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What the Night Knows #1
What the Night Knows
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERIn the late summer of a long-ago year, Alton Turner Blackwood brutally murdered four families. His savage spree ended only when he himself was killed by the last survivor of the last family, a fourteen-year-old boy.Half a continent away and two decades later, someone is murdering families again, re-creating in detail Blackwood’s crimes. Homicide detective John Calvino is certain that his own family—his wife and three children—will be targets, just as his parents and sisters were victims on that distant night when he was fourteen and killed their slayer.As a detective, John is a man of reason who deals in cold facts. But an extraordinary experience convinces him that sometimes death is not a one-way journey, that sometimes the dead return.Includes the bonus novella Darkness Under the Sun and an excerpt from Dean Koontz's The City!
546 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2010
1826 people are currently reading
10439 people want to read
About the author
Dean Koontz
906 books39.6k 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,924 reviews
March 5, 2022
I was going to just say this is terrible and stay away, but didn't want to be lazy.
Honestly this book was a waste of time. At around the 50 percent mark I started to skim in self defense. At the 75 percent mark I was actively hoping the family in this book would die since that at least would rise to interesting. At the 100 percent mark I loathed everything and that included Legos (do not ask, I beg of you) and golden retrievers.
I refuse to go back and look up people's names so just know the main guy we care about is scared something dreadful is about to befall his family due to the similarity of a murder that occurs that leaves one boy alive with his whole family dead. Twist is the boy did it.
Guy #1 is an orphan after a serial killer murdered his whole family and to make things worse, raped his two sisters before killing them. He survived due to shooting serial killer. By the way you don't get any of that information til almost I think at the 20 percent mark. Once again I refuse to look back, so don't ask. Guy #1 is a LAPD detective (most of Koontz's characters are) and somehow has managed to marry a millionaire artist or some such. I don't know. So Guy #1 and Wife have three kids (son, daughter #1, and daughter #2). While Guy #1 goes around having feelings and dread he doesn't tell his family a thing and goes along while increasingly horrible things happen.
There are so many characters in this book I can't keep them straight. There is the evil bad guy and for some odd reason Koontz adds his POV via journal entries and man has evil never been so boring. Also, this whole dude's persona is freaking similar to the big bad in "Hideaway" so I yawned through his mess. Also I would argue he takes some cues from Fallen (Denzel Washington movie) so once again this book kept reading like something I had read and seen before.
Guy #1 starts tracking down other families that he thinks that Big Bad could be aiming for, but once again waits until a ridiculously long time to clue his wife or anyone else in. At one point a poor girl he just talks to is killed and dude drives away and doesn't say a word about it to his wife! I just couldn't with the idiocy of all the people in this book. You want another example? A woman who knows her brother molested her sister (who committed suicide over it) allows the brother to keep coming by to see her family cause she's worried she will make things worse by not allowing him over.
Are. You. Serious?!
Let's not even go into how Daughter #1 is the stupidest child in literary form I can think of at this point in my life. She's 11 and apparently has no sense about stranger danger. A mirror she can reach through which also has a voice inside threatens her she still wants to explore cause Narnia. Yes, I am serious. Guess what, if I can reach through a damn mirror and a voice threatens me, I would be throwing it out of my house.
Bah. I am done.
The writing was terrible throughout. I will say that the initial part of the book (first 5 percent) held promise, but Koontz over writes this book to death. A key point is made about these murders occurring every 33 days, and we literally have Guy #1 just spinning his wheels.
And due to Koontz shifting POVs to each of his family members as well as potential victims of the Big Bad and others this book dragged for hours.
The ending was ludicrous and that's all in going to say.
The book gives an excerpt into a short story about the Big Bad that was just as terrible as the novel so there's that.
Honestly this book was a waste of time. At around the 50 percent mark I started to skim in self defense. At the 75 percent mark I was actively hoping the family in this book would die since that at least would rise to interesting. At the 100 percent mark I loathed everything and that included Legos (do not ask, I beg of you) and golden retrievers.
I refuse to go back and look up people's names so just know the main guy we care about is scared something dreadful is about to befall his family due to the similarity of a murder that occurs that leaves one boy alive with his whole family dead. Twist is the boy did it.
Guy #1 is an orphan after a serial killer murdered his whole family and to make things worse, raped his two sisters before killing them. He survived due to shooting serial killer. By the way you don't get any of that information til almost I think at the 20 percent mark. Once again I refuse to look back, so don't ask. Guy #1 is a LAPD detective (most of Koontz's characters are) and somehow has managed to marry a millionaire artist or some such. I don't know. So Guy #1 and Wife have three kids (son, daughter #1, and daughter #2). While Guy #1 goes around having feelings and dread he doesn't tell his family a thing and goes along while increasingly horrible things happen.
There are so many characters in this book I can't keep them straight. There is the evil bad guy and for some odd reason Koontz adds his POV via journal entries and man has evil never been so boring. Also, this whole dude's persona is freaking similar to the big bad in "Hideaway" so I yawned through his mess. Also I would argue he takes some cues from Fallen (Denzel Washington movie) so once again this book kept reading like something I had read and seen before.
Guy #1 starts tracking down other families that he thinks that Big Bad could be aiming for, but once again waits until a ridiculously long time to clue his wife or anyone else in. At one point a poor girl he just talks to is killed and dude drives away and doesn't say a word about it to his wife! I just couldn't with the idiocy of all the people in this book. You want another example? A woman who knows her brother molested her sister (who committed suicide over it) allows the brother to keep coming by to see her family cause she's worried she will make things worse by not allowing him over.
Are. You. Serious?!
Let's not even go into how Daughter #1 is the stupidest child in literary form I can think of at this point in my life. She's 11 and apparently has no sense about stranger danger. A mirror she can reach through which also has a voice inside threatens her she still wants to explore cause Narnia. Yes, I am serious. Guess what, if I can reach through a damn mirror and a voice threatens me, I would be throwing it out of my house.
Bah. I am done.
The writing was terrible throughout. I will say that the initial part of the book (first 5 percent) held promise, but Koontz over writes this book to death. A key point is made about these murders occurring every 33 days, and we literally have Guy #1 just spinning his wheels.
And due to Koontz shifting POVs to each of his family members as well as potential victims of the Big Bad and others this book dragged for hours.
The ending was ludicrous and that's all in going to say.
The book gives an excerpt into a short story about the Big Bad that was just as terrible as the novel so there's that.
January 9, 2011
While not as horrible as some of Koontz's latest offerings, What The Night Knows is still pretty bad when compared to his other output, and rather terrible when compared to the output of others.
It actually starts really promising, with an interesting premise and a good opening chapters. I've read them earlier, when they were availible to preview before publication. It turns out after these first four chapters the novel goes downhill and crashes at the end.
There is nothing here that wasn't done before in the genre (and in Koontz's earlier writings). However, it suffers from the dramatic change in tone (from scary and tense to sappy and schmaltzy) that plagues Koontz's offerings from the last ten years.
The writing itself is not very good. A river of adjectives runs through it, obvious plot points are repeated several times (in case someone should miss them with all the exposition going on) all of this adorned in horribly clumsy foreshadowing (something TERRIBLE is going on!) that maintans cheap tension.
In line with the great opening sentence, Koontz never specifies the time period or location for his novel. But then he goes onto his own political tangents and has one character talk about Dr. Phil on TV and events like 9/11.
The characters are caricatures - especially the children. Koontz was obviously never a part in family life, and yet chooses to devote a substantial amount of space to preteen children, and not surprisingly they all are much more mature than their age would suggest, meaning they broadcast author's sentiments - one boy worries about evil dictators in the world an wants to become a marine to protect his sisters from the evil bad guys and he's like 10 years old or less. In fact, the children never watch television, play videogames, follow ANY trend. I am amazed how someone who has no idea how children think, speak and act often chooses to use them in his novels. The adults are all two dimensional - the bad characters are really bad, and the only flaw a Koontz will give his protagonist is at most self-doubt. Now, I like to read about devoted heroes (even if they are idealized) but all of his characters are like that.
It's also rare for anyone in Koontz universe to worry about the allmighty dollar. John, the main cop, is a regular cop who can affordto employ STAFF. He can also take two months off witout worrying about his dough. His wife homeschools their three children and is an acclaimed artist, never tired for spiritual sex with her husband, and has STAFF doing things for her around the house. If you're able to connect to these characters, then good for you. The most human and interesting character is the bad guy.
The voice of the narrator is indiscernible between narrator and character and between character and character, and aside from one figure (the priest) there's no really memorable persona here. The writing is clinical and anemic, devoid of any joy and excitement, and aside from the few lines from the first chapter there are no memorable passages of prose.
The thing is so slowly paced. The family of the protagonist is said to be ideal and extremely close, but when they start experiencing disturbing events they all impropably and conveniently fail to share this crucial information with each other. The novel never builds to any dramatic tension whatsoever. The ending sequences are exhaustivly extended cop-outs composed of incredible coincidences, as in most Koontz novels.
