A horror author I’m glad I gave a chance – thanks to Chandra bothering me enough. Back in high school someone told me he was better than Stephen King and I was wrong for liking him. So, out of spite, I never picked up his books. Well, more than a decade later, I find that I really do enjoy his books and that they are vastly different than King’s.
A big thank you to Thomas & Mercer for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review
THE BAD WEATHER FRIEND – Dean Koontz (Released January 23rd, 2024)
Book Description:
Benny is so nice they feel compelled to destroy him, but he has a friend who should scare the hell out of them.
Benny Catspaw’s perpetually sunny disposition is tested when he loses his job, his reputation, his fiancée, and his favorite chair. He’s not paranoid. Someone is out to get him. He just doesn’t know who or why. Then Benny receives an inheritance from an uncle he’s never heard of: a giant crate and a video message. All will be well in time.
How strange—though it’s a blessing, his uncle promises. Stranger yet is what’s inside the crate. He’s a seven-foot-tall self-described “bad weather friend” named Spike whose mission is to help people who are just too good for this world. Spike will take care of it. He’ll find Benny’s enemies. He’ll deal with them. This might be satisfying if Spike wasn’t such a menacing presence with terrifying techniques of intimidation.
In the company of Spike and a fascinated young waitress-cum-PI-in-training named Harper, Benny plunges into a perilous high-speed adventure, the likes of which never would have crossed the mind of a decent guy like him.
My Thoughts: 4/5 stars
“Beware of fair-weather friends.They come to you when the sky is crystal clear and disappear when the same sky is overcast with dark clouds,” but what about your bad weather friends? I know I have a handful of friends I can count on no matter what, and sometimes that’s all you need.
Benny and his sunny disposition are being tested and the worst way. He loses his job, his fiancée leaves him, his reputation is ruined, and to top it all off, he loses his favorite chair. That last one would be the straw that got me. Then, a crate appears on his doorstep. Inside the crate is a final gift from his uncle with the promise that everything will get better.
Meet Spike, the Craggle. What’s a craggle, you ask? Well, you just need to read to figure that out, but he’s the self-proclaimed bad weather friend. He is there to protect the truly good in the world and snuff out the evil. The dynamic between these two is phenomenal.
It’s a Koontz book, so you know the dialogue is great and plenty of witt and humor throughout. There’s more mystery than horror in this book, but there are supernatural elements. The flashbacks to Benny’s past – the poor guy has been through so much trauma, but he’s still such a perpetually happy and positive guy.
The story was engaging, and the characters were fun – I just couldn’t stop. Plenty of odd and twisty things wait for you inside this book, and you should have a great time.
Jessicamap Reviews 