Odd Hours

Odd Thomas #4

by Dean Koontz

Only a handful of fictional characters are recognized by first name alone. Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas is one of those rare literary heroes who have come alive in readers’ imaginations as he explores the greatest mysteries of this world and the next with his inimitable wit, heart, and quiet gallantry. Now Koontz follows Odd as he is irresistibly drawn onward to a destiny he cannot imagine and to undreamed of places where the perils he will face and the stakes for which he fights will eclipse all that he has known.

The legend began in the obscure little town of Pico Mundo. A fry cook named Odd was rumored to have the extraordinary ability to communicate with the dead. Through tragedy and triumph, exhilaration and heartbreak, word of Odd Thomas’s gifts filtered far beyond Pico Mundo, attracting unforgettable new friends—and enemies of implacable evil. With great gifts comes the responsibility to meet great challenges. But no mere human being was ever meant to face the darkness that now stalks the world—not even one as oddly special as Odd Thomas.

After grappling with the very essence of reality itself, after finding the veil that separates him from his soul mate, Stormy Llewellyn, tantalizingly thin yet impenetrable, Odd longed only to return to a life of quiet anonymity with his two otherworldly sidekicks—his dog Boo and a new companion, one of the few who might rival his old pal Elvis. But a true hero, however humble, must persevere. Haunted by dreams of an all-encompassing red tide, Odd is pulled inexorably to the sea, to a small California coastal town where nothing is as it seems. Now the forces arrayed against him have both official sanction and an infinitely more sinister authority…and in this dark night of the soul dawn will come only after the most shattering revelations of all.

Burnishing Dean Koontz’s stature as a master of suspense and one of our most innovative and gifted storytellers, Odd Hours illuminates a legacy of mystery and hope that will shine on long after the final page.

From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller, Mystery, Paranormal, Supernatural

397 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

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.

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

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are keeping a running tally if Dean Koontz novels with a golden retriever in them, add another hash mark for Odd Hours.

I continue to enjoy the Odd series, but my one complaint is that the pacing, the story, the motivations, the progress, etc. all feel a bit flat. Things are never a 10, they are never a 1, they are always just at 5 or 6. This is interesting because there is some stuff that happens that should be very intense, but it isn't. Some of this may be caused by the characterization of Odd (who has never seemed all that plussed in even the strangest and most intense situations since book one).

Also, I cannot tell if he gets into odd situations because of his name, or if his name is Odd because of the situations he gets into. He is just always dealing with the weirdest stuff!

In summary, if you have read and enjoyed up through Brother Odd, keep on trucking with Odd Hours. But, don't expect much difference in the feel of the story (which may please some of you).

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was an absolute train wreck. Having been a fan of and read all 3 previous Odd Thomas novels, I was very disappointed with this book.

This novel could have been condensed to about 200 pages. There was way too much "filler information". I became frustrated when the plot would drag, and then as it seemed to be moving along, it would go off track once again. Maybe this was Koontz's intended style, but I found it too much and annoying.

I don't need a biography on Sinatra or a Wikipedia article on the habits of coyotes.

Odds sarcastic wit/humor was way overdone to the point it lost its effectiveness and became old.

I also found many of the parts of this story very predictable.

All and all, I'm not bashing Koontz as I've read many of his novels and have been a fan. But this book left a lot to be desired and I hope the next OT novel is greatly improved.

[Miranda Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd Thomas is used to the weird looks and puzzled faces. He's a fry cook at the Pico Mundo Grill and a dang good one - but his true talents lie in his ability to see beyond.

But this "gift" has caused more than his fair share of heartache. He's lost his love, Stormy, and a few companions are no longer with him (either spiritually, or just physically)...but he pushes on.

And now, he's being pushed to a small coastal town where things are strange, even for Odd Thomas. Will he be able to unravel the secrets? Or will he remain tangled up for the rest of time?

This one was a bit of an oddball one, even for an Odd Thomas book...and yet I'm here for it.

