the evening news) that humans could have evolved much better than we did, and most importantly, much faster. But what if evolution isn’t always what we believe? What if even our wildest imagination isn’t enough to grasp all the possible paths of evolution—and what if one of those paths will make your blood run cold.

I wasn’t particularly impressed how ended Phantoms by Dean Koontz, and was slightly disappointed. But thanks to my Goodreads friend, Hannah, who messaged me with a recommendation to read Koontz's Midnight. 'You definitely have to read that one!' She texted. And I did! Oh, I’m so glad I did.

The haunting, almost suffocating atmosphere grabs you from the very first page, and the eerie, wild creatures linger in your mind long after you’ve closed the book. I devoured this novel in two days, unable to stop until I unraveled its riddle. A quite intimidating story that pulls you in completely, dragging you through waves of primal terror right from the first chapter—something I’ve found I personally need to develop, as I’m a slow burn when it comes to scares.

The writing is phenomenal, and you can feel the characters’ fear deep in your gut. You hide with them, peer through the shadows, sweat, and dodge the ever-watchful amber eyes of those other people—another version of us. Animals, but not quite. Beasts, but not fully. Humans, but not anymore…

Thank you, Hannah and Dean, for giving me another favorite read.

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite of Koontz's. Again primarily for the beginning and first part of the story. Here, he again manages to tell a good sci-fi/horror mix without too much focus on tooth-achingly good protagonists and cliched bad guys. This one is very recommended.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only Dean Koontz book I ever read. I don't remember a thing about this book, but I do remember that reading it turned me off of ever wanting to try another Dean Koontz book.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay - does this count as a guilty pleasure?

Let me explain I had moved away and was renting a house while attending university - where I first found out that people can like the same books as I do. At the same time a local book shop was starting on a promotion of Dean Koontz thrillers (some with a supernatural or at least unconventional edge).

To tie in with this the publisher had lunched an ad campaign that used the foiled covers. I was lucky enough to sweet talk the staff in to letting me having them when the finished. So why the importance - well up to that point I didn't really know much about Dean Knootz just I loved the covers. However ironically a local store was selling off his hardback editions cheap this being one of them.

So why not I though - and not only was introduced to the world of Dean Koontz but also the dubious pleasure of reading through the night and in to the morning. Yep I missed lectures to catch up sleep after reading this book cover to cover through the night.

Well here I am 20(ahem) years later and still totally engrossed with this book. Yes Mr Koontz's books rise and fall from favour - the covers change and the comparisons to other authors continues but I can still pick up this book and want to read it from cover to cover in one go.

The story is pretty straight forward - the action linear and the characters predictable - but who cares its great fun and right up to the last scene a rip roaring ride. Okay I am sure there are better and more challenging books by Dean but still I count this (along with Lightening and Watchers) and one of my favourite books of his.

[Michael Fierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sometimes not a big fan of Koontz writing style but I remember thinking this was great.

And definitely worth a re-read.

[Brett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review contains spoilers. This novel by Dean Koontz sports a lot of Koontz's usual tropes. Among them are: the good-hearted protagonist that has experienced a loss, the angelic and unrealistically mature child, the unnecessary romance between main characters in the midst of mayhem, the remorseless mad scientist, the cute dog, and the easily predictable horror/sci-fi premise. Reading Koontz is too often like reading a screenplay for a March release Hollywood film--just very little complexity or surprises.

That said, this is far from the worst Koontz book I've read. I give it two stars primarily because of two scenes that I thought employed effective visuals--one is at the opening of the book, the other a curious close-call with one of the book's creatures.

But there are way too many gaffes to give Midnight any sort of recommendation. From page 104: "Harry stared at the apelike countenance, thought it was leaner and uglier and more fierce and infinitely stranger than the face of an ape." This sort of writing makes me crazy. Infinitely stranger than the face of an ape? That phrase has exactly zero meaning. Or from page 108, when a cry in the distance is described as "shrill yet guttural." Koontz does this kind of thing all the time--he was tall yet short, the sound was loud yet quiet. A good writer can give a description of the uncanny without resorting to nonsense.

