No one could understand why Colin and Roy were best friends. Colin was so shy; Roy was so popular. Colin was nervous around girls; Roy was a ladies’ man. Colin was fascinated by Roy—and Roy was fascinated by death. Then one day Roy asked his timid friend: “You ever killed anything?” And from that moment on, the two were bound together in a game too terrifying to imagine…and too irresistible to stop.
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"Actually 3.5 stars because of the conclusion. The first 200+ pages were going at a 5 star rate for me. I LOVED what Koontz was doing. I was enthralled. It was an excellent example of a sociopathic kid (Roy) manipulating an insecure but basically good kid (Colin) into becoming "blood brothers." The family dynamics of each child made me want to know more. If you love Freudian themes, you'll really get into the conclusion. However, I couldn't accept the origin of what made Roy bad...the event that turned him. Other readers might be able to believe it but not me. I didn't like Mr. Koontz's rationale but he did a great job telling this story even if I didn't agree with what made Roy "evil." This book may have lost me in the end but it had me hooked most of the time. I was scared several times. Koontz had 200+ excellent pages in this story. There were not any true supernatural elements in this novel used to create fear but scenes using Colin's fearful imagination frightened me and scenes with Roy's sociopathic tendencies scared the hell out of me."
— Dany (4 out of 5 stars)
" Koontz really had me going with this one because it involved kids and bullying, popularity, and deception! The story between Roy and Colin is so close to real life in many aspects, which feeds the uncomfortable feeling of fear that it could be happening this very minute anywhere in the world to some poor unsuspecting kids. I was left a little disappointed at the end, but unsure how I really felt or how I could have done it any differently. At least there was some triumph to provide hope that maybe there are ways to overcome even the wildest of scenarios in a bully situation. I felt no pity towards Roy. I was totally on Colin's side throughout the story. Decide for yourself! "
— Shawnee, 2/17/2014" Well I got this book for free and I'm glad I did because it wasn't all that great. I will admit that it was written very very well and the characters were brought up nicely but I was just left feeling like I wasted my whole time reading it when I got to the end. I would recommend it to people but I'll warn them first that the ending isn't what most people want...a surprise! "
— Mark, 2/10/2014" This was not one of my favorite Dean Koontz books. First of all, the main character Colin, his mother, his father and Roy got on my nerves. Second, the plot was rather predictable. I found myself dissapointed with the end, though I might have only hated it because I read it after I read one of my other favorite DK books..... "
— Alex, 1/27/2014" Was not his best work. It was okay, but he can and has done much better. "
— Kevin, 1/27/2014" Not a bad book at all. More of a look into character growth of a couple kids and show's some real internal struggle. I enjoyed this one though the writing itself could have been better. "
— Luke, 1/21/2014" A little too gruesome for my tastes-but some catchy phrases (a real popper!:) "
— Tova, 1/17/2014" I love Dean Koontz and I think he is one of my favorite writers of all time. I discovered him when I was young and his novels actually frightened me. I have been loyal to him ever since and have slowly been backtracking to his early novels that have been reprinted with new afterwords. This story is scary because it could happen to anyone. Colin makes friends with Roy the popular kid in a new town. Colin comes to find that Roy is slighty disturbed and talks of horrible things that he has done. Colin does not believe him at first but slowly comes to the understanding that Roy is psychotic. This book is about a boy that is very insecure and slowly comes into his own and rises above and enacts revenge. Very good story and a super fast read. "
— Julie, 1/15/2014" My first Dean Koontz book ever! Read this in 1993. WOW! "
— Terri, 1/11/2014" this book had thriils around most parts of the book and the fact roy tried to kill Colin suprised me "
— Brian, 1/1/2014" This was the very first Dean Koontz book I ever read; and it consumed me - I was transported and captivated. I became a Dean Koontz because of this book.....and have loved many since this one. "
— Ashley, 1/1/2014" I thought this was awful, but I did finish it. The main characters were 14 and I felt that's who this books audience was aimed for. "
— Gill, 12/30/2013" A quick read. It was suspenseful enough to keep me reading. The only reason I didn't really like it was the ending. It was too simple and happened too easily. "
— Ashley, 12/14/2013" I've liked most of Koontz's books, but this one does not compare to the others. It's one of his early works, so that explains part of the problem. It's very slow, and not near as interesting as I had hoped. "
— Susan, 7/23/2013" Initially very dark/disturbing character study of sociopathic behavior. I almost quit reading it bothered me so much. I continued however, and found myself satisfied with the book overall. "
— Marc, 7/3/2013" Disturbing imagery and abrupt ending. "
— Rachel, 1/23/2013" I read this book when I was in grade 8 and it scared the hell out of me! "
— Nej22, 10/2/2012" Dean Koontz has the ability to keep the pages turning no matter what. The story was different than what I expected it to be, and that was good. It was a quick, suspenseful novel that kept me interested from the very first sentence. "
— Jeanne, 5/8/2012" This book was crazy weird! But still good, had me on the edge of my seat "
— Kiri, 12/19/2011" It is a page turning adventure! "
— Sheridan, 8/30/2011" My first Dean Koontz but definitely not my last. "
— Earl, 6/25/2011" I'd give this one 3.5 stars if I could. Koontz does a good job creating a relatable hero and a devious villain, both young boys. There is a great suspense scene in this one that goes on and on and doesn't get boring = the magic of Dean Koontz. A quick read. Well done! "
— Steven, 6/24/2011" I first read this when I was 13. As an adult it's not quite as scary, but as a teenager I felt my heart racing with every turn of the page. Roy Borden is one of the creepiest, most disturbing teenagers put to paper. High recommended for the younger crowd who loves his psychological issues. "
— Deidre, 5/28/2011" Creeeeepy. <br/> <br/>Listen to this on CD. "
— Jen, 4/27/2011" left me thinking more should of happened. I like Koontz- he creates very likeable characters. But the ending on this one was a bit of a let down. "
— Jean, 4/9/2011" Okay, this book was good insofar that I couldn't put it down, but it was highly disturbing! It is about a 14 year old boy who sees himself as a bit of a geek. He moves into a new town and meets a "cool" kid who ends up being a murderer. "
— Tracey, 3/20/2011" A real popper, if you know what I mean. (Ha Ha, go read the boook now) It's a quick, thrilling read. Warning, this book is very hard to put down, so don't start reading unless you've got a while. "
— Bre, 3/13/2011" wow pretty disturbing so far.... <br/>okay I am now done well it was a very tough one for me but written well yet very very disturbing, and the ending just kinda left you hanging.... "
— Melissa, 3/1/2011" While this is a perfectly serviceable hair-raiser, I found it less compelling than Koontz's several other books I've read so far. This one is aimed at pre-teens and teens. It's main characters are misunderstood high-schoolers shy Colin and the evil Roy. "
— Carol, 2/20/2011Dean Koontz is the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, including suspense thrillers and books for young readers. His books are published in thirty-eight languages, and his worldwide sales top 500 million copies. Several of his books have also been adapted into feature films and television miniseries. He has been hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as “America’s most popular suspense novelist.” For more information, visit his website at www.deankoontz.com.
Patrick Lawlor, an award-winning narrator, is also an accomplished stage actor, director, and combat choreographer. He has worked extensively off Broadway and has been an actor and stuntman in both film and television. He has been an Audie Award finalist multiple times and has garnered several AudioFile Earphones Awards, a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and many starred audio reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.