Deeply Odd

This Odd Thomas adventure would have been better told as a short story or, at most, a novella. Odd’s narration in this book is so thick with moral lamentation, sometimes contradictory and often repetitive, that I found myself skipping paragraphs in order to advance the story. While one of the newly introduced characters is somewhat charming, she and other characters remain flat. This series may have run its course.

When the main character of a novel can see the dead, you have to have a certain suspension of disbelief. I'm prepared to do that, and the first novel in this series didn't require much of that. By this point, I'm having to suspend so much disbelief that it could kill me if it falls. Every chapter more characters turn up drawn to Odd, dispensing mystical advice and pithy phrases. And I don't want to get into the fact that the Chauffeur Odd replaces died aged 90 or so, and his mother was 104.

I love Dean Koontz but he got very wordy in this one. Overly descriptive and philosophical. Come back to us, Dean!

I've read several Koontz novels before and generally found them entertaining. But I LOVE the Odd Thomas series. Can't wait for new ones to come out then I'm completely sucked in. Good development of characters that builds throughout the series. And keeps you guessing, unlike many mystery novels these day. Totally recommend you start with "Odd Thomas" and read the whole series!