Velocity
by Dean Koontz
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Bill Wile is an easygoing, hardworking guy who leads a quiet, ordinary life. One evening, after his usual eight-hour bartending shift, he finds a typewritten note under the windshield wiper of his car. If you don't take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a lovely blond schoolteacher. If you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have four hours to decide. The choice is yours. It seems like a sick joke, and show more Bill's friend on the police force, Lanny Olson, thinks so too. His advice to Bill is to go home and forget about it. Besides, what could they do even if they took the note seriously? No crime has actually been committed. But less than twenty-four hours later, a young blond schoolteacher is found murdered, and it's Bill's fault: he didn't convince the police to get involved. Now he's got another note, another deadline, another ultimatum--and two new lives hanging in the balance. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Billy Wiles is a quiet man, a bar keeper by trade and a virtual hermit between shifts. He keeps himself to himself behind the bar, and spends his spare time wood carving and listening to zydeco music. When he finds a note on his car windscreen outside the tavern one night, offering him a horrendous choice - go to the police and an elderly woman dies, or don't go to the police and a schoolteacher dies - he believes it to be a hoax, a nasty prank. The next day, a schoolteacher is found dead, and another note appears on Billy's windshield with a second choice to be made. As the body count goes up, the messages become more personal, more theatrical and more devastating, until Billy can do nothing but play the game and hope to get himself show more and the woman he loves out alive...
This was my first Dean Koontz novel, and although I'd heard good things and he's popular amongst our customers, I didn't really know what to expect. What I got was an emotionally complex thriller sprinkled with lovely little nuggets of prose that made me wish I'd written them! The killer was deliciously twisted and terrifying in his calm enigma, and I didn't work out the truth behind the murders until Koontz's big reveal - though I'd had some suspicions, I just hadn't quite tied everything together! I hate it when the reveal comes completely out of the blue, with no clues having been dropped anywhere to exclaim over in retrospect, so I enjoyed nodding and flicking back through the book and picking up on the hints I'd missed. The big climax was exciting and gruesome and perfectly fitting, though it seemed to be over rather quickly. Overall I really enjoyed it, and I'll be looking out for more Koontz next time I need an easy but compelling read!
Favourite part: The way Koontz manipulates the reader so that you catch yourself playing along, casually killing off characters in your head. For example, would you choose to condemn an unmarried man or a young mother of two? It's a no brainer, right? And then you stop and find yourself thinking, "I just decided whether one person's life was worth more than another. What am I doing?!" Billy has to do the same thing, and it allows us some sharp insight into his predicament.
Least favourite part: Ummmm... Nothing really springs to mind, actually! It wasn't the best book I've ever read, and it wasn't so breathlessly thrilling that I couldn't leave it alone, but there was nothing that stuck out as a 'least favourite' element. show less
This was my first Dean Koontz novel, and although I'd heard good things and he's popular amongst our customers, I didn't really know what to expect. What I got was an emotionally complex thriller sprinkled with lovely little nuggets of prose that made me wish I'd written them! The killer was deliciously twisted and terrifying in his calm enigma, and I didn't work out the truth behind the murders until Koontz's big reveal - though I'd had some suspicions, I just hadn't quite tied everything together! I hate it when the reveal comes completely out of the blue, with no clues having been dropped anywhere to exclaim over in retrospect, so I enjoyed nodding and flicking back through the book and picking up on the hints I'd missed. The big climax was exciting and gruesome and perfectly fitting, though it seemed to be over rather quickly. Overall I really enjoyed it, and I'll be looking out for more Koontz next time I need an easy but compelling read!
Favourite part: The way Koontz manipulates the reader so that you catch yourself playing along, casually killing off characters in your head. For example, would you choose to condemn an unmarried man or a young mother of two? It's a no brainer, right? And then you stop and find yourself thinking, "I just decided whether one person's life was worth more than another. What am I doing?!" Billy has to do the same thing, and it allows us some sharp insight into his predicament.
