The Door to December

As always, Dean Koontz uses his mastery of the English language and a highly developed empathy for man and beast to not only entertain with fast paced and exciting reading, but to make you pause for reflection now and then

Overall, a pleasant and entertaining read. Character development is a strength of Koontz. This book does not disappoint in that regard. The characters come to life throughout the book. The story line was completely predictable.

I like most books that Dean Koontz writes and this one is a good one. Good characters in a story centered around scientist and doctors messing around with mind control.There probably is this kind of evil in this world.

Dean Koontz is a fascinating author who's books takes you on a trip you will never forget. I fell in love with the characters
in this book. I did not like the ending because I wanted more of the story.

Door to December vaguely reminded me of Carrie as well as the Exorcist. Melanie is a young girl, tormented to the point of using psychic powers to go after her abusers. It's set in L.A. like lots of Koontz tales and has the government conspiracies, mind control, torture, and serial killings which are themes found again and again in Koontz books but being an early piece written, I believe in the 80's, the sophistication and skill were being honed. Evidenced in the circular way the plot is delivered. A psychiatrist's is notified that her estranged husband has been found dead. She's immediately fearful since her daughter, who was kidnapped by the husband (a UCLA psychologist interested in the occult) for the last five years is still missing. In short order, the girl now nine is found walking around but almost in a catatonic state. Not only was her dad brutally murdered but so was another man. Odd things, unexplainable events begin to transpire including more grisly murders. Dan, the homicide detective investigating the case continually leaves Melanie, and her mom with a P.I. while he goes off to gather evidence, again, and again, and again. The cycle became grating: The bad guys are killed but the good guys/gals simply progress through the story. I was hoping more, yet there's no sense of emotional gratification at the end. It was a bit of a disappointment.

I listened to the audio version from the library. On a positive note, I did enjoy Mr. George Guidall's narration.
2.5 stars and I rounded up.
An honest review by a Koontz fan.

A complete yawnfest and waste of time. Avoid this mess of a novel - pages of dialogue that go around in circles without making a point, right when the story should be hurrying towards a suspenseful conclusion any tension created is broken by pages and pages of Dan looking back to his past, the focus of the story is broken between Dan Haldene and what is happening with Melanie, with neither story drawing me in. The story starts with great promise but by the mid-point of a staggering 500 pages, it was not a question of how will this end but when will this end - and the ending was just pathetic - "Forgetting is the start of healing". That Melanie is autistic because of her experience is another story.

The mother, Laura, is supposed to be a smart, very well educated person but she has very little common sense. Maybe it was the way she was raised & has a lot of defenses built to protect her. The writer is good, many of us have read most of his books & the early ones were some of the best. This one isn't one of them but the character development was quite good, you either liked or totally disliked the people you were supposed to react to in that way. I liked Dan. He was a good man with some problems of his own but they made him a better detective. Mondale was one of the most despicable people I have read. Earl was a really good guy & very likeable. All in all it was a pretty good book but just too tedious in a lot of areas.

Melanie, Laura Mccaffrey's daughter, has been missing for six years. When Laura's ex husband, and assumed daughter kidnapper, turns up dead, Laura fears the worst for Melanie...that she is dead. Laura is soon to discover that there are worse things than being killed. It appears that Melanie has been held hostage for the past six years and undergone torturous experiments by her father and his friends. These experiments have left Melanie in an autistic state; she is cut off from the world and held captive in her own mind of horrors. Occasionally she can be heard panting, scared out of her mind...the door, is opening, don't let the door open.

Laura's ex wasn't just found dead, he was found brutally murdered and smashed beyond belief. When his cohorts in crime also start turning up brutally beaten and crushed to death, everyone fears that Melanie is next. They must figure out why Melanie was held captive for so long and what the experiment was designed to do. If they can just break through to Melanie, they might be able to gather more information and ultimately set her free from the nightmare.

The Door to December was an interesting read. I was happy that it's Koontz when he's on his A game. I figured out what was going to happen fairly early on, but that didn't keep from enjoying the book. The characters in the book are on a wild ride trying to figure out the cause of the murders and we're taken along right with them. You may have to suspend belief to enjoy the book, but I have no problem doing that.

When reading this book I felt a connection with the mom of a small child who could not seem to grasp reality,Dean Koontz takes us on a whole new adventure of how truly mixed up one person can make everyone around him from at first a simple obsession to a long term conspiracy. Getting used as a guinea pig in these events is a little girl who may have to go through many years of regression in order to even possibly have a normal life. Through out this story I saw the main hero as the mom due to her endless love for the daughter,and how hard she worked even though through the circumstances that seem a little too bazaar to believe. The plot is so captivating and strange that you just have to keep reading even when you are completely baffled and confusing,it jumps out at you through the pages.

