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    Ashley Bell: A Novel
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    Ashley Bell: A Novel
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    Ashley Bell: A Novel
    Ebook675 pages9 hours

    Ashley Bell: A Novel

    By Dean Koontz

    3.5/5

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    Unavailable in your country

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    About this ebook

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BOOKPAGE • The must-read thriller of the year, for readers of dark psychological suspense and modern classics of mystery and adventure

    This ebook edition contains a special preview of Dean Koontz’s The Silent Corner.

    The girl who said no to death.

    Bibi Blair is a fierce, funny, dauntless young woman—whose doctor says she has one year to live.

    She replies, “We’ll see.”

    Her sudden recovery astonishes medical science.

    An enigmatic woman convinces Bibi that she escaped death so that she can save someone else. Someone named Ashley Bell.

    But save her from what, from whom? And who is Ashley Bell? Where is she?

    Bibi’s obsession with finding Ashley sends her on the run from threats both mystical and worldly, including a rich and charismatic cult leader with terrifying ambitions.

    Here is an eloquent, riveting, brilliantly paced story with an exhilarating heroine and a twisting, ingenious plot filled with staggering surprises. Ashley Bell is a new milestone in literary suspense from the long-acclaimed master.

    Praise for Ashley Bell

    “A mind-bender filled with satisfying surprises.”—People (book of the week)
     
    “[With] lyrical writing and compelling characters . . . Koontz stands alone, and this novel is a prime example of literary suspense. . . . One of his best.”—Associated Press
     
    “Grabs you on page one and keeps you enthralled with ever widening loops of intrigue, spine-tingling plot twists, absorbing characters and emotional involvement . . . extraordinary.”—Bookreporter
     
    “Heart-pounding and mind boggling . . . a rarity of a thriller—one that asks big questions about life and destiny while succeeding in creating [an] eerie sense of reality.”—Shelf Awareness
     
    “Strap in and hold on. . . . When a writer has managed to catch this kind of lightning in a bottle, every reader should experience the full jolt.”—BookPage
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRandom House Publishing Group
    Release dateDec 8, 2015
    ISBN9780345545978
    Unavailable
    Ashley Bell: A Novel
    Author

    Dean Koontz

    <p>Dean Koontz ist in Pennsylvania geboren und aufgewachsen. Er begann parallel zu seiner Tätigkeit als Lehrer zu schreiben. Seine Frau Gerda erkannte schnell sein Talent und unterstützte ihn in den folgenden Jahren finanziell, sodass er sich voll auf seine Karriere als Schriftsteller konzentrieren konnte. Inzwischen wurden seine Werke in 38 Sprachen übersetzt und mehr als 450 Millionen Mal verkauft. Dean lebt mit Gerda und ihrem Golden Retriever Elsa in Südkalifornien.</p>

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    Reviews for Ashley Bell

    3.5/5

    246 ratings41 reviews

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    • 4/5
      If the purpose of a book like this is to be unsettling, then Ashley Bell is a big success. I had to set it aside for a time. The descriptions of someone facing brain cancer hit too close to home for me.

      When I picked it back up, so did the story, careening forward with a well-told and bizarre tale that seemed to be happening in two completely different worlds. Actually, three worlds, because key portions of the story are told in flashback. The author made it easy to keep track of the timeline, all the various characters and made it all interesting with a deepening mystery for the main character to solve.

      This was my first Koontz. It won't be my last.

      Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review.
    • 4/5
      I liked this book overall. I have read just a couple of this prolific author’s books in the past so I didn’t hesitate to add this book to my tbr. Unfortunately, I did hesitate to actually read the book and it has lingered on my digital shelves for years. I decided that it was finally time to dive into this one when I got my hands on a copy of the audiobook and found it to be quite entertaining.