I'm sorry, but I can't recommend this to anyone. Even though it's better than Relentless, Breathless and The Good Guy,it's nowhere near the level of Midnight, The Bad Place or Intensity. What The Night Knows is poorly plotted, derivative (think Fallen) and badly written (every page is obviously carefully composed, but over the years any style or tension has bleached - now it's a cold list of events and dialogues). As it promised a return to Koontz's earlier style, I am sorely disappointed.
It actually starts really promising, with an interesting premise and a good opening chapters. I've read them earlier, when they were availible to preview before publication. It turns out after these first four chapters the novel goes downhill and crashes at the end.
There is nothing here that wasn't done before in the genre (and in Koontz's earlier writings). However, it suffers from the dramatic change in tone (from scary and tense to sappy and schmaltzy) that plagues Koontz's offerings from the last ten years.
The writing itself is not very good. A river of adjectives runs through it, obvious plot points are repeated several times (in case someone should miss them with all the exposition going on) all of this adorned in horribly clumsy foreshadowing (something TERRIBLE is going on!) that maintans cheap tension.
In line with the great opening sentence, Koontz never specifies the time period or location for his novel. But then he goes onto his own political tangents and has one character talk about Dr. Phil on TV and events like 9/11.
The characters are caricatures - especially the children. Koontz was obviously never a part in family life, and yet chooses to devote a substantial amount of space to preteen children, and not surprisingly they all are much more mature than their age would suggest, meaning they broadcast author's sentiments - one boy worries about evil dictators in the world an wants to become a marine to protect his sisters from the evil bad guys and he's like 10 years old or less. In fact, the children never watch television, play videogames, follow ANY trend. I am amazed how someone who has no idea how children think, speak and act often chooses to use them in his novels. The adults are all two dimensional - the bad characters are really bad, and the only flaw a Koontz will give his protagonist is at most self-doubt. Now, I like to read about devoted heroes (even if they are idealized) but all of his characters are like that.
It's also rare for anyone in Koontz universe to worry about the allmighty dollar. John, the main cop, is a regular cop who can affordto employ STAFF. He can also take two months off witout worrying about his dough. His wife homeschools their three children and is an acclaimed artist, never tired for spiritual sex with her husband, and has STAFF doing things for her around the house. If you're able to connect to these characters, then good for you. The most human and interesting character is the bad guy.
The voice of the narrator is indiscernible between narrator and character and between character and character, and aside from one figure (the priest) there's no really memorable persona here. The writing is clinical and anemic, devoid of any joy and excitement, and aside from the few lines from the first chapter there are no memorable passages of prose.
The thing is so slowly paced. The family of the protagonist is said to be ideal and extremely close, but when they start experiencing disturbing events they all impropably and conveniently fail to share this crucial information with each other. The novel never builds to any dramatic tension whatsoever. The ending sequences are exhaustivly extended cop-outs composed of incredible coincidences, as in most Koontz novels.
I'm sorry, but I can't recommend this to anyone. Even though it's better than Relentless, Breathless and The Good Guy,it's nowhere near the level of Midnight, The Bad Place or Intensity. What The Night Knows is poorly plotted, derivative (think Fallen) and badly written (every page is obviously carefully composed, but over the years any style or tension has bleached - now it's a cold list of events and dialogues). As it promised a return to Koontz's earlier style, I am sorely disappointed.
May 25, 2016
2.5 Stars
Not one of his best I must admit. Overall it was an entertaining story but ultimately left me feeling more unsatisfied than satisfied.
John is a homicide detective who lost his entire family to a serial killer when he was a teenager 20 years earlier. He killed Alton Turner Blackwood that night, but Blackwood is back. Using the bodies of less than wholesome people, he uses person after person until his ultimate goal can be completed... Revenge on John and his family. And to finish the killing spree that he started.
I enjoyed the start of the book and how Koontz gradually gave away piece by piece of information. It kept me enthralled through the first few chapters. In fact, the whole book was quite good up until the chapters from the children's point of view. I don't think I have ever heard such poor portrayal of children. All three of them were so completely unbelievable it pretty much turned me off the entire book. Then some more chapters with the adults point of view would make me forget that I wasn't enjoying it... And then the children would have a point of view again... And cue the eye rolling.
I did enjoy the diary of Blackwood. It was interesting hearing how he turned into such a monster. I just found it frustrating that every character either had some innate evil, or they were so inherently good. No character seemed to be in the middle.
It had some spooky moments, but overall it was more frustrating than frightening. And what is with all the big words that he uses!? I'm fairly sure he used his spell-check thesaurus quite a bit while writing this! And when the children started using those big words.. It was just too much for me.
I did enjoy it overall though. The storyline made up for the poorly portrayed characters, and I enjoyed the narrator of the audio version.
Would I recommend What the Night Knows?
Maybe. Die hard Koontz and horror fans would probably enjoy it. However I am sure there are better possession stories out there.
For more reviews check out my blog:
www.booksbabiesbeing.com
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www.twitter.com/BBB_Mel
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Not one of his best I must admit. Overall it was an entertaining story but ultimately left me feeling more unsatisfied than satisfied.
John is a homicide detective who lost his entire family to a serial killer when he was a teenager 20 years earlier. He killed Alton Turner Blackwood that night, but Blackwood is back. Using the bodies of less than wholesome people, he uses person after person until his ultimate goal can be completed... Revenge on John and his family. And to finish the killing spree that he started.
I enjoyed the start of the book and how Koontz gradually gave away piece by piece of information. It kept me enthralled through the first few chapters. In fact, the whole book was quite good up until the chapters from the children's point of view. I don't think I have ever heard such poor portrayal of children. All three of them were so completely unbelievable it pretty much turned me off the entire book. Then some more chapters with the adults point of view would make me forget that I wasn't enjoying it... And then the children would have a point of view again... And cue the eye rolling.
I did enjoy the diary of Blackwood. It was interesting hearing how he turned into such a monster. I just found it frustrating that every character either had some innate evil, or they were so inherently good. No character seemed to be in the middle.
It had some spooky moments, but overall it was more frustrating than frightening. And what is with all the big words that he uses!? I'm fairly sure he used his spell-check thesaurus quite a bit while writing this! And when the children started using those big words.. It was just too much for me.
I did enjoy it overall though. The storyline made up for the poorly portrayed characters, and I enjoyed the narrator of the audio version.
Would I recommend What the Night Knows?
Maybe. Die hard Koontz and horror fans would probably enjoy it. However I am sure there are better possession stories out there.
For more reviews check out my blog:
www.booksbabiesbeing.com
www.twitter.com/BBB_Mel
www.facebook.com/booksbabiesbeing
August 5, 2018
Όταν το μυαλό δεν είναι στο κεφάλι, αυτά παθαίνει κανείς… Είπα να διαβάσω ένα αστυνομικό του Θεού λιώμα στην καυτή άμμο, και δεν διάβασα καλά το οπισθόφυλλο και μου βγήκε θρίλερ… θρίλερ που είχα να διαβάσω από την εποχή του λυκόφωτος ένα πράγμα… κρίμα να πάει άδικα το οχτάευρω, ένεκα της οικονομικής κρίσεως γενικώς και ειδικώς, είπαμε είμαι και τολμηρό σκορόφιδον, το ξεκίνησα… προετοιμάστηκα και ψυχολογικώς, ‘ρε λες να μην μπορώ να κοιμηθώ το βράδυ;’, ζαλώθηκα τα σκόρδα, τα ευαγγέλια, τα ασημένια καρφιά, μια πηρούνα κι ό,τι άλλο είχα εύκαιρο από την εποχή του ‘Δράκουλα’ και ξεκίνησα…
Και να τα φονικά, και να αυτό το κακό πνεύμα, η οντότητα τέλος πάντων, που το ‘παιζε αναβάτης σαν αμερικανός καουμπόι σε επαρχιακό ροντέο, και μπαινόβγαινε στους ανθρώπους και έσφαζε και σκότωνε και βίαζε και πηδούσε από τα παράθυρα και γενικώς ό,τι κατέβαζε η κούτρα του έκανε… όμως το πνεύμα, η οντότητα δηλαδή, ήταν τόσο προβλέψιμη, που έμπαινε σε κάποιον, σκότωνε κάποιον άλλον, έφευγε έμπαινε στον άλλον, ξανασκότωνε άλλον έναν… ούτε το «ανοίξαμε και σας περιμένουμε» τέτοιο ‘μπες – βγες’…
Αφού μου βγήκε η γλώσσα και η ψυχή μέχρι να φτάσω κάπου στη 200 σελίδα κι είπα εντάξει φίδι αμαρτωλό είμαι αλλά οι αμαρτίες μου δεν είναι και τόσο μεγάλες για να το φτάσω μέχρι τέλους, αποφάσισα να το εγκαταλείψω… επειδή όμως είχα και την πετριά να δω πως θα εξαφανιστεί η οντότητα – φάντασμα – έξω από δω κακάσχημο τέρας, διάβασα και τις τελευταίες 20 σελίδες… εντάξει κάηκαν και τα εναπομείναντα εγκεφαλικά μου κύτταρα και επάξια το βιβλίο κερδίζει το αστέρι που του αρμόζει…
Και να τα φονικά, και να αυτό το κακό πνεύμα, η οντότητα τέλος πάντων, που το ‘παιζε αναβάτης σαν αμερικανός καουμπόι σε επαρχιακό ροντέο, και μπαινόβγαινε στους ανθρώπους και έσφαζε και σκότωνε και βίαζε και πηδούσε από τα παράθυρα και γενικώς ό,τι κατέβαζε η κούτρα του έκανε… όμως το πνεύμα, η οντότητα δηλαδή, ήταν τόσο προβλέψιμη, που έμπαινε σε κάποιον, σκότωνε κάποιον άλλον, έφευγε έμπαινε στον άλλον, ξανασκότωνε άλλον έναν… ούτε το «ανοίξαμε και σας περιμένουμε» τέτοιο ‘μπες – βγες’…
Αφού μου βγήκε η γλώσσα και η ψυχή μέχρι να φτάσω κάπου στη 200 σελίδα κι είπα εντάξει φίδι αμαρτωλό είμαι αλλά οι αμαρτίες μου δεν είναι και τόσο μεγάλες για να το φτάσω μέχρι τέλους, αποφάσισα να το εγκαταλείψω… επειδή όμως είχα και την πετριά να δω πως θα εξαφανιστεί η οντότητα – φάντασμα – έξω από δω κακάσχημο τέρας, διάβασα και τις τελευταίες 20 σελίδες… εντάξει κάηκαν και τα εναπομείναντα εγκεφαλικά μου κύτταρα και επάξια το βιβλίο κερδίζει το αστέρι που του αρμόζει…
June 22, 2011
I used to love Dean Koontz. Watchers still ranks as my all-time favorite book, and I thought Strangers, along with some of his other earlier works, was fantastic. However, it's been years since I could summon any enthusiasm for his writing. I'm not willing to totally write him off, so I keep reading the new books in the hope that one of them will rekindle the flame. Unfortunately, this offering wasn't able to do that.
