Duncan Williamson: Book Review Darkness Comes koo4.html

This is my fourth Dean Koontz and whilst I enjoyed it, there is an element of sameness about it. Darkness Comes concerns the widower policeman from New York who is given the job of investigating the apparent murder of some gangland hoodlums. The problem is the place where the bodies were found are all locked tight from the inside and there is no evidence of where the perpetrators went or what it was that they used to kill their prey. More than that, the victims seem to have been bitten to death; but by what?

The sameness comes when you compare this book with Koontz' own Odd Thomas. In Odd Thomas, there are bodachs: spirits that appear when something bad is about to happen or is happening. A bodach is an ethereal thing and only someone like Odd Thomas, specially gifted, can see them.

In this book there are creatures similar to bodachs: goblins, creatures from another world, call them what you will. The big difference in this book is that the demons are summoned by the power of Voodoo.

Baba Lavelle is from Haiti and he has moved into town and into the drug scene. The resident Caramazza family controlled the drug scene in its entirety until Lavelle arrived. Given the way things are in gangland, the Mafia is reluctant to agree to Lavelle's proposal of a 50:50 split of the drugs market. Caramazza sent some hoods to "talk to" Lavelle. They never came back. So they sent some more people to do the talking, they never came back. Now they sent some more people, including a central member of the Caramazza family: he died! They all died!

This is where our hero, Jack Dawson and his partner (both senses, you'll see!) come in.

The Voodoo connection comes through pretty quickly and Jack has a spooky experience as he leaves the shop of a low level Voodoo ingredient supplier. A pay phone rings (there are no mobile phones in this book, written in 1984) and Jack is drawn to it: how does he know it's for him?; how does the caller know where Jack is unless he's watching? Magic! It's for Jack and it's Lavelle.

So, Jack, back off! Otherwise the kids get it! Jack's the father of two young children.

The story then revolves largely around firmly establishing Jack's relationship with his partner, Rebecca (why is she so gorgeous?) and with the troubles being faced by the children and then how to save the children and, let's face it, the world, from Lavelle.

There is a massive snow storm to contend with. The children come under attack. Jack and Rebecca are in bed, ahem, relaxing; another spooky call comes. Now the chase is on. The snow is a barrier. The goblins know where they are almost at any time and many pages are given to willing Jack and his family away from the goblins and onwards to safety.

Rebecca is bitten, the children are both attacked but they realise that Jack is immune: it turns out that he's immune because he's such a good egg! They split up as Jack goes back to the Voodoo shop for further education and advice. Rebecca and the children keep moving on the basis that it's impossible to hit a moving target. Wrong! Rebecca has a brain wave: surely they'd be safe in a church so they head for the nearest church, St Peter's.

Some drama getting into the church and they seem to be safe as the goblins are initially reluctant to enter. The feeling of safety lasts for a while. Then it evaporates.

As Rebecca and the children are going through all of this as Jack is being prepared and then the forces guide him to where Lavelle is hiding and driving all of this mayhem.

Do the children and the lover survive? Can Jack save the world? Does Lavelle live to tell the tale or end up in gaol and get his just desserts? Read on!!

A good read but the similarity with Odd Thomas made me restless to start with. I eventually managed to shrug off the similarity paralysis and I read the book very quickly. I would say, read either Odd Thomas or Darkness Comes if you are feeling the need to have one bodach or goblin book. Read them both if you are a Koontz fan and don't care about the similarities.