The benefit of such strong, likeable characters is that they could be doing anything (or nothing), and I'm still invested in the story.

I really just like going along with the ride and listening to Odd Thomas's musings and mutterings about the world. It's fun, and I'm here for it!

Audiobook Comments
Narrator was David Aaron Baker - nicely read.

YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Odd Thomas is back in a brand new action-packed adventure. When he ends up on the coastal town of Magic Bay with his ghost dog Boo and ghost travelling companion the singer Frank Sinatra, Odd Thomas decided to work for silent film star Hutch. It is only when his psychic magnetism attracts him to a young woman Annamaria who is in danger of being killed by bad guys who plan to destroy the world. Can Odd save her and the world? Read on and find out for yourself.

This was a great installment of the Odd Thomas series which was very action packed and I look forward to reading book 5 in the future. Look for the Odd Thomas series at your local library and wherever books are sold.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm so annoyed with myself for abandoning this series for so long as I was enjoying it and its been tough to get back into the swing of things. I didn't enjoy the book as much as I should have because I couldn't really remember what had happened previously.

I also felt that this book was full of fillers. Not a lot happened and what did felt dragged out. I'm pretty sure the first few books in the series weren't like this.

Anyway I feel I'm getting back into this now so I shall jump straight into Odd Interlude to keep the momentum going.

I'm giving this book two stars with a caveat that my lack of enjoyment could be down to my abandonment.

[Lori Whitwam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars may be the fewest I'd ever give a Dean Koontz book. Koontz fans (of which I am one) love Odd Thomas and his unpredictable supernatural abilities, troubled but simple life, and drive to do good in the world. This installment in the Odd Thomas saga, though, fell a bit short of the mark.

There are wonderful passages - Koontz has an amazing gift for description that is never cliche or vague. But this is one of the books in which the entire story takes place in just one day. I don't care for this because it necessitates painfully long segments in which Odd's every thought and step, every tiny nuance of what he sees, hears, smells, or wonders must be explored.

Also, Odd is away from Pico Mundo, and even from the monastery where he spent the last book, because he is frequently "called" somewhere to prevent an unknown atrocity. He usually has a fascinating, eclectic cast of supporting characters, but they were weaker than usual in this book. I totally don't get Annamaria, and I didn't appreciate the vague allusions at the conclusion suggesting some possible tie to his lost love, Stormy Llwellyn.

The plot was OK, but hasn't the "scary, maniacal terrorist" thing been a bit done to death? And it clearly ended with the next novel already set up, which makes for a very unsatisfying end to the current one.

[Amber J (Thereadingwitch) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler-free way. Unfortunately, there is still always a risk of slight spoilers despite my best efforts. If you feel something in my review is a spoiler please let me know. Thank you.

Another great book in the series. Like the others I found this one to be funny and Odd to be charming. I found this one scarier than the last two but maybe not as much as the first. The really scary thing to me is my wonder of how possible such a scenario is. I'm no expert on such things and my worry might be unfounded, but it's there all the same. The book dragged a bit in places and left a lot of questions. That's why it lost a star for me.

It seems that there is a couple of new characters rolling into the next book of the series. I can't wait to find out how this proceeds.

[Belinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love Odd Thomas as a character. He is a very lovable, warm and caring sole. The book however was not great. I have read 4 books in this series now and I’m sad to say that after the first brilliant book I’ve yet to read another that has been half as good.

[Ethan’s Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I love the idea of Odd Thomas. I love what he stands for, and I love the vibe of the series. Aside from the first one, the rest have been just so-so. I hope the next one is better. There was strides of a good story in Odd Hours, but it felt like as soon as we got on track with the story we would fall off on drawn out details. Idk. It could just be a me problem. The story is good, but I can’t rate it higher. Sorry.