I need to add something about a serious plot hole as well. The plot of this book has most of the citizens of a small town being changed to so-called "New People" in an experiment of which they are unwilling members. These New People are animalistic in that they live for essentially food and sexual pleasure only. Some of the New People embrace their wildness and go nuts. Others are worried and perplexed about losing their emotions. But none of those that loses their emotions ever ventures outside the community to seek help. Instead, the whole town gets turned over the course of a couple weeks with no one ever saying anything. If I thought my humanity had been stolen by a local mad scientist, I would hope some equally enterprising scientist elsewhere might be able to give it back to me. But what do I know?

Finally, one last thing I must bring up. The maudlin concluding scene of the novel is unbearable. The protagonist Sam is bitter at the beginning of the novel because he has had a near death experience and didn't like what he saw on the other side. What horrible thing comes after death that Sam saw, we wonder. Tessa, his love interest, brings Sam around to the life-affirming viewpoint that all Koontz characters are required to hold by the novel's end. The big reveal is that Sam was upset to see that there is an afterlife of some kind--you see, he hated living so much that he was mad that he would keep living. If that isn't the lamest plot point you've across, then God help you. Anyway, now Sam is on-board again with loving being alive, and he and Tessa return to his home where Sam hopes to make amends with his estranged teenage son. How does he do this? In the "touching" final scene, Sam destroys his son's rock n' roll albums. One of the strangest scenes of unintentional satire I have come across.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to comment on this because I really didn't care for it, but my late wife loved this and some other Koontz books that I don't care for (at least as much). So in honer of her I gave it 3 stars recognizing that there will be people who like some of this writer's books while others don't. I note that many of the ones I don't care for both my wife and daughter like. But, I can't really build on that as my daughter and I liked The Taking, and my wife didn't...sigh. Go figure. All I can suggest here is try his books yourself. He has written some I'd list as up there in my top...oh 20 to 50 books and others I find not so great.

The plot in this one is a good idea. It's an earlier version of the nanobot holocaust novel. The problem I have with it is that it tends to go over the top. It put me in mind of some horror movies I've seen where the "horror" went so over the top that it moved into dark humor. I think you'll see what I mean when/if you read this one. It's not bad but it is going to appeal to some readers more than others.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the February 2011 and April 2017 Group Read in the Koontzland - Dean Koontz Group
I've read Midnight 3 times.

Midnight has never been one of my favorites, but it is a solid & intriguing story. I find many similarities between Midnight and Dean Koontz's Frankenstein Series - the ideas of control & improvements upon human conditions getting out of control.

A funny quote:
". . . . had so many corn-chip crumbs sprinkled across the front of her royal-blue sweater that she appeared to be breading herself with the intention of going into the kitchen, climbing into an oven, and becoming food."
-Midnight, Chapter 12

A favorite quote:
"Even as a child, she had preferred night to day, had enjoyed sitting out in the yard after sunset, under the star-speckled sky listening to frogs and crickets. Darkness soothed. It softened the sharp edges of the world, toned down the too-harsh colors. With the coming of twilight, the sky seemed to recede; the universe expanded. The night was bigger than the day, and in its realm, life seemed to have more possibilities."
-Midnight, Chapter One

[Karen B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could humanity be "improved" if more like machines and devoid of emotions? That is the premise of the bad guy in this thriller. He is trying to convert the humans of Moonlight Cove. Standing against him are an FBI agent, disillusioned with life; a woman who came to Moonlight Cove, suspicious of her sister's death; a disabled veteran whose view of responsibility questions the values of Shaddack (the bad guy): an 11-year-old girl who has lost her parents due to the conversion and of course a lovable, loyal lab who brings affection and love to the good guys. This is one of Koontz's best as he explores the nature of what it means to be human and the constant battle of good vs. evil.

[Karl Marberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good entertainment, and I like the message. Over-reliance on technology and the shirking of responsibility turns us either into machines or monsters. The dangers of nihilism in this age.

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scary. Don't read before going to sleep. Recommended.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moonlight Cove California and his population are suffering from inexplicable and horrific mutations!!!
Gruesome and mysterious shapes dart trough the night, leaving behind bloody tracks....

Then we have an undercover agent trying to overcame his personal demons, trapped desperately in the city... and while fleeing from unspeakable horrendously and malicious enemies he try to discover the reason to this nightmare....

Also a young girl that has seen too much, will be mercilessly haunted by her personal loss, and must cope with an hostile environment watching and seeking after her....

Here lives a young Vietnam veteran too, which due to his injuries is dependent on his wheelchair...
Alone in his flat his only companion a Labrador and trough his telescope nights watching and registering the changes that Moonlight Cove is undergoing.....

