The Door to December
The Door to December book cover

The Door to December

Kindle Edition

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Price
$8.99
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Berkley
Publication Date

Description

“First-rate suspense, scary and stylish.”— Los Angeles Times More Praise for Dean Koontz “Dean Koontz is a prose stylist whose lyricism heightens malevolence and tension. [He creates] characters of unusual richness and depth.”— The Seattle Times “Tumbling, hallucinogenic prose....‘Serious’ writers...might do well to examine his technique.”— The New York Times Book Review “Lyrical writing and compelling characters...Koontz stands alone.”—Associated Press“In every industry there exist ‘artists’ that are not only unforgettable, but know their craft better than the rest. Dean Koontz...is among these artisans.”— Suspense Magazine “[Koontz] has always had near-Dickensian powers of description, and an ability to yank us from one page to the next that few novelists can match.”— Los Angeles Times “Perhaps more than any other author, Koontz writes fiction perfectly suited to the mood of America...novels that acknowledge the reality and tenacity of evil but also the power of good...[and that] entertain vastly as they uplift.”— Publishers Weekly 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. From Publishers Weekly Published pseudonymously in 1985, Koontz has revised this thriller portraying a pediatric psychiatrist's attempts to unravel the mental trauma suffered by her estranged nine-year-old daughter. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From AudioFile Golden Voice George Guidall has carved another notch in his belt with Dean Koontz's latest thriller. Guidall's rich voice moves the story over the rough spots, especially where Koontz rambles a bit. Guidall's demeanor is at once grandfatherly and wise, with a tinge of sadness that lends humanity to the work. The story is creepy, even by Koontz standards. A 3-year-old girl is kidnapped by her scientist father, who conducts sensory deprivation experiments on her that are designed to release hidden psychokinetic powers. He succeeds beyond all expectations, and the child becomes the center of a maelstrom of terror. It's a good work made great by Guidall. As always. M.S. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • #1
  • New York Times
  • bestselling author Dean Koontz takes readers into the darkest recesses of the human mind—and into the tempest of a father's obsession.
  • A call in the middle of the night summoned psychiatrist Laura McCaffrey out into the rain-swept streets of Los Angeles. The police had found her husband-beaten to death. But what of her daughter, Melanie, whom he had kidnapped six years earlier? At the brutal murder scene, the police lead Laura into her husband's makeshift lab—and open the door to a rising tide of terror that has trapped Melanie in its midst...

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(533)
★★★★
25%
(444)
★★★
15%
(266)
★★
7%
(124)
★
23%
(408)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Mixed feelings...

First, I've enjoyed every Koontz book that I've ever read. This book was not an exception, but it wasn't the best for me. A mother, Laura, is reunited with her daughter who was taken by her father several years before during a custody battle. I understand that Koontz was trying to convey the mixed emotions of suddenly being a parent again, especially when someone hands you a troubled child. Then there is a detective, Dan Haldane, who is her champion, and attracted to her. Koontz wants us to understand him as well. But I didn't connect with her, and I didn't connect with the budding relationship. I felt as though I was suppose to see Laura's maternal strength by reading Haldane's mind... that's the only way I can express it. And the connection between them felt about the same. That being said, however, I brought it up to four stars because I enjoyed the story itself. It was haunting, and any sci fi groupie would find the entire story plausible ;]
10 people found this helpful
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Wow what a sophomoric affair.

Koontz attaches an afterword to this “effort”. This is to explain why he published it under a pen name. He shouldn’t have. It deserves the obscurity.
Bought this because the preview was uninteresting enough to promise a relief from boredom. Wrong, it’s contrived contrived ,preposterously plotted and endlessly and poorly overwritten. I really don’t know why I finished it. Koontz shouldn’t have.
Save your time and money.
6 people found this helpful
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Not my favourite, but passable

I don't often write reviews for books, unless I feel strongly about them. This falls into that category. I enjoyed it for the most part, however, when the homicide detective starts to realise who is responsible for all the brutal deaths, which is actually some time after the reader might have the same suspicion, we are asked to accept that the wonderful psychiatrist Mom, who married the monster husband, is also completely unable to figure out what is going on? I'm sorry, the woman is educated, with a successful practise, yet cannot figure out what I, a mostly uneducated reader, was able to guess at. And even when the detective is dropping some fairly broad hints, she does not once have the notion of what is going on. As i said, i am so disappointed, I felt the need to mention it.

