Ashley Bell

by Dean Koontz

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz comes the must-read thriller of the year, perfect for readers of dark psychological suspense and modern classics of mystery and adventure.

Bibi Blair is a fierce, funny, dauntless young woman – whose doctor says she has one year to live.

She replies, `We’ll see.’

Her sudden recovery is a medical miracle.

An enigmatic woman convinces Bibi that she escaped death so that she can save someone else. Someone named Ashley Bell.

But who is Ashley Bell? And what exactly does she need saving from?

Bibi’s obsession with finding Ashley sends her on the run from threats both mystical and worldly, including a rich and charismatic cult leader with terrifying ambitions.

• ISBN13: 9780007520329
• Publish Date: 14 January 2016 (first published 8 December 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperCollins
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 656
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[wyvernfriend]

Knowing there would be twists in this tale because it was a Koontz, I guessed several of them early enough on. Bibi is diagnosed with inoperable cancer one day and the next she's clear, she goes on a quest to discover what has happened and to save Ashley Bell.

Not bad, a bit predictable.

[Beth C.]

I'm a long-time reader of Dean Koontz, starting from many years ago. Lighting has always been among my favorite books of all time. So I was excited to read this, having heard that it was one of his better books from the last few years. Unfortunately, it seems I will continue to appreciate his older works better.

The biggest issue I had with this book was simply how long it dragged on. Had the book been culled by about 1/4, the story would have felt much tighter than it did. I had to stop and take breaks simply because it started feeling like it was never going to end.

The story itself was interesting, though there needs to be a *heavy* suspension of disbelief in parts. Some things just seemed way to easy and convenient. As for the ultimate outcome, well...it just didn't strike a chord.

The characters were ok, but I particularly liked Pax and Pogo. Having said that, I'm not sure if Pogo would have been that likeable had I not read the two prequels first. He was much more developed in those, so for anyone not having read them, he's not going to mean much to them.

Overall, I wouldn't say my reading time was wasted exactly...but on the rare day that I got to spend most of it reading, I think I would have rather read something else.