Bestseller Postmortem: Dean Koontz's The Other Emily

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The bestseller list is still filled with children’s books. A pandemic and Dr Seuss panic buying has messed the algorithms hardcore. I bet here were authors who wished their books weren’t competing against It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny. 

I picked the new Dean Koontz book, The Other Emily. I’m hit or miss on his stuff, but there is always something to learn from a seasoned author. Plus, he loves dogs. I can’t say no.  

As a reminder, I don’t write reviews. I’m gleaning as much as I can from authors who’ve made it to the top ten list. I’m determined to be excellent at my craft.  

The Other Emily is offered on Kindle Unlimited, so I didn’t buy it. It was a surprised to see it as a free read for me.  

The book is 363 pages. At 250 words per page, the novel had a word count right around 90,000. I’ll say I read this all-in-one sitting. It didn’t feel long. In fact, I wasn’t ready for the story to be over.  

“She was in that highest rank of beauties that inspired stupid men to commit foolish acts and made wiser men despair for their inadequacies.”

— Dean Koontz

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Heather Zabriskie

Short chapters breaks the book up. Each chapter is one scene. I’m seeing this more and more from books on the list. Maybe it's a trend? Ninety-five chapters in total.  

I don’t know what genre to say this book is. It seems to be marketed as a thriller. Maybe? But without spoiling things, this book is so much more. It unfolds beautifully. Like the hero, you’ve got clues, but you can’t make them fit. It’s not possible. Koontz tells us the ending over and over. But you’re so into the story and not seeing the flares he’s sending up.  

The end ended. Honestly, I was shocked it ended.. I wanted more. What happened? My mind couldn’t take in that it was over because it just stops. Boom.  

The book's themes weren’t heavy handed. From the blurb, you know the hero's girlfriend disappeared ten years ago. A serial killer picked her up when her car broken down. The hero feels guilty that he wasn’t there to save her. Good versus evil is always solid, but Koontz crafts a world where up is down and down is up. Morality. Ethics. Danger. It’s all there. How far can you push someone before they break? 

“Life is full off mysteries, isn’t it? And maybe we don’t always need to know the answers to them.”

— Dean Koontz

Koontz does a great job sprinkling in little pieces that payoff later on. You don't even realize the seed has been planted until it’s in your face. This is so satisfying. It makes a reader feel like they are learning as the hero does. Fabulous. 

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Brady Knoll

The story unfurls like an ice cube melting with the prize in its center. As a reader, I wasn’t always sure if it was a dream or reality. It’s like The Sixth Sense. You keep hoping you’ll figure it out. It’s why I read this book in one sitting. Glued to my kindle looking at the time and telling myself “one more scene, then I’ll go to bed.” I failed that test over and over as I fell deeper down the tunnel Koontz made real.  

I wish I could put my finger on what keeps these authors on the lists. They write sentences that turn into scenes and then chapters, ends as an entire book. All writers follow the same matrix when they sit down to create. But these powerhouse authors have sprinkled some kind of addictive storytelling that holds you by the throat, and you don’t get another good breath in until you read the last sentence.  

This would be a brilliant book to pick up for a fun read. You’ll get lost in the plot, always questioning what the hell is happening. It’ll keep you up too late reading like it did me.  

What are you reading?

Magical Midlife Crisis

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Most of the books I read are for myself. I think in March I read eight or nine books. The books I read and when I read them can be a map to my own moods. Sometimes I want serious, but most of the time I want to lose myself in a world in my mind, not the one struggling to survive in a Pandemic.  

Every once in a while, I crave a good snarky and sarcastic book binge. Amazon must have known my target zone. They reminded me about K.F. Breene. Sarcasm squared.  

“Happily Ever After wasn’t supposed to come with a do-over option. But when my husband of twenty years packs up and heads for greener pastures and my son leaves for college, that’s exactly what my life becomes. Do-over. ”

— KF Breene

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User 1095178

The heroine needs a landing pad, and her parents have room. Except her father is showing off his begonias more that he should be. I will never, ever see begonias in the same way again. Still makes me giggle.  

She needs an escape plan, and she ends up at an old mansion as it’s caretaker. Then the fun starts. I won’t spoil stuff because I’m not the fun police, but damn. I laughed so hard I lost the ability to breathe.  

There aren’t many books romance or otherwise that celebrate midlife. For men they lose their hair, their joints hurt, and they are crabby “get off my lawn” old farts. Women get menopause, late night snacking and the realization they’ve spent most of their life taking care of everyone else around them.  

