Rating: 
Summary: An intense look at a possible future
Review: This book is made great not just by the usually wonderful prose that hallmarks the works of Dean Koontz, but by the terrifying possibilities discussed within. I found myself actually scared not from demons or supernatural occurances that are in most of his books but by the real plausible events that are throughout the book. His rendering of the situation with the police cheif and his family made me afraid that this could actually happen to me or to someone that I know. The story moves at a fast pace and Koontz does a wonderful job making the reader hold on fast to the pages of this novel as he takes us down a white water raft ride without the raft and through a high speed chase with everyone dodging the bolts of death coming from the sky above. What a great, exciting, yet scary book!!
Rating:
Summary: A terrifying warning disguised as a novel
Review: While Dark Rivers of the Heart is not as distopic as George Orwell's 1984, the message is more terrifying because it is so much closer to reality. Dean Koontz' descriptions of currently available technology are close to the mark. I work for the government at a military proving ground, and found most of the technological tricks to be on the edge of what is available today. The main villan, Roy Miro, is similarily believable. I see an erie mirror image of him in a recent interview with Pol Pot, who killed millions in Cambodia ( he politely asserts it was only hundreds of thousands) for the "good" of society. Perceptive readers will find the use of politically correct symbology and philosophy by Mr. Miro to be absolutely masterful. The ending, with all its uncertainty and unknowable twists of fate, is consistant with the "too close to reality to be comfortable" theme of the book. I highly recommend this book, and am buying several to lend to friends. If "Dark Rivers of the Heart" appeals to you, I suggest that you consider "Unintended Consequences" by John Ross. The two authors explore many of the same problems from different perspectives. Unintended Consequences seems slightly more optomistic than "Dark Rivers of the Heart" Both are excellent reads that keep you turning pages far past your bedtime.
Rating:
Summary: Reality Check...Life does NOT provide happy endings...
Review: Reviews i've read of this book by fellow readers have complained that the ending is something of a letdown. If you someone who feels this way, then there's no way you were paying attention. Mr. Koontz becomes a REALIST in this story, and the novel's conclusion is meant to be ambiguous and untidy. That's the way life usually is!!! Life is not about happy endings. Also, the characters Koontz creates in this book (especially the totally whacked Roy Miro) are undoubtedly his best. This novel deserves to be on a shelf with "classics" that high school students enjoy torturing their students with. Only difference in this case...Koontz's opus is fiercely exciting! CHECK THIS ONE OUT!
Rating:
Summary: excellent readings!!
Review: This is a great action thriller story. Kootnz is good at letting you know the characters present and past life. I love how he has a dog in some of his novels. He also seems to like to write about computer as well. I also like how he picks the type of weapons the characters seem to choose. This book to me was much better than Intensity, but I still like that story and TV movie, good job on the TV movie Intensity, I would love to see a movie made from Dark Rivers, either cable movie uncut or motion picture..not tv.
Rating:
Summary: Action From begining to end with tons of twists and turns!
Review: A man with a dark, hidden past, gets involved with a woman on the run from an agency so secret, the government doesn't even know they exsist. Action packed, and full of suspense
Rating:
Summary: A powerful book
Review: this is a must read if you like Dean Koonzt
books, it is one of the best i have read
so far. The uncanny way that this could be real is what make you get draw-into.
Rating:
Summary: definite change of pace from "typical" koontz novel.
Review: I always enjoy the on the run from the government style of book. Dean Koontz proves he is as good at this as he is at the run of the mill horror novels. I think this book would make an excellent movie. Box office, not T-V, because made for t-v movies are always long on promise and short on story
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely not one of his best
Review: I'm normally a fan of Dean Koontz, but I was really
disappointed with this one. In my opinion the story went nowhere and ended with nothing resolved.
"Dark Rivers of the Heart" left a bad taste in my
mouth. I wouldn't recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: You want scary? Try THIS 1984!
Review: In a departure from his usual out-of-this-world genre. Dean Koontz takes us into a world far more frightening than anything he or Stephen King has put to the printed page. It's a world of the Super Computer, and it's under the jurisdiction of a renegade agent of a United States government agency. The betting here is that even George Orwell didn't imagine this scenario when he was writing his 1984, or, more likely, he did imagine it but left it our of his novel as being too unbelievable.
Spencer (no, not THAT Spenser) and Ellie are the hunted in the greatest chase scene since Hollywood invented The Chase. The Bad Guys are led by a psychopath with compassion, which is to say, he feels so sorry for a couple striving to make ends meet with two jobs that he kills them. But with compassion: He places their bodies peacefully in bed, then anonymously calls the police so the corpses will be discovered soon.
His chief resource is Mama, the "biggest, baddest data resource" in the world. Mama can enter any computer's directory instantaneously, explore at will, retrieve whatever is requested, and disengage without leaving the slightest trace that she has been there. (Looking over your shoulder yet?) Computer nerds will drool over the technology; the rest of us should shiver with fear.
We can enjoy Koontz's writing skills here. He is descriptive, insightful. It is a temptation to speed read this thriller, just to see what happens next. Resist the urge.
Chuck Lang, Sun City, Az
Rating: 
Summary: Big Letdown of the Heart.
Review: Most of the fun of reading a Dean Koontz books is to watch the fall of the evil antagonist, who incidentally, always has strange or sadistic sexual behavior - Dark Rivers is no exception. But guess what, innocent law abiding citizens - it didn't happen! Roy and Eve, who make the Outsider look kind in comparison, go on their merry murderous way. Uh, this is not a good thing, Mr. Koontz. It is also not good that every decent character is struck by evil whereas nasty characters like Spencer's dad get away with murder. Eventually you want some justice in the story, and I don't mean the type of justice where the good people escape, change their names and vow to return some day. 'Big Letdown of the Heart' would have been a good alternative title
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