Book Review: Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz

Kerry Hammond is here today to tell us about the latest book by New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz.

If you’ve ever read a book by Dean Koontz, you know that they are some of the most creative, strange, well-written, and fascinating books you will ever come across. I fell in love with Koontz’s writing when I discovered Life Expectancy quite a few years ago. His latest book, Ashley Bell, was published on December 8, 2015, in Hardcover by Bantam Publishers.

Bibi Blair is the focus of this story. She’s the daughter of two California surfers with a laid back attitude and a huge love of their only child. She is smart and capable, and when she is diagnosed with brain cancer and given a year to live, her parents are understandably devastated. Bibi, on the other hand, simply tells the doctor, “we’ll see.” When she makes a miraculous recovery, everyone is shocked except for Bibi. Her parents set up a meeting with a mystical woman who is adept at seeing the meaning in things, and she tells Bibi that she has escaped death because she is meant to save someone else, a girl named Ashley Bell. The first problem is that Bibi has never heard of Ashley Bell. In addition, she isn’t sure what she needs to save her from. As Bibi searches for Ashley, she realizes that even stronger forces want Ashley dead, and they know Bibi is trying to intervene and will do anything to stop her. She goes on the run to try and get to Ashley before they reach her, risking her own life to save someone she’s never met.

I’m not going to use the cliché and say that this book hooked me at page one. I think it was well into page five before I was beyond the point of no return. The first thing that strikes me about a Koontz book is the characters he creates. They are some the most strange and endearing people you’d ever want to meet, and their personalities tend to live beyond the pages, popping into your head when you least expect it. Then there’s the storyline. I have no idea how Koontz comes up with such creative plots, but I am thankful that he has such a talent to entertain.

Bibi’s journey is exciting, suspenseful, scary, and fun. The book is 560 pages, but a surprisingly fast read because the twists and turns kept me guessing until the very last page.  A good Koontz book is like nothing you’ve ever read before, and that’s high praise.

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