Innocence

1

having escaped one fire, i expected another.  I didn t view with fright the flames to come. Fire was but light and heat. Throughout our lives, each of us needs warmth and seeks light. I couldn t dread what I needed and sought. For me, being set afire was merely the expectation of an inevitable conclusion. This fair world, compounded of uncountable beauties and enchantments and graces, inspired in me only one abiding fear, which was that I might live in it too long.

2

i was capable of love, but i lived in solitude after Father died. Therefore I loved only the precious dead, and books, and the moments of great beauty with which the city surprised me from time to time, as I passed through it in utmost secrecy.

For instance, sometimes on clear nights, in the solemn hour when most of the population sleeps, when the cleaning crews are finished and the high-­rises darkle until dawn, the stars come out. They are not as bright over this metropolis as they must be over a Kansas plain or a Colorado mountain, but they still shine as if there is a city in the sky, an enchanting place where I could walk the streets with no fear of fire, where I could find someone to love, who would love me.

Here, when I was seen, my capacity for love earned me no mercy. Quite the opposite. When they saw me, men and women alike recoiled, but their fear quickly gave way to fury. I would not harm them to defend myself, and I remained therefore defenseless.

3

on certain nights, beautiful but sad music found its way into my deep windowless rooms. I didn t know from where it came, and I couldn t identify the tune. No lyrics accompanied the melody, but I remained convinced that I had once heard a smoky-­voiced chanteuse sing this song. Each time the song came, my mouth moved as if forming the words, but they eluded me.

The piece was not a blues number, yet it weighed on the heart as did the blues. I might call it a nocturne, although I believe that a nocturne is

Dean Koontz, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.

A thriller that s both chilling and fulfilling. People (four stars)

Laced with fantastical mysticism, it s an allegory of nonviolence, acceptance and love in the face of adversity. . . . The narrative is intense, with an old-fashioned ominousness and artistically crafted descriptions. . . . An optimistic and unexpected conclusion [mirrors] his theme. Something different this way comes from Mr. Koontz s imagination. Enjoy. Kirkus Reviews
 
Mystery and terror, the paranormal and romance all combine to make Innocence a challenging and emotional experience. New York Journal of Books
 
This novel really is something special. . . . This may just be the book Dean Koontz was born to write. Thriller Books Journal

Entrancing . . . as speedy a chase-thriller as any Koontz . . . has ever constructed. Written in Koontz late mellifluent and reflective manner . . . [Innocence is] fueled by deep disgust with the world s evils [and] hope for redemption. Booklist (starred review)
 
[An] imaginative, mystical thriller from bestseller Koontz . . . This is the most satisfying Koontz standalone in a while. Publishers Weekly
 
Masterful storyteller Koontz delivers perhaps his most eerie and unusual tale to date. The timeline in this amazing story is compact, and readers will be swept along as they try to unravel hints and clues as to the true nature of both the protagonists and the unfolding drama. Unpredictably spine-chilling and terrifying, this is a story readers won t soon forget. RT Book Reviews
 
Elegant . . . Fans of Koontz s previous series will be left hoping that Addison and Gwyneth, too, will return. Library Journal