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Summary: THIS BOOK IS A NERVE VAMPIRE.
Review: Imagine this: What would happen if you put super glue on your hand and picked up a book? Yeah, that's right, your hand would stick to that book and you would have a hard time removing it from your tender flesh. Plus it would be stupid-- so here is what I'm getting at: why not read a book that wouldn't have to be glued to your hand?"False Memory" by Dean Koontz is a book that will be glued naturally since it's more fun than a Slip and Slide covered with veggie oil. Forget the popcorn bring a bag of nerves before you start this one as it will take every last one you have. Contents in the gut of the book: Marite Rhodes is woman who takes her friend, Susan, to therapy. Susan is afraid to go, even afraid to leave her home. These trips become, more dark and stirring as the story goes on. Soon Marite becomes afraid of her own shadow, and even reflection, not knowing the reason why. She starts to completely lose it as conflict develops between Marite and her husband, Dustin, because of it. Dustin takes her to the therapist that treats Susan. Dustin and Marite try to fit the pieces together, but just when the they start to fit, Dustin develops a phobia worse than Susan's and Marite's. Buckle up before you read this one, or you will get hit by the impact of Koontz's steering wheel.
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Summary: False expectations
Review: This book had plenty of suspense which kept me turning the pages.The trouble was that the high pitch of tension lagged when the author obviously ran out of steam. It's too bad, because a shorter more tightly written piece would have been really good.
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Summary: Made me glade I'm not in threapy
Review: This was the one book that truely scared me. I was captived by this book. I couldn't put it down. Marty and her husband live d a simple life until Marty starts to have these visons that are almost that are of her killing. She seeks help at the therapist of a friend. Thats when things start to happen, Marty and her husband are now on a hunt for the truth behind her visions. False Memory was well writen and a true thriller and book to reread.
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Summary: It started off so well...
Review: Martie Rhodes and her husband Dusty are a couple who both have large hearts for family and friends. Martie escorts an agoraphobic friend to therapy twice a week, while Dusty gives his junkie half-brother a job with his housepainting crew. On one VERY strange Tuesday, Martie finds herself strangely fearing her own, never-realized potential for gruesome violence as Dusty prevents his half-brother from throwing himself off the roof of a house they are painting. As Martie struggles with her ever-increasing fear of herself, Dusty discovers that his brother enters a deep-trancelike state when a particular name is spoken. Together, the couple peels back layer after layer of several mysteries that end up being all connected. And the Rhodeses are much more involved in these events than they ever realized. Dean Koontz is the 'Master of Suspense,' as many of his book covers will tell you. The first half of this book is very tightly paced and written, and he knows how to keep the reader turning pages. The characters are well-defined and the heroes pure-hearted. Unfortunately, about halfway through, Koontz seems to have either lost focus or interest in the story. When the true villain of the piece is revealed, he turns out to be a mustache-twirling maniac. And as the different threads of mystery begin to come together they tie together in a forced and implausible way, and the action degenerates into the kind of melodrama you would see from a 1980s era prime time soap opera. In the last 150 pages of the book Koontz commits two sins that are really unforgivable: 1) At one point the plot stops altogether to have the characters discuss the dangers of academic competition and jealousy; 2) There is a character introduced late in the story that, for me, totally ruined the climax. In addition, the denouement ties everything up about as well as one of Shakespeare's "And then everybody got married" comedies. Ultimately, I felt cheated with this book. For the first half of the book to be as exciting as 'Space Mountain,' it was terribly disappointing for it to end up as 'It's a Small World.'
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Summary: One of Koontz's best
Review: Martie Rhodes is a successful video game designer married to a good man named Dusty. Her best friend Susan suffers from agoraphobia ( fear of open spaces) and stays locked up in her apartment everyday. She depends on Martie to take her to her weekly therapy sessions. Martie's life is turned upside down when she too becomes inflicted with a deadly fear - the fear of yourself and what you might do to others. Dusty begins a frantic search for clues to tell him what's going on. Unfortunately, Dusty begins to find himself inflicted with a condition that is even worse than Martie's. False Memory is one of Dean Koontz's best books in my opinion. People often overlook it, and the majority of those who have read the book, think that it is nothing special. If you are looking for a great Dean Koontz book to read, you should definately give False Memory a try. My favorite aspect of the novel is the outstanding premise. The subject of mind control is always very controversial and interesting, and Koontz blends it into the story wonderfully. Fans of the "The Manchurian Candidate" will especially enjoy "False Memory", because Koontz actually involves themes from the film in the story. False Memory moves at a very fast pace and is filled with action and suspense that will keep you hooked from page one. I was not able to put this book down. The characters are great. They suffer from different phobias, but are all connected through their search for the truth. Martie's phobia is perhaps the most intriguing because it is very original. The fact that she fears what she might do to herself and others, allienates her from her husband Dusty and her best friend Susan. This makes it very hard for Martie to work with them to find the truth of what is happening to them. False Memory also features one of the best villans Koontz has ever created. Unfortunately, I cannot go into detail because it will give away key elements of the story. Overall, False Memory is the BEST psychological thriller that I have ever read. It is filled with outstanding characters, tons of action and suspense, and sinister methods of mind control.
