Ashley Bell
by Dean Koontz
Genre: Suspense
Setting: Newport Beach, Calif.
Time Period: Contemporary, with flashbacks
Synopsis: Bibi Blair, at 22 already a published author, experiences troubling physical symptoms one morning, goes to the emergency room and is swiftly diagnosed with fast-growing, soon-to-be fatal brain cancer. When told of her diagnosis she says, “We’ll see.”
The next day, following a real or imagined 4 a.m. visit to her hospital room by a hooded stranger and his dog, Bibi insists that her tests be repeated. The retest results confirm her intuition; no trace of her cancer can be found.
Giddy with relief, her aging surfer parents surprise Bibi with the gift of a visit from a masseuse/mystic who reveals Bibi’s miraculous reprieve from death comes at a cost. She must save the life of Ashley Bell, whoever she is.
In short chapters, jumping back and forth in time and place, plot twists and mysteries are compounded, and past experiences are resurrected, often leaving Bibi and the reader questioning what is real, what is imagined, and to what degree paranormal forces are controlling events.
Appeal:
Intricate Plot
Fast Paced
Strong Female Protagonist
Suspenseful
Genre Characteristics:
Short Chapters
Flashbacks
Sympathetic Protagonist
Read-A-Likes:
All the Birds Singing - Evie Wyld
Strong female lead character; random events come together in a menacing way.
Corrupted - Lisa Scottoline
Female lawyer confronts dark memories to defend someone she failed in the past.
Blue Labyrinth - Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
Fast-paced, suspenseful, occult fiction set in Calif.
The Guilty - David Baldacci
Fast-paced, plot-driven suspense.
The Stranger - Harlan Coban
Suspenseful, intricately plotted unraveling of family secrets.
Great annotation! You bring out the elements that make me want to read this. I enjoy strong female characters, so this sounds like a good one for me personally, although I've never read Koontz and had a little bit of a different perception of him. I'm enjoying this week's annotations, as I don't often read within these two genres.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, Mindy. I don't usually read suspense, either, so this is one of my "read outside my comfort zone" titles. I've never read Koontz at all, although I know he's popular with our patrons. Overall I enjoyed the book, probably because I like books with well-defined, interesting characters and Bibi fits that description, even though this is a plot- rather than character-drive work.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a novel I need to pick up. I haven't read anything by Dean Koontz in several years, and I don't really know why I haven't. I enjoy his novels tremendously. Besides the sub-plots with twists, turns, and surprises that bring all the pieces together in the end, another appeal for me with when reading suspense or thrillers is I lean more toward the spooky side.
ReplyDeleteIf your a Koontz fan I think you'd love this book. There are many, many twists, turns and subplots and an overarching doubt of what is real and what is imagined. It's definitely a suspenseful read!
ReplyDeleteI have read several of Dean Koontz books but have not read this one. Definitely sounds like one that would be hard to put down. I think some of Stephen King's books could be "read-a-likes" as well. They have a somewhat similar writing style. Great annotation!
ReplyDeleteI just got off the holds list for this! I can't wait to read it! Excellent annotation! Great job listing the appeal and genre characteristics!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Erin. I think you'll really enjoy the search for Ashley Bell! Can't wait to read your review!
Delete