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.