[Echo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as fabulous as I expected out of the Odd Thomas series. Koontz even manages to reference another of his novels, not at all related to the world of Odd Thomas, if you catch it. In the beginning Odd is wearing a sweatshirt with the words "Mystery Train" across the front that he got at "a thrift store". Die hard Koontz fans will recognize the Mystery Train from Christopher Snow's world in "Seize the Night". Does this mean Snow and Odd might eventually cross paths? There's something I would like to read.

Anyway, trivia aside, Odd continues to hold the heart of his reader with his utter lack of guile & lovely habit of editing the bad languange of everyone around him. Koontz has definitely found us a hero we can love without any reserve.

There is a definite cliff-hanger at the end of this book, promising us that our love-affair with Odd need not end yet. The questions of who exactly is Annamarie, how were those prarie dogs more than what they were, & will Odd ever be reunited with Stormy will keep me in suspense of the next.

The action was a little more fast-paced in this novel than I usually like & there was a real lack of development of any characters other than Odd, which kind of bothered me. I missed Odd's friends in Pico Mundo although I loved the addition of Boo & Frank Sinatra. Although, I have to say I loved Elvis more, but perhaps only because he was so much more developed & involved in Odd's world. Not even Sinatra was able to break through the fast-pace of this book.

Although I loved the book, I think Koontz kind of hurried through writing it & I missed the great characters & deep thought that usually goes into his books. I hope that in the next one Sinatra will develop into someone we can love & Boo (& Raphael) will hold more of a place than getting Odd out of only one mess. It wasn't nearly as good as Brother Odd, but we'll give you one more chance to redeem yourself, Koontz, before we lambast you for just selling the commercial-ness Odd.

Still worth the read, though, Odd lovers.

[Myr · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to see that Koontz had written another Odd Thomas book - I like the character, and I find his paranormal abilities fascinating. But this was by far my least favorite of the OT books. While this one has an interesting premise (Odd is drawn to the small coastal town of Magic Beach, CA by apocalyptic nightmares), I found the execution very lacking.

Again, Koontz really needs to cut down on "witty" dialogue. It just isn't as clever or endearing as he thinks it is. Increasingly, I find myself just skimming long exchanges, whether they're between friends or foes, because they don't add to the story. Given the urgency of the situation in this book, there was just far too much of it.

Second, I did not care for the open-ended way Koontz closes this book. We deserved to get more of an explanation of who or what Annamaria is. I didn't find her enigmatic, I found her annoyingly cliche and poorly written. She struck me as a waste of time, as she didn't factor into this story, truly. All the open threads only left me frustrated, NOT looking forward to the next book.

And really...poltergeist!Sinatra? Really, Dean?

[Ewa (Fedra) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Po tylu latach wróciłam w końcu do jednego z moich ulubionych pisarzy rzeczy dziwnych i niekiedy strasznych.
Bardzo lubię Odda jako postać. Jest niezwykle ciepłą i empatyczną osobą, brzydzi się przemocą, ale nie ucieka od niej, kiedy sytuacja w żadnym stopniu nie przedstawia sobą innego wyjścia. Ma dość sarkastyczno-ironiczny sposób na opisywanie świata, po dłuższym czytaniu może to przeszkadzać (dlatego zwracam na to uwagę), mi jednak odpowiada.
Uwielbiam też sposób, w jaki Koontz snuje opowieść, której miejscem wydarzeń jest małe miasteczko, szczególnie kiedy akcja odbywa się w nocy. Pełno tutaj dziwności, odczucia że wszystko zatrzymało się w miejscu i niesamowitego klimatu. Bardzo mi to przypominało moją ukochaną dylogię od autora Moonlight Bay.
Nie wszystkie powieści Koontz'a uwielbiam, ale naprawdę zachęcam, aby zapoznać się z tym autorem.

[Alissa Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was such shit. Worst one of the series. I hope the next one is better. Ugh.

[John McDermott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but more of a supernatural thriller than a horror. Odd Thomas is an engaging hero and despite the violence, this is at times a warm hearted, almost cosy book which was a little strange at first.
An entertaining, easy read.

