The Darkest Evening of the Year

Dean Koontz is one of the authors that I know could skillfully weave words, sentences and chapters to create a literal masterpiece. When I first glanced at the title of the novel, it sent an exciting shiver down my spine. I thought to myself, finally a horror novel that begins from the name. Or is it really a horror novel?

I have not in a very long while, felt such intense need to not do anything else till I finished a book. Like an oenophile with a newly opened bottle of wine, I wanted to satisfy my curiosity up till the very last drop.

Some other readers might say the title of the novel does not match the plot, but I think it does a little bit, considering the whole plot. Not only did the title make me want to read the book, it helped me develop a better appreciation of the plot.

The title also gave this horror vibes, that I am an addicted fan of. Some might say this book, is horror, fiction but I think it's a psychological thriller and considering the character development in the novel, I just might be right.

Through years of reading novels, I have longed for a fictional novel where a female played the heroine by rescuing animals who were abused. After all, there is no limit to how far a reader’s mind can stretch. And since I couldn’t write one, Dean Koontz ensured my longings were satisfied.

I would say in this novel, that Dean Koontz just wrote a letter to dogs, specifically Golden Retrievers. Some might say it's a love letter, but I feel it's just a letter of appreciation. I love a Golden Retriever they have a way of making you feel completely safe.

I assume that Dean wrote this book because he recently lost his own Retriever, though I have not confirmed this, but a diehard Dean Koontz fan would agree with me that he has always had a thing for Golden Retrievers. If you read his novel, The Watchers, you'll confirm it.

Though I must say, this book fell a little short of the horrific experience I expected but it wasn't that bad. Let's dive into "The Darkest Evening of the Year".
The novel begins with chatty but mysterious Amy and her fiancé Brian, who is by the way, my favorite character in the novel, because he gives this Golden Retriever energy most men do not have. Amy has devoted her life to rescuing dogs especially golden retrievers who are abused and abandoned and rehabilitating them, while finding them a home. Through her southern Californian organization, which she founded, she would go through any risk and any length rescue a dog.
It further progresses to show them on their way to rescue a distressed woman, her kids and her dog who are a beaten up by her drunk alcoholic husband.

One part of the book I fell in love with is the conversation during the ride on their way to rescue the woman. It seemed like a typical old couple conversation, but to me signified the comfortability and friendliness between them.

Apparently Amy's interest is in the dog who she pays over two thousand dollars in cash for. This seemed pretty much strange, till we discover that this dog, Nickie, is no ordinary dog. We also notice a deep connection and bond she develops with Nickie, one she doesn’t share with her other two retrievers.

There's this immediate bond that develops between Amy and Nickie that is really suspicious even to her other two dogs, Fred and Ethel and everyone around her. It's similar to when you notice someone is special, the special aura that accompanies Nickie is so glaringly obvious to everyone. Special people are also known to bring joy and so did Nickie until the eerie incidents began happening. This is the part where the book starts getting interesting for me because this is where things get exciting, where your heart begins to race because you don't know what happens next.

However, another question begs to be asked, where did Amy get money to run such an organization? I mean who casually gives out two thousand dollars for an abused dog.
This question leads to another question, how long till the hunter and the rescuer, becomes the hunted? Amy certainly has secrets, she wouldn't dare share with anyone and those secrets might reveal the source of Amy's funding for her organization. But how deadly can those secrets be?

And while Amy has always been able to save and rescue golden retrievers, she might have nobody to save her from the consequence of her secret so hidden. But this is where we get a plot twist, because at some point in the book, it became a little bit complicated to read and I wouldn't explain why because that would take off the suspense. Apparently, not only Amy but also Brian has something to hide. You'll want to read the book to find out yourself.
It is these secrets that lead them on a lengthy emotionally triggering trip where we get to really gain an insight into each of the characters especially Amy. This trip starts from and leads to ominous and invasive incidents where people want to kill Amy, her fiancé and the four legged retriever. This might seem like the horror the reader anticipate because after all these people will do anything to anyone who steps on their way to killing the trio.

Dean Koontz really had me mouth agape, from the warm and exciting opening chapter, to the shocking and thrilling ending chapter. Although some might beg to disagree, I think this is one of his best books. It also fulfilled my long overdue craving.

So, if you're looking forward to a chill evening accompanied with a bottle of champagne, and something relaxing you certainly might want to pick up this book and just read away.

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