Dean Koontz
The Husband (2006)
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Plot Summary:
Expert kidnappers call Mitch on his cell to alert him that they have kidnapped his wife
Holly, and are holding her ransom for 2 million in cash. They shoot a man walking by on the street
to prove to Mitch they are serious. Although Mitch sees the man fall, he has no way of knowing
where the shot came from. It's Monday afternoon, and Mitch has until midnight Wednesday to ransom
Holly. Being a gardener, he has very little income and savings. The kidnappers threaten to hurt
Holly if Mitch goes to the police. SPOILER: Mitch learns that his own brother, Anson, has the large
sum of money that Mitch is supposed to ransom Holly with. Anson gets the money from an illegal child
pornography business he runs over the Internet. The individual who is murdered to persuade Mitch to
act is someone both he and Anson know. Anson murders his own parents with Mitch's gardening tools,
trying to frame Mitch. We also find out later in the novel that Holly is pregnant with Mitch's child,
and they have been hoping for a baby.
Geographical Setting: California
Time Period: The present (2006)
Appeal Characteristics:
The suspense factor of wondering how Mitch is going to rescue Holly will keep readers going for pages. The writing style is appealing because the chapters are short, and you feel like you have read a lot in a short amount of time. Also each chapter usually ends with a cliffhanger that makes you want to know what happens next. The theme is somewhat hopeful as you know that Mitch will do whatever it takes to get Holly back. At the same time it is dark because you wonder who is going to have to die next, and usually it is in a gruesome way. At first the plotline follows only Mitch in his quest to rescue Holly. Later in the book there are parallel plotlines between Mitch and Holly showing how each is working towards getting them back together. Readers will find the fast pace and suspenseful action in the book will draw them to the book and keep them reading.
Read-alikes: Reader's who enjoyed the interwoven adventures of Mitch and Holly as they work
to get away from evildoers and back to each other, might enjoy reading Stephen King's Lisey's Story.
Here a widower of a twenty five year marriage begins to go through her husband's papers two years after
his death, and finds herself on a journey of self-discovery, finding previously unknown horrors of his
life as well as horrors in her own. Her newfound knowledge leads her to a madman who threatens to kill
her if he is not given a piece of evidence from her husband's past. Lisey also must deal with her sister's
recent mental breakdown meanwhile trying to keep her own sanity. Those who enjoyed the Pacific Northwest location and themes of romance, and who prefer a female rather than male protagonist may find The Next Accident by Lisa Gardner a compelling read. This story takes place in Portland, Oregon, and follows Rainee Conner, who is an ex-cop and now a private investigator as she works to find the guilty party in a mass trail of murders, meanwhile trying to conceal her romantic feelings for her working partner in this case. Reader's looking for more romance along with their suspense should try Mary Jo Putney's The Burning Point. In this tale, Kate and Patrick, who were divorced 10 years ago are reunited by the tragedy of a suspicious accident. Patrick leaves his business to his former son-in-law who takes it on only under the condition that he and Kate live under the same roof for one year. Themes of love and fear unravel as the two are somewhat forced to work together to solve the same crime. Those who enjoy the writing style of Dean Koontz and who wish to read another novel taking place in Portland, Oregon should read Phillip Margolin's Lost Lake. Another novel with many interwoven and complicated plot, Lost Lake tells the story of young attorney and single mother Ami Vergano who witnesses unexpected violent behavior at a baseball game from a long-time friend of hers. Meanwhile, Vanessa Kohler, an ex-mental patient and tabloid reporter begins to investigate the behavior she had inklings about from the same person previously, and begins also to realize that her theories about some hidden governmental information is true. Finally, James Patterson's Hide and Seek provides a female criminal, a mother of two children who is suspected of murdering two of her previous husbands. She is a popular singer and songwriter who does well as a career woman in addition to her motherhood, but detectives must somehow prove her guilty.
Red Flags: One instance implicit sexuality, several instances of violence.
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