ISBN 0451181379 - Well, I'm not sure if these kudos should go to Koontz or Stephen King, so I'll say kudos to both. First, to King (to get him out of the way), for so making the title of "It" his own that, when Koontz repeatedly refers to his "bad guy" in The Door to December, it is impossible to not think of King. But kudos to Koontz for using this phrase, despite the King character in It: "He was a bizarre and demented clown in whose eyes one could see the crimson fires of Hell...".

Melanie was kidnapped by her father six years ago. Her mother, Laura, has never given up hope that she will be found, and Melanie is never far from her mother's thoughts - so the middle of the night phone call that brings her to a gory crime scene has her very worried about her child. Laura has no idea, even when she thinks she's imagining the worst, how truly worried she ought to be. Killed were Melanie's father and two associates, beaten to death by someone of unimaginable strength, and they're just the first. Someone - or something - is killing men who are connected to Melanie and, most likely, eventually, Melanie herself. Keeping Melanie safe becomes the sole objective of Laura, hired bodyguard Earl and cop Dan Haldane.

The killer seems obvious from the very first chapter, at least for readers of the genre, who perhaps anticipate the strange and/or horrifying. Still, The Door is a better book to me than Koontz's Night Chills, yet another title from the author about mind control. There are a few small things about The Door that are bothersome. For one, Dylan kidnapped Melanie and Laura hated him - but Dylan is referred to as her husband throughout. It is nearly impossible to believe that their divorce was never finalized and even more impossible to believe that she'd not constantly correct people who called him her husband. Then, having gotten her missing daughter back, Laura calls no one. She doesn't seem to have friends or family with whom to share this miraculous moment. The character is a good, smart and successful woman - wouldn't she have friends?

The greatest flaw seems to be the catch-22 built into the story. Melanie was held in a single windowless room, never allowed out, except to use the bathroom, from age 3 to age 9. She attends no school and is not taught anything other than what will further the experiments being done. How, then, is it possible for her to imagine December, let alone the door to it? How can she know what July is like, to use it in her imaginings, or a cat, or a flight of stairs?

Last, thumbs down for the proofreader who missed this error: Page 295 "I knew an Ernie, but I don't know if it was Cooper." Page 300 "One of them was Andy, and you've told me his last name was Cooper." And this one: Page 457 "...pouring away like floodwater through the broken breast of a damn [dam]"

Still, a very good book and a surprisingly quick read, considering its 510 pages.

- AnnaLovesBooks

The Door to December... where to begin. First off, Dean Koontz knows how to write. The characters presented have depth and aren't wooden. The jerks are obvious jerks without going overboard and the MC Dan Haldane was a smart ass, again, without going overboard. The kind of smart ass I appreciate. The one that comes off saying `why don't you go outside and play hide and go screw yourself' without actually saying it.

The mother of Melanie, Laura, is a bit to bookish. A psychiatrist that is trying to get her daughter back to the real world after six years of mental/physical abuse by the father for `experiments for a higher order'. Yes, the book semi-Godwins itself. She approaches it too much as desperation to get her little girl back instead of realizing the depth of what happened to her daughter. It irritated me to some extent.

Oh boy... Nothing like the over intelligent trying to justify the torturing of a small child for the `greater good' too. That's what this book boils down to in some regard. In the end the two remaining `geniuses' try to do that to Occifer Dan. Yeah, doesn't work and the sad part is there are people like that out there.

Now to the meat of the book. Torture the girl to make her learn to leave her body spiritually to observe because when this usually happens, the spirit can't react. Well good old Melanie finds a way and when she has her breakthrough moment, she unleashes hell on those who tormented her to this state. Every single one. The problem? She blames herself so when she finishes the last two, she tries to kill herself. Dan the good guy figures she won't do that if the mother shields her. It works, of course, because most like happy endings when they're reading books. The only time it might not happen is in a trilogy ALA the first set of Star Wars movies. No, not the one with Jar Jar. Any true fan bleaches their brains on those three movies ever existing.
The beginning was slow but the middle of the book speed up and had an interesting part where they went back and forth between two scenes. It has a mild love interest between the Laura and Lieutenant Dan that never really goes anywhere and probably completely unnecessary with the background given on Dan. No, shrimp were not involved.

Okay, as with any book, there was a certain part I loathed. When the MC Dan goes to the assassin's house (Rink), Koontz goes on a bender in describing every stinking piece of furniture in the house. Bland outside but DANG! Look at all the crap this hired gun has inside! WOW! Um, who cares? Does this lead to anything later in the book? Nope. This Rink guy was just another body in a long line of bodies that the `out of body experience' Melanie killed. What was described in perhaps a few lengthy paragraphs could have been whittled down to a couple of sentences. I tried, as I might, to chalk it off to the MC's obsessive-compulsive behavior with lists but since it wasn't done anywhere else to the length it was for Rink's house, I figure the editor went "Seriously, Dean, I'll grant you it here but the rest of this book-thickening crapola has to go'.

