Cullen "Cubby" Greenwich's agent is thrilled that notorious and reclusive critic Shearman Waxx has reviewed Cubby's newest novel. He ecstatically attempts to plot ways for Cubby to ride the potential wave of literati-dom influenced by being a "Waxx author," ignoring said author's attempts to remind him that the review was not just bad -- it tore the book to shreds. Everyone advises that it's better to just "let it go" than let the review bother him. However, Cubby just wants to see the man who so thoroughly panned his novel, probably without even reading it.
A bathroom mishap and monosyllabic utterance later, the family is plunged into the kind of white-knuckled territory they had only read or written about, except for Cubby. He has been trying to avoid terror, fear and carnage his whole life, as he has never forgotten the act of grace that allowed him to escape a previous instance of horror -- a horror he's never shared with his family. Despite the fact that their prior experiences have seemingly left them ill- prepared to dodge an obsessed book critic, his family, the famous children's author and illustrator, Penny, their son Milo, and their not-collie, Lassie, have unwavering faith they can weather the storm of the deranged critic's fixation.
Weaving together themes he's explored in several of his post-millennial works, Koontz again crafts an excellent tale. Although his plotlines are always enjoyable, his character development is amazing. With concise and deliberate, almost surgical, care, Koontz creates a family environment in which one feels an immediate connection. As always, a thread of humor among his protagonists makes the book a delightful journey. Readers can expect to be as involved in the events as the characters and will race to the end in anticipation.
#1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense
Dean Koontz delivers a mesmerizing new thriller that
explores the razor-thin line between the best and worst of
human natureβand the anarchy simmering just beneath
societyβs surfaceβas a likeable, successful family man is
drawn into a confrontation with a foe of unimaginable
maliceβ¦.Bestselling novelist Cullen βCubbyβ
Greenwich is a lucky man and he knows it. He makes a
handsome living doing what he enjoys. His wife, Penny, a
childrenβs book author and illustrator, is the love of his
life. Together they have a brilliant six-year-old, Milo,
affectionately dubbed βSpooky,β and a non-collie named
Lassie, whoβs all but part of the family.So Cubby
knows he shouldnβt let one bad review of his otherwise
triumphant new book get to himβeven if it does appear in
the nationβs premier newspaper and is penned by the much-
feared, seldom-seen critic, Shearman Waxx. Cubby knows the
best thing to do is ignore the gratuitously vicious,
insulting, and inaccurate comments. Penny knows it, even
little Milo knows it. If Lassie could talk, sheβd tell
Cubby to ignore them, too.Ignore Shearman Waxx and
his poison pen is just what Cubby intends to do. Until he
happens to learn where the great man is taking his lunch.
Cubby just wants to get a look at the mysterious recluse
whose mere opinion can make or break a careerβor a
life.But Shearman Waxx isnβt what Cubby expects;
and neither is the escalating terror that follows what
seemed to be an innocent encounter. For Waxx gives
criticism; he doesnβt take it. He has ways of dealing with
those who cross him that Cubby is only beginning to
fathom. Soon Cubby finds himself in a desperate struggle
with a relentless sociopath, facing an inexorable assault
on far more than his life. Fearless, funny,
utterly compelling, Relentless is Dean Koontz at
his riveting best, an unforgettable tale of the fragile
bonds that hold together all that we most cherishβand of
those who would tear those bonds asunder.
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