The Good Guy
by Dean Koontz
On This Page
Description
Timothy Carrier is sitting in a bar when the man next to him mistakes him for someone else and hands him an envelope with $10,000. The man leaves after handing Tim a photo of a woman marked for death and her address. Soon the killer arrives believing Tim is the one who wants to hire him.Tags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
by amyblue
Member Reviews
Book on CD narrated by Rick Ferrone
4****
From the book jacket: Timothy Carrier, having a beer after work at his friend’s tavern, enjoys drawing customers into amusing conversations. But the jittery man who sits next to him tonight has mistaken Tim for someone very different – and passes to him a manila envelope full of cash, a photo of a pretty woman marked for death, and her address. Minutes later, another stranger sits next to Tim. This one is a cold-blooded killer who believes Tim is the man who has hired him. Tim tries to call off the deal, giving the man the money “to do nothing.” But when Tim secretly follows the killer out of the tavern, he gets a shock: the guy is a cop.
My Reactions
This thriller just grabbed me. I show more could not figure out why this woman was targeted, and why the killer was so relentless in his pursuit. Tim is the quintessential good guy. A gentleman, smart, determined, creative and principled. And I loved his mother! Several of the close calls stretch credulity (timelines just didn’t work), but Koontz kept me turning pages (or changing CDs) to see what would happen next.
This was written sixteen years ago, but the wholeDeep State conspiracy at the end was so reminiscent of recent conspiracy theories floated by a certain former President and his minions that it made me uneasy. So far, # 45 and his crew aren’t anywhere near so smart as Koontz’s characters, so that’s some consolation.
Rick Ferrone does a great job of narrating the audiobook. He is a gifted voice artist and even does a reasonable job of bringing the women characters to life. show less
4****
From the book jacket: Timothy Carrier, having a beer after work at his friend’s tavern, enjoys drawing customers into amusing conversations. But the jittery man who sits next to him tonight has mistaken Tim for someone very different – and passes to him a manila envelope full of cash, a photo of a pretty woman marked for death, and her address. Minutes later, another stranger sits next to Tim. This one is a cold-blooded killer who believes Tim is the man who has hired him. Tim tries to call off the deal, giving the man the money “to do nothing.” But when Tim secretly follows the killer out of the tavern, he gets a shock: the guy is a cop.
My Reactions
This thriller just grabbed me. I show more could not figure out why this woman was targeted, and why the killer was so relentless in his pursuit. Tim is the quintessential good guy. A gentleman, smart, determined, creative and principled. And I loved his mother! Several of the close calls stretch credulity (timelines just didn’t work), but Koontz kept me turning pages (or changing CDs) to see what would happen next.
This was written sixteen years ago, but the whole
Rick Ferrone does a great job of narrating the audiobook. He is a gifted voice artist and even does a reasonable job of bringing the women characters to life. show less
The starting point of this thriller by Dean Koontz is quite clever - due to a case of mistaken identity in a bar, the "good guy" Tim Carrier comes between a contract killer and his intended victim, Linda Paquette.
Tim gets the name and picture of Linda Paquette, and he goes off to warn her that someone is paying $20,000 to have her killed. But soon the killer is out to get not only Linda, but Tim as well, and the chase begins.
Tim and Linda have to run away from the killer, Krait, while simultaneously trying to figure out why anybody wants Linda dead - she doesn't know herself. The action starts immediately, and doesn't let up until the very end. Of course, being thrown together by chance (and this being a book), Tim and Linda start to show more warm up to each other during the pursuit.
One of the best parts of the book, apart from the action, is the dialogue between Tim and Linda as they get to know each other. Their banter is both witty and in places laugh-out-aloud funny, while at the same time feeling completely authentic. No small feat.
In Krait, the contract killer, Dean Koontz has created a really creepy assassin. A real psychopath, who can be extremely charming and affable when he wants to, and who is obsessed with cleanliness. Also, he is very good at what he does, which is killing people. We get to know quite a bit about Krait and how he sees the world, and that makes him even scarier.