      The story was quite different than I expected it to be and it had me questioning what was real at every turn. I liked Bibi quite a bit and was really curious about how things would work out in the end for her. Bibi goes to the hospital after having some strange medical symptoms only to learn that she has a very rare form of cancer. After being suddenly cured, she is given the task of saving Ashley Bell. People are out to stop her in any way that they can. The story was quite exciting and I loved the fact that anything could happen.

      Suzy Jackson did a fantastic job with the narration of this book. I thought that she did a wonderful job with the various character voices and I found her voice to be very pleasant. I listened to this book for hours at a time without growing tired of her narration. I am certain that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of this book.

      I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a really original and imaginative story. My only complaint was that the book was longer than it should have been and there were several times that I found myself confused but that was quickly resolved. I would like to read more of this author’s work in the future.

      I received a digital review copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group.
    • 3/5
      After a slow start, I ended up enjoying the book. Lots of interesting twists and turns and an ending that made me rewind and listen again.

      I definitely recommend it. It's the third Koontz book I've read (one was when I was a teen, but still) and this one is my favorite.

      I received an advanced copy from NetGalley but ended up getting the audio book later. The narrator did a great job.
    • 3/5
      This is the first novel that I've read by Dean Koontz, so I don't know how close the plot comes to other books that he has written. Ashley Bell certainly defies being pigeon-holed into a particular genre. The book's protagonist, Bibi Blair, finds out early in the story that she has been stricken with an incurable form of brain cancer. Miraculously overnight, she is cured and leaves a baffled hospital staff behind to go to her home, where her parents have sent her the peculiar gift of a masseuse/diviner. She tells Bibi that to keep from being killed by the "Wrong People" and to repay her miracle cure, she must save the life of a girl named Ashley Bell. After that strange encounter, Bibi is thrown into the role of investigator-on-the-run, trying to find out who Ashley Bell is and how she might save her. A major part of this novel revolves around Bibi being an author. Many references are made to authors and stories from both classical and modern literature, which are expertly woven into the narrative. This book is very well written with lots of twists and turns, but from a personal perspective, I find novels that deliver real-life problems with unrealistic solutions to be a kind of cheat. In this novel, Koontz states that real writers don't use a formula and don't know where their characters will take them once the story has begun. That may be true, but in the case of this novel, I didn't find the solution to this character's problems very satisfying.
    • 4/5
      Not my favorite Koontz book, but still a wonderful walk down a twisting path that most of his tales take me on. Love the ending, that it may be continued into a series.
    • 3/5
      Review based on an ARC (Advanced Readers' Copy received for free in exchange for an honest review). Also note, review based on audio version.

      I absolutely loved how this book set itself up. Bibi Blair is a smart but young author with a lot of potential and a little fame. Her fiancé is a special ops type of army-guy on a radio-silent mission when the book starts. Bibi is going about her normal everyday business when she suddenly tastes something funny and begins to feel a tingling along half of her body. A little longer and various bodily functions stop working on that same side. Although I won't say what precisely is revealed, the set-up of the book is that Bibi is told she has some rare, essentially incurable disease.

      She nonetheless recovers quickly and miraculously. Her parents celebrate by sending a psychic/medium to Bibi, telling her to go at it with an open mind. In her experiences with the psychic, it is revealed that Bibi's life was saved in order for her to save another's -- Ashley Bell's. The problem is, Bibi doesn't know any Ashley Bell and the phone book doesn't seem to be helping much.

      Follows is an intense cat and mouse type of thriller, where Bibi is rushing to find and save Ashley Bell while others, who are determined she do no such thing, rush to find her and perhaps end her life. There are elements of the supernatural weaved in as well, as Bibi struggles to understand the various experiences that she has had since she was a little girl. However, because of a memory trick taught to Bibi by her grandfather when she was little, Bibi and the reader are not really sure what those experiences are, or how they affect her current chase... we are only relatively certain that they do.

      And I can't say much more than that because it would be spoiler and I'm anti-spoiler.

