The Good Guy

Gone are Koontz's days of excellent writing. I guess when you get popular and your publisher demands a book every six months you just churn out whatever you can. This book very much has the feel of a teenager writing it... no sense of suspense or mystery or even excitement. Not his worst, by far, but nowhere near the realm of Watchers or Lightning.

He brought to surface a plethora of emotions that only a gifted writer can succeed in doing. And his novels end in a wonderful fairytale of goodness trumps evil. But that's why we still exist isn't it.

Another great Dean Koontz book. He gets better all the time. You can't help but wonder where in the world he gets his ideas and what kind of friends this man must have. Maybe he just reads strange news items. Whatever, it's working.

What can I say another great read from Dean Koontz Loved it but I might be a bit bias as I love nearly every book he has written just love his characters the story is exciting I got very involved in the story and was very disappoined that the book finished. I can really recommend this book to anyone who like a good read

The story was fantastic and captivating and the book had me enthralled and at the edge of my seat. A different turn from what i am used to reading from my favourite author.
I just found the end very abrupt and an anti climax.

The romantic aspect of the story brought it home for me and I rarely say that. Not over bearing with the gushyness if you get my drift, just enough to show an attractive vulnerability to its characters.

Koontz has always been my favorite author.I was nervous when he changed his writing style but I had a hard time putting this book(as well as many others)down but he once again has not disappointed me.

Although the title of this newest novel from master story teller Dean Koontz is "The Good Guy," in this case "The Evil Guy" is at least as interesting & looms far more dominantly in this fast-paced, heart-stopping thriller. The Good Guy is Tim Carrier, whose unassuming demeanor & personal modesty, coupled with his moral conviction & courage, makes him seem too good to be true. If he weren't so oblivious to how unusual a person of character & courage like him is,he wouldn't have been believable. But I have known a few truly good guys (I'm married to the best of the lot), & without exception they are the last to recognize their own goodness. This self-effacing "flaw" makes Carrier a believable & intriguing character.

The Evil Guy is a professional hit man (we never learn his true name, but it probably includes the initials R & K that he uses in all his pseudonyms). K is truly sociopathic (currently designated psychopathic). His deadly pleasure in human suffering & death raises the level of tension in this novel nearly to the breaking point. Only those who have not been aware of the souls -- & soul-less -- around them can think someone that evil can't exist. Sadly, I have known a few pyschopaths, too, & Koontz has drawn K vividly & completely accurately. He is so conscience-less that we are not surprised he has never been caught before. It is those who feel guilt who falter & become vulnerable.

At first I thought of criticizing this story because K's evil seemed more vivid & arresting than Carrier's goodness. But the more I think about it, the more I think this is far more true to life. It is not heroic sensationalism that defeats evil, but quiet courage. A "good guy" military operative once told me, "it is that which we practice on a daily basis which shapes and defines us, not that sudden moment when any of us would save a life or loved one if threatened." It is because Carrier is habitually good & courageous that he is willing to challenge the hit man "Kill me instead," when he is faced with saving a life of a stranger who becomes a loved one.

A great thriller with a profound message of hope. That is why it is titled The GOOD Guy, not The EVIL Guy.

I have not read this series personnaly, but my son is somewhat of a Dean Koontz fan. He had never read the Odd Thomas Series before and this was like candy to him. He has all his friends wanting to read this series!

I've enjoyed many of Koontz's earlier works ......... Mr. Murder, The Bad Place, One Doorway from Heaven, etc. As time has passed and Koontz has slogged out a few too many w/o much new original ideas (and stealing from yourself is not being original!) I find his books harder and harder to like. I found the Odd series to be strange and just dismissed the writing off to the Odd 'persona', but now I know what it is that gripes me about those books (because its All over this one) -- lines like these - 'whereupon the DMV records surrendered to him like a nubile maiden to a lover' and 'Mary had the probing gaze of an ophthalmologist', and 'this was fine time to be alive if your meat was paranoia and your bread was violence' and this duzy -- 'their current safety was a brittle wire over an abyss, strung between rusting eyehooks, unraveling at one end or the other'. Then 'his bloodhound blood called him to the hunt'-- really?? I prefer to just read the story, not the cutesy/weird descriptive
lines for every single thing in the book. They aren't clever, and seem forced - and they just distract me from the story too much.
Writing style aside - this story just didn't make much sense and was pretty weak when all the details were put on the table at the end. Where the heck did this killer come from, Why didn't he recall his childhood, and WHY would a clean-freak enjoy sleeping on dirty laundry? A disappointing and essentially Sad book from an author who could do much better if he really wanted or cared to......