So, there is great action, great dialogue and a great (if that's the word) killer. The only disappointment of the book is the ending, or rather the reason why Krait is trying to kill Linda. Given how good everything else is in the book, I expected some clever reason as well. But in my mind the reason given is pretty weak and far-fetched, not on a par with the quality of the rest of the book. It is a minor complaint though, and I still rate it at five stars.
This is, believe it or not, the first novel by Dean Koontz that I have read, but it won't be the last. I was really impressed by his writing style and rich language, and the suspense was top notch. I highly recommend this book, and I'm looking forward to reading more by Dean Koontz. show less
Tim gets the name and picture of Linda Paquette, and he goes off to warn her that someone is paying $20,000 to have her killed. But soon the killer is out to get not only Linda, but Tim as well, and the chase begins.
Tim and Linda have to run away from the killer, Krait, while simultaneously trying to figure out why anybody wants Linda dead - she doesn't know herself. The action starts immediately, and doesn't let up until the very end. Of course, being thrown together by chance (and this being a book), Tim and Linda start to show more warm up to each other during the pursuit.
One of the best parts of the book, apart from the action, is the dialogue between Tim and Linda as they get to know each other. Their banter is both witty and in places laugh-out-aloud funny, while at the same time feeling completely authentic. No small feat.
In Krait, the contract killer, Dean Koontz has created a really creepy assassin. A real psychopath, who can be extremely charming and affable when he wants to, and who is obsessed with cleanliness. Also, he is very good at what he does, which is killing people. We get to know quite a bit about Krait and how he sees the world, and that makes him even scarier.
So, there is great action, great dialogue and a great (if that's the word) killer. The only disappointment of the book is the ending, or rather the reason why Krait is trying to kill Linda. Given how good everything else is in the book, I expected some clever reason as well. But in my mind the reason given is pretty weak and far-fetched, not on a par with the quality of the rest of the book. It is a minor complaint though, and I still rate it at five stars.
This is, believe it or not, the first novel by Dean Koontz that I have read, but it won't be the last. I was really impressed by his writing style and rich language, and the suspense was top notch. I highly recommend this book, and I'm looking forward to reading more by Dean Koontz. show less
Timothy Carrier is minding his own business in a bar, when he is approached by another man and offered a packet containing $10,000 to kill someone. Soon thereafter, another man, the real killer enters and mistakes Tim for the client. Tim tries to buy off the killer with half of the money only to discover the hitman is a cop. He contacts the victim, an unusual lady, and the cat-and-mouse games begin.
Nothing supernatural in this book which is great because when I read anything with supernatural stuff, my crap detector goes into overload. Lots of foreshadowing and one suspects that Tim has other skills besides masonry and that Linda, the woman he is helping, may have additional secrets. Koontz builds suspense very nicely as the killer show more seems to anticipate their every move leading one to suspect that he is only part of a very large team with many connections.
Some nice humor. There scene where Linda is trying to escape from a restaurant by going through the kitchen and out the back door and is confronted by an assistant manager is worth the price of the book alone. Of course, there is that element of macho fantasy: the ostensible ordinary guy who comes to the defense and rescue of the damsel.
What really sets this book apart from so many ordinary thrillers is the dialogue. The banter between Tim and Linda as they become closer is marvelous, and the scene where Krait, the killer with extraordinary connections, assumes a personality to allay the suspicions of a nosy mother of a couple whose house he is temporarily using as a refuge is terrifically believable even while being most improbable. Krait is the ultimate evil guy, so out of control that even his handlers begin to question his sanity. Enough said.
Set aside an evening. I especially recommend the audio version with Richard Ferrone. Excellent. show less
Nothing supernatural in this book which is great because when I read anything with supernatural stuff, my crap detector goes into overload. Lots of foreshadowing and one suspects that Tim has other skills besides masonry and that Linda, the woman he is helping, may have additional secrets. Koontz builds suspense very nicely as the killer show more seems to anticipate their every move leading one to suspect that he is only part of a very large team with many connections.
Some nice humor. There scene where Linda is trying to escape from a restaurant by going through the kitchen and out the back door and is confronted by an assistant manager is worth the price of the book alone. Of course, there is that element of macho fantasy: the ostensible ordinary guy who comes to the defense and rescue of the damsel.
