False Memory

THERE IS NO doubt that Dean Koontz - the man, the animal lover, and the writer - has an intense love for life, for humanity, for dogs (Golden Retrievers in particular) and perhaps most importantly, an intense love of spreading the word of all things kind, and all things good, in any way he chooses. His fans, of course, read his books for a variety of reasons, and I admit to reading them for his Koontz-specific flair for the supernatural, as well, of course, to see how his latest book reflects his personal ideology on the topics outlined above.

FALSE MEMORY certainly starts out with an interesting premise. Early on, a reader may well find themselves lost in a plethora of possibilities if they think too hard on how this book may develop. What begins as a story based on a woman - walking her Golden Retriever - who is ’scared of her own shadow’ turns out to be a truly terrifying premise and reveal of the powers one person has over another via the science of psychiatry. But even the first chapter was so well written that it almost made the purchase of the book worth it.

And this is where the book turns nasty. The puppeteer is one heinously sick dude who is taking advantage of his patients in the most disgusting and deplorable ways possible. He has friends in high places, and associates in dangerous places, too. This has allowed him to continue on his soul - and life - destroying path for so long.

The writing is typical Koontz. Hideous bad guts, adorable and yet seriously flawed good guys. Include some beautiful pets for good measure and don’t forget to add an extra dose of Koontz literary magic. There is arguably the greatest Dean Koontz Quote Of All Time provided for the reader on page 64 of the 2012 Bantam Books Mass Market Paperback Edition. And chapter 26 ends with potentially the Longest Paragraph Ever Written. It goes for thirty six (yes, I said thirty six!) lines, but skip it at your peril. Not only does it end that chapter of the tale off in fine fashion, but it is highly emotive and manages to change the tone of the book, and the relationship of the two main characters, completely.

Interestingly, the opening section focuses on a husband and wife team, along with the struggling-to-cope-with-life Brother In Law. But it is not until the reader reaches almost 200 hundred pages that the dynamic due actually come across one another in the book. That is not a flaw, and nor is it a criticism, but an aspect of the structure that i felt was worthy of pointing out.

The book is far from perfect. Despite its exciting and action packed plot, it is fair to say that FALSE MEMORY is just too darn long. Hit the half way mark and the book speeds up in the home stretch (as long books tend to do - apart from the Classics), and you tend to not look back. There are plenty of emotional peaks and troughs here, too, with some good guys surviving and some not.

This is not my favourite Koontz Epic. It is still a worthy read, and a must buy for his dedicated fans. I still harbour great thoughts and memories of his now classic ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN. FALSE MEMORY is worthy to sit on the same shelf as ODAFH but its simply not as good. Nice try, Mr Koontz. But not a home run.

Suspenseful, some interesting twists and turns, well-crafted. Koontz is obviously a gifted writer. I've read several of his novels and much prefer the ones having to do with the supernatural (The Taking, 77 Shadow Street -- both AMAZING books). However, I've noticed a few themes in the last several books I've read that I find somewhat tiresome.

Firstly, the idealized marital relationship between Martie and Dusty (also to be found in Strangers and The Taking) just doesn't seem plausible. It's too perfect. I'm all for great marriages, but the Rhoades's fawning praise for one another seems too flawless to be believable. They seemed like good people, but pretty one-dimensional.

Second, I think Koontz has a habit of taking humorous descriptions to an irritating level. While describing Skeet's affect on the roof of the house, he says he was "regarding [the crows] with such an inane smile and with such reverence that you would have thought he was a total naturehead who had begun the day with a glass of fresh-squeezed organic orange juice, a sugarless bran muffin, a tofu omelet, and nine-mile hike". It sounds like a high school kid wrote this and thought he was very clever. It also occurs several times in the internal dialogs of Dr. Ahriman.

Third, and this is specific to False Memory, I just didn't buy Dr. Mark Ahriman's character. He was evil through-and-through and therefore hardly human. Besides having distant, self-involved parents and a privileged childhood that seemed to include no consequences for bad behavior, I didn't understand WHY he was so evil. I kept waiting for an explanation, but there wasn't one. Was he abused? Did he have a neurological disorder? He was not sufficiently human for me to even hate him.

Fourth, the last few pages are devoted to tying every detail up into happy little packages. Skeet gets married and becomes a father. Martie and Dusty re-build their quaint home exactly like it was before the fire. The Keanuphobe pays Skeet off for shooting him. The children who were brainwashed by Dr. Ahriman in New Mexico retain none of the implanted memories. The facts come out about evil Dr. Ahriman and all the innocent parties are exonerated. Martie becomes a vet and opens an animal rescue with the money left to her by Susan. Claudette chills out. How precious. Satisfying perhaps, but not believable. I guess you can always count on the good guys winning BIG and winning completely with Dean Koontz.

That said, I respect Mr. Koontz's ability to craft a suspenseful story. Maybe I just need to move on to a different author!

Much too long,
No editing at all,
Why not?

Metaphors and similes,
By the hundred,
Imagery garbled.

Evil villain,
Rape, murder, and pain,
Blood flows.

Fugue, phobia, and phantasm,
Can be programmed.
Can't they?

Palm frond claws,
Dew of tears.
More metaphors.

LA sun and beaches,
Covered by storms.
Drought breaker.

Dog with French name,
Are you kidding?
Of course: LA.

House painter guy,
Video game gal,
Cute couple.

Villain doctor,
Sadist true,
Psycho babbler.

Japanese poem,
Haiku, haiku,
Gesundheit.

Mind control is a scary concept, especially in the hands of insanity. This story encompasses not only one individual's madness but also that of a supposedly respectable company whose only concern is 'world peace'...hmm.

There is mystery, intrigue, secrets and lies, betrayal and obsession and yet there is also love.

I always appreciate the humorous dialogue in this author's stories and enjoy the secure relationships. The descriptions, too, were both enlightening and beautiful in parts.

Great characters - both good and bad - a fabulous plot and an intriguing idea make this a compelling read.

Highly recommended.

Delve into the depths of mind control with Martie and her husband, Dusty. Both normal people, caught up in a scheme so dangerous and widespread that it could easily end their lives at a moment, or cause them to end someone else’s with no memory. Meet Dr. Ahriman, a renowned psychologist who has created a program that allows him to program people, and use them for his bidding. A long-standing feud, fraught with twists and turns, bring Martie and Dusty across Ahriman’s path, and leads to quite the thrilling adventure.

False Memory may be one of Koontz's best works. This cerebral accelerator held me captive well into night. Adrenaline frenzied events played out by irresistible characters facing psychotic antagonists of the most dark nature, make for a read that will you will not soon forget.

This book has many different characters and aspects to it so the beginning was slow to set up the story line. The suspense, mystery, confusion could be a bit taxing. Once it was fell into place is was really good with twists, surprises and shocks that I never saw coming and the end was satisfying.

The characters are drawn so vividly and endearing (well, not everyone) that I was brought into their world and lives. Dean Koontz gave such realistic portrayals that I fell in love with these people (well, not everyone).

Dean Koontz hits your darkest fears with this deadly thriller. Going inside your mind and making you afraid of yourself and what you are capable of. He targets mind control and not having control over your own thoughts or actions. It is a truly horrifying concept that comes from one of the great creators of thrilling fiction.

False Memory has just a creepy tone to it that carries throughout the whole novel. It keeps you on the edge of your seat because it is impossible to put down. There are a bunch of twists and turns to haunt you on every page. It truly drags you through the realm of insanity.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but it all seems unattainable.

The characters in this book are extremely interesting. This is especially true at the beginning when it appears that they developed crippling mental illnesses out of the blue. As the book progresses, the characters only become stronger and stronger.

This novel had everything that I really enjoy. Great characters that you can root for, a thrilling story that is fast-paced and eerie, great writing that doesn’t drag on and get boring, and ultimately and ending that I enjoyed.