There are some good parts to this. About midway through, I became quite enthusiastic...which lasted for about 50 pages. The whole Lego thing was just completely bizarre. And why do I feel like Koontz reads a thesaurus before he writes a book? I always appreciated his descriptive abilities, but now they're overwrought and overblown. *sigh*
Will I give up on him? Probably not. I continue to hold out hope that I'll one day read the Dean Koontz of old. If that guy is still in there, I'd hate to miss his reappearance.
There are some good parts to this. About midway through, I became quite enthusiastic...which lasted for about 50 pages. The whole Lego thing was just completely bizarre. And why do I feel like Koontz reads a thesaurus before he writes a book? I always appreciated his descriptive abilities, but now they're overwrought and overblown. *sigh*
Will I give up on him? Probably not. I continue to hold out hope that I'll one day read the Dean Koontz of old. If that guy is still in there, I'd hate to miss his reappearance.
December 29, 2022
3.5/5 stars
So, I am going to go back a few years to a book from 2010 called What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz. I have read quite a bit of his books (not all, but quite a few) and I do like his work.
What the Night Knows is a very quick read, I think I read it in a day! It’s fast-paced and gets to the point quickly.
It is about a detective named John Calvino. It starts out with him going to interview this boy, Billy Lucas, who has confessed to this heinous murder.
Detective Calvino isn’t convinced that Billy is guilty because the killing that occurred resembles, almost to a tee, murders that happened over 20 years ago, before Billy was even born. But he gets the signed confession.
When he arrives home, later that day, he feels a strong, evil presence, like maybe he brought something back from the interview, something from Billy.
It continues on with strange, unexplained things happening to the detective and his family, and when more murders happen while Billy is in custody, Detective Calvino races to figure out “who” or “what” is committing them.
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy a bit of supernatural mystery. Dean Koontz books are a hit or miss for me, and this one fell more on the hit side for me. (The page count might be over 400 pages, but it felt like a quick read!)
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
So, I am going to go back a few years to a book from 2010 called What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz. I have read quite a bit of his books (not all, but quite a few) and I do like his work.
What the Night Knows is a very quick read, I think I read it in a day! It’s fast-paced and gets to the point quickly.
It is about a detective named John Calvino. It starts out with him going to interview this boy, Billy Lucas, who has confessed to this heinous murder.
Detective Calvino isn’t convinced that Billy is guilty because the killing that occurred resembles, almost to a tee, murders that happened over 20 years ago, before Billy was even born. But he gets the signed confession.
When he arrives home, later that day, he feels a strong, evil presence, like maybe he brought something back from the interview, something from Billy.
It continues on with strange, unexplained things happening to the detective and his family, and when more murders happen while Billy is in custody, Detective Calvino races to figure out “who” or “what” is committing them.
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy a bit of supernatural mystery. Dean Koontz books are a hit or miss for me, and this one fell more on the hit side for me. (The page count might be over 400 pages, but it felt like a quick read!)
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
January 25, 2011
Dean, Dean, Dean... what am I going to do with you??? I have (had) been a fan since the beginning, and am sorely disappointed in this one. I had even sworn you off years ago, but still find myself coming back hoping that maybe, just maybe, this next one will redeem you. Sadly, and again, this is not the case. Sure, you worked in all of your trademark items: 1) Golden Retriever (I have one of those), 2) child with a disability (I have one of those too), 3) Average Joe fighting the big baddie, etc., etc., but what you're missing is something we readers like to call "realism." Whatever happened to your believable characters? This one has a cop, okay - I can imagine that, but he has staff???? Really??? The wife is a perfectly perfect person/artist who home schools three perfectly perfect children, and THEY HAVE STAFF????
The idea of the bad guy was great. Imaginative. Interesting. The idea of the crimes, and how they were committed then and now, was great. Creepy. Spellbinding. But the end - and I'm not going to spoil it - sucked. Not a very literary word, but it's the best descriptor I can think of at the moment.
So I am back to swearing you off - UNTIL - the next Odd Thomas book, IF you should decide to grace us with it. And even then only IF you take Odd back to his roots, and not as the 'James Bond of the undead' you've since made him out to be.
Did I mention I'm sorely disappointed? Yeah. I am.
Come back to us Dean...from whatever narly dimension you've gone to where cops have household staff.
We miss you.
The idea of the bad guy was great. Imaginative. Interesting. The idea of the crimes, and how they were committed then and now, was great. Creepy. Spellbinding. But the end - and I'm not going to spoil it - sucked. Not a very literary word, but it's the best descriptor I can think of at the moment.
So I am back to swearing you off - UNTIL - the next Odd Thomas book, IF you should decide to grace us with it. And even then only IF you take Odd back to his roots, and not as the 'James Bond of the undead' you've since made him out to be.
Did I mention I'm sorely disappointed? Yeah. I am.
Come back to us Dean...from whatever narly dimension you've gone to where cops have household staff.
We miss you.
April 12, 2015
Four years later I read this book again with an open mind and actually enjoyed the story. It is always interesting to see how books affect us at different times in our lives.
What the Night Knows is written well and is very creepy. This will never be among my favorite Dean Koontz books, but it no longer ranks alongside Your Heart Belongs to Me as the worst of Dean Koontz's books. The children lighten and liven the story and I love the fantasy world element. The one thing that stands out to me the most in both of my times reading is the use of art/paintings throughout the novel and the significance that they have in the story.
From first reading 2010/2011:
A Horrible Disappointment :-( Maybe you'll like it, but I didn't. Koontz has told similar tales in different books, but I don't think he's ever told the same story over and over in the same book - in this case in the form of a serial killer who just won't die. Bantam marketing team promotes What The Night Knows as: "...a ghost story like no other you have read" and claims "Of all his acclaimed novels, none exceeds What the Night Knows in power, in chilling suspense, and in sheer mesmerizing storytelling." Pig Fat! I'm a huge fan of Dean Koontz and this is certainly not his best - it ranks among my very least of least favorites - almost as bad as Your Heart Belongs to Me.
Want to know what the night knows? Here it is (don't worry this huge revelation will not ruin the story for you in any way):
Everyone was born to die. Sex was death. Death was sex. Being a predator was better than being prey. Hell must exist because there was an urgent and abiding need for it.
- From the journal of Alton Turner Blackwood in chapter 48 of What The Night Knows by Dean Koontz.
but luckily.... "What the heart knows trumps what the night knows." The End.
I enjoyed reading the ebook novella,Darkness Under the Sun by Dean Koontz which was released two months prior to What The Night Knows. The Novella featured Blackwood and is a short, inexpensive read.
What the Night Knows is written well and is very creepy. This will never be among my favorite Dean Koontz books, but it no longer ranks alongside Your Heart Belongs to Me as the worst of Dean Koontz's books. The children lighten and liven the story and I love the fantasy world element. The one thing that stands out to me the most in both of my times reading is the use of art/paintings throughout the novel and the significance that they have in the story.
From first reading 2010/2011:
A Horrible Disappointment :-( Maybe you'll like it, but I didn't. Koontz has told similar tales in different books, but I don't think he's ever told the same story over and over in the same book - in this case in the form of a serial killer who just won't die. Bantam marketing team promotes What The Night Knows as: "...a ghost story like no other you have read" and claims "Of all his acclaimed novels, none exceeds What the Night Knows in power, in chilling suspense, and in sheer mesmerizing storytelling." Pig Fat! I'm a huge fan of Dean Koontz and this is certainly not his best - it ranks among my very least of least favorites - almost as bad as Your Heart Belongs to Me.