Least favourite part: Ummmm... Nothing really springs to mind, actually! It wasn't the best book I've ever read, and it wasn't so breathlessly thrilling that I couldn't leave it alone, but there was nothing that stuck out as a 'least favourite' element. show less
25 years ago, I was a huge Dean Koontz fan who couldn't read his work fast enough. Novels like Strangers, Watchers, Phantoms, Twilight Eyes, and Whispers were as good as thrillers got in my opinion. Then, sometime in the mid-90's, Koontz lost his appeal to me because the stories seemed to be less fleshed-out and too repetitive. I lost interest. That interest has returned with "Velocity".
This book is old-school Koontz. The protagonist is a normal Joe (like you and me) who gets thrust into a situation that he can neither control or figure out. Billy Wiles is that average guy who has had more than a few of life's curveballs thrown his way. Loyal to his comatose fiancé and a quiet friend to all in his job as bartender, Billy soon finds show more himself caught in a web of murder that he doesn't commit, but is in control of because of how he is being manipulated by an unknown person that he refers to as the "freak".
Koontz does a great job peeling back layers of Billy's character while making him both like-able and sympathetic. Nobody writes this type of character better than Koontz.
If you're a fan of desperate people caught in desperate situations, then "Velocity" will capture both your interest and imagination. There are plenty of strategic plot twists and backstory that keep this fine novel moving to a satisfying ending.
Highly recommended! show less
This book is old-school Koontz. The protagonist is a normal Joe (like you and me) who gets thrust into a situation that he can neither control or figure out. Billy Wiles is that average guy who has had more than a few of life's curveballs thrown his way. Loyal to his comatose fiancé and a quiet friend to all in his job as bartender, Billy soon finds show more himself caught in a web of murder that he doesn't commit, but is in control of because of how he is being manipulated by an unknown person that he refers to as the "freak".
Koontz does a great job peeling back layers of Billy's character while making him both like-able and sympathetic. Nobody writes this type of character better than Koontz.
If you're a fan of desperate people caught in desperate situations, then "Velocity" will capture both your interest and imagination. There are plenty of strategic plot twists and backstory that keep this fine novel moving to a satisfying ending.
Highly recommended! show less
Billy Wiles is a small-town bartender whose life doesn't include much beside the job. Sure, he'd happily nod along to his customers' crazy antics to earn his tip, but anything beyond that gets a polite but firm rejection.
Yet despite his reclusive lifestyle, Billy catches the interest of a serial killer, who asks him to choose their next victim. His attempt to chalk everything up to a prank in bad-taste backfires, and Billy receives additional request. Getting increasingly strapped for time and possibly even accused of murder, or hero is forced out of his lethargic lifestyle, and back into a long burried painful past.
Booooy was this an exciting ride! Although I had some reservations, when the story started out with the account of a show more neighbourly feud whose highlight involved someone pissing from the rooftop, things got better soon enough. I've always been a fan of thriller and mystery movies, and Velocity manages to deliver that in spades. The suspense of waiting for the killer's reaction, along with Billy's attempt of escape kept me glued to the book almost all the way through. I can't even remember a time when I only needed two days to work my way through a nearly 500-page book.
Sure some details were either
- clichéd (corrupt cops gallore, seemingly average guy with a shady past)
- awfully convenient (bottomless tunnel in a remote backyard)
- or just plain lazy (lack of proper credential check)
I'm the type of reader who finds it fairly easy to suspend disbelief, or even just gloss over some details, if it meant getting on with unraveling the mystery.
Unfortunately things got a bit too... neat by end. Don't get me wrong, I liked the the motivation of the "evil mastermind", along with the much anticipated showdown. But the last curveball somehow missed the surprise effect. I can respect the attempt, but it's such a used-up trope, that I just never doubted its outcome. Plus by then, the mystery aspect had been more or less cleared up.
