Review: Ashley Bell

Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not sure this book was actually ready to be read. There are about 10,000 words that need to be edited out, only then will it make a fine suspense thriller. This isn't in the literary category that The City was in, it's just plain too wordy.

Although, the character development is superb. I would know these people if I met them on the street. The dialogue is natural, and everyone talks in their own character. Even the supporting characters are well-developed. That takes tremendous skill. But there are some paths that Koontz takes the reader down that truly bog down the story flow. Koontz does do very well with description, but somehow this book doesn't coalesce into his regular tale-weaving style.

If Random will toss this to an editor that can do the story justice rather than taking it raw from the author, this could be a best seller, or at least make a good showing. As it is now, that won't happen.

Advance copy from Netgalley...

View all my reviews