[Lemurkat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another Koontx book that feels rather like he typed it up on the weekend, glanced over it once and thought "she'll be right". Like the previous Odd books, this contains some clever language and some rather entertaining non-cliches in Odd's thoughts. This is probably its saving grace. But, also like other Koontz novels, this contains bad guys with poorly explained motives, a pretty weak plot and despite what the "Observer" review says on the back, does NOT contain a "terrific final twist" or if it did, I blinked and missed it.

Oh, and there's a golden retriever in it. I can understand that Koontz is very fond of dogs and the loyalty they provide. But does that mean that one needs to be inserted into every story? Boo the ghost dog is pretty neat, do we really need a mortal dog along for the ride? And what's with the pregnant woman? How's she related to Stormy, if at all? Well, don't go reading this book looking for answers. 'Cos you won't find them unless they're hiding between the lines (and quite frankly, I was in too much of a hurry to get the dratted thing finished to go looking for it).

[Senf Dazu · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3/5 -

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as it’s always fun spending time with Odd, this was definitely my least favourite of the series so far. There was too much left unexplained or hand-waved away, a lot of the plot beats seemed too convenient (even allowing for Odd’s psychic magnetism ability) and I found the enigmatic Annamaria irritating.

There were some nice action sequences, though, and the gentle humour characteristic of the series was still quite charming.

[Melodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odd Thomas and his current ghostly companion,Frank Sinatra take on the latest baddies. This time though, the end game has global implications. I enjoyed this installment as much or maybe even a little more than the previous ones. Odd Thomas and his unique life view has become a favorite of mine.
I can forgive if the plot line drags a bit here and there. And yes, the pace is a bit rushed.(The whole book takes place over twenty four hours). But I love the pithy grace under extreme pressure. And of course there's the mining of nuggets from past books and of course the presence of another Golden Retriever.
This isn't War and Peace. It's Odd Thomas.

[Mel Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one although as much as I wanted to give it five stars but just couldn't because of a few things. The character Annamara bugged me, and I was totally bummed by the ending. Also there was this one scene were OT was stuck under a pier for like 20 pages and I all but literally screamed at the book to just get out from under the pier already.
All that being said, I love Koontz books and his writing. I love the way he describes things and the way he writes in general and this for me was a great story!

[Kristie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Koontz has a way of rambling on in some areas and giving a bit too much detail at times, but I just love Odd as a character. Also, there were a couple of times in this book where I laughed out loud due to the witty dialogue. I do have to admit that I didn't have all of my questions answered in this book, but I'm hoping to figure out what was going on with a couple of things in the next book. I look forward to being in Odd's world again soon.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewers have a mixed opinion about Koontz’s work, or feel his work is inconsistent- I wouldn’t know as I’ve only read his Odd Thomas series. It’s brilliant. I love him as a character. In this one, the story line didn’t much appeal but the book was still funny and entertaining because of Odd. Recommended series.

[Jak · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m sorry but this was truly awful. Not just Koontz’s worst Odd book but one of his worst, period. I’m struggling to think of any redeeming feature.

For starters the pace of the book was all wrong seemingly going slow slow quick slow slow. This is because very little actually happens in the first 300 pages and the reader is presented with overly long descriptive narrative and Odd Thomas ‘philosophy’. The plot itself was like something the production team of 24 rejected and throwing in a supernatural element to it just makes it laughable. At least in 24 (which is generally speaking ridiculous plot wise) there is at least a sense of imminent and impending danger. The Nukes in Odd Hours are scheduled to go off for months. Hardly one minute to midnight stuff.

Koontz tried to install wit and verve via Odd but it was all cringe worthy and over done. For the first huddled or so pages every paragraph would end with and Odd witticism. It would have been too much had they been good but as they were awful it made things cringe worthy. Worse yet it turns Odd, one of Koontz best loved characters, into an imbecile and is no way makes you feel sympathetic to Odd as you should.