And the epilogue... just WHAT THE HELL? I can understand the cheesy message of "hope springs eternal" and the final reward. It's incredibly overdone, but I can live with it. But then the whole popularity aspect that somehow followed just didn't make sense. Except maybe to increase all the cheese.
Score: 4/5 stars
The book was truly exciting, too bad it had such a rushed ending and an overly cliched epilogue.
Yet despite his reclusive lifestyle, Billy catches the interest of a serial killer, who asks him to choose their next victim. His attempt to chalk everything up to a prank in bad-taste backfires, and Billy receives additional request. Getting increasingly strapped for time and possibly even accused of murder, or hero is forced out of his lethargic lifestyle, and back into a long burried painful past.
Booooy was this an exciting ride! Although I had some reservations, when the story started out with the account of a show more neighbourly feud whose highlight involved someone pissing from the rooftop, things got better soon enough. I've always been a fan of thriller and mystery movies, and Velocity manages to deliver that in spades. The suspense of waiting for the killer's reaction, along with Billy's attempt of escape kept me glued to the book almost all the way through. I can't even remember a time when I only needed two days to work my way through a nearly 500-page book.
Sure some details were either
- clichéd (corrupt cops gallore, seemingly average guy with a shady past)
- awfully convenient (bottomless tunnel in a remote backyard)
- or just plain lazy (lack of proper credential check)
I'm the type of reader who finds it fairly easy to suspend disbelief, or even just gloss over some details, if it meant getting on with unraveling the mystery.
Unfortunately things got a bit too... neat by end. Don't get me wrong, I liked the the motivation of the "evil mastermind", along with the much anticipated showdown. But the last curveball somehow missed the surprise effect. I can respect the attempt, but it's such a used-up trope, that I just never doubted its outcome. Plus by then, the mystery aspect had been more or less cleared up.
And the epilogue... just WHAT THE HELL? I can understand the cheesy message of "hope springs eternal" and the final reward. It's incredibly overdone, but I can live with it. But then the whole popularity aspect that somehow followed just didn't make sense. Except maybe to increase all the cheese.
Score: 4/5 stars
The book was truly exciting, too bad it had such a rushed ending and an overly cliched epilogue.
The choice is yours. It always had been. It always would be. To act or not to act. To wait or to go. To close a door or open one. To retreat from life or to enter it.show less
The premise and title made me think I would be in for a thrilling rollercoaster ride. I expected moral dilemmas and psychological games.
What I found instead was a drawn out typical 90s thriller: good guy is hunted by bad guy and he's on his own. It's similar to John Grisham's The Firm in that respect, but with added padding. I gave up on the book quite early on when the protagonist enters a house where he expects to find the dead body of a friend. It takes four chapters for him to move from the front door to the body. There are no obstacles in his path, we don't move to other points of view and there are no flashbacks. Just the guy taking his time, checking the surroundings, wiping prints, looking at the phone, remembering where the show more sofa is and checking the kitchen counter. At that point I decided I would skim through the book and read the plot summary online.
I believe I understand now the format and appeal of a Dean Koontz book. It's the kind of mild thriller with some light science fiction or horror elements, depending of a book.
Setting: small American town. The protagonist is Average Joe enjoying routine. He has one quirk that sounds good but is in fact useless: he sees ghosts, but the ghosts don't provide any help or he's suffering from a weird disease making him unable to walk in the sun(no vampire, he is just allergic to sun). He has to have some traumatic past. Good Guy stumbles upon Bad Guy and will start an investigation. He cannot ask for help because that would put him and the others in danger. Thank God for dogs - Koontz loves his dogs. Working Class Hero will be hunted by Evil Incarnate. In the end, our Reluctant Saint has to kill the Absolute Beast. Because good guys are good and bad guys are really bad. We don't blur lines around here. Story ends on a vague optimistic tone and we never leave town.