Another reviewer has also mentioned inconsistencies with the mother's character, which i agree wholeheartedly with. All in all.definitely not his best,nor one of his that i would re- read. And i have a few of those.
6 people found this helpful
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Wonderful exploration of the occult and power of love to overcome evil

Really enjoyed this book when I read it ten years ago. With the new Netflix Original Series out, "Stranger Things", I felt compelled to revisit the book. It's clear where the producers of the series got their inspiration for the main character and her abilities.
4 people found this helpful
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This book was painfully boring

I struggled to complete this book, I kept hoping it would get better, it never did. The ending was a huge disappointment. I would not recommend this at all.
4 people found this helpful
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Higly innacurate use of "Autism"

Normally I love Koontz. But the incredibly inaccurate use of the term "autism" in this novel offends me, as the parent of a child on the spectrum. Autism is not a disorder that comes and goes, it is apparent in varying degrees from birth. To suggest temporary states of Autism in the child character is a slap in the face of those who live with it daily.
the child character was suffering from PTSD and catatonia, not Autism. Please do your research.
3 people found this helpful
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Koontz at his best

This is one of Koontz' earlier novels and it is full of the same fire and excitement as those early books. Melanie is a nine-year-old girl who was abducted by her own father when she was three. She had been used by her father and his associates for psychological research particularly into the realm of the unconscious. The men with her father have been brutally killed and her mother Janet, a detective, Dan Haldane and Earl, from a security agency are doing their best to keep the girl from encountering the same fate. She is autistic-like because of what was done to her and her mother, a child psychiatrist is working with her to try to reverse the damage. What is this mysterious force that is killing Melanie's abusers and from whom she might also be in danger? How are these brutal murders happening as it appears as if the bodies are being smashed to pieces?
No weapon is present at the murder sites and no clues are being identified. Dan is committed to keeping the mother and daughter safe, no matter what. I couldn't put this book down. Suspense continually mounts as in most Koontz novels and the answers seem to be something the reader can't imagine.
3 people found this helpful
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Interesting and tense

Love Dean Koontz, but tired of his "thought provoking" books of late. I've read this one long ago and just went back to it since it's been long enough that I can't remember what happens. I've always liked Koontz's descriptive writing, but he's gotten a little out of hand with his books in the last 5 years or so. There IS such a thing as going on too much with the descriptive end of a book and he's doing it waaaayyyyyyyy too much lately! I hate to lose him as a favorite author, but really, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE KOONTZ I LOVED as a writer?! Where did the guy go that wrote "Watchers", "Phantoms" and the other early hits? Hope he pokes his head out some day again and writes more like he did in the early days.

In the meantime, I'll have to settle for re-reading the oldie goldies, like this one!
3 people found this helpful
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this book didn't quite grab me like some of his earlier work

I've been a fan of Dean Koontz for a long time. As is his norm, this book pulled you in, but it did drag a bit in the middle. The characters were mostly interesting, with Dan, the police detective and Laura, the psychotherapist and mother of the child who's at the center of all, very well portrayed.

That said, this book didn't quite grab me like some of his earlier work. I started reading it several months ago, and got extremely busy at work, so I didn't have much time to read. By the time I did, I grabbed a different book. I read two other books before I went back to this one. It's rare that I'd have that reaction to one of Mr. Koontz's books, but it took longer than usual to get interesting. And though it's also rare for this to happen to me, I figured out the twist long before it was revealed. Maybe it's that obvious. Anyway, though not one of Mr. Koontz's absolute best novels, it's still an entertaining read.
2 people found this helpful
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WOW

Never read a Koontz story like this. My heart is still beating like a runaway metronome. My favorite is still Watchers but Koontz’s breadth of imagination and the ability to scare the bee-jesus out of his readers is unsurpassed!!
1 people found this helpful

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