A re-read for me as I’m going through some old titles but though not the best of Koontz it was a nice reminder of why I found this book quite gripping the first time. Not giving anything away the blurb doesn’t, the chase up and down a 42-storey building is at the heart of this book, more so than the murder, and the ‘face of fear’ is the main character having to face his own fears to save both himself and the person he loves. The psychology may be accurate but it felt a little ‘dumped’ and even contrived, and I would have liked to see this book more deeply developed and not to feel the ending is so abrupt but that may just be me — for thrillers of this type, especially when it was written and first published, there’s nothing lacking. ( )

When I read the back of this book to someone, once we reached, “and there’s a blizzard outside, they laughed and said, “Oh, of course.”

The plot may sound interesting but nothing like Koontz’s usual work. Instead it more or less mimics simple lifetime thrillers we’ve all seen over and over again. A generic plot without much else to offer, with strange coincidences that are a bit more cheesy than realistic. And this is only from the description…

I was interested in reading about the clairvoyant and at the beginning of the book it was paying off. Graham came across as interesting, with unique powers that weren’t typical to other books I’ve read, and the interview with the host was a blast. But after the first few scenes, the book begins to get a bit too much, and throughout this review I’ll touch upon the stepping stones that explain why.

The atmosphere was tense, of course, but this actually worked against it. The tension began much too soon, but never let up! From the beginning of the novel to the end we have the two protagonists battling the same chances for over a hundred pages. After all this is constantly whirling around, the tension loosens as it just grows tiring.

Graham came across as a likeable character and as I mentioned above, his visions were unique. As the story further unravels, however, I found that he was a bit weak. His girlfriend, Connie, was a sweet gal but her reactions towards having to take care of Graham got on my nerves a bit. This is a realistic response some women have -- drifting toward some relationships just to save men that need saving -- and it was definitely different to have these two in the main shoes the reader walks in. The detective, Preduski, was hysterical and wonderfully animated. He was by far my favorite character. The antagonist was cold all the way through but not much detail was given on why he became this way. That’s fine, I didn’t need drawn out blueprints on his personality, but while he wasn’t anything ‘bad’, he never stands out either.

Quick and smooth at the beginning, The Face of Fear eventually becomes overly tense without letting up towards the middle. The pace itself was fine but I wish it would have been cut at least thirty pages to allow me to breathe. Koontz’s writing style is always captivating. It can never be said the man doesn’t have a gift with wording and prose, only here it’s a little bit buried under all the ‘stereotypical blizzard snow.’

The villain isn’t anything that’s worth making a scrapbook about and that hurts the impact. I did care about the characters, though, and wanted them to make it. Connie and Graham both rang true in their actions, although their personalities were dysfunctional. The tension was great at first, but after awhile, everything runs out of gas.

I wish that Koontz would have realized that was enough was enough and saved this one while he still could have. It just droned on a bit to much and ended up slitting it’s own throat before the final scene was played out. ( )

Fast-moving and engaging, the suspense delivered here is among Koontz's best. Although the pacing sometimes feels a bit off, moving somewhat repetitively in the middle sections of the book and then ending incredibly quickly, the book is for the most part a fun and fast read. Enough so for a distracting and relaxing thriller to provide some entertainment and escape? Absolutely. ( )

A fairly quick and easy read. It was enjoyable and fast paced but nothing special. Predictable plot with a killer named "the butcher." He had to make it up, it's so mundane. The use of a clairvoyant in the plot added only a little. Why does Koontz write under a pseudonym? ( )

Spannend und rasant. ( )