      What I loved about the book: the puzzle, the pace (although the audio reader was a bit slow for my preferences, the book's pace was good), and many of the characters. I LOVE Bibi's old professor Solange St. Clair and her old teacher whose name is presently evading me. I also thought that (the bad guy whose name I won't reveal) was well-written and well-done and had a good amount of creepy/angry/disturbing personality. I thought Bibi was a fine, plucky character and her mom was interesting as well. And I also liked her best friend, the brilliant surfer dude. Conversely, I felt that her dad and her fiancé were pretty flat, but I didn't mind that. I didn't think every character needed to be robust. Her grandfather, however, I felt should have been fleshed out a little bit more -- having had such a large role in her childhood, I thought there were some pretty big holes that never felt answered with regard to his life and experiences.

      As for the plot, although I loved the set-up, I felt that it started to waver and ultimately fall a little flat in the end. Not completely, but its end was definitely not as strong as its middle. In fact, I think parts of it could have been better had they merely been resolved a bit more quickly. There comes a point when the reader knows exactly what is happening and is fairly certain how it will all turn out... I thought the book took a little too long to conclude once that point occurred.

      But overall, I still recommend it. I just recommend it with the caveat that it has a somewhat weak ending.

      So overall, a strong THREE out of five stars. Recommended for people who like psychological thrillers with some supernatural elements... with the caveat mentioned above. I also think this probably reads better in a hard copy than the audio version because you can get through it a lot more quickly, and perhaps the lag near the end won't be as noticeable.
    • 4/5
      Fantastic novel, with a surprising twist about 2/3 of the way in. I did NOT see that one coming. I enjoyed this Koontz novel a lot more than I have the past few, mainly for the interesting plot line. The characters were pretty enjoyable, and the strange and other-worldly background kept me coming back to the novel until I was done.
      Also, I must state right away, that the golden that was mentioned in the novel had a VERY SMALL PART IN THE NOVEL. I know a lot of people here on gr, and other reviewing sites, are freaking out about this, because it seems that ALL Koontz novels now seem to have the prerequisite golden involved. (And usually, he has super powers, or is God-like. Or alien). This novel has a *NORMAL* golden in it, with a VERY small part in the novel. He barely even does anything, and just gets mentioned after his death because.....of things I can't get into, without giving some cool stuff away. Just read the novel, and maybe you will be as presently surprised as I was, at how good this novel really is.
      4 stars, very recommended.
    • 4/5
      This title was one I picked up on Net Galley to review, and well, I've taken a little longer to get to it than I like. That being said, I am really happy I got to finally read it cause it was extremely fascinating, thrilling, suspenseful, and imaginative (snicker snicker). There were parts of this book that felt almost Silent Hill-ish, with a bit of a few other really cool things, that I won't mention cause these moments will give away too much of the design. I highly recommend this title.
    • 3/5
      Thanks Wicked Reads for a copy to read and review.


      I have been a Koontz fan since childhood and while this book was creative, it ran to bizarre. His mind is still so vivid with his characters but the storyline took such a sharp dive into fantasy that I'm not sure where it went wrong. I'm not going to spoil this for anyone but the last few chapters to me didn't really make much sense. I loved the odd Thomas books but this book was too far out into fantasyland that eventually I found myself becoming bored. I still don't understand that ending. So it's a fence book. Not sure where to go.
    • 4/5
      Standard Koontz style, very descriptive with bits of paranormal and suspense. Could've done without the last chapter, but overall really enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      Bibi Blair is only 22 but already a published novelist with a wonderful boyfriend: she has loving parents and a golden future – until she’s diagnosed with brain cancer and given only months to live.

      It sounds like the sort of tearjerker churned out by Danielle Steele and the like, but this is written by Dean Koontz and he never churns – in fact, his prose explodes.

