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Deeply Odd (Odd Thomas) Hardcover – May 28, 2013
The pistol appeared in his hand the way a dove appears in the hand of a good magician, as if it materialized out of thin air. “You think I won’t do it right here in the open. But you’d be surprised. . . . You’ll drop before you get the breath to scream.”
The truck driver is decked out like a rhinestone cowboy, only instead of a guitar he’s slinging a gun—and Odd Thomas is on the wrong end of the barrel. Though he narrowly dodges a bullet, Odd can’t outrun the shocking vision burned into his mind . . . or the destiny that will drive him into a harrowing showdown with absolute evil.
DEEPLY ODD
How do you make sure a crime that hasn’t happened yet, never does? That’s the critical question facing Odd Thomas, the young man with a unique ability to commune with restless spirits and help them find justice and peace. But this time, it’s the living who desperately need Odd on their side. Three helpless innocents will be brutally executed unless Odd can intervene in time. Who the potential victims are and where they can be found remain a mystery. The only thing Odd knows for sure is who the killer will be: the homicidal stranger who tried to shoot him dead in a small-town parking lot.
With the ghost of Alfred Hitchcock riding shotgun and a network of unlikely allies providing help along the way, Odd embarks on an interstate game of cat and mouse with his sinister quarry. He will soon learn that his adversary possesses abilities that may surpass his own and operates in service to infinitely more formidable foes, with murder a mere prelude to much deeper designs. Traveling across a landscape haunted by portents of impending catastrophe, Odd will do what he must and go where his path leads him, drawing ever closer to the dark heart of his long journey—and, perhaps, to the bright light beyond.
Praise for Deeply Odd and Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas series
“Not since Watchers has Dean Koontz created such an endearing and enduring character as Odd Thomas. . . . One of our contemporary masters.”—San Antonio Express-News
“[A] popular series . . . Koontz asks real questions about the nature of good and evil.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Odd evokes the homespun wisdom of Forrest Gump amid the mind-spinning adventures of a Jack Bauer. . . . The ultimate Everyman . . . an avatar of hope and honor and courage for all of us—the linchpin of a rollicking good tale.”—BookPage
“There’s never anything predictable about an Odd Thomas adventure. Another satisfying entry in this wildly popular series. It’s Koontz, and it’s Odd. Class dismissed.”—Booklist
- Print length352 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBantam
- Publication dateMay 28, 2013
- Dimensions6.43 x 1.22 x 9.53 inches
- ISBN-100553807730
- ISBN-13978-0553807738
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Review
“Not since Watchers has Dean Koontz created such an endearing and enduring character as Odd Thomas. . . . One of our contemporary masters.”—San Antonio Express-News
“[A] popular series . . . Koontz asks real questions about the nature of good and evil.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Odd evokes the homespun wisdom of Forrest Gump amid the mind-spinning adventures of a Jack Bauer. . . . The ultimate Everyman . . . an avatar of hope and honor and courage for all of us—the linchpin of a rollicking good tale.”—BookPage
“There’s never anything predictable about an Odd Thomas adventure. Another satisfying entry in this wildly popular series. It’s Koontz, and it’s Odd. Class dismissed.”—Booklist
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Before dawn, I woke in darkness to the ringing of a tiny bell, the thimble-size bell that I wore on a chain around my neck: three bursts of silvery sound, a brief silence after each. I was lying on my back in bed, utterly motionless, yet the bell rang three times again. The vibrations that shivered through my bare chest seemed much too strong to have been produced by such a tiny clapper. A third set of three rings followed, and then only silence. I waited and wondered until dawn crept down the sky and across the bedroom windows.
Later that morning in early March, when I walked downtown to buy blue jeans and a few pairs of socks, I met a guy who had a .45 pistol and a desire to commit a few murders. From that encounter, the day grew uglier as surely as the sun moved from east to west.
My name is Odd Thomas. I have accepted my oddness. And I am no longer surprised that I am drawn to trouble as reliably as iron to a magnet.
Nineteen months ago, when I was twenty, I should have been riddled with bullets in that big-news shopping-mall shoot-out in Pico Mundo, a desert town in California. They say that I saved a lot of people in my hometown. Yet many died. I didn’t. I have to live with that.
Stormy Llewellyn, the girl I loved more than life itself, was one of those who died that day. I saved others, but I couldn’t save her. I have to live with that, too. Living is the price I pay for failing her, a high price that must be paid every morning that I wake.
In the nineteen months since that day of death, I have traveled in search of the meaning of my life. I learn by going where I have to go.
