Koko

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Summary: the best serial killer thriller you are likely to encounter
Review: I can count the books I've felt the urge to read twice on one hand...Koko is one of the elite few. Vietnam vets go in search of a man from their old unit after hearing about a series of murders in the Far East. Koko is a well-written, terrifying journey into the lower depths of hell on earth. Be warned, this book does start off rather slow(I almost didn't keep going), but the rewards are more than worth your perseverance. It was released the same year as Silence Of The Lambs...it is a superior novel. The shared Vietnam experience of the main characters gives this book a believability that is absent in many thrillers. This is the first, and best, entry of a trilogy that includes Mystery & The Throat. I have turned my mother, old girlfriends, and other friends on to this experience. They all thanked me afterwords. You will too. I was eighteen the first time I read this. I was twenty-five the second time. Nothing was lost, it was even better the second time. This is a mature adventure through a nightmare psychological landscape. Do yourself a favor...READ KOKO! For Straub, this is the pinnacle of a wonderful career.

Rating:
Summary: Hard Work
Review: I can't really explain it, but for me, reading a Peter Straub book is always hard work. That being said it is also always a rewarding experience. Whereas some authors throw you in at the deep end on page one (my favourites) Straub takes the time to set the scene and introduce the characters. But before you know it you are caght up in a world which resembles everyday life but has far more sinister undertones to it. This is an evocative piece of work that I thoroughly enjoyed and I would recommend it to anyone.

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Summary: One of the most disturbing books you'll ever read
Review: I have a Masters degree in psychology, so I'm picky when it comes to "psychological" thrillers. I have to say this is one of the most intense, disturbing and complex novels I've ever read, certainly more-so than Straub's supernatural novels (I've read them all) because it is grounded in reality. As with THE THROAT, Straub is utterly brilliant in his allusions to literature, religion and history, and his imagery and character development is much better than Stephen King has ever managed. While I figured out the "mystery" about halfway through, this made the novel only more scary. Highly recommended.

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Summary: Easily Straub's best
Review: I have been a fan of Peter Straub's work for almost 20 years now, and this is easily his best. I have read this one twice, and it stands up on multiple readings. Straub makes you work to see what's going on -- it is not an "easy read" in the sense that, eg, King's stuff is. But it is far more dense, dark & ultimately satisfying. Not a true horror novel, but dark, disturbing & compelling.

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Summary: Great Book
Review: I really thought Straub did a wonderful job with the characterization. Michael Poole, Maggie Lah and tiume Underhill were all very strong characters. The book is a little overwritten though, and the central themes seem to contradict themselves many times.

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Summary: Thriller???
Review: I was very disappointed in this book after reading all the great reviews it got here. I really struggled to get through it. The basic story is a good one, but often Straub went into too much detail. Character development was very good however. But the story was never really suspenseful to me.

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Summary: war crimes
Review: In Peter Straub's "Koko", Vietnam vets Michael Poole, Connor Linklater, and Harry Beevers all meet at a Washington D.C. war memorial to discuss their friend Tim Underhill, who they all think is a psychopathic killer murdering reporters who covered a massacre during the war. They travel to where Tim was last heard of staying; still in Siagon, Vietnam. Along the way they end up confront their horrible memories from the war. Finally they do find Underhill, and discover he isn't the killer. The book was pretty slow going most of the time. The characters were very dull, especially Beevers. Maggie Lah didn't impress me either. The private lives of these men were pretty bland. The serial killer is the only part of the book that was interesting, but that it's shirts to his point of view are few and far between. This is a pretty bad start to the "Blue Rose" trilogy. Glad I started with the "Throat" first.

Rating:
Summary: war crimes
Review: In Peter Straub's "Koko", Vietnam vets Michael Poole, Connor Linklater, and Harry Beevers all meet at a Washington D.C. war memorial to discuss their friend Tim Underhill, who they all think is a psychopathic killer murdering reporters who covered a massacre during the war. They travel to where Tim was last heard of staying; he's still in Siagon, Vietnam. Along the way they end up confronting their horrible memories from the war. After way too many detours, they finally find Underhill, and discover he isn't the killer. The book was pretty slow going most of the time. The characters were very dull, especially Beevers. Maggie Lah didn't impress me either. The private lives of these men were pretty bland. The serial killer is the only part of the book that was interesting, but Straub's shiftings to his point of view are few and far between. This is a pretty bad start to the "Blue Rose" trilogy. Glad I started with the "Throat" first.

Rating:
Summary: Deep, dark and complex.
Review: It is a dark, complex, psycological thriller with many twists. A group of Vietnam vets try to track down a disturbed former comrad to help him or stop him from performing evil acts. Part supernatural and definitely scary, this book will not appeal to everyone. It is at times hard to follow but I found it ultimately, to be very rewarding. Definitely a man's book.

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Summary: The Vietnam war as never seen before
Review: Koko is a great novel. A group of very different people with the common misfortune of having served in Vietnam together try to find and apprehend man from their old platoon who they suspect is responsible for a series of murders. Before reading it I never had any interest in the events in Vietnam. But now I want to learn more about it. The story was good. The idea of a group of war vets who don't neccessarily like each other cooperateing for a greater purpose is a fascinating concept. The twists and turns in the plot keep the novel going strong throughout most of its entirety. Only most though. Even though it has interesting plot twists, the going door to door questioning strangers bit gets a little old. Overall this is a must read novel.