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Odd Thomas has a strange sixth sense that enables him to see dead people and to predict violent events. He is drawn to places of evil. In the latest in the series, he is travelling south along the California coast with the enigmatic Annamaria, Raphael (a golden retriever), and a ghost German shepherd called Boo, when he feels the pull of Harmony Corner, an isolated truck stop and homestead. When they stop for the night, Odd's dreams are invaded by a strange intelligence. Going out to investigate, he meets a friendly mechanic, who suddenly becomes hostile, seeming almost to become a different person. Exploring further, he learns that the members of the extended Harmony family are controlled by an evil presence that can invade their minds and force them to commit terrible acts. A child has been murdered and motel guests have disappeared. He teams up with Jolie Ann Harmony, a young girl with memories of dreadful actions in her short life, who has been deemed too beautiful to live. She leads him to her underground hideaway, a closed cold war military research facility, where an artificial intelligence tells them of alien experimentation and its link with the presence. With the help of the AI, Odd follows his destiny to fight the evil, save Jolie's life and try to set the Harmony family free. The story is told in the first person and the present tense, with the narrative initially by Odd and later alternating between Odd and Jolie, giving the book an engaging immediacy that draws and heightening the tension, especially as the final battle approaches. The author very clearly differentiates the voices of the two narrators, each interpreting the action around them in the light of their experiences. Although Annamaria and the dogs play only a marginal role in this book, they undoubtedly have a much greater significance in Odd's ongoing story. Odd is a very introspective character. His recent experiences have greatly troubled him, especially the death of his girlfriend, Stormy. He struggles with the need to kill, even when done in self-defence or to save thousands of lives, and he does not understand why he is drawn to fight evil. It is certainly not his choice to do so. Dean Koontz often straddles the boundary between science fiction/fantasy and thriller. This book definitely leans to the sci fi side, but is none the worse for that. Odd Thomas may be, well, odd, but this series of books is well worth reading. § Sylvia Wilson is a professional veterinary surgeon and amateur singer and actor who lives in Gloucestershire, England with her husband, dog, and horses.
Reviewed by Sylvia Wilson, March 2013
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