There is a formula, there's charm to it and it doesn't ask much of you. It's thrilling, but you won't hold your breath. It's funny, but not too much. It's easy to read and easy to forget. I see the appeal. The mistake Koontz made here was he added too much padding and made reading feel like a chore. That killed the mood. show less
What I found instead was a drawn out typical 90s thriller: good guy is hunted by bad guy and he's on his own. It's similar to John Grisham's The Firm in that respect, but with added padding. I gave up on the book quite early on when the protagonist enters a house where he expects to find the dead body of a friend. It takes four chapters for him to move from the front door to the body. There are no obstacles in his path, we don't move to other points of view and there are no flashbacks. Just the guy taking his time, checking the surroundings, wiping prints, looking at the phone, remembering where the show more sofa is and checking the kitchen counter. At that point I decided I would skim through the book and read the plot summary online.
I believe I understand now the format and appeal of a Dean Koontz book. It's the kind of mild thriller with some light science fiction or horror elements, depending of a book.
Setting: small American town. The protagonist is Average Joe enjoying routine. He has one quirk that sounds good but is in fact useless: he sees ghosts, but the ghosts don't provide any help or he's suffering from a weird disease making him unable to walk in the sun(no vampire, he is just allergic to sun). He has to have some traumatic past. Good Guy stumbles upon Bad Guy and will start an investigation. He cannot ask for help because that would put him and the others in danger. Thank God for dogs - Koontz loves his dogs. Working Class Hero will be hunted by Evil Incarnate. In the end, our Reluctant Saint has to kill the Absolute Beast. Because good guys are good and bad guys are really bad. We don't blur lines around here. Story ends on a vague optimistic tone and we never leave town.
There is a formula, there's charm to it and it doesn't ask much of you. It's thrilling, but you won't hold your breath. It's funny, but not too much. It's easy to read and easy to forget. I see the appeal. The mistake Koontz made here was he added too much padding and made reading feel like a chore. That killed the mood. show less
I had never read anything by Dean Koontz. I had heard some decent things about this book, so I picked it up to see.
If this is what popular literature is all about, then I do not want any piece of it. Mr. Koontz has managed to squeeze maybe 100 pages of story into 460 pages. He has taken a somewhat interesting idea and managed to eliminate any real excitement or tension. And, in the process, he seems to have managed to ignore the basics of writing. One example. There is a chapter which shows the protagonist exploring the apartment of the man he suspects. (Let’s ignore the improbability of him getting in the apartment or the other events surrounding his access.) He finds mannequins in one room that have been treated as expressions of show more the suspect’s mental condition. The first mannequin is described and the chapter ends. Then the next chapter starts off by describing the next two mannequins?! Does Koontz understand the construction of a chapter? After a certain page-count, is it time to start a new chapter? Is there fear that a chapter that is too long might bore the reader? (Trust me; it isn’t the length of the chapters that is boring.) Another example (a somehow an even worse breach). Easily 90% of the paragraphs in this book are one sentence long. Again, what is the purpose of a paragraph? By splitting the paragraphs into individual sentences is Koontz trying to make sure that our short attention spans are not taxed? Completely ignoring whether the story is well told or not – this is bad writing on a technical level.
And, the ultimate problem with this tale? The conceit it is built upon is not believable. Billy finds a note indicating that if he does not go to the police a lovely, blond schoolteacher will be killed. If he goes to the police an elderly woman will be killed. That is a decent enough premise. However, as the story develops and it is evident that events will move forward with more murders, he decides (for reasons that are explained, but are unbelievable) to fight the murderer himself. I just don’t buy it. The reasoning is flimsy, and the justification for continual movement of the plot just isn’t true.