An awesome opening leading into a very good on-the-run style thriller.

Plot Summary:
Stone mason Tim is frequenting his local bar when in walks a guy who mistakes him for a hit man and hands him an envelope of money. Next in walks the hit man who mistakes Tim for the customer. Posing as the customer, Tim calls off the hit and tries to save the target, a pretty writer. Hit man soon realizes the mistake and comes after them.

Pros:
This is my first read by this author and it won't be my last. This was one of the best book openings I've read in a long time. Loved the set-up. The dialog throughout is excellent. I also liked the quirkiness and detail in the characters. Koontz allows just enough information to keep us interested without dumping a bunch of character info. There's some exceptionally skilled writing in this book.

Cons:
These aren't really cons, they're more my preferences. This was a really well-written book. So...just a preference....I found the poetic imagery got in the way of storytelling sometimes, especially in a conversation (e.g. ch. 50 empoys quote, quote, observation about a sparrow, quote, quote, simile about sparrow feather prophetically falling, quote, quote etc.). But that's me, some people are way into metaphors, I'm not and I don't like when they interrupt conversations or are overused or overextended.

I would have liked to have seen a little more relationship development between Tim and Linda and more Linda POV (we only get one or two scenes used for action, not reflection.)

Ending was a little wrapped-up, particularly FBI scene.

Overall a very good read. Four stars.

I have read several Dean Koontz novels. Some of his novel have been good and some not so good. I can certainly say that this is certainly one of one of the good ones. The magic of Koontz is his in depth characters and his captivating storylines both elements are represented in this novel.
The story centers around a mason named Tim who is sitting in a bar one night and begins conversing with another man. This other man mistakes him for a hit man but before Tim can correct him the other gentleman is gone. Tim is wondering what to do at the time when the killer walks into the bar and because of the envelope that Tim has, it is assumed that he is the customer. Even though Tim tells the killer that he has "changed his mind" and is not interested in having anyone killed, he knows that this will not end the predicament that he is right in the middle of. Tim is now in a race against the killer who seems to know every step he is making to find the target, a young woman named Linda Paquette and keep her safe.

The layout that I have given above is the only the beginning as there is a lot more to the story. Koontz unravels each twist to the complicated story beautifully and you will not want to put it down. This is probably not the fastest paced Koontz novel that I have every read but it still moves pretty well. My only other complaint would be how well the assassin is able to follow Tim and Linda so well. There is an explanation but I thought it was a little bit of an easy way out. All and all a very solid novel by one of the best.

Grade: A-

I have the Kindle version of this book.

Another great story from my favourite author. I had read it in paperback a long time ago but reading the ebook was just as pleasurable.

Love the dialogue, as usual, very witty. Perfect characters (good and evil) and disturbing plot...entertaining but scary, too.

Well-written and highly recommended.

Dean Koontz has become my trusted writer. I like to read different authors to taste different flavors of style but most books disappoint me and I turn to read Dean Koontz. `The Good Guy' kept me turning pages past midnight. I finished it within three days. The book shows Dean Koontz's hard work in keeping his high level syntax. He adjusts his language to keep it in tune with current currents. Some similes and metaphors didn't work for me. He put a lot of effort in the portraying the chilling villain Krait, a hit man. Linda, the target of the hit man, has been shown well too.
Throughout the novel he has suppressed the past history of Carrier, his family and his detective friend. So when I came to the background of Carrier, the protagonist, it came as a surprise and I felt cheated. The various unsuspecting characters walked into the hit man's path and got killed. Instead of feeling the horror I laughed. People are usually not that stupid. The plot feels somewhat unrealistic but Dean Koontz has made it entertaining.
Unlike in few of his novels, there is nothing sci-fi or supernatural in this one.

The starting point of this thriller by Dean Koontz is quite clever - due to a case of mistaken identity in a bar, the "good guy" Tim Carrier comes between a contract killer and his intended victim, Linda Paquette.

Tim gets the name and picture of Linda Paquette, and he goes off to warn her that someone is paying $20,000 to have her killed. But soon the killer is out to get not only Linda, but Tim as well, and the chase begins.

