Rating: 
Summary: Great tale from a master
Review: Dean Koontz hits another one out of the park. One Door Away from Heaven continues the Koontz tradition of a tight story wound around well developed characters. This newest endeavor keeps the reader coming back for more each time the scene changes in the story. Koontz more than other authors in this genre manages to tease the reader with a cliff hanger set up at the end of most chapters. The entire novel switches back and forth between 2 or three sets of characters. One treat for me is that I can never quite figure out how he will weave it altogether. I'm always satisfied when the story finally ends though. I think the ET story line works well here. The author spent some time to make it viable.
At more than 600 pages this book does take some commitment. However, after you've completed it you won't miss the extra time it took to get through. Remember, it ain't the length that counts. If you don't want to buy this book then check it out from your public library. Either way, you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: a great read
Review: as a fan of Mr. Koontz, I am slightly prejudiced. This book was great. I especially enjoyed the humor. His gift of writing page turning books has returned to an even higher level. Lots of writers have lost their edge after their initial popularity, however Mr. Koontz just continues to amaze me. I look forward to his next book. Too bad we have to wait a year.
Rating:
Summary: Koontz at his best
Review: Though nearing thirty, Micky Bellsong feels like her life is stuck in California quicksand with no future and wondering "is that all there is"? She has a boyfriend and lacks steady employment forcing her to live in her Aunt Geneva's trailer. Micky's life changes when she meets her new trailer neighbor brilliant nine-year-old Leilani Klonk, a preadolescent suffering from physical deformities. The precocious Leilani tells Micky wild stories involving alien abductions, UFOs, her crazy stepfather, and her missing brother. Though she finds the youngster entertaining, Micky disbelieves the tales assuming they are the work of a fertile imagination.
However, Micky begins to believe that Leilani's stepfather plans to kill the little girl if he fails to contact the aliens whe he belives has the cure for her deformities. She turns to the authorities to keep her friend safe, but they write her off as a nut case. Making matters worse, Leilani and her family vanish into the night. Micky decides to pursue them because she believes the crafty stepfather will murder Leilani soon.
The dean of suspense writers may have written his best tale to date with the incredibly insightful taut thriller, ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN. Dean Koontz allows the tension to slowly boil by fully developing the key cast members so when the pot overflows with action, readers understand why, yet remain unsure of what is eally happrning. The audience will adore Leilani and root for Micky on her quest to not only save a little girl, but to find and save herself too. Dean Koontz is typical Dean Koontz with this tale, only better than ever. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Another Winner by 'my main man' Koontz!
Review: One Door Away From Heaven by storytelling 'great' Dean Koontz is a very entertaining story -- Sort've reminded me of the long running sitcom of yesteryear 'Mary Hartman' but with Koontz on unique touch of worded magic to spice the characters up a little. A wonderful story by one of the literary worlds finest talents . One Door Away From Heaven is a story not to be missed!
Rating:
Summary: HIS BEST BOOK TO DATE!!!
Review: I've been an avid fan of Dear R. Koontz for over two decades, and I can honestly say that his newest novel, ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN, is without a doubt his best piece of fiction to date. This book literally took my breath away and left me with a profound sense of optimism concerning the future of mankind and our planet, as well as a strong urge to go out and acquire a dog as a fellow companion (I suspect this part is Trixie's doing-I know she helped her owner write some of this). The novel begins in southern California when Micky Bellsong, a young woman who's trying to get her life back together after having just got out of jail, meets her new next-door neighbor, nine-year-old Leilani Klonk, in the trailer park where she and her Aunt Geneva live. Micky is lying in her aunt's backyard one afternoon, working on a suntan, when Leilani walks over and introduces herself. Leilani, though beautiful in face and spirit, not to mention having a near-genius intellect, is also crippled in her left leg and has a deformed left hand. After some chitchatting, the two females find themselves quickly bonding with each other. When Leilani is invited over to have dinner that night with Micky and Geneva, the little girl tells them about her life and the death of her brother. It seems that Leilani's stepfather, Preston Maddoc (a handsome ex-university professor and investigator of UFO phenomena) murdered the boy because of the child's deformity, not to mention a large number of other people. Leilani therefore believes that she's next on Maddoc's hit list and that her death is going to occur on or before her tenth birthday. What Leilani tells Micky and Geneva sounds so preposterous that they don't know whether to accept it as fact or fantasy. Before they can learn more, however, Leilani and her family disappear into the night, and Micky now has to decide whether to follow them in the hope of saving her young friend. At the same time this is happening, a motherless boy, who calls himself Curtis Hammond, and his dog, Old Yeller, are being chased across the state of Colorado by the U.S. government and also by something far worse and more frightening...something that will destroy anyone that gets in its way. Unknown to both of the children, they are on a collision with each other and with death. Only one person might be able to save them. His name is Noah Farrel-a tough ex-cop who's now a private investigator and has a thing for rescuing abused children. As good as Farrel is (even with the help of Micky Bellsong), he may have just met his match with Leilani's evil stepfather and the ruthless, unforgiving force that is after Curtis. ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN is a taut thriller that is utterly suspenseful with an edge-of-your-seat excitement that keeps you turning page after page as if you're obsessed. It has some of the most vividly drawn characters that Dean Koontz has ever written, both good and evil. If that wasn't enough, ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN is also a spiritual treatise that will have you looking at the stars in a new and more intense way, wondering if the author has the inside scoop on what's out there and on the Presence that created us and the universe. At the beginning of the novel, Aunt Geneva tells Micky that "Sometimes-not often, but once in a great while-your life can change for the better in one moment of grace, almost a sort of miracle. Something so powerful can happen, someone so special come along, some precious understanding descend on you so unexpectedly that it just pivots you in a new direction, changes you forever." This book is one of those unexpected miracles that can change you, if you're open and ready. Buy it, read it, then tell your friends about it. ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN is a book so special that you'll definitely want to share it with those closest to you, especially your canine friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Deja vu
Review: First of all, Bantam Books should hire a new flack to write the book jacket blurb. This one gives away too much of the plot describing events that occur up until page 400. Secondly, the book is too long at 600 pages. This length dissipates suspense. You know the villain won't be caught because you've still got hundreds of pages left to read. Mr. Koontz is is dire need of an editor...snip out a few adjectives here, a simile or metaphor there and voila...a shorter book. Also, the technique of having several main characters with alternating chapters describing their adventures was used to better effect in STRANGERS. Reading this book was a chore...not a pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: Koontz turns the corner
Review: I must admit that I am somewhat surprised at some of the negative reaction in other reviews of this book. In "One Door Away From Heaven," Koontz has proceeded in crafting a novel that is similar in many ways to previous novels, but is simply better than his prior work. The fact of the matter is that Koontz makes you care greatly about his characters. He creates them with careful detail until we feel as though we have known them our whole lives. As a result, we are drawn into their stories and we turn each page with bated breath. It is no small wonder that so few Koontz novels are made into movies, his characters are too in depth and the plots are too complicated. The person who quit after 250 pages and was complaining about the characters really surprises me. Koontz has always been a strong developer of his characters. However, this latest piece may have his greatest creation ever: a nine year old girl named Leilani Klonk. I have a feeling that those who read this book will not soon forget Leilani. I'll limit my critcism of Koontz to wishing he did not use the word "carapace" in EVERY book. However, he did refrain from "chitinous" so it was not a total loss. Enjoy this book, I have a feeling you will.
Rating:
Summary: What a Great Surprise!
Review: For some reason, even though I like Peter Straub and Stepehn King, I have never been able to get into Dean Koontz. Well, this book is so sharp, original, and compelling that I have not been able to put it down! I am happily surprised to find myself becoming a Dean Koontz fan! The characters of the book aren't your usual dime-novel fare; they are very unusual, funny, and intelligent. Yet they are also believable. The plot has many elements of bizzareness and realism mixed together to create a sharp-edged collage. From the first chapter, where we meet two characters that you can't help but care about right away, to the actual unfolding of the plot, there isn't a dull moment. I'm reminded somewhat of "The Talisman" by some parts of this novel, and that's a good thing. Read it -- you'll like it!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Not as sterling as some, but better than False Memory
Review: Micky Bellsong's life is changed by the arrival of Leilani Klonk, a handicapped girl complete with a set of psychotic parents. Micky is jarred from her pathetic life by Leilani, and sets out to rescue her from the clutches of her psuedofather, Preston Maddoc. I especially liked the way the story built up. It's got a bit of a slow start, but the old Koontz's style still shimmers through, especially in the middle, and first part of the end of the novel. I didn't like the fact that Koontz is on a mission to expose something he believes is wrong, and he sugarcoats it in the form of a novel. At times, his presentation is heavy-handed, bordering on preachy. He basically tells the reader that the philosophy of bioethicists is wrong. I happen to agree, but when I pick up a fiction novel, I expect to be entertained, not lectured. Koontz seems to be moving towards a new style of writing--sometimes successfully(From the Corner of His Eye), and sometimes not as successfully(One Door Away From Heaven). If you're expecting a similar "lesson" book like you would find in Dark Rivers of the Heart, you will be disappointed. Also, he created some characters in this novel that he never really explored. Yet they were presented in such a way that you expected something to come from them. It was almost as if he didn't know what to do with them after he introduced them. One more thing irritated me. Mr. Koontz used past tense to write about everything except Curtis Hammond. When in his POV, he used present tense, and I found the constant shifting back and forth distracting. It's a good read, despite being somewhat different than classic, or even semi-classic Dean Koontz. It's nowhere as good as Watchers or Dark Rivers, but is infinitely superior to False Memory or Iceburg. If you're a Dean Koontz fan, you'll probably like it.
Rating:
Summary: Different, not necessarily disappointing...
Review: DK's latest wasn't disappointing, as much as it was different, in much the same way as From the Corner of His Eye. I enjoyed both these books, but nowhere near as much as some of his earlier thrillers. It seems Koontz is trying to explore different topics and genres as a writer, and his approach (IMHO), is still pretty flawed. I would love a return to the twisted, imaginative Koontz thriller days of old, but it seems with age, he's growing weary of that, and is testing his pen in other places. That's not a problem. Bob Dylan did the same thing, and so, it seems, is Stephen King. But I hope that Koontz can soon master this new direction, because I ... am already disillusioned and bored.
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