In this paperback edition, they have been nice enough to include the first two chapters of Koontz’s latest book. Thanks, but no thanks. show less
If this is what popular literature is all about, then I do not want any piece of it. Mr. Koontz has managed to squeeze maybe 100 pages of story into 460 pages. He has taken a somewhat interesting idea and managed to eliminate any real excitement or tension. And, in the process, he seems to have managed to ignore the basics of writing. One example. There is a chapter which shows the protagonist exploring the apartment of the man he suspects. (Let’s ignore the improbability of him getting in the apartment or the other events surrounding his access.) He finds mannequins in one room that have been treated as expressions of show more the suspect’s mental condition. The first mannequin is described and the chapter ends. Then the next chapter starts off by describing the next two mannequins?! Does Koontz understand the construction of a chapter? After a certain page-count, is it time to start a new chapter? Is there fear that a chapter that is too long might bore the reader? (Trust me; it isn’t the length of the chapters that is boring.) Another example (a somehow an even worse breach). Easily 90% of the paragraphs in this book are one sentence long. Again, what is the purpose of a paragraph? By splitting the paragraphs into individual sentences is Koontz trying to make sure that our short attention spans are not taxed? Completely ignoring whether the story is well told or not – this is bad writing on a technical level.
And, the ultimate problem with this tale? The conceit it is built upon is not believable. Billy finds a note indicating that if he does not go to the police a lovely, blond schoolteacher will be killed. If he goes to the police an elderly woman will be killed. That is a decent enough premise. However, as the story develops and it is evident that events will move forward with more murders, he decides (for reasons that are explained, but are unbelievable) to fight the murderer himself. I just don’t buy it. The reasoning is flimsy, and the justification for continual movement of the plot just isn’t true.
In this paperback edition, they have been nice enough to include the first two chapters of Koontz’s latest book. Thanks, but no thanks. show less
I have a real love/hate relationship with Dean Koontz. I don't particularly care for some of his more supernatural stuff. However, this was just a good old-fashioned thriller. The situation Billy finds himself in is rather chilling, and the revelations at the end were surprising. It was good enough to bring me back to Koontz after a long hiatus.
Review by Jeremy Taylor
Dean Koontz seems to be able to consistently turn out two suspense novels per year, and without fail each one ends up high on the best-seller lists. Unfortunately, the quality of his work tends to be somewhat less consistent. At times it’s difficult to fathom how the same author who pens excellent, poetic fiction like Life Expectancy and high-energy psychological thrill rides like False Memory can also turn out such drivel as The Taking. Happily, Koontz seems to “hit” more often than he “misses.” At least as far as his all-forgiving readers are concerned.
Velocity is one of the hits. With an interesting and unique premise, a sympathetic and believable protagonist, and great action/suspense, this book show more reminds me of the days before Koontz was an international superstar and still had to focus on good writing instead of name recognition to sell books. I’m glad to see the trend, and I hope it continues.
Billy is a bartender in a sleepy California town. He likes his job, he likes his customers, and the biggest news event in the county is the large billboard in town advertising the coming of a new high-priced condominium community. He has some skeletons in his closet and some pain in his past, but overall life is pretty good. Until the day he walks out of work and finds a note on his windshield. The note says, in effect, “If you don’t take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a beautiful blonde schoolteacher. If you do get the police involved, I will kill an elderly woman heavily involved in charity work. The choice is yours.”
Billy has no idea who is behind the note, and he assumes it’s nothing more than a mean joke. But the next morning, when he hears the news that a beautiful blonde schoolteacher has been brutally murdered, he has to reconsider. From then on Billy’s formerly serene life becomes a nightmare of impossible dilemmas and gut-wrenching decisions as more and more written ultimatums come his way. Each time he receives a note, his actions indirectly contribute to the untimely death of someone. And when all the clues begin to point to Billy as the murderer, it’s time to take matters into his own hands.
Koontz nicely combines suspense, mystery, action, and introspection (happily not the sickly-sweet variety of introspection found in Odd Thomas) for a highly enjoyable reading experience. The protagonist is likeable, and the mostly real-time narrative works well because the reader enjoys being in Billy’s point of view. The ending is satisfying though less than shocking, and book’s length seems about right for the story. There are a few gruesome scenes, and as usual Koontz has little to offer in the way of explicitly Christian morality (though he tends to give his characters primarily conservative values—Billy, for example, is against euthanasia).