Want to know what the night knows? Here it is (don't worry this huge revelation will not ruin the story for you in any way):
Everyone was born to die. Sex was death. Death was sex. Being a predator was better than being prey. Hell must exist because there was an urgent and abiding need for it.
- From the journal of Alton Turner Blackwood in chapter 48 of What The Night Knows by Dean Koontz.
but luckily.... "What the heart knows trumps what the night knows." The End.
I enjoyed reading the ebook novella,Darkness Under the Sun by Dean Koontz which was released two months prior to What The Night Knows. The Novella featured Blackwood and is a short, inexpensive read.
October 27, 2015
What can i say about this book well yes i enjoyed the storyline & yes turning page after page as to find out how it was going to end BUT for me it was a bit silly with some parts of Koontz Writing style left a bit to be desired It had madness mayhem horror suspense but this was way below his writings of his early novels.
not one of his best unfortunately
not one of his best unfortunately
January 15, 2018
I have no idea how this ended up on my kindle. I don't remember buying it. I must have been in a one-click frenzy. Anyway, this is not bad, and is one of this author's better books. I liked it and got the willies more than once.
April 1, 2015
This book had some great suspenseful scenes, twisted baddies, and supernatural mayhem. However, the flow was odd and it was a case where, even though the author has the right to make up whatever they want, sometimes it just seemed way too out there to feel "right". I am not sure that makes sense, but an easier way to put it is that the book did not come together for me in a comfortable fashion and the resolution seemed conveniently simple - he even points out in the book it is a Deus Ex Machina resolution.
October 28, 2011
It's been a long time since I outright DIDN'T hate a Koontz novel; the guy used to be one of my favorite authors and fell from my good graces a while ago. After the reprehensibly bad Breathless and Darkest Evening of the Year, and not-quite-as-terrible-but-still-bad Your Heart Belongs To Me and Relentless, What The Night Knows is not god-awful, but still a pretty weak novel. SPOILERS HEREIN.
I can air my minor grievances first. It's obvious that Mr. Koontz does not have kids, or understand how kids speak or even think. I don't have kids either and I know better than him. When I was 8 and 11, Little Women was an insurmountable literary wall, and I read at a highly advanced reading level for my age. I also found myself annoyed that the kids were all home-schooled; that held shades of "the real world corrupts the innocent". Which leads me to my next point, that the characters appear to be both punished and saved by a particular brand of monotheism. It's not the Christianity I object to, just the overt heavy-handedness with which is was treated. It never seems to occur to any of the characters that any God that would allow a serial-killer and his demon to return to earth to wreak havoc on the undeserving innocent might be missing a few ethical marbles. It's implied that the main character's fretting over his daughter's sickness provides a demonic invitation; does that strike anyone else as a bit of disproportionate retribution? Or some pretty thin justification on God's part, allowing it and all? Especially when the prevailing lesson learned from the slaughter of innocents is "It's all about love. I get you, God, it's all about love." We all know that Koontz's protagonists are always a million times more squeaky-clean than we could ever be; if they still get reprimanded Old-Testament style, we're all doomed.
But, all that could just be elements grating against my personal philosophies. The biggest bone of contention I had with the book is rather standard horror failure: why the hell didn't anyone in the house talk to each other about what the was going on? First of all, kids can't keep their mouths shut to save their lives, unless it's in the face of direct punishment from a parent that has established themselves to not listen in the first place. Second, the house was supposedly a happy, open, honest home, full of happy marriage, and apparently a wife exceedingly willing to accept supernatural phenomenon. All this supernatural crap is practically oozing out of the house, and no one ever says, "Hey, um, I think I heard a voice the other day." I can maybe buy the middle child being bamboozled by fantasy into keeping quiet, but the 13 year old boy and youngest girl got nothin'. NOTHIN'.
Koontz isn't writing anything he hasn't written before. Compared to his older work, this is a pale representation of suspense and horror, still pretty rich in the dues ex machina, annoying in it's level of schlock, and sadly, pretty predictable. You'll keep 'em comin', Mr. Koontz, I know you will, but all I can manage at this point is a sigh.
I can air my minor grievances first. It's obvious that Mr. Koontz does not have kids, or understand how kids speak or even think. I don't have kids either and I know better than him. When I was 8 and 11, Little Women was an insurmountable literary wall, and I read at a highly advanced reading level for my age. I also found myself annoyed that the kids were all home-schooled; that held shades of "the real world corrupts the innocent". Which leads me to my next point, that the characters appear to be both punished and saved by a particular brand of monotheism. It's not the Christianity I object to, just the overt heavy-handedness with which is was treated. It never seems to occur to any of the characters that any God that would allow a serial-killer and his demon to return to earth to wreak havoc on the undeserving innocent might be missing a few ethical marbles. It's implied that the main character's fretting over his daughter's sickness provides a demonic invitation; does that strike anyone else as a bit of disproportionate retribution? Or some pretty thin justification on God's part, allowing it and all? Especially when the prevailing lesson learned from the slaughter of innocents is "It's all about love. I get you, God, it's all about love." We all know that Koontz's protagonists are always a million times more squeaky-clean than we could ever be; if they still get reprimanded Old-Testament style, we're all doomed.
But, all that could just be elements grating against my personal philosophies. The biggest bone of contention I had with the book is rather standard horror failure: why the hell didn't anyone in the house talk to each other about what the was going on? First of all, kids can't keep their mouths shut to save their lives, unless it's in the face of direct punishment from a parent that has established themselves to not listen in the first place. Second, the house was supposedly a happy, open, honest home, full of happy marriage, and apparently a wife exceedingly willing to accept supernatural phenomenon. All this supernatural crap is practically oozing out of the house, and no one ever says, "Hey, um, I think I heard a voice the other day." I can maybe buy the middle child being bamboozled by fantasy into keeping quiet, but the 13 year old boy and youngest girl got nothin'. NOTHIN'.
Koontz isn't writing anything he hasn't written before. Compared to his older work, this is a pale representation of suspense and horror, still pretty rich in the dues ex machina, annoying in it's level of schlock, and sadly, pretty predictable. You'll keep 'em comin', Mr. Koontz, I know you will, but all I can manage at this point is a sigh.
April 18, 2015
Detective John Calvino shot the Bell Ringer Killer Alton Turner Blackwood who murdered his family at age 14. Several years later, John is investigating the murders of a boy who was a copycat of the killer not knowing that the Bell Ringer Killer's Spirit has returned to collect on his promise to kill his family. Can John stop the deadly thread before it is too late? Read on and find out for yourself.
This was a pretty good Supernatural horror story. If you are fans of horror ghost stories, definitely check this one out for yourself. The book is available at your local library and wherever books are sold.
This was a pretty good Supernatural horror story. If you are fans of horror ghost stories, definitely check this one out for yourself. The book is available at your local library and wherever books are sold.
June 6, 2019
If I'm walking a bit funny, it's just because I've been fucked again.. this isn't good lovin' either where I'm a little wobbly and my hair is a bit messy. Nope, this is prison penetration..
'What the Night Knows' from 2010 is, once again, regurgitated vomit from the money pit hole that is Koontz's mouth. The title means nothing, a typical phony attempt at appearing artistic even though he's a dullard. It's like having someone try to explain that the Transformers movies are deep.. we have the cop character from 'Door to December,' the serial killer from 'Intensity,' and the supernatural elements of 'Dragon Tears,' all rolled up in a shit burrito where the only outcome is getting E coli. Chapter 16, a little over a hundred pages in, we get the first golden retriever reference but fear not, it's not the last. Golden Retrievers have received such a bad reputation from Koontz, it's like when other musicians perform with R. Kelly.
Anyway, so it's 2000s Koontz which means it has to have some preachy nonsense which it does, he uses the word "grace" a lot within this decade and it's absurd. The one positive I can think of when it comes to 'What the Night Knows' is that it is fairly violent which echoes the earlier years of Koontz before he found God or hair or a dog or whatever he is into nowadays. With every bad Koontz book, a piece of me dies because I'm aware of what he is capable of doing..
'What The Night Knows' is a ghost story that ironically has no pulse and after I read 'Relentless,' 'From The Corner Of His Eye,' and this one back to back to back, I wish I didn't have one either.. I don't know.. 2?/5
'What the Night Knows' from 2010 is, once again, regurgitated vomit from the money pit hole that is Koontz's mouth. The title means nothing, a typical phony attempt at appearing artistic even though he's a dullard. It's like having someone try to explain that the Transformers movies are deep.. we have the cop character from 'Door to December,' the serial killer from 'Intensity,' and the supernatural elements of 'Dragon Tears,' all rolled up in a shit burrito where the only outcome is getting E coli. Chapter 16, a little over a hundred pages in, we get the first golden retriever reference but fear not, it's not the last. Golden Retrievers have received such a bad reputation from Koontz, it's like when other musicians perform with R. Kelly.