Tim and Linda have to run away from the killer, Krait, while simultaneously trying to figure out why anybody wants Linda dead - she doesn't know herself. The action starts immediately, and doesn't let up until the very end. Of course, being thrown together by chance (and this being a book), Tim and Linda start to warm up to each other during the pursuit.

One of the best parts of the book, apart from the action, is the dialogue between Tim and Linda as they get to know each other. Their banter is both witty and in places laugh-out-aloud funny, while at the same time feeling completely authentic. No small feat.

In Krait, the contract killer, Dean Koontz has created a really creepy assassin. A real psychopath, who can be extremely charming and affable when he wants to, and who is obsessed with cleanliness. Also, he is very good at what he does, which is killing people. We get to know quite a bit about Krait and how he sees the world, and that makes him even scarier.

So, there is great action, great dialogue and a great (if that's the word) killer. The only disappointment of the book is the ending, or rather the reason why Krait is trying to kill Linda. Given how good everything else is in the book, I expected some clever reason as well. But in my mind the reason given is pretty weak and far-fetched, not on a par with the quality of the rest of the book. It is a minor complaint though, and I still rate it at five stars.

This is, believe it or not, the first novel by Dean Koontz that I have read, but it won't be the last. I was really impressed by his writing style and rich language, and the suspense was top notch. I highly recommend this book, and I'm looking forward to reading more by Dean Koontz.

Tim Carrier sits down in his favorite bar to relax and enjoy the familiarity. A stranger sits down beside him, strikes up a weird conversation, and hands him an envelope. As the the stranger is leaving he says, "Half of it's there. Ten thousand. The rest when she's gone." Curiously, Tim opens the envelope and finds a picture of a woman he has never seen before. Suddenly, it dawns on Tim that he has been mistaken for a hit man. Tim is now faced with a difficult choice. He can forget he was ever there and go about his normal routine life. Or he can choose to help this woman he knows nothing about. Tim knows the real killer will show up soon for the scheduled meet and he may be the only one who can stop him.

I didn't expect too much from Koontz this time around. I figured it would be good. I mean come on....this is Dean Koontz we are talking about. But for some reason this story idea didn't demand my attention. In my mind I felt like we were getting just another version of The Husband or Velocity. Good ole' Dean was going to once again prove how he can take a man in normal circumstances and turn his world upside down in the first 4 pages. While I admit that my observations were mostly correct, I must say that this one was a pleasant surprise for me. Indeed, this story is very much like The Husband and Velocity but I actually enjoyed it more.

Koontz consistently hooks his readers with effortless prose, crisp dialogue, and memorable characters. Here the Good Guy himself steals the show with his relentless commitment to doing the right thing no matter what. Tim Carrier is the kind of character we love to root for and even want to be like. Krait, the real hit man, is also a great addition to the story and may just be one of the creepiest Koontz villains yet. Koontz takes us so deeply into his world that we can't wait to get out.

Usually Koontz gives us solid background for each character as the narrative unfolds, but not so here. It's not until the end that we truly begin to see who these characters are and what drives them. This is a clever story device that separates The Good Guy from other Koontz suspense titles and makes this novel that much more interesting and enjoyable. Another great read from the Master.

This is a suspenseful thriller, lightly laced with humor. Replete with some interesting twists and turns, it will definitely keep the reader turning the pages. I read it in one sitting, as it is was an easy and enjoyable read. Once again, the author creates n original opening gambit that will grip the reader.

Here, Tim Carrier, a self-effacing mason, is having a drink at his local gin mill after work. While sitting at the bar, he is approached by a complete stranger who engages him in a bizarre conversational exchange and gives him a manila envelope stuffed with ten thousand in cash, with the rest to come after the deed is done. Tim is then given a photograph and the victim's address. Clearly, the stranger has mistaken him for a hit man!

Moments later, yet another stranger enters the bar and, thinking Tim to be the person who wants his services, also engages Tim in a bizarre conversational exchange. When a light bulb goes off in Tim's head, and he realizes this is the person for whom he was mistaken, he give the stranger the envelope of money, and tells him that is a payment for simply doing nothing. Since the stranger doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would take payment for doing nothing, Tim, keeping the photo and the would be victim' s address, is galvanized into action. Nothing like a lady in distress to bring out the John Wayne in the opposite sex.