The length of this book was a bit intimidating because of how large my TBR pile is, but once I really sat down with it, it was easy to finish it fairly quickly and I really recommend it for fans of thrillers.

5/5 Stars

Something is stealing tnto these characters minds, good people turning against their loved ones. What is happening and why? Haiku, a Japanese form of poetry, has a quite an important part in this book. Dean Koontz writes of phobias. One of these phobias is autophobia. There are three different conditions. One is fear of being alone, another fear of being egotistical, third is fear of oneself. Strange. Martie Rhodes is affected by number three. Her best friend, Susan, is affected by agrophobia, fear of the market place. Both ladies were career women with lucrative careers. Martie designs video games, Susan is a realtor. Both ladies were outgoing and fun loving. What has happened?

The family of Marti is her husband Dusty, and their, dog Valet, very much a child to this couple. Both are much loved by Martie. The reader meets many interesting characters, members of Dusty's weird family. These family members are disowned by Dusty except for Skeet, his younger half brother. His mother has been married three times to intellectuals. She has children by all three men, all boys. This book is set in southern California. Dusty and his younger half brother are good friends and work together. Skeet has mental problems and tries to jump from the roof of a tall house. Another character with problems. Skeet is a druggie who goes back and forth on drugs and spends time in a psychiatric hospital. He is in and out of that particular hospital. But why try to kill himself? His best friend is Fig who is much into UFOs and other space sighting, Big Foot plus more interesting studies. These men are house painters.

Along comes the gifted, brilliant psychiatrist, Dr Mark Ahriman.

Martie goes to Susans' home to drag her to the psychiatrists, office. Martie, herself, becomes affected with autophobia and throws all the pieces of everything in her house that she feels would hurt and kill Dusty and Valet. The house is a mess with sharp objects and glass thrown all over the home.

Then Dusty and Martie go to Santa Fe, New Mexico to find out what is going on with friends and others. There is a strong history of evil phobias in Santa Fe. Maxie is trying hard to overcome her autophobia and is winning her fight. PERHAPS!

This is a very long book and encompases much. It contains 751 pages. Mr Koontz goes deep into the minds of these characters. The book is strange, frightening, weird and not for everyone, but good, well written and interesting to those who like this kind of fiction. Never boring, the book does put too much detail into Martie destroying so much of her home, This is the first I read by Dean Koontz.

False Memory is a strange, thrilling, and pulse pounding roller coaster ride in true Koontz fashion. Each scene draws you in and holds you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what new twist is just around the bend.

Dusty and Martine Rhodes are a normal couple living a normal life, until Martine is struck by a rare and mysterious psychological condition called autophobia. Made all the stranger by the fact that her best friend, Susan, has been suffering from agoraphobia for the past several months. What are the odds of two friends being struck down by debilitating phobia within months of each other? Then Martine's brother-in-law attempts suicide and Dusty begins to find himself missing bits and pieces of time with no explanation as to what he was doing during them.

Coincidence? Strange cosmic forces at work? Or something worse? As Dusty and Martine try to unravel the mystery, they find themselves drawn ever deeper into a depraved game that can end in only one way. Death.

This suspenseful tale of depravity and desperation will chill you to the bone.

Love him or hate him, Dean Koontz certainly knows how to write a good suspense novel; unfortunately, as of late, these novels seem like rehashed versions of one another, veering dangerously close to self-plagiarizing. Now, while it's apparent to anyone with the proper knowledge that intensity and velocity really aren't anywhere close to the same novel (despite the striking similarity in name, like "the husband" and "the good guy"), it's nevertheless worrisome when a fan of such an author as Koontz is questioning his ability to come up with something bold and exciting. While scouring the collection of Koontz at the local bookstore, this title jumped out immediately due to it's (apparent) inability to conform to these standards (and that is was written in 1999 and not noticed until now). Nevertheless (possible small spoiler), much like memories are not as they seem in this novel, the actual plot is not as it appears, either.

Expecting something very different from anything Koontz has written previously, I went into this novel with high hopes and many of those hopes were realized; nevertheless, this book is very clearly a Dean Koontz novel, which in no way should be taken as a detraction. Rather, take that statement for what it is, a declaration that Mr. Koontz didn't abandon his own style and try and reinvent himself, so to speak. He knows what he's good at, which is good suspense fiction, and that applies to this novel. The pacing is feverish at numerous points during the novel, though there are some stretches where it seems as though he is writing simply for the sake of showing off his talent. While the majority of these sections are needed, to a point, it's certainly within the realm of possibility that one could skim over some of the rather long sections and come out unscathed and just as informed as one who pays close attention to every detail.

The story is infuriating, and not due to poor writing ability or a substandard storyline, but rather due to the fact that the reader's nerves are wound as tightly as the plot, and the subsequent inability to make the pages go by any faster is quite hard to cope with. The characters are extremely easy to like and care for, the villain is not over the top (and is quite easy to hate with every fiber of one's being), and the story is not some rehashed thriller that seems like it's been beaten to death. This book is (almost) Dean Koontz at his finest, and I'll take that Dean Koontz any day I can.

Final Rating: 4.5* out of 5*

Martie Rhodes, a normal, intelligent, happy person, suddenly and inexplicably develops a strange phobia after her best friend mysteriously develops something similar. It is difficult to reveal much more without giving the entire plot away and spoiling this book for a potential reader. However, I will say that the novel is a cleverly woven tale with well-developed characters and the phobias they experience are described so well by the author, it actually gave me chills at times. The villain is particularly evil, creepy (as all Koontz villains tend to be) and a master of brain-washing techniques. The book is full of suspense but it is also amazingly humorous at times. Koontz has a unique talent of occasionally blending a little wit in even his scariest novels, which I find refreshing. I definitely enjoyed this book.

False Memory is probably my favorite book by Dean Koontz, which is saying a lot, since I've read most of his many dozens of books. This story manages to be simultaneously heartwarming, action packed, philosophical, and intensely creepy. It's a book that forces you to keep turning pages and yet doesn't rely solely--or even primarily--on action sequences to keep the story moving. The characters are deep and believable, the plot twists hang together right through to the end, and the villain is in my opinion one of the best ever conceived in the genre.

Dusty Rhodes is a housepainter who loves nearly everything about his life. He enjoys the laid-back nature of his work, he loves his wife, Marty, dearly, and he's crazy about their dog. The one blemish on the otherwise flawless canvas of his happiness is his younger step-brother, Skeet, whose constant problems with drugs make caring for him difficult and employing him all but impossible.

Marty Rhodes is a video game designer who loves nearly everything about her life. She loves her work, she loves her husband intensely, and she's crazy about their dog. The one dark spot in her life is her best friend Susan, who several months ago was inexplicably and suddenly stricken with severe agoraphobia--fear of the outdoors.

The day Dusty and Marty's happy lives change forever starts out normally enough. Marty takes Susan to her weekly therapy session. Dusty heads to his latest job site, a big house in a wealthy neighborhood. Everything seems usual. Until Skeet launches himself off the roof of the house Dusty's crew is painting and Marty develops an unexplainable terror of herself and the potentially violent acts of which she could be capable.

Though Dusty is able to save Skeet's life at the last minute by directing his fall onto a cushioning mattress, his whole day is thereafter spent dealing with Skeet--taking him first to the hospital, then to a detox clinic, and finally trying to make sense a strange episode where Skeet appears to have fallen into a strange trance.

Dusty's unavailability means that Marty has to deal with her growing panic alone, and she soon spirals out of control. Then, to top off the strangeness of the day, as Marty is going through her house in a frenzy, trying to throw away anything and everything that could possibly be used as a weapon, she gets a phone call from Susan, who claims that someone has been secretly entering her apartment at night--through locked doors, apparently--and raping her in her sleep.

