The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
kelseystamey's review against another edition
1.0
My aunt and uncle cornered me at a recent family event and swore this book would be worth my time. Against my better judgment, I decided to give it a chance. They were wrong.
I don't have time to go into the gory specifics, but in short: the book is all over the place. There's no coherent theme, no character development. People in the story act in completely illogical ways, and we're supposed to accept it without knowing anything about their motivations. Also, why are the paragraphs only one sentence long?
I don't have time to go into the gory specifics, but in short: the book is all over the place. There's no coherent theme, no character development. People in the story act in completely illogical ways, and we're supposed to accept it without knowing anything about their motivations. Also, why are the paragraphs only one sentence long?
novelesque_life's review against another edition
3.0
3 STARS
"The new fast-moving thriller from Dean Koontz is the story of an innocent man forced by a serial killer to choose who will be murdered next. William Wiles is an easygoing thirty-something, a bartender who lives a quiet life alone until a serial killer singles him out - not to kill him, but to force him to decide who the next victim will be. On his SUV Billy finds the first note: 'If you don't take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a lovely blonde schoolteacher. If you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have four hours to decide. The choice is yours.' Billy pays an informal visit to an acquaintance, Lanny Olson, who is a policeman, and who thinks the note is a prank. The schoolteacher dies. The next note reverses the choices: if Billy takes the note to the police, a mother of two young children will die. If he doesn't, an unmarried man who won't be much missed will die. Lanny has to take this note seriously but the deadline runs out before he can decide how to make his involvement official. Billy doesn't hear from him again because Lanny himself, unmarried, who will not be much missed, has become the next victim. There will be more communications from the killer, more hideous choices, with ever tighter decision times, and with each choice Billy is drawn deeper into an accelerating nightmare, which steadily becomes more personal, more confrontational, until he is isolated, with no one to turn to and no one to rely on but himself. Finally he must risk everything to save the intended victims." (From Amazon)
"The new fast-moving thriller from Dean Koontz is the story of an innocent man forced by a serial killer to choose who will be murdered next. William Wiles is an easygoing thirty-something, a bartender who lives a quiet life alone until a serial killer singles him out - not to kill him, but to force him to decide who the next victim will be. On his SUV Billy finds the first note: 'If you don't take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a lovely blonde schoolteacher. If you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have four hours to decide. The choice is yours.' Billy pays an informal visit to an acquaintance, Lanny Olson, who is a policeman, and who thinks the note is a prank. The schoolteacher dies. The next note reverses the choices: if Billy takes the note to the police, a mother of two young children will die. If he doesn't, an unmarried man who won't be much missed will die. Lanny has to take this note seriously but the deadline runs out before he can decide how to make his involvement official. Billy doesn't hear from him again because Lanny himself, unmarried, who will not be much missed, has become the next victim. There will be more communications from the killer, more hideous choices, with ever tighter decision times, and with each choice Billy is drawn deeper into an accelerating nightmare, which steadily becomes more personal, more confrontational, until he is isolated, with no one to turn to and no one to rely on but himself. Finally he must risk everything to save the intended victims." (From Amazon)
jordongreene's review against another edition
5.0
Koontz's Velocity is an utterly satisfying and exciting thriller. The characters are so intricate and the story detailed. I thought I had it figured out about half way through but instead Koontz through me for a loop, and a good one it was. I highly recommend Velocity.
avafritsch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Decent story. I used to love Koontz, and then I just fell out of love with his books. I struggled to make it through one. It's been over a decade since I read one (other than a graphic novel that I bought for my classroom). Velocity took me a couple of chapters to get the feel, but then I was immersed. Good story. Nice twists. A plot that makes you want more. I recommend without reservations. Â
monchandtherats's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kodermike's review against another edition
3.0
Like many Koontz books, this one had a great hook that gave a lot of promises, most - but not all - fulfilled. Bartender Billy finds himself trapped as a madman begins leaving him notes, suggesting that Billy is in control of choosing to take action and cause a grisly death, or side with inaction and still be responsible for something an equally horrific death. I don't think Koontz quite delivered on that promise, but he made a good run at it.
the_evergrowing_library's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked the premise of the book and it opened really strong and made full use of the Velocity title. I love the idea of using the ‘trolley problem’ and that moral/ethical decision in a completely sinister manner.
The first half was great but then velocity definitely tailed off. The second half was still good but we had a fair bit of pottering about and it did feel a little lacking at times.
The ending was very much an anticlimax but honestly, given the killers games, it felt sort of fitting for the book; so I wasn’t mad about it.
The characters were well put together and the love Billy had for his Fiancé was really strong.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
The first half was great but then velocity definitely tailed off. The second half was still good but we had a fair bit of pottering about and it did feel a little lacking at times.
The ending was very much an anticlimax but honestly, given the killers games, it felt sort of fitting for the book; so I wasn’t mad about it.
The characters were well put together and the love Billy had for his Fiancé was really strong.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
kmschmitz2's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75