Breathless by Dean Koontz

#1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz delivers a thrilling novel of suspense and adventure, as the lives of strangers converge around a mystery unfolding high in the Colorado mountains—and the balance of the world begins to tilt….

In the stillness of a golden September afternoon, deep in the wilderness of the Rockies, a solitary craftsman, Grady Adams, and his magnificent Irish wolfhound Merlin step from shadow into light…and into an encounter with enchantment. That night, through the trees, under the moon, a pair of singular animals will watch Grady's isolated home, waiting to make their approach.

A few miles away, Camillia Rivers, a local veterinarian, begins to unravel the threads of a puzzle that will bring all the forces of a government in peril to her door.

At a nearby farm, long-estranged identical twins come together to begin a descent into darkness…In Las Vegas, a specialist in chaos theory probes the boundaries of the unknowable…On a Seattle golf course, two men make matter-of-fact arrangements for murder…Along a highway by the sea, a vagrant scarred by the past begins a trek toward his destiny…

In a novel that is at once wholly of our time and timeless, fearless and funny, Dean Koontz takes readers into the moment between one turn of the world and the next, across the border between knowing and mystery. It is a journey that will leave all who take it Breathless. 

(from goodreads.com)

I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.

I used to love Dean Koontz.  Sadly, I think that either I grew up or his writing got old because every book I pick up by him just has a, "eh," reaction from me after I finish reading it.  Brethless is no different.  Now, don't get me wrong...it's a great little book if you've got some time to spare and you want something entertaining and simple.  It lays everything right out in front of you on a shiny platter with a big red bow on top.  This is perfect if your brain is tired from working all day and you want to pick up something that will do the thinking for you.  As far as I can tell there are  no deeper meanings or thought-provoking twists that need to be dissected in a book club. 

I enjoyed the characters and I thought the Bigger guy (Tom Bigger) was a nice little nod to society's homeless population.  I especially enjoyed Merlin, the Irish Wolfhound.  Koontz gave him humanistic traits but still kept him dog-like.  I thought the underlying theme of order and chaos were nicely done.  I liked that everyone was realistic, but I didn't like that everyone was able to accurately read other peoples' intentions.  Non-verbal communication is often misinterpreted in real life and it's a little disappointing that everyone in Koontz' books always come across as experts in social cues.  If someone feels anxious, the other characters know about it just by looking at his face.  Simple and straight-forward, sure, but that's not always what I want from a book.

All in all, I thought this book was a good choice for summer vacation.  It's perfect for lazing around by the pool or while you eat lunch.  It's not the kind of book that will change your life or that you'll even remember reading in six months, but it is a little fun and it will help you pass the time while you wait for the next Twi/Potter/Games trilogy to be made.