What really sets this book apart from so many ordinary thrillers is the dialogue. The banter between Tim and Linda as they become closer is marvelous, and the scene where Krait, the killer with extraordinary connections, assumes a personality to allay the suspicions of a nosy mother of a couple whose house he is temporarily using as a refuge is terrifically believable even while being most improbable. Krait is the ultimate evil guy, so out of control that even his handlers begin to question his sanity. Enough said.
Set aside an evening. I especially recommend the audio version with Richard Ferrone. Excellent. show less
“Good Guy” Tim Carrier, a mason by trade with a body (and head) like John Wayne, finds his low-key lifestyle interrupted by a bizarre barroom encounter, during which he’s handed an envelope full of money and kill instructions intended for a contract killer. Forced to make the first of what will be many quick life-or-death decisions, Tim removes the target’s photograph and address from the envelope and attempts to call off the kill minutes later, when the real assassin arrives at the bar, by posing as the buyer and offering up the $10,000 as a no-kill fee in consideration for his change of heart. As Tim suspects, however, this ruse buys him only limited time, which he uses to alert the intended victim, the physically lovely but show more psychologically fractured Linda Paquette, of the murder plot. In short, an opening hook that I found every bit as irresistable as the one that kicked of last year’s “The Husband.”
What ensues is a classic cat-and-mouse thriller, in which Tim and Linda must draw upon all of their physical and mental reserves to stay a step ahead of an assassin for whom the term psychopath doesn’t begin to do justice. What’s worse, he seems to, almost magically anticipate Tim and Linda’s every move, giving the impression that he’s acting under the direction of a group with law enforcement connections and daunting technological capabilities. As always, Dean Koontz finds clever ways to build suspense, telling the story from several points of view and propelling the story line forward in bite-sized chapters that could easily be visualized as scenes in a blockbuster movie.
Here Koontz uses another interesting technique to build suspense that I found particularly effective. While we gradually learn, through Tim’s incredible skill in evading the killer and his unflappable grace under pressure, that he must harbor a past profession in which he cut things other than stone, Koontz withholds this secret from the reader until the final pages of the book. He does the same with Linda and her past, contributing not only to the suspense but also to the extended first-date-type-thrill of romance that blossoms amidst the carnage.
Other than one creaky floorboard in the plot structure (the explanation behind the contract on Linda’s life), “The Good Guy” is, cover to cover, one of the finest thrillers I’ve ever read. Some professional critics have faulted the ending, something that Koontz has struggled with in some of his books, but I thought he nailed this one perfectly. In Tim Carrier, he has also created a humble hero for our times and seemingly left open the possibility for a sequel. show less
What ensues is a classic cat-and-mouse thriller, in which Tim and Linda must draw upon all of their physical and mental reserves to stay a step ahead of an assassin for whom the term psychopath doesn’t begin to do justice. What’s worse, he seems to, almost magically anticipate Tim and Linda’s every move, giving the impression that he’s acting under the direction of a group with law enforcement connections and daunting technological capabilities. As always, Dean Koontz finds clever ways to build suspense, telling the story from several points of view and propelling the story line forward in bite-sized chapters that could easily be visualized as scenes in a blockbuster movie.
Here Koontz uses another interesting technique to build suspense that I found particularly effective. While we gradually learn, through Tim’s incredible skill in evading the killer and his unflappable grace under pressure, that he must harbor a past profession in which he cut things other than stone, Koontz withholds this secret from the reader until the final pages of the book. He does the same with Linda and her past, contributing not only to the suspense but also to the extended first-date-type-thrill of romance that blossoms amidst the carnage.
Other than one creaky floorboard in the plot structure (the explanation behind the contract on Linda’s life), “The Good Guy” is, cover to cover, one of the finest thrillers I’ve ever read. Some professional critics have faulted the ending, something that Koontz has struggled with in some of his books, but I thought he nailed this one perfectly. In Tim Carrier, he has also created a humble hero for our times and seemingly left open the possibility for a sequel. show less
My first Koontz novel and it was a thrill ride. Love the fast plotting interspersed with literary prose, metaphor, subtle humor and tenderness, and witty dialog. All against the backdrop of a creepy serial killer, mysterious "good guy," and a love interest that builds made for a compelling read. I'm off to find another Koontz novel. Any recommendations?
