Short description
A thrilling drama that pulls aside the surface of reality
Long description
When Dylan O'Connor pulls into a motel off the Arizona interstate highway, all he wants to do is relax with his autistic brother Shep, and get a good night's sleep. Yet within the hour he finds himself bound, gagged and being injected with some mysterious fluid by a 'doctor' who claims that Dylan will be the carrier for 'his life's work'. Meanwhile, comedian Jillian Jackson is midway through her tour of seedy cocktail lounges and and second-rate comedy clubs. Her plans for stardom are dramatically altered, however, when she too falls victim to the eccentric scientist, who makes off with her beloved Cadillac. The doctor warns his victims that he is being pursued and that they too are now targets. If they're caught, they'll be killed. Both are sceptical, but when three black Chevrolet Suburbans come screaming into the motel carpark and Jillian's car is found in flames, they begin to wonder if the lunatic doctor wasn't so mad after all...
Review
Prolific novelist Dean Koontz follows his bestselling novels One Door Away From Heaven and From The Corner Of His Eye with this tense, dramatic challenge to the imagination. The thrilling action occurs in contemporary America amidst the magnificent and varied scenery of Arizona and California. At the motel where comedienne Jillian Jackson is unwillingly allied to the O'Connor brothers in extremely bizarre circumstances, a decent night's rest is the last thing on their minds. Comparing experiences, they realize that a weird doctor has injected them with a mysterious serum and stolen Jillian's Cadillac. Warned that their lives are in danger because of what they now carry in their veins, they decide to flee. Dylan loads Shepherd, his autistic younger brother, and the now stranded Jillian into the car containing his artist's supplies and their luggage. Leaving the motel they pass Jillian's Cadillac, now in flames, surrounded by vehicles and men all similar enough to be clones in a Terminator film. Dylan and Jillian reluctantly cooperate in order to escape the mayhem that now follows them. Their relationship is awkward but they gain a grudging respect for one another and Jillian establishes a rapport with Shepherd. Both need all the resources they have amassed in their travels to survive. As well as catering for Shepherd's obsessions they have to adjust to the havoc that the mysterious serum wreaks upon their minds. Arguing and cajoling by turns, terrified and frustrated, they keep on running, supporting one another in a fantastic race with death. The dialogue and tension between the main characters enhances this thrilling drama and the reader is glued to the page throughout, praying for a happy ending despite all the evidence to the contrary. A gripping and original novel. (Kirkus UK)