Through a harrowing series of discoveries, Dusty and Marty ultimately realize that Skeet's suicidal tendencies, Marty's autophobia (fear of herself), and Susan's agoraphobia and nighttime visitations are all linked. The nature of the link--and the diabolical motivation behind it--lies in the last direction any of them would suspect. By the time Dusty and Marty deduce the figure behind their intensifying nightmare, they are trapped in a race against time to preserve their sanity and their lives.

Koontz weaves this story masterfully, from the first page to the last. The tremendously satisfying conclusion leaves the reader all but gasping for breath while at the same time pondering the nature of fear and questioning the definition of sanity in the modern world. As usual, Koontz writes with an underlying moral framework that most Christian readers should appreciate, though the hideous nature of some of the crimes depicted (including one very graphic rape scene) will undoubtedly move this book out of the range of tolerance for some. Even so, the evil described in False Memory is never idealized or treated as anything other than evil, and good ultimately prevails.

Anyone who has ever felt surprise at a few moments of "lost time" during the day or who has ever experienced a strange, unexplainable phobia, will be captivated by Koontz's presentation of an eerily plausible explanation. This is Dean Koontz at his best.

Dean Koontz writes a tale of deeply penetrating detailed intrigue ... mind-blowing experiences and events occur to various characters in the book which are tied together so intricately that the book is spell-binding from start to finish.

Martie Rhodes has accompanied her good friend, Susan Jagger to the psychiatrist's office for over a year. Susan has had recurring nightmares about her ex-husband entering her apartment at night and doing inexplicable things. Her psychiatrist, Dr. Mark Ahriman is a famous author of top selling 'self-help' books along being published in peer-reviewed journals for research in his field of expertise. His kind considerate manner balanced well with his superb credentials and unsurpassed reputation. Lately, Martie has begun experiencing unsual mental stress symptoms herself. She couldn't look herself in the mirror without thinking of harming herself and began experiencing intense fear when she handled sharp objects ... part of her knew this behavior was abnormal yet she couldn't stop the thoughts from arising at times. She was considering visiting Dr. Arhiman herself to help control this new onset of chaotic thinking ...

Her husband, Dusty, a painting contractor had just saved Skeet, his brother, from jumping off a roof and killing himself. Skeet had a background of psychological problems from his youth. He had been a "babe magnet", a handsome young man but his negligent eating habits made him look like a gaunt shadow of himself... Dusty had him admitted to a local psych facility ... where it turned out Dr. Mark Ahriman was a silent partner. In the facility, Dusty was exploring his brother's problems and was looking through his belongings. He came upon a phrase in a book which he read outloud and discovered ... put his brother in a trance. Essentially his brother followed his commands and answered questions in a distant voice with no recall of the event after he fell asleep ...

Susan Jagger sets a trap to prove once and for all whether Eric her exhusband is paying her visits at night while she is asleep ... She shares none of the details of these nightmarish events with Martie ... As Martie and Dusty settle down for the night they discuss the days events, with many of its peculiar aspects. Susan tries calling Martie who does not pick up the phone. When Martie does not hear from Susan for over 24 hours, she becomes suspicious and goes to her apartment. Susan is discovered dead - an apparent suicide. But was it? Dr. Mark Ahriman reassured Martie that Susan was doing splendidly and improving ... He felt she was near a breakthrough and could likely be cured? What happened to Susan to make her kill her self?

The answers to these questions are explained in a twisted tale of intrigue and mystery. Dean Koontz uses normal events and unusual ideas and concepts based on scientific research which is exaggerated in his imagination to build a suspenseful murder mystery with complex underpinnings of winding labyrinthine paths. Reading this book is a thrilling roller coaster ride ... There are many ups, downs and hair-pin turns at the most unexpected moments. This is another exciting book by a master author who is tops in his field ... Read and enjoy. Erika Borsos (pepper flower)

A Koontz reviewer once commented that Koontz is not a brilliant author, but rather a mediocre author who has flashes of brilliance. I would add that what Koontz has is a very entertaining formula, together with flashes of brilliance. That is certainly on display in False Memory. Koontz' formula is simple: intelligent villains who are screwed up because they (a) were victimized as children (Strangers), (b) had their genes manipulated (The Bad Place, Shadowfires, Sole Survivor), (c) gave themselves over to evil (Hidaway, Odd Thomas), (d) are aliens (Twilight Eyes), (e) are from various government/foreign agencies (House of Thunder, Door to December) or (f) are just generally postmodern sickos (Intensity, The Face, The Good Guy). Throw in an encounter with one of these wackos by ordinary people, add a romance or family estrangement, and away you go.

Does the formula work? Yes, it does, and for a long time. But can Koontz take us to a place that we haven't been previously? Only seldom. I still see his flashes of brilliance (e.g., an absolutely heart-stopping shootout on the high plains of New Mexico in False Memory), but the themes have been explored and the language seems to be getting progressively more verbose as time goes on.

Anyhow, back to False Memory. It could have been cut down by 150 pages and would have been a much better book. It also has some structural oddities (e.g., introduction of the Keanuphobe and Dusty's family dysfunctions late in the book) that made me think that Koontz should slow down a little, and that his editor should show more concern with the franchise rather than next quarter's earnings per share. He says he doesn't use outlines, and this book is a great example of why you should.

2007 UPDATE TO MY 2003 REVIEW. I note that Koontz' more recent books have been better than the stuff he was cranking out in the late 90s / early 00s. I gave The Good Guy five stars which it amply deserves. Koontz doesn't do as well with conspiracy theories as he does with other themes. In fact, the only really good book he's produced that has a conspiracy theory at its core is Strangers.

This is an average Dean Koontz book, which displays both his strengths and his weaknesses in all their glory.

His strengths have made him famous. He has a real feel for pacing, ending each bite-sized chapter with a paragraph that demands that we start the next chapter immediately. He has taken a clever idea, in this case irrational mental illnesses striking ordinary people, and given it royal treatment. And his descriptions of place, time, and setting are all very authentic.

On the other hand, people often don't seem to notice his weaknesses, which really bother me. His characters are very wooden, and are often interchangeable from one novel to the next. Martie and Dustin are extremely good-hearted, live a comfortable life, and, other than their new mental conditions, seem to be as functional as people can get. This Barbie-and-Ken perfection can be found in most Koontz novels. Either that, or we get "Barbie minus one," which is a Barbie-perfect character who is saddled with a single bad character trait in a clumsy effort to add depth. Oh, and also, we get the younger mentally handicapped boy character, and the uncannily smart canine character that we see in other Koontz tales. The character problem is exacerbated by Koontz's second weakness, which is dialogue. To me, the verbal sparring of Koontz characters sounds like it was transplanted from a 1970s sitcom, in that it's neither funny nor realistic. Finally, Koontz is a little verbose at times, and I wish that this novel had an abridged version, because I think it could definitely have been tightened up without lessening our enjoyment.

But don't get me wrong. This is a decent book with some interesting ideas in it, and an avid Koontz fan in particular will enjoy his ability to keep the pages turning.

I do recommend this book to those who have already experienced Koontz. But if you're new to this author, pick up Odd Thomas or Intensity. Those are probably his best two books, and in general, his writing has improved with age, so the more recent the book, the better the chance it will be good.

