Chase (The Strange Highways Collection)By Dean Koontz; Read by Chris Sarandon
4 Cassettes - Approx. 6 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Time Warner AudioBooks
Published: 1995
ISBN: 1570422990
Themes: / Suspense / Psychology / Mystery / NeoNazi / Pedophilia / Noir Fiction /
"Everybody's damaged, some are just damaged too much, far too much. Open wide for me."
Koontz throws almost everything but the kitchen sink at his titular character Benjamin Chase... he's got post-traumatic stress disorder, rampant alchohlism, paranoia, suicidal depression and oh ya, someone threatening to kill him on top of all that. A Vietnam vet, Chase won the congressional medal of honor and was honorably discharged. But he left the military with a strong suggestion of intensive psychological therapy. Possesing a local celebrity he'd rather not have Chase is being treated, but his psychiartrist isn't only concerned with Chase's mental health. Worse, after Chase finds himself atop a notorious lover's lane hangout he rescues a young woman from a close call with a psychopath. When he returns home a myserious voice on the phone threatens him. Balancing all this out is a decent woman who offers Chase a calm he hasn't had in years. Originally written as a short novel back in 1972 Chase was re-written for this collection. I never read the original (written back in 1972 under Koontz' K. R. Dwyer psuedonym) but this version is is a tight and smoothly written. Also included in this set is a short story from 1980s entitled Down In The Darkness. It is the first person story of a seemingly innocuous Latino resturant owner, another Vietnam vet by the way, and the terrible door that leads to his basement. Yup, it is pure Koontz! The two tales run interesting parralells and this is a good match up. If you're a fan of noir endings, these two have got em.
Screen actor, and narrator Chris Sarandon doesn't try to wring all the accents he could out of these two stories, but the story flows well under his narration. Koontz is just as good in small does as he is in large. Crisp writing, clever characterization. This one's worth tracking down.
Screen actor, and narrator Chris Sarandon doesn't try to wring all the accents he could out of these two stories, but the story flows well under his narration. Koontz is just as good in small does as he is in large. Crisp writing, clever characterization. This one's worth tracking down.
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