"Strangers" - A Favorite Modern Novel!

It's been well established that I am a book addict!  Of all the addictions, this one is pretty innocuous.  I won't be standing on a street corner trying to score a copy of Madame Bovary, although I don't want to think about the amount of money I've put into my library! It's also been well established that I am a freak about 19th century British literature.  I can curl up and read Austen, Bronte, Hardy, Dickens, Thackeray, Trollope, etc. at any given moment, but I do love many of the modern novelists.  Now, for the modern novelists I tend to appreciate the pop fiction writers just as much as the "literary" giants. Some literature snobs scoff at modern pop fiction writers claiming that their writing is subpar, but I disagree. As long as they tell a great story and entertain me, then I'm a hap-hap-happy girl, which more than I can say for some of the contemporary "literary" giants.  

Lately, I've been re-reading a novel that I first read back in 1987 when it was released.  I just love this novel and I read it every year or two because it is one of my favorites - Strangers by Dean Koontz.  Let me start out by saying that Dean Koontz is one of my favorite writers.  He has penned over 100 books and I have read nearly every one and own 60 of them. I would own all of them but he has not re-released some of his earlier novels. Yep, he's that good! He would be considered a cross-genre author: suspense, horror fiction, science fiction, thriller. In the mid-80s, I was in search of new authors to read and came across the novel, Strangers and the summary sounded interesting enough to give it a try.  After reading that one book, I devoured the rest of the books he had published at the time (approximately 20 books) and to this day, eagerly await his new releases every year or so.  But when I don't have a new book to read but want to read something by Mr. Koontz, I go back to some of my favorites: Watchers (probably my 2nd favorite after Strangers), Whispers, Lightning, Strangers, etc.

I think Strangers is my favorite because it was my first and you never forget your first! Synopsis: "The "strangers" are thousands of miles apart when they begin to suffer inexplicable terrors. In California, Dom Corvaisis sleepwalks, fleeing from an unseen menace. In Massachusetts, gifted young Dr. Ginger Weiss's panic attacks threaten her career. A priest in the Midwest loses his faith suddenly, then finds he can heal fatally injured people. And, in Elko, Nevada, the owner of a motel, a tough ex-Marine becomes paralyzed by fears of the dark. Mysterious clues bring these characters and others, similarly afflicted, to the motel, where apparently they had met long before. As they compare experiences, the victims realize they've been brainwashed and determine to find out why. That means facing death at the hands of a maniac." (Amazon.com)

I've read this novel so many times that I'm currently on my 4th copy of the book! People often question why I re-read books because "you already know the ending."  To which I counter, "you re-watch movies, don't you?  You know the ending to them." Most people don't have a response after that!  :-)  If you are looking for a great read with interesting characters and a fun, funny and entrancing story, give Strangers a go.  If you are not hooked within the first 3 chapters, then send me the book and I will reimburse you!  Also if you end up reading this book, it was written in the 1980s so try not to get frustrated by the low level technology.  There actually was a time before cell phones!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars