The Big Dark Sky is another page turning story from the master storyteller. Joanna Chase lived her early life on Rustling Willows a ranch in Montana, due to a family tragedy she leave the ranch to live in New York. Suddenly, due to unusual occurrences she is thrust back to her past and finds herself making her way back to her childhood home.
Others are also drawn to the ranch where strange unnatural events are happening. Add to this a mass murderer wanting the world to end and you have a story that is exciting and jaw dropping.
I enjoyed this book but to my shame I must admit to skipping through some pages, I think at times although descriptive passages I just wanted to get back to the story. The continual references to synchronicity did I’m afraid go over my head.
That said with this author as always you have an entertaining read that can stretch you imagination to its limits
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

"Incredible coincidences without apparent cause are called synchronicities. They might be better called the stuff of life."

-Joanna "Jojo" Chase is a successful novelist living in Arizona with only vague memories of her childhood. One night she receives a mysterious phone call begging for her help, and leading her back to Rustling Willows Ranch, her childhood home in Montana.
-Wyatt Ryder is a private investigator, hired by the current owner of Rustling Willows, sent to investigate some very strange occurrences at the ranch.
-Asher Optime is a madman, convinced that the Earth needs to be healed and can only be done so through the elimination of all humankind. He is currently hiding out in Zipporah, a ghost town very close to Rustling Willows.
-Kenny Deetle is a "white hat hacker" who is helping Wyatt on the tech end of the aforementioned mysterious occurrences at Rustling Willows.
-Jimmy Alvarez is a childhood friend of Jojo's - the son of one of the ranch hands with a disability and a limited mental capacity whom Joanna doesn't at first remember.
-Ganesh Patel is a tech-wiz, a firm believer in synchronicity, friends with Wyatt, Kenny and the current owner of Rustling Willows. Ganesh, along with his associate Artemis, have been investigating "the Other" which seems to have something to do with what's going on.

Something is happening, and it appears to be centered around Rustling Willows Ranch. The suspense builds quickly as chapters alternate viewpoints from character to character, all of whom are being led to Rustling Willows under the big dark sky of Montana. Synchronicity is a recurring theme throughout The Big Dark Sky. Is it coincidence is it that brings this group of people together at this precise time or something else?

It's been a little while since I've ready any Dean Koontz, with the Jane Hawk series and the Odd Thomas series being the most recent for me. This book is not like those, it's definitely more reminiscent of some of the earlier books I've read from him. I really liked the way the suspense built through the interwoven stories, though I admit to getting the "end of chapter cliffhanger" frustration a few times. Thankfully the chapters were short enough that I wasn't waiting too long to find out what happened next to a particular character or characters. I read the second half of the book in one day, because I couldn't put it down. My only disappointment was the reveal of what was actually behind everything...it wasn't what I was expecting, or hoping for. The ending though, was spot on.

Thanks to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the e-ARC to preview and review.

Humans are irredeemable!!! They must be destroyed!!!
An odd group of people brought together by synchronicity is the only hope to save humankind from total annihilation.

Skinwalker Ranch meets advanced technology.

Joanne is sitting home alone when her locked car starts in her garage with an address already input in the GPS. Pushing it off as being an electrical issue with her car, Joanne ignores it. Then, her phone rings from an unknown caller with a familiar voice, begging her to come to Rustling Willows to help. Across the states, Harley Spondollar's home erupts into small balls of wood, plaster, and metal. Just as he's being questioned by police, unmarked black SUVs show up with men in black suits. Wait, is that the men in black?

This book takes you into the lives of several people - a hacker and his one-night stand, a murderer who is purging the Earth of evil, a woman who is fighting to find her place without her twin, and a thirteen-year-old boy who wants to make his dad proud. It's a slow burn as you start to realize what all of these people have in common and how they will all come to be important at the end of the world.

This is my first Dean Koontz book and I was surprised. I don't know his writing style but I felt that this book was a slow burn of suspense and wondering what's going to be around the next corner. I liked all the different characters but felt that all of the different characters might be confusing to others. His writing of the surroundings, feelings, and emotions of the characters were so in depth that I felt like I could be that person in real life. The ending was surprising as well, but I felt like it ended so quickly and so easily that I expected something else to happen. Overall, a solid 4 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Dean Koontz, and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book by Dean Koontz. It was very interesting and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

You just gotta love Koontz. His horror? Scifi? novels always give you tons to think about. As usual highly entertaining

Wow! When you start a book by Dean Koontz, you never know on what sort of strange and interesting journey he will take you.
I read my first Dean Koontz novel in the early 1980s. I was completely captivated by his style of storytelling. Years later, I am happy to say that he has only improved with the years, much like a fine wine.