Jessie, our heroine, just needs to regroup. She’s excited and terrified at the same time. Then everything seems to fall into place. Except there were weird things happening around her. People speak, but she feels like she’s missed a step somewhere. Not to mention the house comes with a butler who wears a cape all the time.  

These are not romance books. Although several threads in the books pull at what love is like after kids, a divorce, and things have drooped all over the place, these are more urban fantasy. I haven’t finished all the series yet. There is a boiling hot man who would be so perfect if either of them could shake off the baggage.  

The writing moves from normal to sarcastic, then back again. If you like for your characters to be realistic, this is not the book for you. There are a couple of themes, but this story will never be women’s lit. I actually love that. Let me have fun. We could all use the extra chuckle.  

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Jared Rice

I laugh hard. My guy will sometimes come in to see what I’m enjoying so much. I try to explain what I’ve read, but the context and such, no. Besides, I’m too busy spitting water across my kindle because I didn’t see where the scene was going, and it’s got me rolling. Fabulous pacing and comedic timing.  

I wish there were more books like this. Sort of finding your letter to Hogwarts after forty. Who doesn’t want that?  

There are so many books out there. I love when curation shows me something new. When I get out of alignment, I’ll need more than meditation to see me through. This sort of adventure lets me meet the story where I’m at and move through whatever crisis dogs my steps.  

Do you have a book or author you go back to again and again?

The Book That Started Everything

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Long ago my mother took me shopping. On a hot Texas afternoon, we hurried into a warehouse full of books. Enormous space with unfinished ceilings and hanging florescent lights. I’d never seen so many books in one place before.

My mom had brought a paper bag with books to give back. She got a few dollars in trade and seemed happy not to have the house cluttered up with old books. If she ever saw how many books are in my house, she’d have a fit.  

She handed me a paper bag and told me to pick out some things to read. They priced the used books according to sticker. I can’t remember now, but a green sticker might have been .25 cents, a coffee-table book had a red sticker which was a quarter of the original price. That sort of thing. 

I got a little lost in there. Even on my tiptoes I couldn’t reach the top shelf, but there were so many books, I wasn’t missing out. I think I paid with a five-dollar bill and got change back. I walked back out to my mother’s ford explorer, jubilant. My body hummed with satisfaction. I’d found my mecca.  

Most of my bag was sci/fi books, but my mom convinced me to put a few romances in it. I remember my shock. My mother read romances? She inhaled them, evidenced by her stuffed paper bag. I think we talked a little about books and such, and she told me to get a few by this lady or that.  

When I got back to my little apartment, I did a happy dance. New to me books always bring me joy. Money was tight and even having three jobs didn’t always cover everything if I wasn’t careful. These books were a gift to myself. 

I spread all the books on the cheap carpet and organized. After looking at all the covers and reading the back blurb, I decided on Catherine Coulter’s Sherbrooke Bride. I didn’t know it was a series until I noticed a couple more of them on the floor.  

The book was published in 1992. I’ve told my friends they should read it. The feedback has always been split. Some loved the series. Others didn’t like the attitudes and storytelling devices. Consent was different back then. I do not apologize for it. Read it or don’t.  

“I saw her last night-the Virgin Bride.”

— The Sherbrooke Bride by Catherine Coulter

I love a good hook. Right off, I know this book is going to be fun. It’s 1803 in England. The hero’s family is large and loving. He’s the oldest and a little more sedate than any of his brothers or sister. The sister might be in my top five heroines. She gets her own book, so you’ve got that to look forward to.  

It’s written how most third person genre fiction is built. The chapters and scenes are called out as you change place and point of view. And since it’s a romance, we toggle back and forth between him and her.

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Juan Pablo

This was my very first romance. I might never have read them if not for my mother. I think on that sometimes. How the universe can be so synchronized.  

I remember letting the world blossom in lyrical sentences and the beauty of silk gowns and men in their smoking jackets after dinner. A bit of pomp and such. I ate that book in one sitting. Scrumptious. This wasn’t the last time I’d see the Virgin Bride again in more books in the series. A thread that ties them together besides the family ties. 

After I finished the book, I remember being sated. I studied my own bookshelves. Almost every book had a romance in it. Thrillers, mysteries, sci/fi. As I picked up books from the floor the next morning, I realized I buy mainly women authors. I thought none of that through. But there it was in my face. 