      Koontz has not banished the supernatural from his stories entirely, but now the occult element is subtle - although no less deadly, as Bibi discovers when she decides to rescue the mysterious Ashley Bell.
    • 5/5
      Koontz is brilliant at making a 500 page book seem light as a feather. My only problem with speeding through this book was coming to the end of this excellent book.
    • 4/5
      I received this Audio Book in exchange for an HONEST review. Please keep in mind, this is my opinion...yours may differ.

      ASHLEY BELL by DEAN KOONTZ

      I'll try no to ruin the story and avoid as many tell-tale spoilers as I can.

      Ashley Bell is a story about a girl named BB Blair with is a writer with and extraordinary imagination and a bright writing career ahead of her. Then cancer hits and she is told she has less than a year to live...BB decides this will NOT happen to her and she is suddenly cured...or is she? The next few days/weeks are strange for BB and she experiences many people from her past as well as new and strange acquaintances who all seem to be acting oddly causing BB's life to spin further into Weirdness.

      When the story started, I thought it was headed in a completely different direction. Halfway through I started to pick up on hints that my initial thought of the plots direction could possibly be wrong. Then WHAM, Mr. Koontz turned it all in a different direction. When I say WHAM< I don't mean that there was any great shock or thrill to the direction change but rather like a "really, didn't think that would happen, oh well." I did enjoy the story--I enjoy all of Mr. Koontz's stories--but this one is in the mid-to-low area of my "like scale". To be honest, I kinda wish he would have headed in the original direction I had expected...I guess more of a "Odd Thomas" direction. The story of unique but just not completely to my liking. With that being said, I did enjoy the end when Mr. Koontz told about the progress of the "villain" (listen or read and you'll understand).


      For me, audio books are GREAT but sometimes (especially when listening in the car) I miss details and "key plot points". I believe the same occurred with this audio book. My review and opinions could change after I listen to this book again.

      3.5 stars for this one.
    • 3/5
      Bit of a struggle to get through. I felt like it took forever to get through. Interesting plot but very drawn out!!
    • 4/5
      Book Cover:

      Bibi Blair lives by herself, is engaged to a Navy SEAL and has published a novel and several short stories. One day, while sitting at her computer, one side of her body starts to tingle and she realizes something is wrong. Doctors run tests and determine that she has a rare form of brain cancer. Even with chemotherapy, she has at most a year to live. She tells her doctor, “We'll see.” That's when the novel takes off.

      My Thoughts:

      I don't think I will ever get used to the "new and improved Dean Koontz". I long for my old tried and true Dean Koontz and all his wonderful horror glory. In spite of the "gentler" Dean I have to say I really enjoyed the book.

      Blair recovers in spite of her doctors dire predictions and learns through a physic that she has been given the chance to save another woman...Ashley Bell. It seems that was the only reason for her recovery...but who is this woman and what does Blair need to do to save her? There are bad...even evil, people that want to harm Bell, and they see no good reason not to eliminate Blair as well. Complications galore arise when we learn that Blair and Ashley Bell share ties that go back several generations. If one dies...the other may die also.

      The book is filled with wonderful, charismatic characters including a heart-warming golden retriever. Portions of Dean's book profits go to the Golden Retriever Rescue. Even though a major plot changer comes early in the book...it is still a great read.



    • 4/5
      I love Dean Koontz books. He has been one of my favorite authors for many years now. As a former bookseller we used to try to be first to grab the ARCs sent to the store, and always considered ourselves fortunate if we were given one. I was thrilled to receive this latest book as a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an online review. I think Ashley Bell has risen to be one of my top favorite Dean Koontz reads.

      Koontz storytelling captivates me and makes me see images in my head; the descriptive prose and phrases he chooses make me say yes - I get that! Ashley Bell is no exception to this. A book inside a book; a look at the world inside an authors head, and a look inside the authors life; there are so many layers in the story that it's hard to explain, but Ashley Bell made me think about books, my reading and my own imagination in ways that I am not sure I did before. In a way the story reminded me of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart, but more in-depth and more for adult readers. Who has not imagined storybook characters come to life? In Dean Koontz world this can truly happen. Seriously a great, imaginative read.
    • 4/5
      Dean Koontz is an immensely talented writer. Intricate plotting and a master at creating mood and suspense. On top of that, he has a gift for description that is beautiful and lyrical. He can make you pause and reread or listen again to some amazing prose.

