What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz

Koontz's latest has to potential to keep you awake through the night and clutching a crucifix.

It has the potential.

What the Night Knows is Dean Koontz's response to Paranormal Activity. There is a great possibility that the evil represented by the killer of this book will frighten you back to God.

However, there is also the chance that you will read through the first chapter and toss this book in the garbage.

What the Night Knows tells the story of Detective John Calvino. His family was murdered by a lunatic named Alton Turner Blackwood years ago. Blackwood made a name for himself by killing a string of families before attacking the Calvinos.

Now that Calvino is grown with a wife and children of his own, he fears that a new rash of family murders is linked to Blackwood.

The only thing is, Blackwood's been dead for years.

The Koontz-suspense is present in this story as is a return to the Koontz-disgusting images of death.

I was disappointed in this story. I thought he captured each character's unique voice by how he altered the writing for each person. The Calvino kids were especially fun to read.

However, I found it quite hard to get past the Koontz obsession to bring out all the sly sexual implications and abuse. Even under the excuse of "it's from the evil villain" didn't help me pass this book with aces.

This scare-fest of a book could have been so much better. Let's see what he cooks up for us next time.