Martie Rhodes is a successful video game designer married to a good man named Dusty. Her best friend Susan suffers from agoraphobia ( fear of open spaces) and stays locked up in her apartment everyday. She depends on Martie to take her to her weekly therapy sessions. Martie's life is turned upside down when she too becomes inflicted with a deadly fear - the fear of yourself and what you might do to others. Dusty begins a frantic search for clues to tell him what's going on. Unfortunately, Dusty begins to find himself inflicted with a condition that is even worse than Martie's.
False Memory is one of Dean Koontz's best books in my opinion. People often overlook it, and the majority of those who have read the book, think that it is nothing special. If you are looking for a great Dean Koontz book to read, you should definately give False Memory a try. My favorite aspect of the novel is the outstanding premise. The subject of mind control is always very controversial and interesting, and Koontz blends it into the story wonderfully. Fans of the "The Manchurian Candidate" will especially enjoy "False Memory", because Koontz actually involves themes from the film in the story. False Memory moves at a very fast pace and is filled with action and suspense that will keep you hooked from page one. I was not able to put this book down.
The characters are great. They suffer from different phobias, but are all connected through their search for the truth. Martie's phobia is perhaps the most intriguing because it is very original. The fact that she fears what she might do to herself and others, allienates her from her husband Dusty and her best friend Susan. This makes it very hard for Martie to work with them to find the truth of what is happening to them. False Memory also features one of the best villans Koontz has ever created. Unfortunately, I cannot go into detail because it will give away key elements of the story. Overall, False Memory is the BEST psychological thriller that I have ever read. It is filled with outstanding characters, tons of action and suspense, and sinister methods of mind control.

Freud look out. No one takes care of patients better than Dr. Mark Aruman. Psychotherapy goes wrong in Koontz's latest thriller: False Memory.

Koontz' casts of characters include: A golden Retriever: check, somewhat nerdy male protagonist: check, doughty and tough female/wife figure: check, dependant brother character: check, fatherly doctor character: check, and nerdy sidekick character: check. The villain? Crazed sugar-eating, eyeball-collecting Doctor Aruman the consummate family shrink.

If you are a Koontz fan you doubtless know the plot formula by now. The evil, unfeeling scientific community is experimenting on hapless humans. In this case-Dr. Mark Aruman. The psycho bad guy. Mark is using his cover as a shrink to brainwash helpless victims. Why? Because its all fun for Mark who is nothing more than an evil psychotic overgrown boy.

In False Memory, I really didn't find the formula as abrasive as his more recent works. There was less bible-thumping and pulpit pounding. The dog didn't play a large role, and Dusty was less whiney than most Koontz heroes. I liked Fig and Skeet, and even the doctor after a while.

Funny scenes? I liked the "Normal" scenes where Dr. Aruman was trying to do his job. The scenes with the "Keanu-Phobic" woman were really amusing. The running mental commentary from the Doctor while forced to deal with 'real-life' situations such as his secretary were funny. I liked Fig Newton and Dusty.

The narrator deserves a great deal of praise for his fantastic narration of this book. A fine edition to any Koontz fan's library.

First of all, beware, because a lot of reviews here give away MAJOR spoilers, and it's much better left as a surprise.

This was my 20th Dean Koontz read, and now one of my favorites. It's a fascinating psychological thriller about a woman named Marti who's up to her neck in problems. She already struggles with helping her phobic friend Susan, who is terrified of leaving her home and must be helped to her therapy sessions once a week. But now Marti is developing a phobia of her own-a fear of herself. She's suddenly terrified of her reflection and her own shadow, terrified of hurting someone for reasons she cannot comprehend. She throws out all of the cutlery in her house, in an attempt to make it safe. Not only that, but now Marti's friend Susan is suspecting that her ex-husband Eric is sneaking in at night and drugging and raping her. She can't remember anything, but she wakes up with all the signs of rape.

Why had Marti developed autophobia? Can her husband cope with her crazed behavior? Is Eric really raping Susan? Can either woman ever overcome their phobias? Why do two close friends both suddenly become the victims of severe phobias?

I highly recommend this book, along with:

Intensity

Watchers

Whispers

Hideaway

Darkfall

Twilight Eyes

The Door To December

Phantoms

Dean Koontz has a hell of an imagination, there's no getting around that. False Memory is a foray into mind-control that will leave you worrying about whether it could really happen.
Martie and Dusty Rhodes are a nice young couple living in Southern California. Martie's best friend, Susan, suffers from agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) and Martie helps her by literally forcing Susan out of her apartment and taking her for her therapy sessions. Suddenly Susan reveals that she is being raped at night by her ex-husband, however, even though she locks all doors and windows and even wedges a chair under the door knob he still manages to get in. The clincher is, she has no memory of the attacks and none of the doors or windows have been tampered with. In fact, the chair is still wedged under the door knob. She only knows he's been there from the semen stains he's left behind. From this point strange things begin to happen to Dusty and Martie too.
As I said in my title, I think the plot idea is great. Mr. Koontz once did a short story (whose name escapes me) using the same premise and I remember the story being taut and suspenseful. I was hoping we were headed in the same direction with this story too, but it was not to be.
For one thing, the book suffers from bloat. It's really too long. It could stand some editing, but what seems to be happening today is major authors no longer get edited. That's too bad. Compared to Koontz's previous "Watchers" or "Lightning" the book is lethargic.
Another thing, the villian, though interesting, is almost too over the top. Whenever we're seeing things from the villians point of view it becomes semi-comic which destroys any tension built up from previous scenes. So you never really do get that "This tension is killing me, I can't wait to see what happens" feeling. This book never becomes an "I can't put it down" thriller. Actually, it's quite easy to put down and resume later.
Authorial asides. He's doing this more and more. Those little comments about today's culture he keeps throwing into the book. Most are right on target, some are funny, but none of them belong here. Fiction is a suspension of disbelief, an entrance into the author's created world. And every time he throws us one of these tidbits he reminds us we're really reading a book and he's the author. Each time I read one of these I always have the mental image of Mr. Koontz standing there with a smug, "aren't I just too clever" smile on his face. This is jarring and it drains any tension that has been built up. It's also the kind of thing a beginning writer would not be allowed to get away with.
The ending. ...
Would I recommend this book? I guess so. As I said, the plot idea really is good. Though I did find myself skimming there are some very good scenes in here. The scene where Martie and Dusty are kidnapped by two goons in Santa Fe is really suspenseful and you keep wondering how they're going to get out of this jam. So, there is some good stuff, however, you might want to wait until the paperback comes out so it will cost you less.

The best thing about this novel is the concept, mind control through hypnotisim. Koontz goes further than most with this concept. In addition to having his villian control people with hypnosis he has his villian, Dr. Ahriman, implant phobias in his patients minds.
That said one of the big problems with this novel is it is very drawn out. For example Koontz takes the first 200 pages to get through a few hours of time. In that space Koontz harps on details that become boring and add nothing to the story, including what people ate, and long decriptions of dog walking. These laboress detailed passages occur throughout the novel, the result being that they slow down the story and confuse the reader.
The other big problem with this novel is it is messy. There are to many extrenous details and charcters. For example, for the first half of the novel the reader belives that Dr. Ahriman is acting alone, however late in the novel the reader learns that he is affilited with an institute. It is never clear what this institutes purpose is, and why Dr. Ahriman is really affilated with them. The institute is totally useless, espically since the reader learns that Ahriman's behavior with the main charcters is really based on his own agenda and has nothing to do with the institue after all.
This is a novel that would have been helped by an editor. However it is still an interesting concept and a good thriller when Koontz isn't adding extra materail.

Richard Condon wrote a shocking book, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, about mind control for purposes of war. Egocentric psychiatrist, Dr. Ahirman, likes the idea and uses the concept for his elaborate "games" of rape, murder, and corruption. For years, the doctor created pawns of human beings, by brainwashing them into doing his bidding using trigger names, often characters from THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, and haikus.

Strange behaviors from the people in their lives surround Dusty and Martie, a house painter and video game creator, and they are clever enough to put all the clues together. But who would believe them? They decide they must stop the powerful doctor on their own, but how does someone who is brainwashed stop his own brainwasher?

Koontz uses beautiful writing to convey some of the most horrendous images to his readers. Using realistic and endearing characters, he makes his story come alive. Although the subject matter is unrealistic, he sure has a way of making us believe it!