      In Ashley Bell, he has created a fascinating protagonist, Bibi Blair. Strong, gifted, and with an indomitable will. Upon a spontaneous recovery from terminal cancer, she is informed that the price for her cure is to save someone named Ashley Bell. Reluctantly coming to believe the truth of this, she begins a quest that takes her deeper and deeper into a surreal adventure. Meanwhile, her fiance, fighting in a war half a world away gets a message that Bibi needs to be saved and comes home to begin a parallel quest to Bibi’s own.

      There is a lot to like in Ashley Bell. Koontz creates an eerie mood that makes you unsettled throughout. A larger than life antagonist to oppose Bibi and a well-defined and interesting supporting cast, from Bibi’s surfer parents, her enigmatic grandfather and laid-back but fiercely loyal best friend Pogo to her former professor Solange St. Croix (the character names in this book are also a blast) as well as several others. Among the obstacles Bibi has to overcome are some of her own memories which have been powerfully blocked.

      Two things work against this being a great book. First, the pace was far too slow. As wonderfully evocative as the language is, it gets in the way of the storytelling sometimes. The pace does pick up in the last quarter of the book, but it took a loooong time to get there. The second thing that I found disappointing was that one of the major surprises was forecast from quite a ways ahead and robbed it of a lot of its punch.

      In spite of some flaws, Ashley Bell is a memorable and enjoyable book. Beautiful language, memorable characters and wonderful atmosphere. All of these things will stick with you for a while. Long-time Koontz fans will not want to miss it and there is plenty to like for new fans.

      I listened to the audio version and Suzy Jackson did an outstanding job of narration. Her voice of main character Bibi perfectly captured how I pictured her and the narration of other characters was distinctive and easy to differentiate. I love a narrator who enhances the story and doesn’t get in the way of it. Recommended read (listen).

      I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.
    • 4/5
      Knowing there would be twists in this tale because it was a Koontz, I guessed several of them early enough on. Bibi is diagnosed with inoperable cancer one day and the next she's clear, she goes on a quest to discover what has happened and to save Ashley Bell.

      Her parents are surfers and she's more sedate but what's happening to her will change her life.

      Not bad, a bit predictable.
    • 5/5
      Brave, beautiful Bibi Blair is a talented and imaginative 22 year old writer who is suddenly afflicted with inoperable, incurable brain cancer. Then after receiving a visit from a mysterious man and dog, she is miraculously cured of the disease. As a celebratory gift, Bibi's parents purchase the services of a masseuse when she returns home who also gives Bibi a psychic reading and discover that the reason that Bibi has survived was to save Ashley Bell's life. Who and where is Ashley Bell? Bibi soon learns that Ashley is being held by an evil man who wants to end both Bibi and Ashley's lives.

      I have been a Dean Koontz fan for much of his career reading a number of his 60+ books. This emotional novel is beautifully written and plays homage to writers. It contained a plot twist, which had my jaw dropping. If you have never read any of Dean Koontz novels, you might want to pick this one up.
    • 3/5
      As a lifelong Dean Koontz fan, I have continued to enjoy his books as his style of writing has changed over the decades. He has moved from horror novels like "Whispers" to books waxing more philosophical about human nature while in keeping with his signature paranormal overtones. (His Odd Thomas series was one of my favorites.)

      On the one hand, "Ashley Bell" is in keeping with the Dean Koontz that I have come to know. The writing is beautiful, the descriptions of scenery and situations written with such perfect words that I could feel myself there in the midst. Just gorgeous, luminous writing.