In the light of Koontz’s previously-mentioned inconsistency, I was pleased to discover that Velocity was on the higher end of the scale. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an exciting plot with a good deal of mystery and intrigue and solid characterization. Koontz is still in the game!
(http://www.cerebralexchange.com/books/reviews.asp?book=113&host=1) show less
Dean Koontz seems to be able to consistently turn out two suspense novels per year, and without fail each one ends up high on the best-seller lists. Unfortunately, the quality of his work tends to be somewhat less consistent. At times it’s difficult to fathom how the same author who pens excellent, poetic fiction like Life Expectancy and high-energy psychological thrill rides like False Memory can also turn out such drivel as The Taking. Happily, Koontz seems to “hit” more often than he “misses.” At least as far as his all-forgiving readers are concerned.
Velocity is one of the hits. With an interesting and unique premise, a sympathetic and believable protagonist, and great action/suspense, this book show more reminds me of the days before Koontz was an international superstar and still had to focus on good writing instead of name recognition to sell books. I’m glad to see the trend, and I hope it continues.
Billy is a bartender in a sleepy California town. He likes his job, he likes his customers, and the biggest news event in the county is the large billboard in town advertising the coming of a new high-priced condominium community. He has some skeletons in his closet and some pain in his past, but overall life is pretty good. Until the day he walks out of work and finds a note on his windshield. The note says, in effect, “If you don’t take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a beautiful blonde schoolteacher. If you do get the police involved, I will kill an elderly woman heavily involved in charity work. The choice is yours.”
Billy has no idea who is behind the note, and he assumes it’s nothing more than a mean joke. But the next morning, when he hears the news that a beautiful blonde schoolteacher has been brutally murdered, he has to reconsider. From then on Billy’s formerly serene life becomes a nightmare of impossible dilemmas and gut-wrenching decisions as more and more written ultimatums come his way. Each time he receives a note, his actions indirectly contribute to the untimely death of someone. And when all the clues begin to point to Billy as the murderer, it’s time to take matters into his own hands.
Koontz nicely combines suspense, mystery, action, and introspection (happily not the sickly-sweet variety of introspection found in Odd Thomas) for a highly enjoyable reading experience. The protagonist is likeable, and the mostly real-time narrative works well because the reader enjoys being in Billy’s point of view. The ending is satisfying though less than shocking, and book’s length seems about right for the story. There are a few gruesome scenes, and as usual Koontz has little to offer in the way of explicitly Christian morality (though he tends to give his characters primarily conservative values—Billy, for example, is against euthanasia).
In the light of Koontz’s previously-mentioned inconsistency, I was pleased to discover that Velocity was on the higher end of the scale. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an exciting plot with a good deal of mystery and intrigue and solid characterization. Koontz is still in the game!
(http://www.cerebralexchange.com/books/reviews.asp?book=113&host=1) show less
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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
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Heyne Allgemeine Reihe (02035)
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Velocity
- Original title
- Velocity
- Original publication date
- 2005-06
- Epigraph
- A man can be destroyed but not defeated.
-Ernest Hemingway
The Old Man and the Sea
And now you live dispersed on ribbon roads,
And no man knows or cares who is his neighbour
Unless his neighbour makes too much disturbance,
But all dash to and fro in motor cars,
Familiar with the roads and settl... (show all)ed nowhere.
-T.S. Elliot
Choruses from "The Rock" - Dedication
- This book is dedicated to Donna and Steve Dunio, Vito and Lynn Cerra, Ross and Rosemary Cerra. I'll Never figure out why Gerda said yes to me. But now your family has a crazy wing.
- First words
- With draft beer and a smile, Ned Pearsall raised a toast to his deceased neighbor, Henry Friddle, whose death greatly pleased him.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)What will happen will happen. There is time for miracles until there is no more time, but time has no end.
- Original language*
- Amerikanisch
- Disambiguation notice
- Worldcat has ISBN 2253023531 assigned to two different books:
One by Dean Koontz and one by Benjamin Constant.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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