Currently I rented a quaint, furnished three-bedroom cottage in a quiet coastal town a couple of hundred miles from Pico Mundo. The front porch faced the sea, and yellow bougainvillea cascaded across half the roof.
Annamaria, whom I had known only since late January, occupied one of the bedrooms. She appeared to be ready to give birth in about a month, but she claimed that she had been pregnant for a long time and insisted that she would be pregnant longer still.
Although she said many things that I failed to understand, I believed that she always spoke the truth. She was mysterious but not deceptive.
We were friends, never paramours. A lover who is enigmatic will most likely prove to be a cataclysm waiting to happen. But a charming friend whose usual warmth is raveled through with moments of cool inscrutability can be an intriguing companion.
The morning when I set out on a shopping expedition, Annamaria followed me as far as the porch. She said, “Daylight savings time doesn’t start for another five days.”
At the bottom of the steps, I turned to look at her. She wasn’t a beauty, but she wasn’t plain, either. Her clear pale skin appeared to be as smooth as soap, and her large dark eyes, which reflected the sparkling sea, seemed as deep as galaxies. In sneakers, gray-khaki pants, and a baggy sweater, she was so petite that she might have been a child dressed in her father’s clothes.
Not sure why she had mentioned daylight savings time, I said, “I won’t be long. I’ll be back hours before sunset.”
“Darkness doesn’t fall to a predictable schedule. Darkness can overwhelm you any time of the day, as you know too well.”
She once told me that there are people who want to kill her. Although she had said no more and had not identified her would-be murderers, I believed that she was as truthful about this as about all other things.
“I’ll stay here if you’re in danger.”
“You’re the one in danger, young man. Here or there, anywhere, you’re the one perpetually on the cliff’s edge.”
She was eighteen, and I was nearly twenty-two, but when she called me young man, it always felt right. She possessed an air of timelessness, as if she might have lived in any century of recorded history, or in all of them.
“Do what you must,” she said, “but come back to us.”
Do what you must sounded ominously significant, not the language one might use to send a friend off to buy socks.
From behind Annamaria and beyond a window, Tim watched solemnly. Crowding close to him on the left and right, paws on the windowsill, gazing out at me, were our two dogs, a golden retriever named Raphael and a white German shepherd named Boo. Only nine years old, Tim had been with us for over one month, after we rescued him from an estate called Roseland, in the sleepy town of Montecito. I’ve written about that ordeal in a previous volume of these memoirs. We were his only family now. Because of his unique history, we would soon need to fabricate an identity into which he could grow in the years to come.
My life is as odd as my name.
Tim waved at me. I waved at Tim.
Just before stepping out of the house, I had asked the boy if he wanted to accompany me. But with a benign smile, Annamaria had said that neither Xerxes nor Leonidas had invited small children to accompany them to Thermopylae.
In 480 b.c., three hundred Spartans under the command of Leonidas had for a while held at bay two hundred thousand Persians under Xerxes in the battle of Thermopylae, before being slaughtered. I failed to see the similarity between my modest shopping expedition and one of the fiercest military engagements in history.
Even though it is always fruitless to seek an explanation from Annamaria when she makes such baffling statements, I considered asking for amplification. But she had opened the door for me, had waved me out of the kitchen, followed me onto the porch, and stood smiling at me as I looked back at her from the bottom of the steps. The moment to press her for elucidation seemed to have passed.
Annamaria’s smile is so comforting that, in its radiance, you can almost believe that this world offers nothing more threatening than what you’d find in Pooh Corner—in spite of her references to the slaughter of the Spartans.
I said, “The bell rang last night.”
“Yes, I know.”
I didn’t think she could have heard it from her room, through two closed doors.
Previously she had told me that if the bell rang in the night, we would soon thereafter move on to a new place.
She said, “I’ll see you again when the wind blows the water white and black,” and she turned away, retreating into the cottage.
Beyond the beach, the sea spread blue to the horizon. The day remained still and mild, and the sky was so clear that it seemed I should be able to discern the stars in spite of the sunshine that concealed them.
Not mystified but certainly bewildered, I walked north half a mile to the heart of the village, with a wariness that I hadn’t felt minutes earlier. Shaded by ancient California live oaks, the downtown shopping area was a three-lane street flanked by just six blocks of stores, restaurants, and quaint inns. If you wanted a real town, you had to go up the coast to Santa Barbara.
I didn’t know that a guy would soon offer to neuter me or that he would be carrying a pistol fitted with a sound suppressor. I have a psychic gift that occasionally includes a prophetic dream, but when awake, I do not see moments of the future.