Anyway, so it's 2000s Koontz which means it has to have some preachy nonsense which it does, he uses the word "grace" a lot within this decade and it's absurd. The one positive I can think of when it comes to 'What the Night Knows' is that it is fairly violent which echoes the earlier years of Koontz before he found God or hair or a dog or whatever he is into nowadays. With every bad Koontz book, a piece of me dies because I'm aware of what he is capable of doing..
'What The Night Knows' is a ghost story that ironically has no pulse and after I read 'Relentless,' 'From The Corner Of His Eye,' and this one back to back to back, I wish I didn't have one either.. I don't know.. 2?/5
October 20, 2018
I suppose, if I hadn't read so many of Koontz's other books, I might not have had this reaction. But, having read his books for at least 20 years, I'm very disappointed in this one. I want to be clear - I'm a fan. Have been for years. Dean Koontz has his own shelf in my personal library, full top-to-bottom and double-stacked. Author-wise, I think I own more of his books than any other author. But a pattern is starting to develop, and this book left me cold.
Some random observations:
• The kids were likeable and of course I wanted to cheer for them, but like every other kid in Koontz-verse, they are all brilliant and precocious. It's actually a little repetitive. These kids were very much like the kids in Mr. Murder, or One Door Away from Heaven, or Hideaway, although even brighter and even more precocious.
• It's rare that anyone has money trouble in Koontz-verse, and nothing is new with this book. Our hero is a cop, a regular guy with a regular job. Fabulous. But he's also a guy who can take two months off work without batting an eye or even needing to mention the fact to his wife. On its own, not big deal. As part of a larger body of work where this is pretty common? Not so hot.
• More crazy people being inspired/spoken to by ravens and golden retrievers saving the day.
• I need to flip through it again, but off the top of my head, I don't recall a LOCATION for this book. Neither where the original murders took place, or the new setting, "half a continent away." The only location I can remember is California, where the estate managers lived before they had to move. So, this book isn't set in California. That's all I got. (If I'm wrong, I will happily edit.)
• The Lego bomb? Seriously? I can see Minnie being the access point for the divine intervention. But with Legos? Come on.
Some random observations:
• The kids were likeable and of course I wanted to cheer for them, but like every other kid in Koontz-verse, they are all brilliant and precocious. It's actually a little repetitive. These kids were very much like the kids in Mr. Murder, or One Door Away from Heaven, or Hideaway, although even brighter and even more precocious.
• It's rare that anyone has money trouble in Koontz-verse, and nothing is new with this book. Our hero is a cop, a regular guy with a regular job. Fabulous. But he's also a guy who can take two months off work without batting an eye or even needing to mention the fact to his wife. On its own, not big deal. As part of a larger body of work where this is pretty common? Not so hot.
• More crazy people being inspired/spoken to by ravens and golden retrievers saving the day.
• I need to flip through it again, but off the top of my head, I don't recall a LOCATION for this book. Neither where the original murders took place, or the new setting, "half a continent away." The only location I can remember is California, where the estate managers lived before they had to move. So, this book isn't set in California. That's all I got. (If I'm wrong, I will happily edit.)
• The Lego bomb? Seriously? I can see Minnie being the access point for the divine intervention. But with Legos? Come on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2011
A terrific supernatural thriller that, typical of Dean Koontz's novels, is truly an absorbing read. I liked the homicide-detective protagonist, his artist wife, and his three lively, intelligent kids, who are all under demonic threat from the ghost of a serial killer, who is apparently re-creating his murder spree of 20 years ago. I loved the appearance of the benevolent spirit of the family's beloved golden retriever that calls to mind Koontz's own late, lamented golden, Trixie. Taut suspense, vividly portrayed characters, including a horrific villain, fast pacing, and masterful storytelling make for a book that's almost impossible to put down.
June 8, 2022
Ευκολοδιαβαστο, ατμοσφαιρικό και καλογραμμένο, ωστοσο με άφησε με κάποιες απορίες
August 28, 2011
Ugh, what shall I say? I don't necessarily think this is a BAD book, it's just often quite irritating.
While I was still reading it (I think I was about half way through)I browsed a few reviews and was quite surprised by the number of one- or two-star ratings it had received. It started well - a good premise, some atmospheric writing and a lot of potential seemed to reside within.
Sure there were some parts which were not very believable or did not sit quite right - a policeman with a perfect house with servants, the perfect, totally un-childlike children and a wife who's so perfect she could have been fashioned at a subatomic level from a blueprint farted out by angels. Oh and the theme seemed kind of familiar. But it was going OK.
However as it progressed, the irritating parts became more and more irritating and less easy to ignore. The children are no longer just a bit unrealistic, they are in fact massive dweebs. Children don't talk or act like that. No one is as perfect as his wife is. OK so there are plenty of understanding women out there, but even they have a limit on what they will accept from a bloke, and I'm guessing that 'I've been on unpaid leave and pretending to go to work for weeks on end so I can prance around the countryside after a disembodied bad spirit' would probably be over it. It got to a point later on in the book where I almost had to suppress a gag reflex while reading Nicky's sappish nonsense:
'She realised why he had hoped to spare her the worry of all this until he understood the situation as fully as possible, and his secrecy neither offended nor disappointed her. Like all good artists, Nicky could empathize with the fear and anguish of others. Like every GREAT artist who had been able to maintain a human perspective, she didn't believe that she was the center of the world, to be included in everything first above all others: she lived instead with the conviction that her talent and her success required of her both humility and a generosity of spirit.'
Oh please...*eye roll* piss off, you simpering tit! Yeah you'r right, you're only married to the man. It's not like that gives you any right to know what the pigging hell he's been doing with his time when he's supposed to be at work. He's only consistently lied to you every morning for an extended period of time.
It was pretty much all downhill from there. What was with all the trees? Trees, trees, trees. These trees will soon turn from green to brown, whereas these trees will soon turn from red to yellow. These trees here look dead and gnarled, this tree is waving in the breeze. I think Dean likes trees.
The ending was arse-achingly cringe-worthy. Talk about Checkov's gun. I actually facepalmed.
There were good parts though. The disgraced priest was interesting, and I wish there had been more from him. The diary excerpts from the Alton Turner Blackwood character were also a major strength. My copy of the book included the short story about this charatcer, and a part of one of those two stars is reserved just for that.
My lasting impression of this book is that I've seen or heard most of it before elsewhere. It was OK, I don't regret reading it, but it could have been so much better.
While I was still reading it (I think I was about half way through)I browsed a few reviews and was quite surprised by the number of one- or two-star ratings it had received. It started well - a good premise, some atmospheric writing and a lot of potential seemed to reside within.
Sure there were some parts which were not very believable or did not sit quite right - a policeman with a perfect house with servants, the perfect, totally un-childlike children and a wife who's so perfect she could have been fashioned at a subatomic level from a blueprint farted out by angels. Oh and the theme seemed kind of familiar. But it was going OK.
However as it progressed, the irritating parts became more and more irritating and less easy to ignore. The children are no longer just a bit unrealistic, they are in fact massive dweebs. Children don't talk or act like that. No one is as perfect as his wife is. OK so there are plenty of understanding women out there, but even they have a limit on what they will accept from a bloke, and I'm guessing that 'I've been on unpaid leave and pretending to go to work for weeks on end so I can prance around the countryside after a disembodied bad spirit' would probably be over it. It got to a point later on in the book where I almost had to suppress a gag reflex while reading Nicky's sappish nonsense:
'She realised why he had hoped to spare her the worry of all this until he understood the situation as fully as possible, and his secrecy neither offended nor disappointed her. Like all good artists, Nicky could empathize with the fear and anguish of others. Like every GREAT artist who had been able to maintain a human perspective, she didn't believe that she was the center of the world, to be included in everything first above all others: she lived instead with the conviction that her talent and her success required of her both humility and a generosity of spirit.'
Oh please...*eye roll* piss off, you simpering tit! Yeah you'r right, you're only married to the man. It's not like that gives you any right to know what the pigging hell he's been doing with his time when he's supposed to be at work. He's only consistently lied to you every morning for an extended period of time.
It was pretty much all downhill from there. What was with all the trees? Trees, trees, trees. These trees will soon turn from green to brown, whereas these trees will soon turn from red to yellow. These trees here look dead and gnarled, this tree is waving in the breeze. I think Dean likes trees.
The ending was arse-achingly cringe-worthy. Talk about Checkov's gun. I actually facepalmed.
There were good parts though. The disgraced priest was interesting, and I wish there had been more from him. The diary excerpts from the Alton Turner Blackwood character were also a major strength. My copy of the book included the short story about this charatcer, and a part of one of those two stars is reserved just for that.
My lasting impression of this book is that I've seen or heard most of it before elsewhere. It was OK, I don't regret reading it, but it could have been so much better.
July 17, 2012
Ok. I know that if I pick up a Dean Koontz book to read I'm going to be reading to a formula. I guess when you write as many books as he does it's almost impossible not to do so. In this story we have the beautiful and talented wife who has rescued her husband from his traumatic past and taught him to love and trust again. The handsome husband who experienced terrible events in his childhood but has come through it and is now the knight in shining armour for those whose lives are touched by darkness (otherwise known as a policeman). Three beautiful and talented children who are good and clever and sensitive, who never misbehave and always listen to their parents. Add to this one very ugly, very bad man who was responsible for the terrible trauma suffered by the husband and now wants to finish the job by killing all the family. Oh and there is the ghost of a golden retriever thrown into the mix for no particular reason. The message of the book seems to be beauty = good and ugly = evil. How you look on the outside is a reflection of who you are as a person. It also seems to say that if you believe in God and are a Good Christian then you will be saved from the worst things in life. I guess none of the other characters in the story who suffered horribly had a deep or true enough faith and therefore deserved their fate!