"False Memory" is Dean Koontz at his very best. After 2 disappointing books featuring Chris Snow, Koontz is back with an intriguing and fascinating story that acclerates throughout it's over 600 pages. Koontz creates multiple characters that range from pure innocense and goodness to total evil. He makes each and every one of them totally complete in the readers mind and draws them together in an amazing story that never slows down. Phobias are the main theme of the story along with the cause of the phobias which is revealed at an early point in the story. Though many books may bog down in the middle, "False Memory" piles on the drama while adding characters that make the story more compelling. Martie and Dusty Rhodes (along with Dusty's fascinating brother, Skeet) are the heroes of this thriller. Koontz has the ability to make you both sympathetic and concerned for their well being. The villians of the piece are equally fleshed out and he has created one of the finest villians in recent fiction history. It would be unfair to spoil the story with too many plot details but suffice to say, the thrills and surprises never stop. A little humor along the way is creatively placed at critical junctions. If you love Koontz, this is his best thriller since "The Watchers" and one of the best books you will read this year.

This novel starts off a little slow but just gets better and better. Most of Koontz' works are engrossing and difficult to put away. With this novel I found that I had to literally pry my hands off the book to attend to more urgent things (like crying babies for one). It kept me up to the wee hours, wrecking havoc on my brain for the day (thanks a lot, Dean, but you did a great job on the book). The book runs a tad long but that's ok---my interest was held throughout.

The story is first rate and amazing; unusual elements are weaved into the storyline skillfully. I don't believe a fictional story can get much better than this one. However, the main characters aren't that remarkable. Yet if I recall correctly most of Koontz' protagonists are ordinary women and men who have extraordinary things happen to them. Some of the supporting and bit characters of this book are more interesting (Fig Newton and the Keanu-phobic patient). Nonetheless it's the villain, Mark Ahriman, who steals the show. Ahriman is an established psychiatrist with a terribly interesting past and a penchant for haiku. The more I read about him the more I hated him but wanted to know more about him. High recommendations for those who love suspense thrillers.

My first Koontz book and definately NOT my last! An in-depth and complex thriller that sends chills up your spine. The characters are very deep and well thought out. I loved Marty and Dusty and especially Skeet.
We start out with a 28-year-old woman named Marty Rhodes. She has a best friend named Susan Jagger who needs moral support for her Angoraphobia.
Susan is afraid of everything. Including being outside, seeing strangers, working, ect and needs the help of a reknowned pychiatrist. Just getting there is a dreaded thing she tries to avoid. But with her best friend's help she has been able to go every week with no fail.
But lately Susan feels as if someone is visting her at night and doing unspeakable things to her without her knowledge even though she wakes up with nothing out of place. How can this be? Is she going going completely crazy or is someone really visiting her?
Suddenly Marty begins to imagine herself doing horrible things to her husband and sees all sharp objects as potentially dangerous and deadly. Where did this come from? Why is she suddenly afraid of herself?
Dusty is going crazy trying to help his brother Skeet.
Skeet's inability to function due to trauma that isn't understood throughout most of the book's complex plot made the reader feel for him. At times we are led to believe one thing and then another until we are very curious to why Skeet cannot function and then ultimately attempts suicide.
Adding to this is his wife's new fear of herself and hurting him or others and her best friend's phobia. Strangely it becomes a weird pattern and Dusty realizes things aren't as they seem.
Someone caused this and he must dig through the haze and fears to find the truth. When he does, the truth is stranger than fiction and his, Marty's, Susan's and Skeet's lives are in danger.
Can Dusty save them before disaster strikes and the cycle is complete? A freefall into madness and a very intense look into the lives of 4 people who are connected in a twisted game that none of them can control.
Very scary and a classic psychological thriller worth 10 stars!
Tracy Talley~@

Dean Koontz is one of my favorite authors and has been for a very long time. I own most of his novels and there are only a few which I didn't particularly care for. Mr. Koontz' novels have been classified as being "horror" but I've never found them to be frightening. His novels are thought provoking and always make me feel as if "it's possible". When I first started reading False Memory, it reminded me a lot of one of his previous novels "Night Chills" and I thought why am I reading this again. False Memory's beginning was slow and I had to push myself to get through it but somewhere around the half point it picked up to a level which held my attention. It took me five days to complete this novel which is quite unusual for me. I skipped over a lot of pages as they were too descriptive and unnecessary to the plot of the story. While I must admit when I reached the end of the novel - I did enjoy its outcome but it was definitely not one of my favorites. False Memory didn't do much for me. Mr. Koontz is a great storyteller who has written so many unforgettable novels that I have gotten great pleasure from and since I'm a major Dean Koontz' fan, I'll be purchasing his next novel and the next and the next. He's definitely a man ahead of his time.

An old cliche says that just because you are paranoid doesn't mean that people aren't out to get you. Thus are the situations that Dusty Rhodes and his wife Martie find themselves in from beginning to end of this highly creative and often disturbing book. Things keep happening to the mental state of Dusty's wife, her best friend Susan, and Dusty's brother Skeet that seem really weird. At first you might think you are reading about the psychiatric ward at a mental hospital as various events are played out in often frustrating detail. However, you slowly come to realize that there are reasons for the mental states of each of the main characters, and the path they take to discovery is the essence of this book.
I found the first 200 to 250 pages of this book slow as the mental states of the various characters were played out in excruciating detail. I was more than once tempted to stop reading the book. However, my interest increased as the book went on, and by page 400 or so I had to read to the end of this roughly 750 page book without stopping. My advice is to do your best to get through the portion of the book where the characters are established to get to the meat, and you will find the time you spent was worth the effort.
Koontz combines the intertwined elements used so effectively by Charles Dickens in "David Copperfield" with disturbing elements of a sadist coupled to sufficiently plausible details of psychology to make you believe that this story could truly happen. Even more endearing, the principal characters are everyday people that might live next door to you and me, or might even be you and I. When the novel nears the end and Koontz neatly, yet plausibly, ties all the elements together in a Dickensian fashion, you will find multiple revelations and be amazed that you were so well and thoroughly misled by Koontz.
I've always been a fan of Koontz, but some of his more recent works, while quite competent, have not kept me as enthralled as some of his past works. While I was concerned that this novel was starting in the same fashion, by its completion my opinion became that this novel is one of Koontz very best. 5 stars plus for creating a believable psychological thriller that will disturb most people with graphic imagery.

Being a huge Stephen King fan, I always considered Dean Koontz more of a "softie" in the realm of horror and phsychological thrillers. Oh boy, I couldn't have been more wrong. This engaging tale of Marty and Dusty has made me recognize what so many already knew: Koontz is brilliant.
What I look for in a novel is not only a great story with well-developed characters, but also beautifully constructed prose and wonderful descriptions. Koontz delivers just that. The way he describes scenery, dreams and moods is probably the best I've ever seen. King is still the master of dialogue to me, but I now consider Koontz a master of characterization.
The villian in this story is amazingly detailed, described and destroyed. Its amazing when an author goes in depth to describe not only a villian's intentions, but also his motivations and the images that lurk in his head throughout the day. Its a great pleasure to read about this guy (I won't divulge his name, but once you start reading, you'll find out pretty quick). He will remain with me for a long time.
Martie and Dusty are loveable, as is the tail-wagging Valet (who manages to bring a measure of stability throughout the story). I would have given 5 stars, but there are some times in the story where things are a bit monotonous, as a previous reviewer mentionede about the scene with Martie runnin through the house disposing potential weapons that lasted seemingly forever.
My next stop: Intensity, then Dark Rivers of the Heart. They're already sitting on my desk waiting to be read!

