Hideaway
Published: 1992
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre: American, Fiction, Ghost, Horror, Media Tie-In, Psychic, Serial Killer, Suspense, Thriller
Check the summary of this book here:
The Review
Hideaway is a novel by horror writer Dean Koontz that was released in 1992 by Putnam. It is a supernatural thriller centered on Hatch Harrison, an antique dealer who establishes a psychic link with a serial murderer after a car accident renders him clinically dead for more than eighty minutes.
This was a highly engaging novel that I thoroughly loved. The epilogue was amusing but not shocking. I find it amusing that individuals would see this as an attack on their beliefs. It is not religious teaching; it is entertainment, and as such, it is a success!!!!!!
I can't express how much I like Dean Koontz's works. Each novel is a fantastic read. As much as I enjoy reading the novels, I look forward to reading the "Afterword" that follows each time. The content is so fascinating that it would be ideal if the editors just published a single source that had only the Afterword(s) from each novel.
This is definitely a slow burner. A lot of time is spent getting to know the characters before the final act begins and the book abruptly ends. I loved it and wished it would continue; Hideaway was entertaining, but Watchers remains my favorite.
In my effort to re-read Dean Koontz's works, this was one of the "oldies" that I purchased for my Kindle. One of the benefits of reading after a long time is that I can re-read a book without actually remembering the plot when I start reading again.
Hideaway is not one of my top favorite Koontz books. On the bright side, Koontz emphasizes the importance of family being there for one another and sticking up for what is right.
However, I could not perceive the power in the characters that I have come to expect from his works. The reason I don't consider this book among my top great novels isn't because of the author or the tale; it's because of a character, and I don't like her. Otherwise, the book is fantastic, and if I don't think about that character, this book becomes one of my top great books.
One of the good elements was how Hatch's death and resurrection transformed the Harrisons' marriage bond and helped them accept the death of their son five years before. Hatch and Lindsey even decide to share their newfound love of life by adopting a special-needs kid.
When the kid (Regina) first meets the Harrisons, she tries everything she can to make them not want to adopt her, exaggerating her disability and repeatedly referring to herself as a "cripple," but the reader knows she is everything but that, and this was one of my favorite sequences in the novel.
However, once Regina returns home with the Harrisons, her character doesn't truly grow, and she appears to play the part of the helpless kid.
This book began off fast, dragging the reader into the plot, then it slowed and you may want to put it down, but don't because around halfway through, maybe a few chapters before that point, it starts to consolidate into a great story, and then it becomes good.
The thrill that Koontz had captured in the opening few chapters had returned. Overall, I'm delighted I completed the book. It turned out to be an enjoyable book. The finale, though, was classic Koontz. I would suggest this book if you have the patience to get over the first third because it is well worth it.
The antagonist in this tale did not appeal to me. Koontz gave us his wicked side while never making him appear to be a "genuine" person. Because he is pure evil and feels unreal, but believe me, I have seen people worse than him in real life and he is 100% genuine.
I still loved the book, but I wouldn't suggest it as a first read for someone interested in Dean Koontz's work. Start with Watchers, Lightning, Phantoms or, better still, the Odd Thomas series.
In 1995, it was adapted into a film starring Jeff Goldblum, Christine Lahti, Alicia Silverstone, and Jeremy Sisto.
Brett Leonard turned the story into a feature movie. Koontz apparently was so dissatisfied with the picture that he attempted to have his name removed from the credits.
Final Thoughts
I realized that this book can be described in completely two different ways, so in the review section, I talked about other readers or my friends who did not get the actual meaning behind the story and thought it was slow, but in this section about Final Thoughts, I will talk about exactly what I and others like me thought of this book.
Once again, it's exciting, eerie, and tinged with the uncanny. The only thing missing was a dog, which would have completed the novel's perfection as a Dean Koontz book.
Excellent book. I enjoyed rereading it. I felt really bad and sad when I completed it since, as usual, I want to read a long novel if I like a couple of the characters.
Hideaway is a superbly written, fast-paced mystery. It describes the depth of good and the essence of evil in great detail.
Koontz incorporates a lot of the supernatural, allowing readers to broaden their perspectives and go deep into their own souls as they ponder the strong ideas portrayed here.
Finally, the book reveals the strength of love and innocence, God's hand watching over the pure of heart, and the unavoidable reality that evil cannot defeat light. This book was highly engaging, well-written, and very fulfilling to me.
Dean Koontz has a knack for creating characters that you fall in love with. It is quite simple to imagine who and what they are in the narrative.
The author has an intriguing way of contrasting good against evil in a very realistic manner. This is not a lighthearted book; rather, it is dark and suspenseful. Some of the characters in this novel did not grow on me but Dean Koontz has created yet another masterpiece.
It's a spellbinding story and it is still one of my favorite Koontz stories. This book is terrifying, captivating, and amazing; it's comparable to a Stephen King story in that you're not sure you want to turn the page because you're not sure you want to know what happens next, but you must!
Synopsis
“Strange visions plague a man after he survives a near-death experience in this chilling thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz.
Surviving a car accident on a snowy mountain road is miraculous for Lindsey Harrison, but even more so for her husband, Hatch, who was clinically dead for eighty minutes.
After experimental procedures bring Hatch back to life, he awakens with the terrifying feeling that something is it out there. But it soon becomes apparent that the evil stalking Hatch is within him—a dark force of murderous rage that hides within us all...”
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords
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Rating: 90/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
Buy the Kindle Version Here
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Hideaway (1995) (R)
Phantoms (1998) (R)
The Servants Of Twilight (1991) (R)
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