When I first noticed the truck that pricked my curiosity, I did not realize that a formidable enemy was behind the steering wheel. I didn’t even get a glimpse of the driver.
My unrelenting curiosity has gotten me in big trouble. It has also saved my butt a lot of times. On balance, it’s a plus. And it isn’t true that curiosity killed the cat. Usually, cats are done in by coyotes or Peterbilts.
Anyway, my curiosity is part of my gift, my sixth sense. I am compelled to indulge it.
The truck was an eighteen-wheel ProStar+. The cool-looking, aerodynamic tractor with the massive grille and lizard-eye headlights was painted red and black with sparkly silver striping. The black trailer bore no corporate logo or advertising.
As I reached the shopping district, the eighteen-wheeler cruised past me, into the heart of the village, heading north. Without realizing what I was doing, I picked up my pace to a racewalk. When the ProStar+ braked at a stop sign, I almost caught up with it.
As the behemoth accelerated across the intersection, I began to run, which was when I realized that I knew intuitively something about the truck must be evil.
Well, not the ProStar+ itself. I’m not one who believes that a vehicle can be possessed by a demonic spirit and, driverless, speed around town to run down people for the thrill of tasting blood with its tires, any more than I believe that Herbie, the Volkswagen in that series of Disney movies, had a mind of its own with a desire to bring lovers together and to thwart villains. If you believe the former, you have to believe the latter, and the next thing you know, you’ll be taking your Ford, with its sexy GPS voice, to the car wash just to see her naked and soapy.
I fell rapidly behind the truck, but then, near the northern end of the village, it turned left off the street, toward a supermarket. If the driver had been making a delivery, he would have gone behind the building to the loading dock. Instead, he pulled to a stop across several parking spaces at the end of the lot nearest to the street.
By the time I reached the eighteen-wheeler, where it stood in the trembling shade of a row of breeze-stirred eucalyptuses, it was unattended. Catching my breath, I walked slowly around the vehicle, looking it over.
My intuition bristled like the hackles on a dog. Heightened intuition is part of my sixth sense.
The day was mild, the breeze mellow, but the area immediately around the truck was colder than could be explained by eucalyptus shade alone. When I put the palm of one hand against the sidewall of the trailer, it felt as though the driver had pulled off the road to wait out a blinding snow squall at high elevation.
This wasn’t what truckers called a reefer, which hauled frozen food. No refrigeration unit was mounted on the front wall of the trailer, behind the tractor.
Product details
- Publisher : Bantam; First Edition (May 28, 2013)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0553807730
- ISBN-13 : 978-0553807738
- Item Weight : 1.35 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.43 x 1.22 x 9.53 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #250,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #337 in Ghost Thrillers
- #14,798 in American Literature (Books)
- #15,850 in Suspense Thrillers
- Customer Reviews:
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Deeply Odd (Odd Thomas)
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About the author
Dean Koontz, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirits of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers enjoy the book and find it enjoyable. They describe the storytelling as entertaining and interesting. The characters are described as interesting, different, and unassuming. The humor is praised as hilarious and witty. Readers appreciate the deeper philosophy of life and new concepts introduced in the world. Overall, they praise the author's writing style.
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Customers enjoy the book series. They find the books wonderful and surprising, with each one being a great read.
"...Some of the humor, for me, was very subtle but just a great enjoyment...." Read more
"...Well, Deeply Odd cures that and then some. This is easily the best book in the series since the original and I'll give two reasons why I feel that..." Read more
"...it will be what he has been moving toward since that first wonderful and surprising book, "Odd Thomas."..." Read more
"...He loved the book and they started their own book exchange between themselves to share...." Read more
Customers enjoy the storytelling. They find the book entertaining, with an amazing adventure and interesting happenings. Readers describe it as a riveting, unputdownable tale of good versus evil.
"...All in all, the book was filled, with suspense, humor and most of all, questions...." Read more
"...In recent years he's evolved into a writer who not only tells a great story but who can also be relied on to create a deeper "layer" or "current"..." Read more
"...He's caring, kind, thoughtful, loyal, and devastatingly funny...." Read more
"...like stories on the "strange" side of things he is the ultimate story teller and my absolute favorite author!!!!!!!!..." Read more
Customers enjoy the character development. They find the characters interesting and unassuming, with a sweet and childlike personality. The plot is strong without sacrificing character drive.
"...He's a respectful young man which adds to his charm, always addressing his elders as "M'am" or "Sir"...." Read more
"...in Odd Thomas, the first book in this series - creating a great protagonist that was heroic, witty, loyal, but also a bit flawed...." Read more
"...and much of that is due to the introduction of some new and interesting characters, and the hints of what may come in the next book, which I have..." Read more
"A crazy adventure. Full of twists and turns. New characters are amazing. Absolutely love Edie...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's humor. They find the protagonist witty and endearing. The book stirs their emotions and is gripping.