The story moves along at a fast enough pace to keep you turning the pages and doesn't take that long to finish. This is a good thing as if I had stopped to ponder along the way I probably wouldn't have found the will to finish the book. I had read the short story prequel to this novel when it was first released and found it enjoyable and entertaining which was the main reason for picking up this book from the library. It was a total disappointment and the library can have it back with pleasure.
The story moves along at a fast enough pace to keep you turning the pages and doesn't take that long to finish. This is a good thing as if I had stopped to ponder along the way I probably wouldn't have found the will to finish the book. I had read the short story prequel to this novel when it was first released and found it enjoyable and entertaining which was the main reason for picking up this book from the library. It was a total disappointment and the library can have it back with pleasure.
January 5, 2011
A gift card for Christmas brought this book into my home. I had recently sworn not to buy Koontz books until they got a little better, but my excitement over this won out.
And yay, this one is so much better. Koontz managed to completely creep me out, make me question strange noises in my home and do double takes at shadows. The climax of the book occurred at work on my lunch hour and he made me come so close to taking an extended lunch just to finish. Kudos, Mr. Koontz!
John Calvino is a homicide detective and we land right has he is entering a state mental hospital to find out why a 14 year old boy just butchered his entire family. Right from the start, we get a feeling of "That was weird. Why did he do that?". We find out that John's family was also butchered by a madman 20 years prior. That madman, Alton Turner Blackwood, seems to be coming back from Hell to start his murder spree again. A Hell that Calvino sent him to.
I had some frustrations with the book, mostly with the overly creative language used. Koontz seems to be more into lengthy descriptions of late, instead of straightforward writing, but I let it pass because the plot moved along pretty quick. Thankfully, unlike some of the Odd Thomas books, we don't have pages describing one object. My other frustrations came with the characters but as I kept reading, I saw that those problems were actually part of the plot and it made more sense.
I'm pretty glad I bought this book, I'm almost a believer again.
And yay, this one is so much better. Koontz managed to completely creep me out, make me question strange noises in my home and do double takes at shadows. The climax of the book occurred at work on my lunch hour and he made me come so close to taking an extended lunch just to finish. Kudos, Mr. Koontz!
John Calvino is a homicide detective and we land right has he is entering a state mental hospital to find out why a 14 year old boy just butchered his entire family. Right from the start, we get a feeling of "That was weird. Why did he do that?". We find out that John's family was also butchered by a madman 20 years prior. That madman, Alton Turner Blackwood, seems to be coming back from Hell to start his murder spree again. A Hell that Calvino sent him to.
I had some frustrations with the book, mostly with the overly creative language used. Koontz seems to be more into lengthy descriptions of late, instead of straightforward writing, but I let it pass because the plot moved along pretty quick. Thankfully, unlike some of the Odd Thomas books, we don't have pages describing one object. My other frustrations came with the characters but as I kept reading, I saw that those problems were actually part of the plot and it made more sense.
I'm pretty glad I bought this book, I'm almost a believer again.
March 11, 2020
Dean Koontz makes the case that the only thing worse than a serial killer might be his ghost. I have to say that you will either have to be a real ghost story enthusiast or really, really like the early works of Dean Koontz to not become disillusioned with this ghost story. I happen to be both so I probably won't be as critical of the book as others might be and am willing to sacrifice a 4 star rating to it. We have, to begin with, a 14 year old mass murderer who is in the state mental hospital for the slaughter..."killing" or "murder" would be too kind to describe what he did...of his entire family. The reader should be able to work up some compassion for the child killer...Billy, but Billy neither wants nor deserves our compassion. He's not sorry...he has no desire to reform or be cured...whichever the state hopes will happen first. Billy has an invisible friend that is having more fun than he ever had in life. The book goes on and on moving from one time period to another and from Billy and the detective that sees way too much of himself in the young killer. A good ghost story requires the suspension of the reader's disbelief but as much as I like this author...this one is almost more disbelief than is possible to suspend.
May 13, 2015
What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz is a very exciting, scary book. Dean Koontz has written a story which is so full of suspence that it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. However, this is certainly not for the fainthearted.....so, be warned!
October 16, 2010
I was lucky enough to win an advance copy of this from Good Reads--Thank you! Dean Koontz is one of my favorite writers, and I couldn't wait to read his latest.
After finishing, I find it's hard to review. The idea was good, it had a really creepy scary idea and an awesome bad guy. But it could have been so much better. You get to know some characters really well, and others are glossed over. Sadly, some of the others are not unimportant characters, so a little more info on them would have been time well spent. John and his wife are seemingly sweet and decent, but how are we supposed to buy their total lack of communication about serious issues and still believe they are a solid couple? And don't even get me started on the kids--their kids are nauseating. I'm sorry, but all I could think was if they went to a real school they'd have had the crap kicked out of them on a regular basis. I felt like Mr. Koontz needed to be introduced to a real child before writing this book.
Time? A vital part of the book, yet it passes very unevenly and awkwardly. The book is centered on a time scheme, with a clear countdown, but the action does not build evenly toward it. Then, suddenly, as if he ran out of things to say or have the family do, the countdown is thrown out the window.
And an aside--I have goldens, and have had them for years. I've known how amazing they are, and have had my heart ripped out when I said good bye. Mr. Koontz--I get it. But could you please give them a rest in the books now? Having the 'special' dog is becoming nothing special--it's a cheap trick and demeans what you are trying to really convey.
I don't dislike it as much as it sounds, but I expect more from this author, and this was a little disappointing. It should have been longer, more developed, had more believeable/less cliched characters, and overall just been more Dean Koontz.
After finishing, I find it's hard to review. The idea was good, it had a really creepy scary idea and an awesome bad guy. But it could have been so much better. You get to know some characters really well, and others are glossed over. Sadly, some of the others are not unimportant characters, so a little more info on them would have been time well spent. John and his wife are seemingly sweet and decent, but how are we supposed to buy their total lack of communication about serious issues and still believe they are a solid couple? And don't even get me started on the kids--their kids are nauseating. I'm sorry, but all I could think was if they went to a real school they'd have had the crap kicked out of them on a regular basis. I felt like Mr. Koontz needed to be introduced to a real child before writing this book.
Time? A vital part of the book, yet it passes very unevenly and awkwardly. The book is centered on a time scheme, with a clear countdown, but the action does not build evenly toward it. Then, suddenly, as if he ran out of things to say or have the family do, the countdown is thrown out the window.
And an aside--I have goldens, and have had them for years. I've known how amazing they are, and have had my heart ripped out when I said good bye. Mr. Koontz--I get it. But could you please give them a rest in the books now? Having the 'special' dog is becoming nothing special--it's a cheap trick and demeans what you are trying to really convey.
I don't dislike it as much as it sounds, but I expect more from this author, and this was a little disappointing. It should have been longer, more developed, had more believeable/less cliched characters, and overall just been more Dean Koontz.
September 20, 2016
When John Calvino was 14 he shot and killed a man who had just murdered his mother, father, and two sisters. This was the fourth family to die at the hands of this man, Alton Turner Blackwood. This book picks up 20 years later when the murders are being recreated through Blackwood's possession of "horses" that he uses to do his will.
Calvino, now a homicide detective, talks to the boy who actually committed the murders of the first family in the present day and realizes that not only are the murders being committed again, his family is going to be one of Blackwood's targets. He desperately tries to figure out how to stop him while, unbeknownst to him, his wife Nicolette, his son Zach, and his daughters Naomi and Minnie are having visitations of their own.
This was my second read of this book and I think I liked it a bit more than last time. There's one thing that happens that kind of nagged at me the first time around. One of the reasons that I love Dean Koontz so much is that he makes me feel emotions so powerfully. Hope, awe, wonder, joy, love, and a certain amount of crawl-under-the-covers-and-read-it-with-a-flashlight terror. He makes me believe that there is beauty in people as often as there is evil. This was no exception and I cried three or four times.
So be as a child. Put aside pride and vanity. Have the humility of a child who is weak and knows his weakness. Admit fear in the face of the void. Admit ignorance in the presence of the unknowable. A child believes in mysteries within mysteries and seeks wonder, which should be easy, considering that here in this yard, this very moment, John was adrift in a sea of mystery, in a storm of wonder. What the heart knows, the mind has forgotten, and what the heart knows is the truth.
Calvino, now a homicide detective, talks to the boy who actually committed the murders of the first family in the present day and realizes that not only are the murders being committed again, his family is going to be one of Blackwood's targets. He desperately tries to figure out how to stop him while, unbeknownst to him, his wife Nicolette, his son Zach, and his daughters Naomi and Minnie are having visitations of their own.
