I have a confession to make: I was never a fan of Dean Koontz. I know, I know, he’s one of the most popular and prolific authors of our time, but I just couldn’t get into his books. I tried reading two of them, and they left me cold and bored. So when I saw his latest novel, After Death, #ad, on Amazon Unlimited, I was ready to browse past it without a second glance.
But something caught my eye: the blurb on the book’s page. It promises a thrilling story about a man who comes back to life with a mysterious power, and a deadly enemy who wants to kill him again. I immediately thought about The Invisible Man I loved so much since first reading it in my adolescence. It also mentioned modern-day Lazarus, a breathtaking novel, and the absolute powers of good and evil. That sounded intriguing enough to make me flip through the pages.
And I’m glad I did. Because After Death is not like any other Dean Koontz book I’ve ever read. It’s not just a suspenseful thriller, it’s also a profound exploration of life, death, and what lies beyond. It’s not just a story about a man with a supernatural gift, it’s also a story about friendship, love, and sacrifice. It’s not just a book about good and evil, it’s also a book about hope and redemption.
The protagonist of After Death is Michael Mace, the head of security at a top-secret research facility where something goes wrong. Everyone in the facility dies—including Michael and his best friend, Shelby Shrewsberry. But Michael doesn’t stay dead for long. He wakes up in a makeshift morgue with an extraordinary ability: he can become invisible and intangible at will. He can walk through walls, access the internet, do whatever he wants, and escape danger. But he’s not invincible and a lot of the action of the book is geared towards people trying to contain him or kill him.
But he can’t escape his conscience. He feels guilty for surviving when everyone else perished, especially his friends. He decides to honor Shelby’s memory by helping Nina Dozier and her son, John, whom Shelby admired and cared for. Nina is a single mother who struggles to make ends meet and protect John from his abusive father, a member of one of the most vicious street gangs in Los Angeles.
But Michael’s good deed doesn’t go unnoticed. The Internal Security Agency (ISA), the shadowy organization behind the research facility, is hunting him down. They want to capture him and use him as a weapon—or worse. And they have sent their most ruthless assassin, Durand Calaphas, to do the job. Calaphas is a cold-blooded killer who enjoys torturing his victims before he finishes them off. He has never failed a mission—and he won’t let Michael be the first.
What follows is a cat-and-mouse game between Michael and Calaphas that takes them from the glitzy mansions of Beverly Hills to the gritty streets of South Central to a secluded estate in Rancho Santa Fe. Along the way, Michael discovers more about his power, his past, and his purpose. He also discovers more about Nina and John, who become more than just people he wants to help—they become people he loves.
After Death is a book that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. It has everything I look for in a good read: action, suspense, romance, humor, and emotion. The plot is fast-paced and unpredictable, with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. The characters are well-developed and relatable, with flaws and strengths that made me care about them. The writing is crisp and clear, with vivid descriptions and witty dialogue that made me feel like I was there.
But what impressed me the most about After Death was the depth and meaning that Dean Koontz infused into his story. He didn’t just write a thrilling adventure; he also wrote a philosophical meditation on the nature of existence. He explored questions like What happens when we die? Is there an afterlife? Do we have souls? Do we have free will? Do we have a destiny? How do we cope with loss? How do we find happiness? How do we make a difference? How do we fight evil? How do we choose good?
These are not easy questions to answer, but Dean Koontz did so with grace and wisdom. He didn’t preach or lecture; he showed rather than told. He used his characters’ experiences and choices to illustrate his points. He used his power of imagination to create scenarios that challenged my assumptions and opened my mind. He used his skill of storytelling to entertain me while enlightening me.
After Death is not just a book; it’s an experience. It’s one that I highly recommend to anyone who loves thrillers with a note of spirituality. Don’t forget, reading is living.
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Ink And Reason 