"...I loved the humor thrown in here, some of it very subtle which gave the reader a break from the darkness of the novel...." Read more
"...book in this series - creating a great protagonist that was heroic, witty, loyal, but also a bit flawed...." Read more
"...He's caring, kind, thoughtful, loyal, and devastatingly funny...." Read more
"...with being somewhat of a "horror" Author also has the most incredible sense of humor and I am so glad that he has brought that along with these books..." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's insights. They find it provides clues about who Odd is and a deeper philosophy of life than the simple hero cycle. It introduces new concepts to the world, with action, twists, and mysteries. Readers praise the introspective and fascinating Odd, as well as the author's clever storytelling style. The book answers many questions and leaves many more unanswered.
"...in all, the book was filled, with suspense, humor and most of all, questions...." Read more
"...Mr. Koontz’s ability to describe the scenes, its nuances, the fear and anxiety, perfect. On to the next…" Read more
"...his pedantic impulses, I enjoyed and appreciated how Odd's careful self-analysis, how defining what he believes helps him adjust to what he..." Read more
"...Even if this is your first Odd novel there are plenty of clue ins as to who he is and the adventure speaks on its own...." Read more
Customers appreciate the author's writing. They find the book well-written and enjoyable. Readers describe the author as talented and a gifted writer.
"By far Dean Koontz is my favorite contemporary author...." Read more
"...the last finally is published has been done by a man that is incredibly talented and with such a gift that most of us only dream of having.. All i..." Read more
"Love Dean Koontz and Odd Thomas one of my favorite characters. I have read the other books in this series. Laugh out loud with a horror element." Read more
"...bandges and reveal a healed and vibrant sky." For me, Dean Koontz is unparalleled! Buy his books if you love excellent writing and fun stories." Read more
Customers have different views on the writing style. Some find it imaginative and engaging, with a nice flow and great detail. Others feel the writing is too descriptive and vague, leaving parts unclear or puzzling.
"...I loved the humor thrown in here, some of it very subtle which gave the reader a break from the darkness of the novel...." Read more
"...to his ability to scare the bejeebers out of me, he always writes with compassion, and with a great respect and love for the women in his stories...." Read more
"...You got the distinct impression that this book was merely a filler for more to come...." Read more
"...Absolutely love Edie. Mr. Koontz’s ability to describe the scenes, its nuances, the fear and anxiety, perfect. On to the next…" Read more
Customers have different views on the book's pace. Some find it fast-paced and suspenseful from beginning to end, while others feel it drags a bit.
"...two points in Deeply Odd - but from that moment forward the pace was relentless and everything that had seemed random began to take shape and gain..." Read more
"...lot more of those than usual this time around, and I felt it slowed the book down a bit...." Read more
"What a ride from beginning to end, this one. Stirred all the emotions and was very gripping! Definitely recommend! Amazing" Read more
"...I find it ironic, however, that is was so slow going and took me about a week to plod through, but when I finally hit Chapter 27 or 28, when Odd..." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2013I had a lot of fun reading Deeply Odd. Koontz brought back a lot of what I enjoyed in the original Odd Thomas, even though it's clear that the evil is getting darker and darker through the series.
This time he encounters Satanists who have some paranormal power which makes it that much more difficult for Odd to fight the evil. Gradually, against his wishes, Odd has had to resort to using guns in his battles and he makes it clear that he this is something he doesn't want to do, but he needs more than his wit and cleverness to battle these bad guys.
Koontz illustrates this ironically and with a humorous tone. The first time Odd stands against the "the rhinestone cowboy" he fights him by throwing apples at him in a supermarket. I loved this scene. But by the end of the novel Odd has to have a few more resources than his pitching arm. This had me laughing throughout the book and was one of the main sources of humor and ironic at the same time.
I loved the humor thrown in here, some of it very subtle which gave the reader a break from the darkness of the novel. As Odd has evolved in these six novels the depth of the evil has also evolved so we need that breather of humor. Some of the humor, for me, was very subtle but just a great enjoyment. Throughout the series Odd Thomas points out that he is just a fry-cook, refuses to see himself or have others see him as a hero. He's a respectful young man which adds to his charm, always addressing his elders as "M'am" or "Sir". This becomes a humorous point in Deeply Odd when he meets a new friend, Edie Fishcher, who keeps telling him to call her Edie but his response is always, "Yes, m'am, Mrs. Fischer. (I am looking forward to seeing Fischer and her friends in the next volume).