The dialogue was sub-standard and clunky and Koontz usual cast of characters put in an appearance. Some one disabled with indomitable spirit and inner beauty and the ubiquitous dog. With Elvis having passed over in Brother Odd what could Koontz do for a bit of showbiz cool? Surely he would not try to rehash an idea that was original at first but had got tired and was rightly pensioned off before it became annoying….. oh but he did.

So this time with have Ol’ Blue Eyes himself Sinatra!!! YAY! Strange hoe Odd is never shadowed by the 5th Beatle or some one hit wonder huh? No, just music royalty for the lad from Pico Minto. And as for Odd winding him up to turn him into poltergeist Sinatra…. This has to be one of the weakest plot twists ever

Then there is Annamaria. What was the point of her? She did absolutely nothing for the plot or Odd during the book and was only there clearly as an introduction for the next Odd book. Koontz tried to make her enigmatic and mysterious but she was basically very annoying, smug and incredibly unhelpful never answering a strait question. And I can’t believe that anyone will not have already worked out this spoiler but she’s clearly the living embodiment of Stormy Llewellyn.

Then we get to the ending…oh dear god, please no. Koontz kept painting himself into a corner with Odd trapped by a bad guy. So in comes bad guy number 2 and shots the first bad guy. But wait, Odd is now covered by Bad guys 2. What to do? I’ve got it!! Bad guys 3 enters and shots bad guy 2! Ta da! Oh wait, Odd is still trapped with a bad guy. I know, here’s a twist that no one will ever guess! Enter bad guy 4 and guess what!!!! You’ll never get it, honest. Not in a million years…… bad guy 4 shoots bad guys 3! Seriously, utter genius and startlingly original never been done before stuff! Hmmmm wait a mo, that didn’t quite work out how I expected. Odd is still trapped and covered by a bad guy. Ah screw it, I’ll have Odd shot the bad guy and walk free.

Oh and the bomb plot was largely facilitated by a disillusioned priest. Well I guess it makes a change from fiddling with the alter boys.

The book itself has absolutely no resolution and leave more lose ends than I have ever encountered in a book. You know nothing more about the mysterious Annamaria than you did at page one. You have no uncovering of the shadowy forces that instigated the bomb plot. Odd doesn’t not grow or evolve as a character.

At best the book is a hugely weak and superfluous set up for a 5th instalment of Odd Thomas. However, it genuinely feels like Koontz was told he had 30 day before his next book was due, had nothing on the slate so banged out an Odd book as fast as he could.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occasionally great writers, like Dean Koontz, find a niche, which fits them so well that they rise above their already lofty status to produce works, which define them. Dean Koontz has done this with his Odd Thomas series. Like Stephen King with his Dark Tower Books, Koontz accomplishes this feat – in my opinion – with his incredible understanding of the lead character and his world.

In, Odd Hours, Koontz explores two of America’s biggest internal threats – greed and extreme idealism – and pits his hero, Odd Thomas, against a cast of all-too-close-to-home villains that will have you wondering about the guy who picks up your trash, and even that nice lady from church who gives so much of herself to help those in need.

I found the ending of Odd Hours – which left me wondering about the fate of the various would-be assassins, and curious as to what “else” were those coyotes – a bit anticlimactic, but the wonderful characterization and suspenseful, adventurous setting more than make up for this.

– Bob Avey, author of the Detective Elliot Series

[Patrick O'Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Odd Hours
Author: Dean Koontz
Fiction/Non-Fiction: Fiction
Genre: Suspense/Horror
Date Started Book: July 4, 2008
Date Finished Book: July 9, 2008

Before Reading:

What do I expect to gain from reading this?
I am already a fan of the Odd Thomas series; I was looking to continue Odd's adventures.