Friends I love this novel, written grippingly and with a rich descriptive prose!!!
Let me say it clearly: one of the bests by Koontzt.....

Powerful written, a true page turner!!!

Dean;D

[Pritam TheBookAddict · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a combination of Sci-fi and horror this book is. A small town where people are dying mysteriously and some unknown creatures lurking at night. Four individual people are trying to survive and trying to find out what is the actual reason behind all of this.
I must say I've enjoyed it a lot and it's a creepy, funny, emotional and also thought provoking novel.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Koontz novel, although it's very close to Phantoms. I think this is a lesson in how a thriller should be written. Just a wonderful work.

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Dean Koontz is “on” he truly is one of the best thriller writers out there. Within only a few pages, you can see why. His prose is gorgeous and the plot line sucks you in immediately. Midnight actually lays the foundation for Fear Nothing and Seize the Night, two I also love. So if you enjoyed that duology, definitely check out Midnight.

Basic Summary:

Something is rotten in the state of Moonlight Cove. FBI agent Sam Booker arrives in town undercover to investigate multiple mysterious deaths. At the same time, the story also develops POVs from several other characters including Chrissie, a young girl attempting to escape attack by her parents, and Tessa, a woman who’s sister was killed in town and who has come to investigate. These three eventually all end up on the run and eventually meet up at Harry’s house to hide from the same questionable police officers who may be responsible for all these mysterious deaths. Harry is a local resident who is definitely not “in on it,” and true to classic Dean Koontz form, happens to have a very smart dog (truly an adorable character). These characters must attempt to keep themselves safe and figure out a way to escape so they can bring much needed aid to a town gone absolutely murderous. There’s a paranormal/science fiction element behind the cause of all this mayhem, and reading about how this all unfolds is pure joy.

Midnight represents all of my absolutely favorite Dean Koontz attributes: strong female protagonist pared with the male protagonist, creepy/spooky atmosphere that is bent toward the supernatural but with a sci-fi slant, a racing/heart pounding pace, and of course a darling golden retriever who is a little bit extra (a possible descendent of the dog in Watchers, especially as he is a service dog). It’s a fabulous novel start to finish. It was written in the late 80’s, and I expected more of it to feel dated—it didn’t. Aside from a lack of personal cellphones, this whole story could have been happening in the here and now.

Honestly, whenever I read a book like this, it reminds me how few books written today in this genre even come close to measuring up. If you love thrillers, especially thrillers with a sci-fi/paranormal bend, and you still have not discovered Dean Koontz, you are missing out on one of the greats.

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is yet another wonderful Koontz read.

I say this with most of my Koontz reads: my views are probably somewhat bias, considering how he is my favourite author. Oh, he is far from perfect. There are times when I have disliked (never hated, merely disliked) what he has written. But as a whole, he has rarely done me wrong. Thus, whenever I see a Koontz book I have yet to read I grab it. Such being the case with Midnight.

I’m not sure when or why, but as of late I’ve been noticing that Koontz’s older books are being released with new covers. Due to this, they are often ending up in stores that sell the recent releases at a discounted price. As I’m not one to turn down a good bargain, I have been jumping upon theses finds as they come about. With Midnight, my excitement was somewhat more than it has been with some of his other books. Midnight had, after all, spent quite some time sitting on my to-read list. I would have worked my way around to it in the end – there was no doubt of that – yet finding it going cheap pushed it up my list.

Unfortunately, my reading of the story was not as straightforward as it should have been. If anything, it was a lesson in why I shouldn’t read books I’m excited about whilst travelling. Oh, I had plenty of time. My journey home is about ten hours, after all. Sadly, the journey turned into a nightmare. Whilst it gave me more time to read – added hours onto a journey have tiny benefits, even if we do not see them at the time – the fact that it was the middle of the night and the reading lights stopped working meant I couldn’t read as much as this as I wanted to.

Thus, my start to the story was not what it should have been.

Oh, I was pulled in – but I was unable to work through as much of it as I wanted to. As always when my journey turns into a nightmare, I really wasn’t up for reading the next couple of days. I wanted to catch up on sleep. Then there was family to see, and a birthday to have. All of it amounted to be book being read in fits and starts. Much to my dismay, every time something good was happening I was pulled away. It seemed as though I was destined never to finish the story.