Suddenly, the chase is on and there is definitely plenty of action. Both Tim and the potential evil doer are somewhat mysterious. Both are headed towards a moment of reckoning, taking the reader with them as they careen towards the eventual climax that will pit good against evil. Though somewhat formulaic, the reader will barely notice, as the author takes the reader on a quick, but fun, joyride.

Evil is"!

This is probably the most profound line is the entire novel. I must first explain that if you are expecting the typical Dean Koontz paranormal/horro story, this isn't it. There are no ghosts, witches, crazed animals, or anything of that nature, this is just a good, old fashioned thriller, full of suspense. There is a really, really, really bad guy (with no real explanation of why he is so bad, hence "evil is" and therefore merits no further explanation), a beautiful woman, and a very, very good, and honorable hero with a likeable sidekick.

Tim Carrier, a mason by trade and a man who prides himself on blending in to the scenary, happens to be in the right place (his friend's bar) at the right time (in my opinion). While having a drink, enjoying his solice, a man strikes up a conversation and eventually pays him to kill someone. This mysterious man gives Tim a photo, a name, an address and a down payment of $10,000 to do the deed. A few moments later, Tim comes face to face with the killer and tells him that the deal is off, keep the money and ignore his earlier wishes. While this proves to be only a temporary setback for this very determined killer, it gives him a little time to meet Linda Paquette and help her. After a series of misadventures, car chases, shoot-outs and other successful attempts at eluding death, the duo (Tim & Linda) set out to discover the simple truth of who wants Linda dead.

I gave this novel a 5, simply because it was refreshing to read a Koontz novel that was so different from his usual. Of course there were things mentioned that never were explained, for example why Tim's friends calling him "Doorman", or why the killer was so dang crazy! But those things were small in the scheme of things. Because no matter what the explanation, Koontz did a fine job explaining that sometimes things can't be explained and Evil is just at times Evil. Even the killer did not really understand what made him who he was, he just accepted it and so should we. Excellent novel, excellent read.

Library book. Loved it! Tim Carrier is my favorite Koontz hero behind Odd Thomas. Premise is jaw-droppingly clever. Your typical Koontz cold-blooded delusional hired killer appears, I love the author's analysis of these characters. No golden retriever in this one though there is a gentle lab. Lots of beautifully described weather, of course. Koontz really hates the poet Wallace Stevens! In this book, he has the murderer saying that Stevens is one of those poets who, when you read him, you not only want to kill everyone in the world but kill yourself, too. Haha!

When I infrequently turn to a Dean Koontz thriller for entertainment, I usually discover some psycho that's evolved from a bad childhood. It makes one wonder what crowd the author ran with as a kid.

Here, stonemason Tim Carrier, minding his own business on a barstool, finds himself mistaken for a hit man by one who abruptly gives him an envelope of money and the note: "Half of its there. Ten thousand. The rest when she's gone." The "she" is author Linda Paquette.

Then, when hired killer Krait shows up at the same barstool, Tim endeavors to pass himself off as the one ordering the hit, but with a change of mind. He gives Krait the 10K to not carry out the pre-arranged contract. Krait is unmoved.

On flights from Burbank to Oakland to Portland to Las Vegas to Burbank, THE GOOD GUY was a book I couldn't put down. I barely noticed the packaged peanuts or, on the leg to Vegas, the young woman with the showgirl body and plunging neckline in the seat across the aisle. The read is that good.

As Carrier takes it upon himself to single-handedly save Linda's life, the hook of the plot is obviously to discover if he succeeds or if they both end up as corpses. Krait is one twisted and relentless dude in his pursuit of the fleeing pair. Then, there are the anticipated answers to the questions that the reader asks. What was Carrier before he started laying brick that enables him to keep himself and Paquette out of harm's way? You or I would be dead in a heartbeat, so don't try this at home. And why has Linda been targeted? Even she hasn't a clue.

Except for its diversionary potential, THE GOOD GUY has no redeeming value whatsoever; it's pure trash. But, for a plane ride from Burbank to Oakland to Portland to Las Vegas to Burbank, it was absolutely perfect. Even if I did pass on the opportunity to ogle the showgirl.