      On the other hand, the book didn't need to be 576 pages. It got off to a slow start and stayed slow until about 2/3 through the book. For the first 2/3 of the book I was wondering where the story was going to go; the story was sort-of interesting, but not enough to keep me riveted. Then suddenly about 2/3 of the way into the book Koontz has his big reveal and WHAM! was that a doozy. The book took off running from that point, the pace picking up exponentially. The last 1/3 of the book was fast reading, fascinating, imaginative, very entertaining.

      If I'd been able to give a rating with 1/2 star increments, I would have given this book a 3 1/2 rating. However, it's not good enough to be a 4, so I gave it a 3. It's not a bad book by any means, just not as good as I've come to expect from Dean Koontz. And it certainly won't keep me from eagerly anticipating his next novel, whatever and whenever that may be.
    • 4/5
      Ashley Bell is a very interesting story. There were elements that I thought were very much in Koontz style, but overall this seemed to be a great step in a new directions. I found it hard to put down and was anxious to finally find out where the plot was taking me. Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC. I will definitely recommend this title to friends.
    • 4/5
      I am not sure how to describe this book because it has mystery, suspense, fantasy, imagination, human interest and so much more in this 590 page novel. Dean Koontz is a remarkable novelist and this book is intense for the most part. I don’t want to give away spoilers so I will keep this brief. Bibi Blair is a young author who is diagnosed with brain cancer. But while in the hospital she gets a visit from a man and his dog and the cancer is gone. With her parents help, she gets a massage and a reading from physic that opens doors to the other side that gets the pace jumping along with this reader’s heart. Bibi is then on a mission. I was enjoying said story until a major plot point which not only surprised me but also disappointed me. But my disappointment was soon diminished as I continued to read on and let more of the story unfold.
    • 4/5
      Full disclosure – I was given an advanced copy of Ashley Bell with a request for a review.

      Frankly, this is a hard review to write. I’ll say up front that I really liked this book - giving it an overall four stars out of five - but I very nearly didn’t finish it. There are several significant plot twists which take the book in different directions that really messed with my mind. The story develops very well and is enthralling. Then the first plot twist hits and I was so disgusted I had to put the book down. If I had stopped there, I would have given the book two stars. Stick with it, though, because I came back later and it was worth it. The last plot twist isn’t a huge jolt and I think it leaves the story open to a possible series – at least that is my hope. I want more!

      I recommend Ashley Bell to fans of the Odd Thomas series.
    • 5/5
      I am not a regular reader of this author, but I might be changing my opinion of him after reading this book. It kept me mesmerized from the first page to the last! This is the tale of Bibi Blair, a young woman diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She is also a gifted writer with an incredible imagination. It is the combination of these factors that results in one of the most creative tales I have ever read. Every time I think I have the storyline figured out, there is a new twist. The ending leaves me wanting more. I absolutely loved this book!
    • 4/5
      For full disclosure, I am a long-time Dean Koontz fan. I enjoy his writing so much that I read this very long book even though I can’t say it was my favorite Koontz book. The story unfolds as we meet Bibi, her illness, her mission, and then the “wrong people”. Who are they and will she survive something more dangerous than her illness?

      I had no idea where the story was going when it first started, but page by page it branched out, came back together, and then twisted as it increased in intensity. While I like the way the short chapter style gives me the opportunity to mull over the story and take it all in, I thought the way the chapters were presented were too interruptive of the story.

      I liked the characters and think they were well-developed. The surfer dude dialog was a little odd for this Midwesterner, but all of the terms used were explained. As much as I do love reading his books, I do think this one was too long. I also think that there were too many unanswered questions left hanging. Or perhaps by the time I got to the end, I forgot what happened at the beginning!
    • 5/5
      After being diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer and being told she has, at most, one year to live, Bibi Blair miraculously recovers. Bibi believes her recovery is due to a surreptitious wee hour visit by a golden retriever and his enigmatic owner. But there has to be a reason, right? Bibi is led to believe her inexplicable cure was for one reason, to save Ashley Bell.
      Bibi isn’t alone in her search. A memorable cast of characters help or hinder her along the way; from a fascinating concentration camp survivor and the two Hermione’s on the plus side to Dr. Solange de Croix and “he of several names” on the hateful, chilling side. There are also those closest to Bibi, Murph and Nancy, her parents, Captain, her deceased grandfather, Pax, her navy Seal fiancé, and Pogo, her best friend. Each of these and more play a special role helping Bibi attempt the impossible.

