Ashley Bell
Dean Koontz
Bantam
Dh76
Dean Koontz outdoes himself with his latest yarn, which solidifies his reputation as one of the best storytellers in the book business.
His stories are labelled as horror, but the lyrical writing and compelling characters in Ashley Bell aren't commonly seen in that genre.
Koontz stands alone, and this novel is a prime example of literary suspense, if one is forced to classify.
Bibi Blair lives by herself, is engaged to a Navy SEAL and has published a novel and several short stories. One day while sitting at her computer, one side of her body starts to tingle and she realises something is wrong. Doctors run tests and determine that she has a rare form of brain cancer.
Told that she has at most a year to live, she tells her doctor, “We’ll see.” That’s when the novel takes off.
Blair makes a miraculous recovery but doesn’t understand why – until a mysterious woman gives her a psychic reading, revealing that she has survived so that she can save a woman named Ashley Bell.
Who is this woman, and what does Blair need to do to save her?
It turns out that evil people want to harm Bell, and are determined to eliminate her as well – but she has cheated death once and feels that it is her destiny to save Bell. What Blair does not realise is that Bell has ties to her past, and people she knows might be involved in what has become a vast conspiracy.
Elements of other Koontz novels are on display, including a prominent plot strand involving a golden retriever and a diabolical villain who is charismatic and cruel.
How our lives are shaped by our memories and the extent to which our childhood influences our adulthood are prominent themes of Ashley Bell.
The major plot twist comes a bit early, and the book flirts with being too bulky. But Koontz knows what he’s doing, and the baffling story with the stellar character of Bibi Blair makes this thriller one of his best.