This story leads you on a journey, although you have no idea of the final destination. This is one of the joys of a Koontz-told story. You are never sure how the story will end, but you are sure that the journey will be entertaining, and suspenseful. There are a number of story lines in this book. Each one with its own trajectory toward the final showdown at a farm under Montana's big dark sky. Each set of characters is imbued with distinct personalities. A
All good protagonists bring a certain strength, oftentimes from the very flaws that define them. These characters are flawed, certainly, but they know they must fight for something greater than themselves.

I loved the storyline as well as the conclusion. It was a wild and exhilarating ride.
Thank you Mr Koontz, Mercer and Thomas, and also, NetGallery for the opportunity to read this book.

The author has the uncanny ability to create believable unbelievable characters living in an world of his making. He’s done it again in this book, with good, bad, nice, mean, innocent, guilty, dreams, reality (whatever that is), and any other character traits you can think of all mixed together in a desperate battle.

The Big Dark Sky by Dean Koontz. Carl Jung that refers to deeply meaningful coincidences which mysteriously occur in life, in other words, synchronicity, which is mentioned quite often throughout the book. Nonetheless had trouble relating to the characters or understanding their dreams or how the characters were related to one another. The transitions between the characters was confusing and lost the continuity of the story. Usually I like reading a Dean Koontz novel, this one not so much. Mr Koontz's many fans will be sure to enjoy it.

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. I have read other books by this author and liked them too.

Dean Koontz!! Is there something else to say! The guy never miss! Fantastic story, perfect rhythm and cool characters!

380 pages

5 stars

Joanna “JoJo” Chase spent her early years on Whistling Willows Ranch in Montana until the untimely deaths of her parents. She was then to live with her aunt in New Mexico. She is a successful writer and is now working on her latest novel. She begins to have strange dreams and receives phone calls from an unknown woman who says she needs JoJo’s help.

Asher Optime lives just outside of town in a ghost town he discovered, not all that far from Whistling Willows. He has a rather bad habit and plans to carry it to the end. To the end of humanity. He says he is “in rebellion against all things human.” (What does he think he is?)

After a long talk with her Aunt Katherine, JoJo returned home and pondered all she had learned and remembered about her childhood.

She needs to return. Her latest book is stalled with a bad case of writer’s block. JoJo has been too obsessed with Whistling Willows. And she is not the only one. All kinds of people arrive from all over. They, too, feel the need for…something. Something is going to happen. They are going to be a part of…something.

JoJo finds an unexpected, yet welcome ally in Wyatt, a private investigator.

Meanwhile, Asher is escalating his bizarre behavior and his even more strange beliefs. He, too, has followers. He is in thrall to someone else. Something else?

Dean Koontz has crafted another obsessively readable novel. Filled with interesting characters, both likable and not, this book is one of his best. I appreciate that this book is steeped in philosophy. The characters see themselves in a clear, yet different way. Not like the delusional Optime and his ilk. I highly recommend this book.

I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review electronically. This author is innovative and talented when writing his stories…they are difficult to put down once started…the characters are always different as they are in this book…doing the unexpected…themes of friendship and family…surprises…abound in this book…what will happen next? Is it real? Did it happen? The story moves slowly at times… with ending…be ready…

Joanna Mercer is returning to Montana and Rustling Willows Ranch, a place she swore she would never set foot in again. But lately she has been hearing voices, voices begging for help, pleading for a release from the dark and she knows she has to answer those cries for help. She’s not the only one who has been drawn to the ranch, people from all over, looking for answers to their deepest darkest questions. Besides those seeking help, another person is waiting nearby, a person who believes only he can save humanity, and the way to do that is through the massacre of many people. Koontz is horror royalty and his legion of fans will be thrilled to see he hasn’t lost his touch

Dean Koontz is one of my go-to’s for the science fiction/horror genre, and The Big Dark Sky is another reliable entry from this author. Recommended for readers who want to sit up late with a good book.