This was my second read of this book and I think I liked it a bit more than last time. There's one thing that happens that kind of nagged at me the first time around. One of the reasons that I love Dean Koontz so much is that he makes me feel emotions so powerfully. Hope, awe, wonder, joy, love, and a certain amount of crawl-under-the-covers-and-read-it-with-a-flashlight terror. He makes me believe that there is beauty in people as often as there is evil. This was no exception and I cried three or four times.
So be as a child. Put aside pride and vanity. Have the humility of a child who is weak and knows his weakness. Admit fear in the face of the void. Admit ignorance in the presence of the unknowable. A child believes in mysteries within mysteries and seeks wonder, which should be easy, considering that here in this yard, this very moment, John was adrift in a sea of mystery, in a storm of wonder. What the heart knows, the mind has forgotten, and what the heart knows is the truth.
March 12, 2015
After reading Darkness Under the Sun by Dean Koontz, the next logical book is What the Night Knows. In this novel, Koontz picks up where ‘Darkness’ leaves off. It’s been twenty years since 14-year-old John Calvino killed mass murderer Alton Blackwood in self defense. Now Calvino is a detective investigating another 14-year-old who killed his family for no apparent reason, and Calvino cannot ignore the similarities between the two murders, so what if they’re 20 years removed from one another. The real giveaway are the words the 14-year-old utter during an informal interrogation. How could anyone know what Blackwood said to young Calvino 20 years ago? Calvino revealed these words to no one—kept it locked up inside all these years.
Now Calvino has a family of his own and fears the ghost of Blackwood is coming after his family. After all, he promised he would. It takes over 400 pages to sort it all out, and trust me, the pages fly by…up until the final chapter or two. Oh, don’t get me wrong, they still fly by, but in an effort to bring the story to a crescendo, Koontz delivers too much too fast. Sometimes less is more. At least that’s my impression. The story ends satisfactorily, but perhaps the ride became a little bumpier than necessary. What the Night Knows is still a fantastic read, but the ending prompts me to award 4-Stars instead of the 5 I felt it deserved…right up until that overreaching crescendo.
(I read What the Night Knows on my Kindle for Android during Spring Break 2015.)
Now Calvino has a family of his own and fears the ghost of Blackwood is coming after his family. After all, he promised he would. It takes over 400 pages to sort it all out, and trust me, the pages fly by…up until the final chapter or two. Oh, don’t get me wrong, they still fly by, but in an effort to bring the story to a crescendo, Koontz delivers too much too fast. Sometimes less is more. At least that’s my impression. The story ends satisfactorily, but perhaps the ride became a little bumpier than necessary. What the Night Knows is still a fantastic read, but the ending prompts me to award 4-Stars instead of the 5 I felt it deserved…right up until that overreaching crescendo.
(I read What the Night Knows on my Kindle for Android during Spring Break 2015.)
January 19, 2012
Well, I say here as I have about a couple of other Koontz books of late, I don't know if it's the book or me. Maybe I've just read too many books or too many Koontz books... Whatever the reason, the last several books by Mr. Koontz have left me cold.
I list several of Mr. Koontz' books among my favorites, One Door Away from Heaven,By the Light of the Moon, The Taking, these and many others I like greatly. But the last several, not at all.
Here we went again. I was interested. the book opened with an interview of a young man in a mental hospital and sounded promising. Unfortunately it quickly devolved into a sort of rambling tale with a mishmash of plot parts, story components and even characters that are all familiar. I was bored by the time the "protagonist detective" was halfway through the seemingly "haunted" crime scene and completely ready for things to wrap up by the time he got home to his predictably precocious children, beautiful talented artist wife and so on. I've met them all in other Koontz books.
Let me say this. There is a hint of something here, maybe Mr. Koontz has been building these components in his books with an eye to some kind of "epic" tale. I don't know. There were moments here when something started to break through. Dean Koontz is a talented writer and I'm not sure what's been going on.
I saw another reviewer who compared this book to Your Heart Belongs to Me, I can't do that. That was to me one of the worst Mr. Koontz has ever turned out. This one doesn't (in my opinion) fall to that level. It was (to me) disappointing, and the promising moments only made that more frustrating...a sort of "what it could have been". I'm not giving up and I do plan to read his next. As I said, I'm not sure what the situation is here and live in hope that things will "clear up".
As I said, this is my opinion. I feel bound to say that my daughter liked this book so I'm sure others do to. Try it for yourself. I'll be interested in the comments of others.
I list several of Mr. Koontz' books among my favorites, One Door Away from Heaven,By the Light of the Moon, The Taking, these and many others I like greatly. But the last several, not at all.
Here we went again. I was interested. the book opened with an interview of a young man in a mental hospital and sounded promising. Unfortunately it quickly devolved into a sort of rambling tale with a mishmash of plot parts, story components and even characters that are all familiar. I was bored by the time the "protagonist detective" was halfway through the seemingly "haunted" crime scene and completely ready for things to wrap up by the time he got home to his predictably precocious children, beautiful talented artist wife and so on. I've met them all in other Koontz books.
Let me say this. There is a hint of something here, maybe Mr. Koontz has been building these components in his books with an eye to some kind of "epic" tale. I don't know. There were moments here when something started to break through. Dean Koontz is a talented writer and I'm not sure what's been going on.
I saw another reviewer who compared this book to Your Heart Belongs to Me, I can't do that. That was to me one of the worst Mr. Koontz has ever turned out. This one doesn't (in my opinion) fall to that level. It was (to me) disappointing, and the promising moments only made that more frustrating...a sort of "what it could have been". I'm not giving up and I do plan to read his next. As I said, I'm not sure what the situation is here and live in hope that things will "clear up".
As I said, this is my opinion. I feel bound to say that my daughter liked this book so I'm sure others do to. Try it for yourself. I'll be interested in the comments of others.
February 8, 2011
For the past 6 years, my wife has bought me the newest Dean Koontz book for both my birthday in the middle of the year and Christmas. I've enjoyed reading his books and appreciated him releasing them on my holiday schedule. Unfortunately, over the past several years his books have gone downhill. He might have hit an all-time low with Relentless. It felt like Koontz was often mailing it in. Finally, I asked my wife to stop giving me the books. I would still read them, but didn't think they were worth automatically purchasing anymore.
It appears that I picked the wrong time to put a halt on the Koontz purchases. What the Night Knows was his best novel since at least 2007, and possibly earlier. I'm going to go out and buy it now, and give him another chance. Maybe the extra time he took between major novel releases made the difference.
This book was darker than some of his recent entries, which helped to balance a little bit of the humor that has become such a big part of his recent books (which humor I do enjoy, but which is sometimes over the top). Alton Turner Blackwood was a great villain. I liked this lead (John Calvino) more than some of the recent lead characters, as well, and I was very much invested in his story. I was a little less invested in the stories of the children. The end maybe could have used a little more work. It seems like Koontz was planning on writing more but ran out of space, so he had to cut to the final scene really quickly. I don't really mind if the book is a little longer. Some of my favorites of his have been a couple hundred pages longer than this one. And Dean, there's really no need to always have a dog involved.
This book (and the rest of his recent material) still doesn't compare to some of the great ones like Strangers, Watchers, and Intensity. It's been over a decade since he's written a book that I think has deserved 5 stars (False Memory). I hope that he takes a little longer between novel releases again in the future and produces an epic that will never be forgotten. This book won't be forgotten, but some of his recent works have been already. At least this one, though imperfect, convinced me to start buying his books again.
It appears that I picked the wrong time to put a halt on the Koontz purchases. What the Night Knows was his best novel since at least 2007, and possibly earlier. I'm going to go out and buy it now, and give him another chance. Maybe the extra time he took between major novel releases made the difference.
This book was darker than some of his recent entries, which helped to balance a little bit of the humor that has become such a big part of his recent books (which humor I do enjoy, but which is sometimes over the top). Alton Turner Blackwood was a great villain. I liked this lead (John Calvino) more than some of the recent lead characters, as well, and I was very much invested in his story. I was a little less invested in the stories of the children. The end maybe could have used a little more work. It seems like Koontz was planning on writing more but ran out of space, so he had to cut to the final scene really quickly. I don't really mind if the book is a little longer. Some of my favorites of his have been a couple hundred pages longer than this one. And Dean, there's really no need to always have a dog involved.
This book (and the rest of his recent material) still doesn't compare to some of the great ones like Strangers, Watchers, and Intensity. It's been over a decade since he's written a book that I think has deserved 5 stars (False Memory). I hope that he takes a little longer between novel releases again in the future and produces an epic that will never be forgotten. This book won't be forgotten, but some of his recent works have been already. At least this one, though imperfect, convinced me to start buying his books again.