During/After Reading:

Brief Overall Summary of the Book:
Odd has returned from the monastery of Brother Odd, the previous book, and has settled in the little coastal town of Magic Beach. He has a premonition of a large number of deaths, which are somehow related to "The Woman of the Bell," a pregnant woman who he has seen on the pier. He named her thus because she wears a bell necklace around her neck. Odd goes to the pier, finds the woman, talks to her and finds her to be very nice, but very cryptic, and then meets three thugs. He convinces Annamaria, which is the woman of the bell's first name, to leave the pier and let him handle the thugs. When one of the thugs touches him, Odd and the thug (who we later learn is named Utgard (the name seems to be related to the Norse giants) also experiences the dream. In the confusion, Odd jumps off of the pier and escapes.

Odd uses his "psychic magnetism" power to find Annamaria, who asks him if he will die for her. To his surprise, he says yes and becomes her protector. He takes her to his friend Birdie, and older lady who was deformed by her drunken father as a child. Birdie agrees to watch after her while Odd takes care of saving the world from the death he saw.

Odd goes to the house of a man who assaulted him on the beach after he had escaped from the first band of thugs, and finds the man dead in his house, with a woman. The sprit of the dead man appears, and is very upset. Shortly after appearing, the mirror reaches out and grabs the spirit, and takes him, presumably to hell. Odd very briefly sees a terrible face in the mirror. Odd speculates that spirits that are going to be punished rarely wait around in this world for very long because they owe a debt, and can't escape paying it. Odd leaves the house quickly through a window as the police arrive. In the backyard he runs into a fence in the dense fog, alerting the police of his presence, and escapes them, with the help of a Golden Retriever he meets along the way. Odd runs to a church.

In the church he meets the minister, who counsels him, but the minister calls the police because he recognizes the dog. The policeman who comes is the chief of police, who is scary, big, and mean. He takes Odd to jail to interrogate him, but not before Odd can hide his wallet (and the wallet of the dead man) in the church.

Odd is being interrogated, and he discovers that Hoss Shakleton, the Police Chief, thinks that he and Annamaria are some secret agents, here to stop his plan to blow up four nuclear bombs in cities in the US. Odd plays along, and even pretends to be interested in helping Shakleton and make a lot of money, but then he escapes with the help of the ghost of Frank Sinatra, who has been following Odd since Elvis left him to move on to the next life. Odd taunts Sinatra into becoming a poltergeist, and uses this time to escape the Chief and Utgard, who has joined him in the interrogation room.

Odd stows aboard the boat going to get the nukes, kills (much to his dismay -- he didn't ever want to kill anyone, but had no choice; he feels that he did not murder, he killed for the greater good) the thugs on the boat, beaches the boat, and calls the FBI and Homeland Security to take care of the nukes. At the end of the book, he runs into the Chief again when he goes to get his wallet, and narrowly escapes him when he is killed by one of the thugs from the beginning of the book. The preacher also kills his wife (they were also in on the scheme.) Odd is also forced to kill the other thug at the church, in order to escape. In and around the church, Odd encounters coyotes (for the second time in the book) and at first runs from them, but eventually escapes them by telling them to leave, and that they did not belong there, as Annamaria did during the first coyote encounter. This does not work until Odd touches the bell pendant, which Annamaria had given him in the beginning of the book. Annamaria told Odd earlier that the coyotes were what they seemed and more; since we did not see Bodachs in this book, I suspect that the coyotes may have been Bodachs in disguise.

The book ends with Odd leaving with Annamaria (who seems to know a lot about Odd's past with his "Lost Girl Stormy," and even calls him "Odd One," as Stormy did in the first book.) Birdie says that she will join them later, and they drive away. Odd has a mental breakdown because of all of the killing, and Annamaria reassures him that he has saved entire cities. On the last page of the book is a copy of the card that Odd had gotten from a gypsy fortune teller machine with Stormy in the first book, which reads "You Are Destined to Be Together Forever."

Interesting things about the book's structure:
The book is structured like any Odd Thomas book; it is suspenseful. Often times I never saw a surprise coming, but once it came I can't believe I missed it!