Tim Carrier is in his favourite pub one night when a conversation with a man who he assumes is eccentric but is actually dangerous leaves him confused and with an envelope containing ten thousand dollars and a picture of a pretty young woman. Another man sits next to him and Tim discovers that the money was meant for him and that it is payment for killing the young woman (Linda Paquette). Tim pretends the be the first man and tells him that he has had a change of heart but will still give him the money as a "no-kill fee".

Tim tracks down Linda and warns her that somebody wants her killed, but when the killer founds out he was tricked he is angry and wants Tim dead, too.

I thought that Tim and Linda were very likeable charactors and the conversations between the two of them added a lot of humour to the book. The charactor of Krait (the killer) was a very interesting and origional one.

The book was very exciting and suspenceful and I foud it a really enjoyable read. Similar to Koontz' other recent books the novel takes place within a period of twenty four hours. I have given it four stars instead of five because I thought that the reason for Krait trying to kill Linda (I wont spoil it by saying whether or not he succeeds) - though not dissapointing - could have been better and we never told. Also, we are never told why Krait does not memories before his 18th brithday.

Overall, a good read which I would recomend to Koontz fans especially if you ennjoyed his other recent books such as Velocity and The Husband.

Koontz has done quite well with the sub-genre of "crazed bad guy relentlessly pursues plucky victim," all the way from Shattered through Intensity to this book, The Good Guy. It seems to me, as a reader of several of his books, that he is more creative and realistic in this sub-genre than in his supernatural mode.

Of course Koontz gives us his trademark characters: the good guy -- a mason with an obscure past; the bad guy -- an environmentally-friendly contract killer; and the damsel in distress -- an author who hasn't succumbed to anomie and bitterness, despite her best efforts. And of course, the motor that makes the book run morally is the endlessly fascinating retelling of the battle of good vs. evil.

Koontz almost veers into contradiction on the matter of evil. On the one hand, his writing in recent years has consistently indulged in evil as a part of some conspiracy theory, even to the point, in False Memory, of having a conspiracy to bite off a president's nose. On the other hand, however, he takes the position that there is no ultimate cause of a person's evil. "But there is no why" Tim Carrier, the protagonist in The Good Guy says at one point, "Just--evil is" (p 299). So is evil a side-effect of a subterranean struggle for power, or is it something that just exists and must be dealt with? I imagine Koontz would probably say both.

Koontz has a lot of anger at modern society and modern politics that seeps into his writing, and has had for years. Regarding modern society, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more forceful indictment of modern living in general, and life in the L.A. Basin in particular, than Winter Moon. As for ranting about modern politics, The Good Guy sure has its moments. Having a woman unsuccessfully plead for her life based on being against the war (pp 227-228) is heavy-handed indeed. I enjoyed it, don't get me wrong, but heavy-handed nonetheless. I would love to know what Koontz was thinking when he wrote the passage. Maybe the same thing I thought when I read it: being against violence will not save you from it, no matter how hard you try. Definitely a lesson for, and from, the GWOT. But maybe I'm just a warmonger by reading that into the passage. Anyway, great book, great action, great characters. Thanks Dean!

In "The Good Guy", author Dean Koontz creates some memorable and believable characters who could seem as average as your next door neighbors. That's where any comparison to your normal, average American life will end as a stirring and violent plot shoots off the pages from the very start of the novel.

Unlikely protagionist Timothy Carrier was just enjoying a beer after a long day on the job when he is approached by a suspicious character who gives Carrier a bundle of money and a picture of a women he wants killed. Before Carrier can sort all of this out, he is soon approached by the real hitman, a sociopath by the name of Krait, who confuses the situation even more. Carrier nows finds himself caught in the web between contractor and killer and takes it upon himself to save the real victim, author Linda Paquette.

As Carrier and Paquette flee from Krait, Koontz slowly develops each character to the point where the reader has no choice but to be drawn into the bizarre plot just as deeply as the characters are. Krait truly is the epitome of evil and ranks with the Lecters of the literary world. As with many non-supernatural Koontz novels, humor and violence are wonderfully mixed in measured doses to the point where the book is nearly impossible to put down.

Reders of the recent Koontz book, "The Husband" will find this novel just as satisfying and fast-moving. Creepy, suspenseful, and well-crafted, the legion of Dean Koontz fans will find "The Good Guy" singularly entertaining and worthy to be recognized as one of his better recent novels.