      I fell in love with Dean Koontz’s writing when he was using another pen name. He took me to many wondrous places and offered variant views of the world I thought I knew. Sadly, one day he led in a direction I couldn’t follow. While tempted in the intervening years I was gun shy. However, there was that elusive “something” about the ASHLEY BELL blurb that was irresistible. I’m beyond tickled that I took the chance. This is what initially thrilled and drew me.
      Bibi’s quest to find and rescue Ashley Bell was a mystical, mysterious, thrilling ride I’m not likely to forget any time soon. It was impossible to just “simply read” ASHLEY BELL. Bibi’s mission challenged me, took me places, showed me things, and created so many questions; so many what if’s that spiral off each other my brain may never stop trying to unravel them.
      In ASHLEY BELL Mr. Koontz has given life to one of my favorite quotes and Bibi Blair, a heroine readers can relate to and easily imagine themselves as. Bibi is nothing short of magnificent and I sincerely hope to get the opportunity to join her on another quest.

      ASHLEY BELL is hands down one of the top three books I’ve read this year. Kudos.
      Reviewed for Novels Alive TV
    • 4/5
      ibi Blair is a writer, a surfer, an adventurer, a fiancee, a daughter, a friend - and a young woman diagnosed with an incurable form of brain cancer. Given a year to live by her doctor, she replies "We'll see."

      Bibi is the main character in Dean Koontz's newly released novel, Ashley Bell.

      I was a big fan of Dean Koontz's back in the eighties, when I enjoyed a good horror story. I let some years pass before I picked up another of his titles - the first Odd Thomas. And it's been a few more years again. I was intrigued by the marketing campaign for this newest novel. 'Who is Ashley Bell?' That's what Bibi needs do - find Ashley Bell, save her - and her cancer will be cured.

      Koontz is a skilled and imaginative author. His stories are inventive and ask the reader to pay close attention. And you must in Ashley Bell, for nothing is as it seems. The past and the present mix and meld and the reader is never quite sure what is truth and what is fiction. Each new chapter brings a twist to Bibi's search for Ashley Bell. I did have to put the book down a few times - I felt overwhelmed by the numerous descriptive passages and some lengthy diatribes. But I picked it up again as I wanted to see the search for Ashley Bell through to the end. (Although I felt a bit let down by the final pages.

      Koontz's use of slithering sounds, fleeting glimpses and things that go bump in the night are just as, if not more than, frightening than full on, fully viewed terrors. (I'm a little afraid of my Scrabble board now) And it wouldn't be a Dean Koontz book without a golden retriever in it - Olaf in this case

      Although it was a good read, I don't think it quite met the publisher's description as 'The Must Read Thriller of the Year."
    • 5/5
      Wow! Finally! I received an ARC of a Koontz book!!! Excited to finally get one after following Mr. Koontz for 20+ years! I have read almost every book that Koontz has put out there, except for a very few hard to find ones. When I learned of winning this book I was ecstatic!

      In Ashley Bell, Koontz once again draws you in by getting to know the character (BiBi) and gives you parts that you can identify with, and then form a bond with. With certain situations, Koontz also makes you feel, literally, what that character is going through and feeling.

      The book is a page turner, with short chapters and the want-to-know-what-happens-next type of writing. Can't put it down! I won't give away details here, as I do not want to spoil the story for those of you wanting to read the book, but wanting to know if other readers find it worthy. It's WORTHY!!