I like happy endings. This book is a romance. So, expect a happy ever after. At its heart is a love story. The heroine has some spunk. The hero has a nice character arc. He goes from surly to teddy bear. This book changed my life.  

“He couldn’t now imagine facing a life without her.”

— The Sherbrooke Bride by Catherine Coulter

If you are an author reading this, Catherine Coulter didn’t know me. When she was up late at night pouring over edits, she wasn’t thinking of anything but the deadline. Yet the book that she wrote was my inciting incident. Any work you do can have a beautiful outcome you may never know about. Write that book. Write. It. Write. It. Now. 

If I take stock, I’ve written seven books. Most of them are romance and some sci/fi with a B love story. I watch too many murder mysteries to believe love makes the world go round. But wouldn’t it be nice if it did? 

What book took your hand and led you down the garden path?

What Makes You Want to Throw a Book Against the Wall

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Photo by Lacie Slezak

I love story. There isn’t much I don’t like about all kinds of story. So it’s rare when I stop reading a book. I can only think of a handful of times I have physically thrown a book against the wall.  

A story is meant to be enjoyed. At least the story I like to write and read. I want characters who meet a challenge and learn, grow, and an ending that makes sense.  

You would think that wouldn’t be difficult.

But sometimes I couldn't and wouldn’t give a book anymore of my time.  

Recently there was a book that killed off the principal character in the first half. Everything had been crafted for this main character to lead me through the story. Then the anchor was gone. Boom. Nothing made sense again. I didn’t want other characters' perspectives in the rest of the book. I finished it. But I threw it away when I was done. The author betrayed my trust. I never got back to the story I had been reading. It simply ended.  

I don’t read tons of horror. Every once in a while, something will grab me. Mainly its cover art, but I enjoy some Dean Koontz books here and there. Most frighten me out of my mind, but he’s got some that I love. Odd Thomas being my favorite character of his. Well, besides his dog book. I cry every time I read that thing.  

Not all of his books end happily. I know this going in. Who will die? When? But Dean doesn’t lie to me. I know there will be death and it could be anyone in the book.  

If I’m reading a romance and the ending isn’t happy, I throw it against a wall. I don’t read Nicholas Sparks. Those aren’t romances. He writes a lot of beautiful tragedy. His books make me madder than heck. I didn’t ask for a lecture on how to be a wonderful human. I wanted to find out what happens to the heroine/hero. Don’t kill them, for god’s sake.  

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Photo by Ashley Whilatch

With the plethora of cheap books on the market, it’s easy to think a book is one thing only to find out it’s something else. I fall for the .99 cents books with the pretty covers. There are books that lacked an editor, or the editor was crap. Those tend not to have a story told well enough for me to finish it.  

Paradoxically, no matter how bad the book is, I simply can’t give a book a one-star review. Someone spent time and some money to bring a book to market. They worked hard. Two or three star reviews still feels mean, but we should warn each other when a book isn’t great. 

Not every book is for me, right? I’m not going to enjoy everyone’s story. I don’t read war books. Not my thing. I don’t do a ton of general fiction. It’s the lecture thing. I don’t want to read about a family who hurts each other so much someone dies. That’s not entertaining.  

I stick to genre fiction. These books have a contract with me, the reader. I know I’ll spend some time with the characters and enjoy their journey. They don’t lie to me about what they are or where they are going. They treasure my trust. 

The last book I threw against the wall was a book given to me. Many authors are writing YA books. I’ve not read many of them. Not my bag. When someone gives you a book, you think ok it’s going to be a great ride.  

That gifted book left a mark on the wall in the bedroom. The book was from a traditional publisher. Seemed to have a great hook. Murder and lies. I like those. Then I had to navigate the world. I gave the whole chapter waiting for the story to pull me in. I’ll give a book that much time. If I put it down, I will usually go back to it. But I read several chapters of this one, hoping against hope it would get better. Then there was the death of one of the main characters in such a stupid way that I couldn’t understand how anyone didn’t challenge the author on it.  

I chunked that 500-page piece of junk at the wall. Hurled it. I yelled while I was doing it. It ended up in file thirteen. I wouldn’t give that book to anyone that I liked, for god’s sake.  

People like different stuff. There are authors out there writing in every niche. Working hard to make a living in a glutted market full of hype and disappointment. It’s rough out there. 

Biggest take away. Don’t lie to me. Don’t break that trust between reader and writer. Don’t kill off the key people just for effect.  

So, what makes you stop reading and throw a book against the wall?