In the end, however, I put my foot down. I couldn’t take it anymore. How dare people stop me from reading my favourite author! How dare people interrupt a truly engaging story! Thus, I locked myself away until I had finished the couple of hundreds of pages I had left.

Oh how glad I was!

As always, Koontz weaves a wonderful tale. With his usual proses and twists and turns, the tale is a wonderful one – even when read across days with just a chapter or two here and there, as I was forced to experience it. You’re pulled into the world, and you cannot help but want the best for the characters. There are the odd Koontz cliché to be seen here and there – but overall, it’s a wonderful read. Whilst not my favourite, I did enjoy it.

More than worth it if you’re a Koontz fan.

[Dominik Kirtaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

During my Army days I snapped up Koontz, King and Herbert as soon as titles became available. I still treasure the signed book from Koontz (hard to get when living in Europe).

[Chris Steeden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not read a Dean Koontz novel in years. I would have been much much younger the last time I read one. I remember finding them wordy and not very scary. Let’s see what my older self now thinks. Midnight was published in 1989. I may have already read it when I was 19 but I cannot remember it if I did.

Something is rotten in the quiet little northern Californian coastal town of Moonlight Cove. People have been dying and the circumstances are suspicious. An FBI agent, Sam Booker, arrives to find out exactly what is happening. The once thriving economy amongst the 3,000 population appears to be wilting with closed shops and now only one motel and a bar that hardly anyone visits. At the same time, Tessa Jane Lockland arrives to investigate the death of her sister as she does not believe the official response on her death and nor should she. What is being covered-up here by the authorities?

Books like this one and horror films normally take on people’s fears at the time be it nuclear war, viruses or medical and technological advances to name a few. In this case it is the latter. What were these big tech companies experimenting on in those sealed buildings? Koontz throws in a thoroughly creepy megalomaniacal CEO and a small town that seems to be perpetually veiled in mist and fog to ramp up the atmosphere.

Our two heroes, Sam and Tessa, hook-up (surprise, surprise). Will they save the day? This book is 32 years old now but still stands-up. It probably stands-up better now than it did back then. The premise is about humans becoming machines albeit in a forced manner. To then evolve into something above and beyond our current state. Now we have a phone attached to us permanently. How do you feel if you leave the house without your phone? A part of you is missing right? The machine part of you. Elon Musk said that we have turned into cyborgs. This is a snippet from ‘The Verge’. "We’re already a cyborg," said Musk. "You have a digital version of yourself, a partial version of yourself online in the form of your emails, your social media, and all the things that you do." We already have "super powers," contends Musk, citing the world’s access to smartphones and personal computers. "You have more power than the president of the United States had 20 years ago. You can answer any question, you can video conference with anyone, anywhere. You can send messages to millions of people instantly. Just do incredible things." But that’s only the start.

I sit in front of a computer for 10 hours a day, probably more in reality. I can see me morphing into the PC. Maybe I should not have read this book. Talking of Elon Musk earlier, I wonder how his Neuralink is coming along?

[Matt Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another good read from Koontz. Grips you from the beginning and gets stranger and more intriguing from there.

Publisher's Summary

In picturesque Moonlight Cove, California, inexplicable deaths occur, and spine-tingling terror descends to this edge of paradise. Growing numbers of residents harbor a secret so dark it is sure to cost even more lives.

Tessa Lockland comes to town to probe her sister's seemingly unprompted suicide. Independent and clever, she meets up with Sam Booker, an undercover FBI agent sent to Moonlight Cove to discover the truth behind the mysterious deaths.

They meet Harry Talbot, a wheelchair-bound veteran, who has seen things from his window that he was not meant to see. Together they begin to understand the depth of evil in Moonlight Cove. Chrissie Foster, a resourceful 11-year-old, running from parents who have suddenly changed and in whom darkness dwells, joins them. Together they make a stand against darkness and terror.

[Juancho Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro con una historia super adictiva, el autor combina el terror y la ciencia ficción dándonos unas aterradoras creaturas, y una historia brutal.

Los personajes de Medianoche me parecieron excelentes, unos personajes que te van a hacer vivir y sentir la pérdida de alguien y la emoción de sobrevivir a aquella perdida.

Les recomiendo mucho este libro por su historias por sus personajes, por esas creaturas aterradoras, esas creaturas que solo quieren comer y matar.