      Simply, GO GET THIS BOOK! Love a great story like this to read by the fire on a cold few evenings of the beginning of winter! Thank you Mr. Koontz! I will continue to read everything you write!
    • 5/5
      Ashley Bell is my twenty-second Dean Koontz novel, and I’d easily place it in the top quartile of my sizeable sample. I admire Dean’s inventiveness as a storyteller, unafraid to employ different narrative structures in his search for meaning and beauty in a world that is too-often nihilistic and dark. This talent is on full display here, as he takes an irresistible hook (vivacious young author, Bibi Bell, is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer) and leads the reader down a path so disorienting and suspenseful that the line between reality and the imagination becomes impossible to distinguish.

      Soon after her doctor tells Bibi she will succumb to cancer in no more than a year, and she responds with a defiant “we’ll see,” Bibi receives supernatural messages that send her on a quest to save the life of a beautiful teenage girl named Ashley Bell. Along the way, Bibi encounters various authority figures from her life, who inexplicably appear to belong to a Nazi-inspired cult that’s determined to stop Bibi from saving Ashley and hell-bent on taking over where Hitler left off. As her quest becomes increasingly perilous and fantastical, Bibi uncovers clues that help her begin to recover disturbing memories from her childhood, memories so dark and terrible that she had had to banish them from her memory to remain sane. As the reader learns that Bibi’s life and ability to save Ashley depend on her ability to recover those lost memories and use them to her advantage, the suspense mounts to an unbearable level. Indeed, I can’t recall another novel that has made me so eager to unlock its mystery before the big revelation.

      Some will fault this novel for an ending that leaves too much unresolved. I, for one, am hoping this lack of closure portends a sequel, or perhaps another series in the vein of Odd Thomas.
    • 4/5
      I've really started to like Dean Koontz books again. When I was in my 20's - I absolutely LOVED his books ("Watchers" especially). They were fantastic stories and there were many nights that I simply couldn't put the book down and stayed up far too late reading.

      Then, my tastes started to move away from great stories and moved towards well-written literature and Koontz was not often on my "must read" list. Recently, though, I liked the Odd Thomas books (those I actually listened to on CD) and I read "Wilderness" and "Innocence" and was shocked at how well written and heartbreakingly lovely they were.

      When I picked up "Ashley Bell" and one tagline said "The girl who said no to death" - another said "A Literary Phenomenon" - I wasn't sure which type of Koontz book I was getting into.

      The answer is a bit of both. This is certainly a thriller, but one that has social commentary laced throughout, "The moment seemed too genre-movie to be taken seriously, but many of the least credible movie villains of the past few decades had in recent years manifested in the real world, as over-the-top as any sociopath portrayed by any scenery-chewing actor.”

      It's also a story of strength of will. Of the determination one person can have to either deny of accept the truth. The truth not only about themselves but the truth of the world they think they know with the world that actually exists. How hard it is to fully discover who we are and how we each fit into that world.

      “Or maybe it was another veil rotting by the moment, a veil between her life as she believed it to have been and her life as it truly had been, between what she was and what she could be. The abyss on the brink of which she stood was the truth.”

      And it is a story of love. The story of the fierce love that a young woman has for her parents, her boyfriend, her childhood friend, her grandfather. Her intense and unwavering love for the beautiful, awe-inspiring, majestic and astounding world we live in. Bib Blair, the main character, is an incredibly strong woman, both in body and certainly in spirit and imagination, and she drives this novel through some very intense and emotional events. Her mind and her heart are the core of this book.

      “Home is where the heart is. No, nothing quite as simple as that. Home is where you struggle, in a world of endless struggle, to become the best you can be, and it becomes home in your heart only if one day you can look back and say that, in spite of all your faults and failures, it was in this special place where you began to see, however dimly, the shape of your soul.”

      If, in the end, and after a gob-smack of a twist in the middle of the story, the ending seemed a bit too easy and one that seemed designed to just slap a pretty bow on things, this was a good story and I enjoyed it a great deal.