False Memory had all the elements a good suspense novel must have in order to hold my attention: a riveting plot, characters I care whether they survive till the end or not, and plenty of nail-biting tension. From the beginning I was swept up in the lives of Martie and Dustin Rhodes, two people just trying to be as decent human beings as they possibly can be in a chaotic world. When their world starts to inexplicably crumble around them several clues lead them to Martie's friend Susan's psychiatrist, who Susan thinks is her sole salvation.
Dr. Mark Ahriman made my skin crawl. The explanation for his reprehensible behavior is given in the end, but by that time you simply do not care WHY he became the way he is, you just want the earth to be rid of him! DK goes, deep, deep into the psyche of this character. Too deeply for my particular comfort zone.
The writing is sharply detailed, gloriously descriptive. You see the action through the eyes of the characters. You feel their emotions. False Memory kept my nerves on edge much like Intensity did. DK is a master of 'in-the-moment' narratives. You are definitely in the moment!
So, if your heart can take it, read False Memory. But take an aspirin first...Just in case!

This book adds fuel to my two main suspicions about Dean Koontz. One, he is a genuinely likeable writer, who has an interesting worldview. Two, he is remarkably derivative.
More Koontzian "nice work if you can get it" characters populate this book. This time it's a happily married houspainter man and his video game designer wife. You see, both characters must have autonomous employment,to allow them time to roam the American Southwest without fear of wearing out their 12 weeks of Family Leave Act time.
Martie, the wife, develops a rare but extreme case of autophobia--fear of herself. The longest scenes in the book are of her roaming the house and having panic attacks at the sight of forks, scissors, etc. I wound up skimming many chunks of these chapters, because they were boring and repetitive. The first third of the book is involved in flushing out the cause for her sudden onset phobia. The remaining two thirds are concerned with eliminating that cause.
The villian, who I'm sure will be a ...Poster Child before long, if not already, is the most shamefully derivative character I've come across since Caleb Carr's Angel of Darkness. Speaking of Carr, many elements of this villain are taken from the villain in his vastly superior _The Alienist_. Other elements of villainy are cribbed from the ubiquitous Hannibal Lecter and the far more powerfully written _The Butcher's Theatre_. The central mystery of how the villain enters and exits locked rooms was done much better in Lee Child's _Running Blind_.
That being said, I did enjoy the characterizations of the heroes, and I was entertained. I'd recommend as a beach read. A strong "B" book

Be smart and forget all the 'Stephen King rip off' tags you hear or read in reviews that are obviously missing out on a good novel. The best way to decide if an author is good or not, is to read the book and decide for yourself. Yes, tons of housewives read Dean Koontz and describe his books as 'easy reads', but does that change the fact that the guy can tell a good story? On to the book!
This book was great. It could be a metaphor for so many things in society, being mind control, that just that fact alone is scary. It's possible this could have been a shorter novel, but that's about the only thing I can think of to change and only maybe fifty pages.
If you want to experience a villian who is not only dangerous physically but extremely dangerous mentally, make sure you read this one. The story of what happens when a couple get mixed up with the wrong shrink, will have you reading deep into the night and you will never ever seek professional help after reading this one, I can promise you that.
Koontz's best? I'd hand that award over to Hideaway, but still a suspense classic, in my opinion.

I love horror, thriller, suspense novels and this selection by Dean Koontz has a little of each. This is about the sixth book of Koontz's that I've read and am beginning to see a theme. As in most of his other works, there is a dog, a bad guy who has a fixation on eyeballs and junk food, and the list could go on. False Memory was quite a fun read as I knew of course, that the main characters (and their dog) would turn out just fine. The story centers around a couple, Martie and Dusty, who find themselves brainwashed by a psycho psychologist that Martie met while taking her agorophobic friend Susan to her therapy sessions. After Martie finds herself having panic attacks in which she wants to harm her husband Dusty, using keys to gouge out his eyes among other ghoulish tortures, she starts seeing Dr. Mark Ahriman herself. Dusty also feels something isn't quite right when it seems like blocks of time are missing. Shortly after this Dusty begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together in record time, and figures out Dr. Ahriman's evil plot. Time is running out for them to get Dusty's brother Skeet to safety and save themselves, but thankfully the characters in the story are a lot smarter than I would have been. I liked the character of Dr. Ahriman, he reminded me of Sideshow Bob on the Simpson's. Very pompous, and a bit childish, but brilliant. His methods of brainwashing were impressive, if only he had put them to good use. I enjoyed the story, Koontz manages to throw a little humor in along with the suspense.

The first 200-250 pages were poorly written and should have been severely edited. The descriptions were verbose, laden with too much simile, and were often silly. What some critics called "suspense" was nothing more than cheap tricks to keep the reader's attention by building the tension in one scene, then jumping to another before resolving the first. I continued reading only because I paid full price for the book. The middle improved noticeably. The pace tightened and the descriptions became more clever and vivid, closer to what I have come to expect from Koontz. As more background information became available for some characters, they really began to come to life. The antagonist shares many traits similar to other Dean Koontz villains, but this one was especially interesting and believable, possibly his best. Shortly after the 500th page, the novel became a real page turner, one that I couldn't put down. I only had two complaints about the ending - he obsessively described one of the minor characters in equine terms after an initial description that was anything but horse-like, and he allowed the wrong character to kill the villain. All in all, I am glad that I read this story, but I don't recommend it as a first time experience with Dean Koontz. It is a slight departure from what I consider his norm as it has no supernatural aspects to the story. A better introduction to Dean Koontz can be found by reading "Dragon Tears".

An author who makes you feel deeply for the characters he creates. An author who takes you on a fictional roller-coaster ride you will never, ever forget. An author who makes nightmares almost as real as reality itself, yet never takes away our basic hope in the fundamental goodness of humanity. Dean Koontz is one best-selling author who manages to accomplish all of these things in his strange and wonderful stories, and so much more. This is particularly true in his standout book False Memory. The focus of False Memory is on Martine and Dustin Rhodes, a young married couple living their lives in a small, but gorgeously restored Victorian in the pretty (I've been there) Southern California coastal town of Corona Del Mar. She is a successful video game designer, he is an equally successful house painter. These characters are so well-drawn and believable that, within only the first few pages of False Memory, it's easy to think of them as your next-door neighbors, best friends, even members of your own family. Making us feel that strongly about his characters like this is but one mark of just how good a writer Dean Koontz is. And not only do we feel that strongly about Martie and Dusty, we want to know what happens to them and we want them to win in the struggle Koontz has written for them. From the get-go of False Memory, Martie and Dusty are drawn into a set of circumstances that become more and more strange and bewildering and frightening as the minutes and the hours pass by. Along the way, Koontz makes rare medical conditions such as agoraphobia and autophobia as real for us as he does his very appealing characters. He also invokes the nightmare of brainwashing in a way that is entirely credible to the point of being horrifying because of the mere possibility that things could happen in this world exactly as Koontz describes them. I suspect False Memory has a large basis in factual events and actual persons, making it all the more chilling. Throughout this study of evil, Koontz's writing is by turns elegant and poetic, as well as a pure pleasure to read. The book is long and densely plotted, but always easy-to-follow and the suspense never slackens. By the end of False Memory, Koontz has made a powerful statement about just how important love and friendship are to us as human beings if we are to not only survive, but find more than a measure of happiness, in a world ripe with peril and danger. If you have any feeling at all, you'll be shedding a tear or two, or at least have a good-sized lump in your throat, by the time you turn the final page as I did. Considering how many novels Dean Koontz has published (thirty-seven, by my count, including False Memory, with a thirty-eighth, From The Corner Of His Eye, on the way), I am a relative newcomer to his books. I have read his Fear Nothing, Seize the Night, The Door to December, Sole Survivor, Dark Rivers of the Heart, Mr. Murder and Intensity titles and recommend each of them as highly as I do False Memory. Enjoy!

