Odd Thomas Returns

When I got my iPod last Christmas, Dean Koontz's Life Expectancy was the first book I downloaded. I listened to that tale of killer clowns and clairvoyant experiences through vaccuming and exercise sessions for most of January.

I guess my year has come full circle because I'm finishing up with Forever Odd, the sequel to 2003's Odd Thomas.

Odd Thomas is a fry cook who sees dead people - ghosts who can't actually communicate with him but who appear nonethless with messages and hidden meanings. The ghost of Elvis lingers in his presence in this outing.

Odd talents
Odd's talents helped him thwart dark doings in the first novel yet couldn't protect him from some loss. They make him the target of a villaness just slightly less offbeat than the evil clown in Life Expectancy.

She is a classic Koontz character, though. She's well drawn and quirky with sinister motivations that drive her to manipulative action.

Most of the action takes place in a single setting interestingly. As I pedaled through a cardio workout last night, I joined Odd on an obstacle course of attempted escape.

Odd velocity
Forever Odd is definitely one of Koontz's fast paced efforts, one of those like Intensity that seems to unfold in a single, energetic burst. It's brief by Koontz standards, only about eight hours on audio.

Is it as good as the original Odd adventure? Not quite, but it's not a bad audio experience and should be interesting on the page as well.

Sue Grafton Discusses "S Is for Silence" on Audible

This is Audible, essentially Audible.com's podcast, features a great interview with Sue Grafton in its Dec. 13 edition.

She talks about her newest Kinsey Milhone adventure, S is for Silence, and speaks candidly about her background in Hollywood as a screen and television writer.

Audio excerpts from the book are included as well.

The novel, by the way, involves Kinsey in a thirty-year-old investigation and sounds like it may be structured a little differently than some of the other books in the series with viewpoint scenes featuring Violet Sullivan, the woman whose disappearance Kinsey is investigating.

Find out how she feels about the audio adaptations of her work and alsom more about why she's chosen not to sell the series to Hollywood.

Joseph Finder's Latest

I've become a fan of Joseph Finder's recent thrillers--corporate-themed tales of intrigue, although he may be best known to many for his military thriller High Crimes, made into a movie with Morgan Freeman and Naomi Judd.

His November newsletter annouces a new business thriller, Killer Instinct, not to be confused with the recently cancelled Fox series.

It will be set in the electronics industry and promises much of the same flavor that made his recent Company Man a fun, twisty read.

Fans will get an opportunity to receive a particularly interesting specialty item tied to the book.

For more watch Finder's website.