The Good Guy *Hardcover*

by Dean Koontz | Mystery & Thrillers |
ISBN: 9780553804812 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wss4 of Branford, Florida USA on 6/29/2007
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5 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wss4 from Branford, Florida USA on Friday, June 29, 2007
Got this through my wishlist at PBS

~~~

From the Publisher
Timothy Carrier, having a beer after work at his friend’s tavern, enjoys drawing eccentric customers into amusing conversations. But the jittery man who sits next to him tonight has mistaken Tim for someone very different—and passes to him a manila envelope full of cash.

“Ten thousand now. You get the rest when she’s gone.”

The stranger walks out, leaving a photo of the pretty woman marked for death, and her address. But things are about to get worse. In minutes another stranger sits next to Tim. This one is a cold-blooded killer who believes Tim is the man who has hired him.

Thinking fast, Tim says, “I’ve had a change of heart. You get ten thousand—for doing nothing. Call it a no-kill fee.” He keeps the photo and gives the money to the hired killer. And when Tim secretly follows the man out of the tavern, he gets a further shock: the hired killer is a cop.

Suddenly, Tim Carrier, an ordinary guy, is at the center of a mystery of extraordinary proportions, the one man who can save an innocent life and stop a killer far more powerful than any cop…and as relentless as evil incarnate. But first Tim must discover within himself the capacity for selflessness, endurance, and courage that can turn even an ordinary man into a hero, inner resources that will transform his idea of who he is and what it takes to be The Good Guy.


Journal Entry 2 by wss4 from Branford, Florida USA on Wednesday, August 1, 2007
This was another book in a string of books by Koontz that tends to follow the same path. Reminiscent of 'The Husband' this book is about a man, who is unknowingly dragged into a circumstance that he would rahter have no part of but handles brilliantly. Tim Carrier is just another guy having a drink in a friend's bar when he is approached by a man and mistakenly identified as a hit-man. Then a few moments later as he is trying to digest what is has just happened to him, he is mistakenly identified by the real hit-man as the person who has contacted him about a job. This sets Tim on a path of intrigue and danger that a normal mason would be ill equipped to handle. But then Tim is so much more than he appears to be at first glance.

I like how Koontz introduced us to the main characters with very little information about them, and throughout the book adds a few more details at a time, until finally we see who Tim and Linda really are. I enjoyed the book and really liked the way that everything was tied together in the end.

An enjoyable read, by one of my favorite authors, even if he does seem to have mellowed a bit with age. I enjoyed his earlier books that had elements of supernatural, but these books recently, that are basically thrillers, are okay.

Journal Entry 3 by wss4 at on Saturday, October 6, 2007

Released 16 yrs ago (10/6/2007 UTC) at

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Sending this to Potok-fan who won it in the Fort Holders Swap back in July at BookObsessed.com.

Happy Reading!!

Journal Entry 4 by potok-fan from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Friday, October 12, 2007
Arrived today! Thank you - I had forgotten about this one, but now that I read the flap I remember. Looks interesting!

Journal Entry 5 by potok-fan from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Friday, November 2, 2007
For most of the book, this was a fairly standard thriller, but written with grace of prose which I thoroughly enjoyed, although I’m so sensitive and delicate that I could have done with less description of the bad guy’s inner thoughts, plans, and necessary urinating. Ewww. Sorry. Back to the enjoyable prose and fun asides: Compared to the aging [houses in Laguna Beach], the land under them had such value that every house sold would be torn down regardless of its condition and its charm, to make way for a larger residence. Southern California was shedding all its yesterdays. When the future proved to be a cruel place, no evidence of a better past would exist, and therefore the loss would be less painful.

However, the end of this book blew itself out of proportion. The massive conspiracy, the hero who needs to be not just a good guy but an awesomely powerful *and* good-to-his-inner-core-and-right-down-to-his-socks guy, the bad guy who is sick and twisted *and* has an entire arsenal at his disposal... Ok. I can just about accept that that’s what the thriller genre has come to require. But the very final twist baffled me (select white text to read spoiler: How did Tim know the president’s mother? And why should I believe that she can arrange a meeting that stays under the radar of these otherwise all-powerful, tentacles-everywhere goons?

While I’m in the spoiler section, I still don’t find it plausible that these guys couldn’t just have destroyed all the coffeehouse photographs and drummed up a doppleganger for one of the two baddies. “You’re mistaken! I was having coffee with this totally innocent librarian who just happens to look a lot like the senator’s aide.” But no, it’s more plausible that there should be men in power who should think nothing of killing lots of American civilians but draw the line at killing a war hero. After all, the war hero was once prepared to die for his country!


This was the first Koontz I’ve read, and I guess my verdict is – great prose, iffy plot. Thanks, wss4. I'll plan to take this along to the next local bookcrossers' meeting and offer it up there.

Journal Entry 6 by Savotar from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Monday, November 5, 2007
I got this from Turku BC meeting. Thank you Potok-fan

Journal Entry 7 by Savotar from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Sunday, December 7, 2008
I had a nice talk with a reay nice 16-year-old American kid a while ago and he said he is a big fan of Dean Koontz. Then I suddenly remembered I have this in my tbr-shelf and decided to read it.

Like Potok-fan said, this is a standard thriller. I enjoyed reading it, it gave me the entertainment and thrill I was looking for. Somehow I expected more from the ending than what it actually offered. The patriotism at the end was sooo underlined, the book would have done just fine without it. But I guess it was meant for American readers and I'm just too European to understand it.

The book is quite thick and heavy so I won't waste my euros on mailing it. Unless I find a new reader or any other suitable place to release this, I will take it to either one of the bc-shelves here in Turku.

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I hope this book makes nice Christmas reading for someone. Enjoy!

Journal Entry 9 by seethroughfaith from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Saturday, December 20, 2008
Picked this up today ... a good thriller might be just the way to relax this Christmas /New Year.

Its cover is really intriguing ... with what looks like a pink post it which says "KILL ME INSTEAD" ...

NOTE: This book is a very large hardback - so it's not going to be posted anywhere!

Released 14 yrs ago (8/13/2009 UTC) at Kirjakahvila in Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland

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Too many (unread) books on my shelf and this one is taking up a lot of space. I like Dean Koontz' writing but not keen on hardbacks (too hard to read in bed) so letting this one go in honour of Turku's Night of the Arts

Will be in the courtyard near the book cafe ...waiting for YOU to find it :)

Journal Entry 11 by ereine from Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Friday, August 14, 2009
I found it from Kirjakahvila. I was sitting in a table waiting for the show to begin and started reading it to pass the time and had to take it home with me!

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