July 14, 2012
What in HADES has happened to my favorite author?????? I just can't keep track of all the disappointments I have had from Koontz in the last few years. I am a die hard fan and have been reading and collecting Dean for almost 30 years!!! Where did the master go??? Everytime I see a new title come out with his name, I gasp. I can't wait to get my hands on it and I pray each time that I will be sucked into a great story like Lightening, The Husband, Dark Rivers of the Heart, Servents of Twilght, Strangers, maybe even back with the Snow Man!!! Something remininscent of my all time favorite author and with this book, I couldn't even finish it. I was so utterly bored that I almost cried. There were glimmers of a good story...it was spooky and the characters were great...the bad guy...BAD...but what the hell was going on that it was dragging and dragging...I don't need to read about a shadow in a mirror for 200 pages...ugh...get to something cool already!!! I need that spooky sound in Phantoms to get someone's face off and make me want to turn the pages...not delete it from my Kindle. DEAN!!! GO BAcK!!!! Find that WRITER again...don't make me run away and read more teen fiction....agghhhh...I am hopind and praying the new Odd book is MUCH better...please....please, please!!!
August 28, 2025
At first I was about to be put off and get disappointed by the plot of this book which reminded me of a 90's movie by Denzel Washington called "Fallen", so having this book written after 12 years using the same idea made me like what was he thinking when he wrote it? But to my amazement, Dean Koontz proved me totally wrong.
The story is gripping and I was immersed in the life of the Calvino's with every character coming to life in full color looking at the super natural from different perspectives and steps in life starting with our innocence and open imagination as children till we repress our perceptions of the world in our adulthood, coming to maturity as society defines it.
Koontz is able to set his mark on every book he writes roaming freely between different fictional sub genres (Paranormal, sci fi, aliens..etc)Having 'Strangers' as my last read book for Koontz coming from another realm of mystery and suspense (I don't think of Koontz as a Horror writer)
MiM
The story is gripping and I was immersed in the life of the Calvino's with every character coming to life in full color looking at the super natural from different perspectives and steps in life starting with our innocence and open imagination as children till we repress our perceptions of the world in our adulthood, coming to maturity as society defines it.
Koontz is able to set his mark on every book he writes roaming freely between different fictional sub genres (Paranormal, sci fi, aliens..etc)Having 'Strangers' as my last read book for Koontz coming from another realm of mystery and suspense (I don't think of Koontz as a Horror writer)
MiM
June 24, 2025
Отдавна не бях чел нищичко на Кунц, който успя да ме спечели с по-ранните си романи. "Какво знае нощта" се числеше към по-новите му книги, които от мнозина читатели се определяха като по-слаби..
Преди двадесет години цялото семейство на Джон Калвано е брутално избито от Алтън Търнър Блякуд. Макар Джон да успява да се спаси, застрелвайки психопата, Блякуд продължава да го преследва в кошмарите му. Сега Джон е детектив от отдел убийства, а вниманието му е привлечено от случая на Били Лукас, който избива своето семейство по начин идентичен на Блякуд. Джон Калвано започва собствено разследване, за да разбере дали Били Лукас е подражател, или пък Блякуд се е завърнал от Ада, за да отмъсти за убийството си..
Началото на романа е напрегнато и интересно, но после Кунц успява да оплеска всичко с твърде проникновените си описания. През по-голяма част книгата няма пряка реч, което я прави досадна и трудна за четене! Сюжетът е блудкав и наивен, героите са безинтересни, и има ужасно много излишни описания! Имам чувството, че Кунц е имал поставен target от издателя да напише минимум 350 страници, а дори е написал цели 384 страници. Няма нищо лошо, ама от цялата книга интересни са само първите петдесетина и последните стотина страници, ако можете да издържите дотам. Всичко останало между тях е излишен пълнеж и разтягане на локуми! Главите свързани с децата на Джон – Зак и най вече с Наоми бяха пълна трагедия за четене. Мъка, както за героите, така и за читателя!
Другият голям проблем на романа са клишираните до болка безинтересни главни герои. Опознаваме семейство Калвано, които се оказаха доста захаросани персонажи, че чак човек може да хване захарна болест, докато чете за тях. Джон Калвано е напълно безличен, че даже и не съвсем адекватен през повечето време, жена му Николет само си рисува картините, синът му Зак рисува момичето, в което е влюбен и мечтае как ще постъпи във флота, като това се повтаря около хиляда пъти. Дотук всичко беше горе-долу поносимо, но иде ред и на по-голямата му дъщеря – Наоми, която е почти на дванадесет години. Тя е най–наивния(използвам думичката “наивен”, но по правилно е да се каже “глупав”) детски образ в художествената литература, главите свързани с нея са супер дълги и безинтересни, та до към преди финалът ми беше станала много досадна. То нейното не беше просто блян по вълшебен свят подобен на Нарния, там тя да е принцеса и да я чака принца, то нейното си беше някаква мания граничеща с обсесия или пък лудост..Единствено най-малкото момиченце Мини, която пък беше супер зряла за своите осем години, беше интересен образ, но разбира се, авторът беше решил да отдели на нея най-малко време. Та, като изключим Мини, останалите герои ме бяха отегчили до такава степен, че наистина не ми пукаше дали Блакуд ще успее да ги избие или ще се спасят.
Въпреки надвисналата беда над семейство Калвано, въпреки че героите се обичаха до смърт, те не обменяха сведения помежду си за странните и необясними събития, които се разиграваха в къщата, а само си говориха празни приказки. Отношенията помежду им бяха стъклени, направо анемични, а диалозите повърхностни и скучни.
До някаква степен образът на антагониста – Алтън Търнър Блакуд все пак спасява книгата да не е пълен провал.
.
Макар да не е най-оригиналният злодей на Кунц, Блакуд поне успява да погнуси читателя, а и е доста гаден персонаж! Уви и тук, за съжаление, Кунц отново е отделил недостатъчно време на другият си интересен образ в романа.
Някои от по старите книги на Кунц са наистина страхотни, уви тази не е от тях. Не лоша идея, на моменти даже интересна, но ужасно изпълнение! Личи си, че Кунц го е ударил през просото и е писал само заради хонорара! Не препоръчвам!!!
Преди двадесет години цялото семейство на Джон Калвано е брутално избито от Алтън Търнър Блякуд. Макар Джон да успява да се спаси, застрелвайки психопата, Блякуд продължава да го преследва в кошмарите му. Сега Джон е детектив от отдел убийства, а вниманието му е привлечено от случая на Били Лукас, който избива своето семейство по начин идентичен на Блякуд. Джон Калвано започва собствено разследване, за да разбере дали Били Лукас е подражател, или пък Блякуд се е завърнал от Ада, за да отмъсти за убийството си..
Началото на романа е напрегнато и интересно, но после Кунц успява да оплеска всичко с твърде проникновените си описания. През по-голяма част книгата няма пряка реч, което я прави досадна и трудна за четене! Сюжетът е блудкав и наивен, героите са безинтересни, и има ужасно много излишни описания! Имам чувството, че Кунц е имал поставен target от издателя да напише минимум 350 страници, а дори е написал цели 384 страници. Няма нищо лошо, ама от цялата книга интересни са само първите петдесетина и последните стотина страници, ако можете да издържите дотам. Всичко останало между тях е излишен пълнеж и разтягане на локуми! Главите свързани с децата на Джон – Зак и най вече с Наоми бяха пълна трагедия за четене. Мъка, както за героите, така и за читателя!
Другият голям проблем на романа са клишираните до болка безинтересни главни герои. Опознаваме семейство Калвано, които се оказаха доста захаросани персонажи, че чак човек може да хване захарна болест, докато чете за тях. Джон Калвано е напълно безличен, че даже и не съвсем адекватен през повечето време, жена му Николет само си рисува картините, синът му Зак рисува момичето, в което е влюбен и мечтае как ще постъпи във флота, като това се повтаря около хиляда пъти. Дотук всичко беше горе-долу поносимо, но иде ред и на по-голямата му дъщеря – Наоми, която е почти на дванадесет години. Тя е най–наивния(използвам думичката “наивен”, но по правилно е да се каже “глупав”) детски образ в художествената литература, главите свързани с нея са супер дълги и безинтересни, та до към преди финалът ми беше станала много досадна. То нейното не беше просто блян по вълшебен свят подобен на Нарния, там тя да е принцеса и да я чака принца, то нейното си беше някаква мания граничеща с обсесия или пък лудост..Единствено най-малкото момиченце Мини, която пък беше супер зряла за своите осем години, беше интересен образ, но разбира се, авторът беше решил да отдели на нея най-малко време. Та, като изключим Мини, останалите герои ме бяха отегчили до такава степен, че наистина не ми пукаше дали Блакуд ще успее да ги избие или ще се спасят.
Въпреки надвисналата беда над семейство Калвано, въпреки че героите се обичаха до смърт, те не обменяха сведения помежду си за странните и необясними събития, които се разиграваха в къщата, а само си говориха празни приказки. Отношенията помежду им бяха стъклени, направо анемични, а диалозите повърхностни и скучни.
До някаква степен образът на антагониста – Алтън Търнър Блакуд все пак спасява книгата да не е пълен провал.
.
Макар да не е най-оригиналният злодей на Кунц, Блакуд поне успява да погнуси читателя, а и е доста гаден персонаж! Уви и тук, за съжаление, Кунц отново е отделил недостатъчно време на другият си интересен образ в романа.
Някои от по старите книги на Кунц са наистина страхотни, уви тази не е от тях. Не лоша идея, на моменти даже интересна, но ужасно изпълнение! Личи си, че Кунц го е ударил през просото и е писал само заради хонорара! Не препоръчвам!!!
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