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Summary: There is Nothing as Bad as an Evil Shrink
Review: Psychiatrist Mark Ahriman is the son of a famous director and was a child prodigy who entered college at thirteen, earning his doctorate four years later. He's also a serial killer, who killed his mother when he was young, because she interupted his dissection of a live cat. Fifteen years later he took out his famous father and his intended bride. It wasn't pretty. Martie Rhodes is a video-game designer who lives happily and comfortably with her husband, Dusty, a painting contractor, and their dog. Martie has an agoraphobic friend, real estate agent Susan Jagger, who she takes to her therapy sessions with Dr. Ahriman, because Susan won't leave her apartment without Martie's support. Martie's husband also has someone who depends on him. Dusty's brother Skeek is a drug addict seriously in need of rehab. After a trip to the doctor, Susan tells Marti that someone has been coming into her apartment at night, but she can't remember who or what they do to her during their nightly visits. Martie wonders if this is another of Susan's delusions, then Susan commits suicide. And if that isn't bad enough, Martie begins having problems of her own. All of sudden she starts having panic attacks. She's very afraid and she's diagnosed autophobic, afraid of herself, by the serial killing Dr. Ahriman. Martie must face her own mounting sense of terror and Dusty must find a way to rescue not only his wife, but also his brother, who seems to be suffering from his own growing psychotic episodes. As his sense of danger increases, Dusty seeks to understand what is happening and begins to look for a common thread. And that takes him straight to the psycho psychiatrist. In this one Mr. Koontz presents us with a mesmerising tale of madness and deception and he does it in his usual take no prisoners style, with a frightening, fascinating trail of suspense throughout the whole story. I just loved it and of course am giving it five stars.
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Summary: READING AMAZON.COM REVIEWS
Review: This particular book was especially good escape reading. A real thriller. The writing was good. The plot was entertaining. The characters were colorful. She enjoyed it. The age old question: Did the review come before the book or vice versa? Reading too many amazon.com reviews is a great way to go crazy Mr. Koontz! (nudge nudge wink wink)
All in all, a fine read.
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Summary: Brilliant thriller
Review: Dean Koontz is a writer of suspense, and this book, False Memory, is unquestionably a remarkable one. It takes us on a terrifying psychological ride through the demented web of an insane psychiatrist, and follows the main characters through the discovery of the villain and their efforts to triumph. Martie Rhodes is a woman who is happily married and a video game designer. She periodically takes her best friend, Susan, to therapy sessions for her agoraphobia. However, after a visit to Dr. Ahriman, Susan's psychiatrist, Martie finds herself suddenly confronted with a mental disorder herself. At the same time, her husband Dusty accidentally puts his half brother in a strange hypnotic state where he is susceptible to suggestions given. Dusty also realizes that something is wrong with his memory. Chunks of time would go by unnoticed, or the contents of a telephone call would go forgotten. Disturbed, but more afraid for Martie's sudden phobia, they decide to go see Dr. Ahriman, who, unknown to them, is the root of all their problems. The author uses a third person voice and switches characters to provide the reader with the thoughts of one character in one section, and another character in a later section. Through this method, the reader is constantly aware of who the villain is although Martie and Dusty are not. This method also illustrates to the reader that the doctor has had mental problems from a young age, and to him, tampering with the minds of his patients and implanting false memories is simply a game to amuse himself. This dangerous game of messing with the human psyche brought pleasure to his sick mind from the total control he had over them. Dean Koontz brings a sparkling personality to each character while mercilessly subjecting them to the maze of memories that never happened. The book explores the highly engrossing and very interesting idea of hypnotism and the perils of it in the hands of the wrong person, and is a definite must-read. False Memory is a classic Koontz thriller that you will not be able to put down. I highly recommend this book to readers new to this author and die-hard fans alike.
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Summary: A DARK, TENSION DRIVEN TALE
Review: With False Memory Koontz segues into the scary realm of mind control, abandoning for the time being his Moonlight Bay series (Seize The Night and Fear Nothing). Evidently, as his impressive readership will attest, this author can take up whatever he chooses and turn it into a grabber. Recognized for prodigious research and thorough knowledge of his subject Koontz now tackles a little known but nonetheless crippling disorder - autophobia, the fear of oneself. A high profile young computer games designer, Martie Rhodes, enjoys a rewarding career and a devoted husband, Dusty. Susan, Martie's good friend, is a victim of agoraphobia (fear of open spaces). For no apparent reason, Martie begins to show signs of mental impairment. First, she is startled by her own shadow, and begins to dread looking in the mirror to see her own face. "She became convinced that an entity in the mirror was gaining substance and power...." Eventually, she sinks to believing that she could harm those she loves. In a parallel scenario, Dusty's brother has also fallen prey to a mental disorder which results in his attempted suicide. It becomes obvious that these afflictions are not the result of coincidence. Determined to help Martie regain her well being, Dusty takes her to the same psychiatrist who has been treating Susan. Dr. Ahriman, the son of a late Oscar-winning movie director, seems to have his problems, too - he has his dead father's eyes stored in formaldehyde, the jar always close by his side. But, as Dusty searches for a reason for his wife's mental aberrations, he, too, is stricken. Koontz, arguably the king of dark, tension driven tales has done it again with False Memory. - Gail Cooke
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Summary: Great beginning
Review: I loved the first several chapters of this book...a woman terrified to leave her house and another woman terrified of her own shadow. I was definitely biting my nails through those chapters. But then the story started to lose something. First, I think the villian was revealed too soon. The knowledge of his identity, at first, did bring a substantial addition of suspense to the story, but soon after the suspense began to fade. I think the revelation of his identity should have been held off a few more chapters. I will say that the best chapters of the book are probably the point between when you know who the bad guy is and when the main characters find out who the bad guy is. These might have been the scariest chapters in a book I've ever read. And I felt a great sense of relief when the good guys quickly figured out who the bad guy was. I was impressed that they were not the usual slow-brained ignorant folks of horror movies. But in the end, I think this was the down-fall of the second half of the book. The good guys were almost too smart. They were so ahead of the villian in "the game", that the villian started to seem so less threatening. The fear factor pretty much disappeared and so did my interest in the book. I think the book should have stretched out the beginning and shortened the ending.
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