Fun, fast paced, government conspiracy/thriller. Characters are entertaining, dialogue is snappy. Nice standalone from Koontz.
The Good Guy, by Dean Koontz, is a first rate thriller by one of the masters of the genre.
Timothy Carrier is a mason/brick layer with a past he does not wish to divulge and who likes to live a routine, even dull, predictable life. He goes to the same bar every day after work to unwind and he likes it that way. The one evening a nervous fellow sits next to him and strikes up a conversation, then lays down a envelop with a photograph of a young woman and $10,000 in cash and tells him the rest will be paid when she is gone. When Timothy realizes that he has been mistaken for a professional hit man and before he can do anything about it, another man enters the bar and picks up the envelop. Timothy then realizes this man is the killer and show more is mistaking Timothy as the employer. He tries unsuccessfully to back out of this hit. The killer leaves and the scene is set.
Timothy decides he must find this woman, a Linda Paquette, before this killer does, and a real cat-and-mouse thriller ensues. Timothy soon realizes he is up against much more than a single serial killer, who leaves behind a series of bodies, but then Timothy turns out to be no ordinary bricklayer either.
This story is an engaging, well written, sometimes even breathtaking adventure. show less
Timothy Carrier is a mason/brick layer with a past he does not wish to divulge and who likes to live a routine, even dull, predictable life. He goes to the same bar every day after work to unwind and he likes it that way. The one evening a nervous fellow sits next to him and strikes up a conversation, then lays down a envelop with a photograph of a young woman and $10,000 in cash and tells him the rest will be paid when she is gone. When Timothy realizes that he has been mistaken for a professional hit man and before he can do anything about it, another man enters the bar and picks up the envelop. Timothy then realizes this man is the killer and show more is mistaking Timothy as the employer. He tries unsuccessfully to back out of this hit. The killer leaves and the scene is set.
Timothy decides he must find this woman, a Linda Paquette, before this killer does, and a real cat-and-mouse thriller ensues. Timothy soon realizes he is up against much more than a single serial killer, who leaves behind a series of bodies, but then Timothy turns out to be no ordinary bricklayer either.
This story is an engaging, well written, sometimes even breathtaking adventure. show less
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Jarett's Books
86 works; 1 member
KayStJ's to-read list
1,616 works; 11 members
To Read
617 works; 7 members
Books Read in 2025
4,090 works; 97 members
Author Information
530+ Works 227,797 Members
Dean Koontz was born on July 9, 1945 in Everett, Pennsylvania. He received a degree in education from Shippensburg State College in 1967. A former high school English teacher as well as a teacher-counselor with the Appalachian Poverty Program, he began writing as a child to escape an ugly home life caused by his alcoholic father. A prolific writer show more at a young age, he had sold a dozen novels by the age of 25. Early in his career, he wrote under numerous pen names including David Axton, Brian Coffey, K. R. Dwyer, Leigh Nichols, Richard Paige, and Owen West. He is best known for the books written under his own name, many of which are bestsellers, including Midnight, Cold Fire, The Bad Place, Hideaway, The Husband, Odd Hours, 77 Shadow Street, Innocence, The City, Saint Odd, and The Silent Corner. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Distinctions
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Good Guy
- Original title
- The Good guy
- Original publication date
- 2007
- People/Characters
- Timothy Carrier; Linda Paquette; Liam Rooney; Michelle Rooney; Pete Santo
- Epigraph
- I shall tell you a great secret, my friend. Do not wait for the last judgement, it takes place every day.
--Albert Camus - Dedication
- To Mike and Mary Lou Delaney, for you kindness, for your friendship, and for all the laughter--even if a lot of the time you don't know why we're laughing at you. With you. Laughing with you. We love you guys.
- First words
- Sometimes a mayfly skates across a pond, leaving a brief wake as thin as spider silk, and by staying low avoids those birds and bats that feed in flight.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)But he and Linda had found a small place of light, because she knew how to endure and he knew how to fight, and together they were whole.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 3,666
- Popularity
- 4,381
- Reviews
- 70
- Rating
- (3.62)
- Languages
- 9 — Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Greek, Italian, Polish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 47
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 16