Rating: 
Summary: Suspenseful and gripping yes, but
Review: This was a suspenseful and gripping book. It keeps you interested and turning the pages right up until the last 100 or so pages but then it turns strange and sort of fizzles out. Its worth borrowing to read, but I am glad I didn't buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: One Heck of a Masterful Thriller
Review: Ex-reporter Joe Carpenter has lead a dark and gloomy life since his wife and daughters were killed in a plane crash. A year later he sees a woman taking a picture near his family's grave. She says she's not ready to talk to him, flees and is pursued by two guys with guns. Joe goes to her rescue and finds out she was on that flight. He's shocked to find out not everybody perished and sets out to discover how anyone could have escaped the deadly crash, but there are forces that don't want him to know, forces that are hiding terrifying secrets and will kill anyone who gets in their way."Sole Survivor" is a five star, thrilling ride that you won't be able to put down. I know, because I couldn't. It's just one heck of a masterful thriller. Reviewed by Stephanie Sane
Rating: 
Summary: First 4/5 of book AWESOME; then.......?
Review: I have to tell you, this book will not allow you to get up from your chair. It is gripping, thrilling, and leaves your mouth watering for the 'secrets' that we are yearning to find just as much as the protagonist Joe. That is, however, the case for the first 325 out of 400 pages. The last 75 or so pages turn very unbelievable... and leave the reader quite unsatisfied. It's almost anticlimactic. Keep that in mind. You may not mind this if you enjoy science fiction... and it may be worth it simply to read the awesome beginning and middle of the novel. But if you like your endings realistic, exciting, climactic, and at least somewhat believable, I probably would advise you to pass on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Intensity Fits the Title Perfectly
Review: Intense. Suspenseful. I felt my heart beating faster with every page. I finished this book in one day and I felt like I ran a marathon (slight exaggeration). Intensity is one of my favorite books - great read!
Rating:
Summary: A gripping thriller
Review: Joe Carpenter lost his wife and daughter in a horrible plane crash a year ago. No survivors. He was grief stricken to the point of suicide. While visiting his wife and daughter's grave site, Joe spies a woman taking pictures of their gravestones. Shocked, he tries to find out what this lady is doing. His brief interaction with her is electric! Ruth claims she was aboard the same fatal flight his wife and daughter were. Furthermore, she claims to have information on their whereabouts. What? They're dead right? Before Joe can get any information out of this woman, she disappears. He decides to track her down and finds out she was indeed aboard the flight according to the newspaper that listed her among the passengers. He investigates further to find out she has been in contact with other surviving family members and they are no longer grieving because of the "news" that Ruth shared with them about their lost loved ones. In fact, they're happy. However, when Joe tries to find out what this information is, the surviving family members begin a mass suicide. What is going on? Did his wife and daughter survive the plane crash like Ruth did? You'll have to read it to find out. Personally, I loved the book. I couldn't put it down and read it in a day because I HAD to know if Joe's family had survived the crash and why they hadn't gotten in touch with him for an entire year. A word to the wise though - do not read this book if you're about to take a plane flight anywhere. :-)
Rating:
Summary: Don't be put off by others, read it and form your own opinio
Review: Sole Survivor Joe Carpenter's family is killed in a plane crash along with everyone else on board. While visiting the gravesite he meets a woman who claims she was on
board. Someone doesn't like her being there and try to kill them both convincing Joe she may be telling the truth but she has fled. What is the truth? Joe must find out for the sake of his family. Of course some things are meant to be a secret and there are people who don't want that secret out. This isn't the greatest Koontz book ever written but I disagree with a lot of the negative opinions of it by other reviewers. It's still an extremely worthwhile purchase and a great read. My main criticism is it could have been longer. Buy it, read it and form your own opinion but don't let others opinions put you off reading it.
Rating: 
Summary: ICK---YUCK---P'ATOOEE!
Review: ... Will we EVER escape Mormonism? Because more or less that's what you'll be learning about in this book. In fact, it involves a goody two shoe Mormon who flew an airplane nose down into the ground and killed it's passengers. Let me save you the trouble of wasting your money and time: a widowed man is traumatized because his wife and little girl died in a plane crash. Months later secret agents and a Mystery Woman start following him. Associating with the woman puts him in danger because she knows something--the truth--about the plane crash. They both go on the run (as in all of Koontz's books) and Mystery Woman reveals that the spirits of his wife and child are literally alive in some "next life", a dimension where ghosts simply hang out in bliss. She shows him how to see this dimension, his wife and kid, and how anyone can visit it without any aid whatsoever... The logic is that if more people had proof of a real God and a real next life, it would threaten powerful politicians... Most people believe in some form of God today and what have politicians done except use that belief to manipulate their people? ...And if these agents REALLY knew of this next life and God, why the hell would they go around killing people if they'll have to answer to God?... Try his "Midnight" or "Watchers"...much more exciting reads...
