I've been a Dean Koontz fan for years. The first book I read by Koontz was, I think, Watchers, and I've been hooked ever since. So when The Good Guy came out, you can bet your ass I was first in line to pick it up.

The Good Guy follows an ordinary man as he gets sucked into something bigger than he possibly could have imagined. He tries to do the right thing and save someone's life, and they both end up on the run, chased by a killer who's a lot more dangerous than anyone could have known.

As ever, Koontz's writing style is superb. The narrative flows quite well. The writing seems to be a near perfect blend of eloquence and transparency: when the narration is important, the language is almost poetic; when the action is important, the language is barely noticable over the action or characters.

The main characters are instantly likeable, and incredibly believable. The main antagonist is the least believable character at the beginning, though as the story progresses, his incredible abilities are well explained. However, I did have one minor problem with this character: he seems to be too evil. In every person, there is a balance between good and evil. Even the worst of people have some redeeming qualities. The antagonist in The Good Guy, however, seems more like a pure evil being than a human with human emotions.

The story is gripping from the very beginning, and kept me turning pages well past my bed time (says Bob as he writes a review at two in the morning while sucking down the second half of a two liter soda). Each plot twist built upon the last, and by the end, the suspense was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

My biggest complaint with The Good Guy is the ending. While the ending is perfectly acceptible in terms of story, it seems just a bit too rushed. The entire book was fast paced, as any similar thriller should be, but there were a number of well placed "down times" during which the reader can take a moment to catch his breath before the next chapter. The ending, however, has almost overwhelming action. Combine that with a number of important revelations and conclusions, and the result is that the ending chapters are condensed into a much smaller space than they should have been.

The Good Guy certainly isn't Koontz's best work, but it's good. It's a fast paced, fun read that's sure to please all you Dean Koontz fans out there.

I give this one a score of 4 out of 5.

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