Since Dean Koontz satisfies the public's craving for his work by releasing one or two new novels every single year, he's entitled to a below-average clunker once in a while. And this is one of them. I'm a big fan and thought this would turn out to be a classic, because the premise is intriguing. Unfortunately the book doesn't quite deliver.
"False Memory" can't justify its huge length - 751 pages in paperback, which mostly consists of excessive detail about the characters' interior decorating tastes and what they're eating. And few of its characters are believable. This is especially true of Dusty's family of snobbish intellectuals, whose condescension towards the working class is so ornery that it becomes impossible to believe. Even worse is the character of Dr. Mark Ahriman. Early in the book I thought this guy was so evil and loathsome that he truly gave me the creeps, the way a character in a good horror novel should. Unfortunately, his evil ways become so ridiculous through the course of the book that he ceases to be a believable character. In the story we learn that Ahriman has been carrying out an intricate plan to destroy the lives of a select group of people, by subtly hypnotizing several of their friends and loved ones, and slowly altering their personalities. This process has taken him years, leading up to his final victory. Now what is his motive for this intricate plan? By the time we learn his motive towards the end of the book, it is extremely disappointing, and leads to one of the worst conclusions of any Koontz novel. There's no way you could believe that a man could be that evil in pursuit of such a lame goal. Meanwhile the "organization" that Ahriman belongs to seems like an afterthought and makes no real contribution to the plotline.
And have you noticed that almost every Koontz book has a heroic golden retriever? This time it's Dusty and Martie's dog, who as usual is patient, loving, understanding, and has tons of personality. Koontz surely loves this noble breed of dog, and that's nice, but his worship of them is getting ridiculous. At one point in this book, Dusty even calls his dog "fluffy butt". Now what kind of a grown man would say that?

I loved the first several chapters of this book...a woman terrified to leave her house and another woman terrified of her own shadow. I was definitely biting my nails through those chapters.
But then the story started to lose something. First, I think the villian was revealed too soon. The knowledge of his identity, at first, did bring a substantial addition of suspense to the story, but soon after the suspense began to fade. I think the revelation of his identity should have been held off a few more chapters.
I will say that the best chapters of the book are probably the point between when you know who the bad guy is and when the main characters find out who the bad guy is. These might have been the scariest chapters in a book I've ever read. And I felt a great sense of relief when the good guys quickly figured out who the bad guy was. I was impressed that they were not the usual slow-brained ignorant folks of horror movies. But in the end, I think this was the down-fall of the second half of the book. The good guys were almost too smart. They were so ahead of the villian in "the game", that the villian started to seem so less threatening. The fear factor pretty much disappeared and so did my interest in the book.
I think the book should have stretched out the beginning and shortened the ending.

I read this book on the recommendation from a friend of mine, she gave it a good review, so I was excited to read it. It started of well enough with a few mysteries that were definatly page turners. Parts of the book are very exciting as well. Furthermore, the criminal mastermind in this book is thoroughly disturbing and well thought out.
But, overall the novel seriously lacks for a number of reasons:
1) This book has about 100 pages of unnecessary that can make any reader impatient. The story could have been told just as well minus 100 pages.
2) The main characters (Martie and Dusty Rhodes) start to get really annnoying and corny. Their personalities are to meticulously cliche. And the situations they get through seem almost impossible and so unrealistic, you'll find yourself yelling "Oh, come on!". They were getting on my nerves so much I was hoping the killer would just kill them off already. At first I was sympathetic to the main characters, but as I read on I became unsympathetic to them for the reasons I listed above and that is the fatal flaw in the book. I could not enjoy the story if I hated the main characters.
3) The ending is so very Hollywood and cherrful and nice and happy and sweet, I started to get angry. I could not believe I read a book of that length to reach an ending that was too tired and too easy. I was literally shocked and amazed of the sappy dribble I was being exposed to. I never read a Dean Koontz book until now and I don't think I will ever again. He chose an ending that was all too perfect and everything was wrapped up in a neat little package. It was clear Koontz was gettin lazy and rushing to finish the book, perhaps to reach a publication deadline.
Bottom line... this book was a waste of my time, and don't waste your time reading this book. If your interested in a very good thriller, move on because this isn't it.

This was my first Koontz book, and I was impressed. I listened to it as an audiobook. One reviewer complained about the story being a clone of previous works and felt it was all a cliche, but I found it fresh and gripping. The plot elements were intricately woven and perfectly interlocked. The characters were wonderful-- colorful, well-developed, and very compelling. However, I think the most impressive thing was the narrator. I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and am frequently irritated by the narrators putting on false-sounding accents or inflections. Narrators seem to particularly stuggle with the voices of the opposite gender-- many make themselves ridiculous by trying to assume high female voices when they themselves are male, or by making gruff male voices when they themselves are female. Stephen Lang however did an incredible job of making each character distinct and instantly recognizable, without any artificiality. The women's voices were just as good as the men's. I highly reccommend it, and will myself be looking for more Koontz-written and/or Lang-narrated books!

This book was so very intense and mind capturing, that at times I found myself disturbed and almost not wanting to read on. As a die-hard lover of horror and suspense, this book is one of the best I have ever read in that genre. Though not as down to earth as Stephen King, Dean Koontz writes with a style and a flair few in this genre can claim rights too. From page one, I was drawn into the plot and the characters, feeling sensitivity for Skeet, the drug saturated half brother of Dusty, and alarmed for Martie, as she begins to sense an irrational fear of her own shadow. I could have cried over Susan, whose fate made me both angry and intensely sad. When a writer can touch those emotions in a reader, when he/she can bring out raw feeling such as Dean Koontz did in this book, then truly the book is a work of art, a nothing-less-than five star story. The character of Dr. Ahriman is drawn completely, with no details untouched. For him I felt disgust, and also some anger, mixed with the very smallest bit of compassion. The entire subject of mind control is elaborated on here with such an exotic twist, that reality for the reader becomes mixed with a sense of knowing this all couldn't possibly happen, yet wondering...What If?

"A protagonist who is a neurotic mess (..) is not going to engage the reader's empathy swiftly." This is the problem of the first 200 pages of this book. We get to know some characters who have huge mental problems, the story is told from their point of view and it is pretty hard to identify with them. The result is boredom and the painful question: Where is a good editor when you need one? My initial delight in the fact that this books is twice as thick as Koontz's recent works faded away quickly. So, why four stars? Because once you overcome the first third of the book, it really gets gripping. Yes, I admit, all the proceedings are formulatic, you get your usual Koontz-Villain, the usual Koontz-Plot-Twists, the usual Koontz-Main-Protagonists, etc. but all of these elements fall far better in place than they usually do. After approx. page 200, the book races on like a steam-engine, never stops and is really, really hard to put down. And so, although I have many reasons to dislike this book (see above), I do have to recommend it. People who are looking for suspense, and a lot of that, this is a book for you. In closing, one advice for people who read this review and have not yet read the book: You CAN fast-forward the first 200 pages, you're not missing much, trust me on that. Before I finish, three more things: Yes, this is a rip-off of Koontz's own "Night Chills". Yes, off course, there is a dog in this book. And yes, this is one of the first novels where the store.com-reviews are mentioned! If you're still wondering where the quote at the beginning is coming from, this is from an essay called "Why novels of fear must do more than frighten" which tells young, aspiring suspense writers some basic rules about the craft of suspense-writing. The essay was written by a guy called Dean R. Koontz.

