Starred Review. Bestseller Koontz (The Husband) delivers a thriller so
compelling many readers will race through the book in one sitting. In
the Hitchcockian opening, which resembles that of the cult noir film
Red Rock West (1992), Timothy Carrier, a quiet stone mason having a
beer in a California bar, meets a stranger who mistakes him for a hit
man. The stranger slips Tim a manila envelope containing $10,000 in
cash and a photo of the intended victim, Linda Paquette, a writer in
Laguna Beach, then leaves. A moment later, Krait, the real killer,
shows up and assumes Tim is his client. Tim manages to distract Krait
from immediately carrying out the hit by saying he's had a change of
heart and offering Krait the $10,000 he just received. This ploy gives
the stone mason enough time to warn Linda before they begin a frantic
flight for their lives. While it may be a stretch that the first man
wouldn't do a better job of confirming Tim's identity, the novel's
breathless pacing, clever twists and adroit characterizations all add
up to superior entertainment.