We know that Koontz has been building to a finale of the series, by his own words, where he like J.K. Rowling has announced just how many books will be in the series. But we also get a sense of it as Odd Thomas is rushing to his destiny. I love the use of the spirits who appear to him, first Elvis, then Frank Sinatra and now Alfred Hitchcock. I loved Hitch and his spirit antics in this book. I think maybe Dean Koontz is paying a real homage to the masterful director. Hitchcock makes his appearances much like he did in his movies and tv shows. If you are old enough to have watched the Hitchcock tv programs you will appreciate this.
All in all, the book was filled, with suspense, humor and most of all, questions. Many of these questions remain unanswered by the end of the book which makes me frustrated... simply because I can't wait for the release of the next and final book in the series.
As many other reviewers have suggested, to get the full enjoyment of this book you need to read the other Odd Thomas books... at least the first one if you can't wait to get to this one.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2013Dean Koontz wrote some great horror books early in his career. In recent years he's evolved into a writer who not only tells a great story but who can also be relied on to create a deeper "layer" or "current" beneath the surface of the book that serves to inspire or exalt morality and virtuous behavior. Koontz did this masterfully in Odd Thomas, the first book in this series - creating a great protagonist that was heroic, witty, loyal, but also a bit flawed.
I enjoyed the subsequent books in the series, but I also felt in the most recent ones that Odd Thomas lacked direction and growth in terms of his character. Well, Deeply Odd cures that and then some. This is easily the best book in the series since the original and I'll give two reasons why I feel that way:
1. Odd Thomas gives voice to his most overwhelming need - redemption. It's been a constant theme of course that he saved lives in the original book but lost Stormy - however, it's never been this in-depth or articulated so well. In Deeply Odd you can literally feel how pained Odd is and how much he craves redemption, even though he doesn't believe it is possible.
2. Odd Thomas' journey in the last few books was so random at times that I was frustrated at the lack of growth in his character, but now ... we find out how all of his adventures have been building up to one great purpose - his journey has a destination, and everything to this point (and including the storyline in Deeply Odd) has been preparing him for the final book in the series. Without including a spoiler, suffice it to say that Odd Thomas' journey is set to come full circle.
It took me 175 pages or so before I began to appreciate these two points in Deeply Odd - but from that moment forward the pace was relentless and everything that had seemed random began to take shape and gain meaning.
A couple other notes (without spoiling anything) for readers already immersed in the world of Odd Thomas - it's pretty subtle but if you read closely between the lines then I think there's a big reveal about Annamaria near the end of the book that could play a major role in Odd's future; and Alfred Hitchcock does something pretty cool, as well.
For readers who are new to the world of Odd Thomas: I noticed other reviewers suggested that if you've never read an Odd Thomas book then you should probably read the others first - however, I'd put it this way: if you're willing to suspend your disbelief at the randomness of the universe then you'll be just fine reading this book. Two examples: one, if it bothers you that when Odd is running from a bad guy he just happens to cross paths with a gang of bank robbers who leave keys in the getaway car, then you might be distracted from the finer points of the book; and two, if the first randomly convenient car bugs you but doesn't keep you from plowing forward, then the elderly woman who shows up in a limousine and asks Odd to be her chauffer at the next instance in which he is in desperate need of wheels might. Just suspend your disbelief - his name is Odd for a reason - and you'll enjoy this book.
Top reviews from other countries
- Christine LincsReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 25, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting
I as introduced to Dean Koontz by my husband who has read most of his books. I starts with the Jane Hawk series which was brilliant then hubby suggested the Odd Thomas series. I've been reading them back to back. Absolutely great. I devour books whether classics or thrillers and all in between. They have to be well written and Dean Koontz is a great find. Have a list of go books written down so I don't forget them. Totally recommend this series! One to go......
- Aishwarya SinghReviewed in India on August 17, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read love it
I kove it
- Glenn FlavellReviewed in Australia on July 28, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars great read
great product arrived early
- Laura HillmanReviewed in Canada on March 16, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars I Love Odd!!!!
The Odd Thomas books are awesome...funny, exciting and always interesting...Just make sure you start at the beginning with the first one...I know you will enjoy every one of them and I hope there are more to come!!!!
- M. KremerReviewed in Germany on July 31, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars a better Odd
After some weaker Odd Thomas adventures this one is a good read. Beside the enigmatic Anna-Marie we get to know a Mrs. Fisher likewise enigmatic as are her friends. I wonder how the Odd Thomas series is going to end in December. This book I can recommend.