When I began reading False Memory I just could not put it down and at some point some part of me wanted so bad to finish it so I could tell everyone it was the best book I had ever read. Some of the reasons for this included:
- Koontz taking this rare psychological condition and working around it with such brilliance (the part were Marty starts to throw away every kitchen utensil she lays eyes on while fighting the uncontrolable fear that she's surrounded by weapons is just PERFECT)
- A great parallel storytelling with the whole first part of the book going from Marty to Dusty, back and forth and then from the couple to Susan, back and forth
- A villian you just can't not hate.
However, the last 200 pages lost the grip. The great psychological thriller was all of a sudden dumped with the victims not only discovering they were being brainwashed but reversing the situation (and still with 150+ pages to go). Suddenly you have a machine gun shooting in the middle of the desert and then enter a sinister Institute of Rogue psychologists (which never had a real role in the novel). At some point the word "President" started to flash red lights in my mind though luckilly Koontz thought well and didn't fall in the tiresome "political conspiracy" thing.
Finally the Keanuphobic character which appears out of the blue just seemed to me an easy way out from a story so complex that required a better ending. And yes, the final chapter was borderline corny.
However I will not let this final quarter of the book make me forget the hold this book had on me throughout the first part and some of the second. I found the ending weak and just too convenient but if you are willing to let that pass you are in for a great read. Me, I would have liked Koontz to stay with the phobia storyline which has such a great potential for the thriller and horror genres.

Maybe it's because I'm a psychologist, but reading this book about a clinical psychologist who is a total psychopath got me riveted, but also because the true-life issue of false memories in the field have led to catastrophic outcomes. Also, the characters that are in the book were also great and I could identify some that I have come across. The vicious intellectuals, the woman who may be a mother, but she is evil towards her children, yeah, I've had to deal with them. This book is one of his best, in my opinion. Get it and read it!

And it doesn't have a dog. Well, it does, but it's only for the first couple of pages (thank God).

Koontz' talent as a creator of suspense lies in drawing sympathetic - if somewhat formulaic - characters. When the danger comes, we care what happens to them. In "False Memory" we meet a number of such vulnerable, likeable folk, and the requisite anthropomorphic pet, too.
Unfortunately we must also suffer from Koontz' defects as a writer. This book is far too long to support its plot. Well written sections, such as one involving a car crash and shoot-out, are outnumbered by too many chapters full of repetition and tedious detail. An early scene on a rooftop is a good example of bad Koontz, full of uninteresting description (the hero makes his way onto the "east-west" section of the roof, etc., as if we can follow the picture in his mind's eye).
Worst of all is Koontz' frequent habit of going overboard. The mystery and evil in this tale are undermined by ludicrous exageration. I laughed out loud when the bad guy recalls feeding some former victims to a bunch of hungry crocodiles. Credibility is not only strained in this book, it is shattered.
A strong editor could have much improved "False Memory" by toning down the "madman" angle, deleting many pages of repetitive description (e.g., the panic attacks) or useless accounts (e.g., the miniature battle games), and otherwise pruning its excesses.

Dean Koontz has long been a favorite writer of mine along with Stephen King, and like king, the quality of his work fluctuates wildly, obviously dependent on my tastes. This one falls exactly in the middle of the pack. Not nearly matching Phantoms, but a good sight better than Dragon Tears.

Martie and Dusty, a happy average couple, are dropped into a maelstrom of deception and paranoia after Martie develops a sudden, crushing case of autophobia: the fear of self. She begins to fear for herself and her husband, who shes convinced shes going to kill, accidentally or intentionally. As Dusty investigates, Marties friend, Susan, commits suicide, but not before accusing her doctor of hypnotizing and repeatedly raping her. Martie and Dusty flee, no longer sure who is under the control of this psychopath... even themselves.

Despite revealing some major part of the plot, Koontz introduces the villain far, far too early. That would work for a case like Hannibal, but the scenes from the antagonists point of view should've been more sublime or removed altogether. I'd opened it believing the plot to be entirely psychological, not borderline scientific.

That said, the scenes where Marties' psychological makeup is dissolving like a sandcastle in high tide are very well written, as are the scenes between Dusty and his drug-addicted brother Skeet. The advancement of the plot doesn't have many deus ex machina scenes, and has a somewhat staggered flow. Anyone who has read his recent works knows what I mean. If he'd left the psych scenes and hurried along the transitory points to get to more plot, this would've been 4 or maybe 5 stars. The mass market paperback tips the scales at 751 pages, and has a story that could've easily been told in 500.

The first book I read for Dean Koontz was Watchers - it was enough to get me hooked on his books. False Memory is an intense plot painted with achingly real characters. Dean enhances the plot with a deeply descriptive writing style which may at times seem puzzling but nonetheless adding flavour to the action.
Although this is quite a large book, it reads like a breeze because the actions takes place in a very short period of time. The story reveals itself slowly, increasing the suspense with every page. The mere fact that this is a psychological thriller makes this book one of a kind.
What I favored in this book was that not many characters are wasted. There is no excessive frustration at loosing characters that we have become emotionally attached to. Even the most bizzarre behavior exhibited by the characters is convincing - and you will see a lot of that!
Dean Koontz has obviously put a lot of research into this book in order to write about complicated aspect of the human mind: total control of the subconscious. I was left in awe at the end of every chapter and I hereby declare it well worth reading.

I really enjoyed this. It took me quite a while, as it was a bath-tub book and 751 pages long. It began a bit slow, but really picked up the pace about mid-way through the novel.

When Martie begins to be afraid of herself, and all the horrible things she might do to someone she loves, she seeks out the psychiatrist who was so incredibly good at helping her agoraphobic friend, Susan. But who can she really trust, and is her disorder natural, or somehow is she being manipulated? When bodies start to appear, and both Martie and her husband Dusty begin to show signs of being 'programmed,' it seems like everything in thier lives has been created to fulfill some sort of sick game - can they possibly escape, and bring the one behind it to justice?

The characters in this book really stole the show from the villain, which is fine (I despised the villain - the character, not the writing thereof - which is always a good sign of a thriller done well)...

This is an incredible novel. Dean Koontz has an astounding imagination, a wonderful attention to detail, a terrific talent for suspense and surprises. He also has a sweetly sensitive side.
This book held my attention captive, and caused me to laugh and cry. Mr. Koontz weaves a tale about mind control, psychology, intense love and a demented character. Read this book only if you are sure you don't have a tendency to become paranoid! The author has a knack for bringing new thoughts into your head!
In this novel, Martie and Dusty are fighting for their very minds and eventually their lives! As they struggle through the fog of their minds and the minimal clues they have acquired, you will feel you are working with them to discover the truth and expose the enemy for the evil that he is. Mr. Koontz also has a beautiful way of developing his characters and making you love them and feel their emotions and fears.
This is a fast paced novel with action, suspense, twists, and psychology that will force you to use your brain to figure out what is going on!
The summary on the back cover intrigued me. When I started reading, it was torture to put the book down! I enjoyed this novel very much and highly recommend it. Don't hesitate - purchase it now!

Like Stephen King, Dean Koontz has a fun and easy flowing writing style. Which in the end helped me get to the end of this 700 page novel.
I was given this novel by my friend who just so happens to be a psychologist, but he never read it. So I was happy to accept a free hardback written by a well known author.
Well to my dismay, I was kind of disappointed. For one thing this 700+ page novel only took place in 4 days, that is alot of pages for a short time frame. Also the actions were kind of boring and by the end Koontz was using the Matrix movie to add to his story. If you read the book you'll know what I mean, but the dialogue was witty,and this was what got me to the end. Sadly I thought Koontz had lost his touch after reading this book.
I later came across a news article with Koontz featured, in it he stated that while writing False Memory he had a severe writers block. You can easily see this is the case after you read this book. I think his editor needed to tighten up the story. If you what to see what this man is capable of then read WHISPERS or DARKFALL.

When Dean Koontz writes like Dean Koontz no other author can come close to him in research, characterization, dialogue, plot, suspense and humor.

This is a truly engaging read by one of my favorites. He deftly leds us through a melange of psychological problems that suddenly affect a stable young couple, the husband's (not so stable) brother, and the wife's best friend. What or who is the common thread? Why is this happening? The characters are well developed, the plot engaging and well paced, the dialogue snappy, and expertly woven with the type of suspense that only Dean Koontz can create.

When Koontz uses the store's reviewer voting system as comic relief I had to laugh outloud because it is only too true.

Enjoy the read!