Recurring images/themes/other things:
Coyotes; Odd wanting to see Stormy in the afterlife, but not wanting to die, as he loves life; Hope, and "the lake of abiding hope," where he and Stormy had once gone.

What I thought of the book:
Awesome. I can't wait for the next one -- this seems to be setting up apocalyptic adventures to come!

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got locked out of my place the other night, and the friend who has our spare keys wasn't around. So I went to the drugstore and bought this book, then headed to the nearest sushi restaurant to kill time with some rolls, booze, and this book.

Let's just get this out of the way right now. This book is not good at all. It is terrible. But it was *so* terrible that it became funny and eventually I couldn't wait to see exactly how much more dreadful writing the author could pack into the rest of it. So the book itself is one star, but the looking forward to the remaining horrible-ness bumps it up to two stars.

For starters, Dean Koontz keeps making his main character bring up Shakespeare. Obviously, Mr. Koontz would like me to start drawing comparisons in my head between his writing (which, as mentioned above, is execrable) and Shakespeare's. To paraphrase, I have read Shakespeare and Dean Koontz is no Shakespeare.

Dean Koontz also likes to make his character talk about how other authors have written things really badly, thus elevating his main character above such terrible writing. It is terribly conceited and pompous and self-absorbed, and just plain off the mark. Given that this is one of the most horribly written books that I've read in the last few years.

Just to let everyone know exactly how bad this book is -- I can't tell you which is worse: this or The Da Vinci Code. Does that make everything perfectly clear?

I could go on and on about all the horrible tics this author uses, but I'll just stop here.

If you're locked out of your place, spend your $10 on a crappy romance novel instead.

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again Dean Koontz has created something wonderful with this Odd book.

Odd has moved again, not yet returning to his home. This time he’s faced with a mysterious female who seems to know more than she is letting on, although she is sure to prevent Odd from glimpsing beneath the surface to see what is hidden. Whilst dealing with the female’s general avoidance of his many questions the male has the task of protecting her and helping countless other people. As always Odd steps up to the task in the only way he seems to know how, dealing with yet another evil in the world. Again, we’re seeing Koontz at his best with the many different emotions he puts into the book leaving you hooked from start to end.

[Patsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate giving this book two stars, because I LOVE Odd Thomas. He is one of my favorite fictional characters. This novel was as well written as Koontz novel's usually are, with those wonderful turns of phrase ... it just didn't seem as pulled together. I thought at first it was an exercise in developing Odd's character further. But Odd is what he is. Finally, after completing the novel, I thought that perhaps there is a Part II coming on it's heels, because there was much unfinished business. "All things in their time," as the character Annamaria says. But clearly Koontz did not intend for us to understand all things in the time it took to read this novel.

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odd Hours picks right up from the last pages of Brother Odd, and this one finds Odd Thomas at Magic Beach, California, which I don't even know if Magic Beach is a real place or fictional, I looked it up just out of curiosity but didn't find any Magic Beach, so I assume it's fictional. Anyway, I found this book to be very different than the previous books in the series, this one didn't involve much supernatural stuff like the previous ones. Still, it was a great book.

Now for book #5, Odd Apocalypse!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: 'Magic Beach', California, USA; modern day.
In the fourth book featuring our young hero Odd Thomas, Odd's instincts for pending disaster have led him to the coastal community of Magic Beach. Here, a disturbing dream leads him to an encounter with the enigmatic Annamaria - and a group of men who seem intent on doing harm to both of them. When Odd is saved from the corrupt local police chief by the actions of Frank Sinatra's ghost (great scene!), Odd sets out to disrupt the group's nefarious plans!....
Another great read in the series although I expected Annamaria to have more of a role - perhaps in future books?! Found this a very quick read - really enjoy the main character and his style of narration - 8.5/10.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Odd is always... odd. Another fun novel to listen to while riding the range. Odd Thomas was good company and it was a tale worth listening to.