Rating:
Summary: Sole Survivor, A Masterpiece of Modern Fiction
Review: Sole Survivor has recently become one of my most favorite fiction books. Dean Koontz is also one of my favorite authors because he is able to cause me to desire to continue reading in order to find out what happens next, sort of anticipating what new things will pop up. Joe Carpenter, probably the most interesting character ever featured in any Dean Koontz's books that I have read, is coping with the loss of his family, while at the same time, is thrown into an amazing plot, guaranteed to keep the reader on edge. His wife Michelle, along with their two daughters Chrissie and Nina, perished in the crash of the Nationwide Flight 353. Everyone on the plane was killed in the crash... or were they? Joe's anger over his lost loved ones, fuels him to continue pressing for the truth about their deaths after strange things begin to happen around him with the appearance of Dr. Rose Tucker. Joe is chased and does some chasing himself with the help of trustworthy people along his journey who cause the reader to question if they really are who they say they are. The science fiction aspect of the book is incredible, using vocabulary that makes every word of make-believe sound more realistic than any true life experience. The mysterious Rose and the small, underdog organization she belongs to add intensity to the events in the story by providing for surprises here and there, just to keep the plot going. It is impossible to predict the outcome of the story while reading it because of the many new discoveries that Joe makes along his journey to discover the truth. I thought it was interesting to consider how Joe wanted to die in the beginning, but quickly changes his opinion of life and desires to live, perhaps only to get revenge for what happened to his wife and children. Some of the mental images I had while reading the book were frightening, only because they come at such intense times and are so unexpected...some also seem a little strange due to the science fiction part of the plot. There is a healthy amount of murder and destruction in the story, but nothing overrides the eeriness provided by unknown and unexplained phenomena. I had only two aggravations while reading the story, one was the constant flashbacks to the plane crash of Flight 353. At some points they interrupt the action of the book and can be almost boring to the reader who is waiting for the next spur of excitement. The other part of the story I did not enjoy so much was the language. I believe using profanity while writing a novel simply shows a lack of interest by the author at that particular part. Koontz could have taken more time to express emotion in ways other than fowl language. Those are hardly noticeable, however, when one considers the overall enjoyment a person gets from reading the book. Along with an mind-boggling story, included in the beginning pages of the book is, what I believe to be, the greatest poem ever written by Dean Koontz in his infamous Book of Counted Sorrows. The ending of the story is a perfect conclusion to an outstanding novel. The emotion experienced in even just the last chapter is enough to make reading the book memorable. The ending also provides a feeling of triumph for the characters, and yet, has us still wishing the best for Joe and Nina in the future. Overall, this book was incredible and I recommend it to any person of any age who enjoys fiction novels, especially science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Great read, the ending was not as great
Review: I am a big fan of Dean Koontz. I must have at least 20 of his books in hardback, and more in paperback. Therefore you can understand how difficult it is to not recommend a Dean Koontz book very highly. The story here is very intriguing. There was a plane crash a year ago that took the life of Joe Carpenter's wife and two children. Dean Koontz makes it very evident that Joe loved his wife and children as the agony and grief of their deaths is made excruciatingly clear. As the novel proceeds Joe receives phone calls and information that leads him to believe that his daughter Nina is still alive, no matter how impossible that may be. As Joe continues to investigate this seeming impossibility, the families of other people killed in the crash begin dying, until you realize that they are being murdered. Joe becomes obsessed with trying to find Nina. His investigation takes him to the crash site, and to numerous locations in southern California, meeting a variety of interesting people along the way. I was pulled along in this book from the beginning to the end, and ultimately read the last third or so in one sitting. Thus far it sounds like I am recommending the book very highly. That is because the majority of the book is a good read. The problem comes from the ending. While in many ways the ending was uplifting, it was a bit contrived to me, and some of the explanations left holes. Furthermore, I was so into the character of Joe that I was a bit frustrated and angered at part of the ending. Unfortunately I can not divulge the exact details because that would spoil the book for you. I also understand that getting a reader emotionally into a story is perhaps one of the greatest achievements an author can have, but once you have gotten a reader that far, the emotions need satisfaction, and I struggled with the ending. This book is well written, as all Dean Koontz books are. The flaw is the ending. If you are an avid Dean Koontz fan, likely you will find this book a good read, though you may share some of my disappointment in the ending. If you are not a Dean Koontz fan, you may want to save this book for another time. For newer and better examples of Dean Koontz books that I thought were very good, I recommend 'One Door Away From Heaven', and 'False Memory', which, while it has a slow start, has one of Dean's best endings ever (in my humble opinion).
Rating:
Summary: An out there book, that rates up there
Review: Annotation: Joe carpenter's family was lost in a plane crash. Now a year later, a woman appeared to Joe claming she had information regarding that horrible night. This book takes the reader along with Joe as he investigates and discovers the truth about the plane crash that striped his family from him. Author Bio: Dean R. Koontz was born in Everett Pennsylvania in 1945. He published his first story in 1966 while working as a high school teacher, and continued to be published while teaching. Koontz has gone on to write many New York Times best sellers. He has also had stories made into movies. Evaluation: I would rate this book a four out of five. It was it was a fast read, and exciting because most of the timeline is within a few days. The idea behind the science fiction in the final outcome of the story is interesting but almost a little too far out there to believe as possible. The book is hard to set down, because it always leaves you on the edge wondering where Joe was headed next. Koontz gives detailed description and paints a colorful picture through his words without putting in boring unneeded details. Parts of the book really made me wonder what the government and other organizations have out there and are keeping from us right now. I would highly recommend reading this book.
| 
