“The Other Emily” by Dean Koontz

What may be inarguable is the fact that I am a professed Koontz mega-fan. True, I have yet to hate anything this master of fiction writes. Thus, am I too prejudiced to be the assigned reviewer? Nope. And I say that only because I know if something is sub-par, I have no problem stating that fact.
Although some might love to hear now that this latest book has failed in some way, my apologies. This, yet again, is one of the best I have ever read. The mixture of out-of-this-world creepy characters, a keep you guessing storyline, sarcasm that creeps in when you least expect it, and writing that flows so easily it feels as if the characters, themselves, are telling their own real-life journey to an interviewer—all combine to prove that the world of suspense fiction would be boring without the talent of Koontz.
Emily Carlino disappeared ten years ago. Her car was found broken down on a highway, and her vanishing became yet another unsolved crime blamed on serial killer Ronny Lee Jessup. David Thorne, a writer, was Emily’s beloved and his life is one of depression and guilt. He even puts himself through more pain by going to the prison and speaking with Jessup, attempting to find answers. Enter Maddison Sutton: This is a woman who knows more than she tells in regard to David’s loss and causes the writer to become obsessed with her. Worse yet is the fact that she’s an identical clone of the missing Emily. The terror that comes with Maddison and her secrets not only put David in the path of evil, but also scares the heck out of the reader.
Koontz throws so many questions into the air that it takes the breath away when he combines the pieces to give you an ending of monumental proportions. The fear, emotion, clues, and mysteries are incredible, and is definitely another Koontz masterpiece you’ll never forget!

Reviewed by Amy Lignor, author of the Tallent & Lowery series published by Suspense Publishing, an imprint of Suspense Magazine.

Dean Koontz is the master of genre mash-ups and he’s doing it again, superbly, as usual with his new book, THE OTHER EMILY.

It’s a mystery, a serial killer thriller, that diverges into science fiction and the supernatural. Oh, and a love story, too!

The main protagonist is David Thorne, who is a bestselling novelist. Ten years ago, the woman he loved, Emily, vanished. The authorities suspect murder, as does David. He even becomes the patron of an imprisoned serial killer who abducted, held captive, and then killed his victims. David believes Emily was one of his many victims, so he visits the killer in jail and pays him a monthly stipend into his commissary account in hopes to get him to confess that Emily was one of his victims. But the killer refuses.

David then meets a new woman who is Emily’s doppelgänger and not just in appearance. He falls for her, the mysterious woman. He hires a private investigator to figure out who the history of this woman but that only deepens the mystery.

THE OTHER EMILY is a page-turner that will keep you guessing and wondering what’s going on. Interesting characters. It shifts in tone and genres, so that might be a little jarring if you’re not used to Dean Koontz work and are expecting a by-the-book thriller. Dean Koontz is the master at delivering a great thriller that does not follow the "rules" of the genre.