All in all, not a bad book and I'd pass it along to someone else to read but I'd suggest they buy their own. My copy is a bit worn and near falling apart from the years.

While a moderately forgotten tale of Dean Koontz in the middle 1980's, "The Door to December" is a more than formidable addition to some of the excellent works that he produced around that time ("Watchers", "Phantoms", "Strangers"). As with many of his novels, Koontz takes an ordinary, yet devastating fear (the kidnapping and horrifying dark confinement of a small child that induces only partial development and poor social interaction) and expands on it using a cat-and-mouse tale that is a quick, enjoyable read.
Laura McCaffrey is the mother of a missing nine-year old child who suspects that her daughter was kidnapped by her deranged scientist ex-husband. When her former lover is found dead with many of his associates, Laura is worried to her beautiful Melanie is dead and lost forever. Melanie is miraculously discovered wandering the streets by the police, but the effects of the awful abuse and neglect she received from six-years of inflicted horror has left her with speech impediments and almost no response to touch, voice, and love--and an incredible power. As the secrets of Melanie's abilities and her captors are revealed, Laura realizes that her husband was part of a top-secret research program--a program that some will kill for if they get their hands on Melanie. Dan Haldane is the cop assigned to the case and will stop at nothing to ensure the safety of Laura and her daughter, but his attachment to the family causes him to become obsessed with the case.
An evocative story that creates deep, believable characters is draped with superb chase sequences and good dialogue that keeps the tale fresh and enjoyable. Koontz does a fine job developing the story and creates and articulate heroine in Laura, whose frustration and love with her tormented Melanie is a roller-coaster of determination and exasperation. "The Door to December" is one of Koontz's first look at how the twisted use of technology is not only threatening, but can be truly terrifying as well. A should-read for all fans; a piece that has gotten lost in the midst of many other great stories and should not be overlooked.

THE DOOR TO DECEMBER, published in 1985, is one of the last books written by Dean Koontz under another name ("Richard Paige"). This psychological suspense novel was written a few years before Koontz became a major superstar in the book world. This book was re-released and updated in the 1990s under Koontz's own name; this re-released version is what you will find on the shelf.

This book is an enjoyable one. Koontz is fond of the topic of mind control, and there is a lot of interesting subject matter here about psychology and even the occult. My major criticism about this book is that it's too long and drags a bit in the middle. The big revelation toward the end is also somewhat predictable. Still, THE DOOR TO DECEMBER is well written and very suspenseful toward the end.

I would rank this novel in the top half of Koontz' body of work. Enjoyable, but not one of his best.

If you like this novel, you may want to try THE KEY TO MIDNIGHT, which deals with a somewhat similar theme. If you've never tried Koontz before, I would strongly recommend trying some of Koontz's best books first, such as WATCHERS, ODD THOMAS, PHANTOMS and INTENSITY.

I saw it pointed out that astute readers will pick up on what's really happening early on. This is true. But that doesn't make the book any less interesting to read. Koontz gives these characters life and you really start to care for them. The first chapters really hook you in, starting with hardly any preamble. We're wisked away into the story right out and it's hard to put down afterwards. I guess the main plot of this story is Laura and the little girl being reunited and trying to find out what's wrong. This is all interesting and everything, it provides the chills and the emotional punch the story needs. However, it's the detective story that's the real meat of the story.
When our characters branch off, the detective, Dan Haldane goes into Sam Spade territory. He races against time to get to the bottom of this plot and we're with him every step of the way. He keeps his wits about him and is witty. The character is a joy to read, especially when he spars with his boss. The rain sets up a terrific detective yarn atmosphere and this is where most of the interesting reading is.
But, like I said, it's the stuff with the little girl that provides the scares and some interesting insights. This part of the story, though, mostly deals with the love of a mother for a daughter that is literally lost in every way. The heart of the story, when you get right down to it.
Koontz weaves a masterful tale that meshes in all the right ways. The switching from Dan to Laura's story, the themes that play throughout the entire book and the sense of and impending.... something. Mr. Koontz has essentially hit all the right notes to write one of the more entertaining books I've read in a while. Once you start this baby, you won't want to stop.

I absolutely loved this book. From page one this novel by the great Dean Koontz was a roller coaster ride to hell. I enjoyed every moment of the storyline and was kept in constant suspense throughout the book. Dean Koontz knows how to keep the suspense and thrills high and there were many parts of this book which offered genuine chills. The scenes with the blood all over the walls was enough to give me a feeling of nausea and I maintained a feeling of dread until the last page of the book. Dean Koontz knows how to horrify and terrify as well as how to develop scenes which keep you morbidly interested like a little kid peeking between his fingers at a horror movie. This book is fast and scary and one that I highly recommend if you like thrillers or even horror novels. There were moments when I felt like I was watching Forbidden Planet with regard to the psychegeist monster. Do yourself a favor and read this book with the lights down low and enjoy a hair-raising experience from the master of terror.