In the Heart of the Fire

4 out of 5 stars

In the Heart of the Fire by Dean Koontz is a short, quick, and enjoyable read for those who are fans of the macabre. Koontz manages to deftly fit enough action to fill what would be a full novel for other authors into a quick 70ish pages. As this is the first book of the series, some backstories and explanations are provided to help the reader connect this story to the second book.

We meet Nameless, a clairvoyant who has no memory except for what is needed to complete his tasks as a sort of fixer. Nameless receives his instructions for each task from Ace of Diamonds; and again, those instructions only carry need-to-know information. In this first installment, Nameless is needed to help protect Jenny, who is a mother of two, and a town from an unscrupulous sheriff. The violent and trigger-inducing tasks that Nameless completes in order to achieve this goal will leave some cheering for vigilante justice. Nameless feels that he is used to it as the narrator states, “This is his life: confrontation with the darkness that has nothing to do with an absence of light.”

I recommend this short read for those who need something short to satisfy their craving for old-fashioned Koontz tales with a twist.

Photographing the Dead

4 out of 5 stars

Photographing the Dead by Dean Koontz is the second installment of the Nameless stories. It’s an engaging and quick read for those who need something short to satisfy their craving for old-fashioned Koontz storytelling with a twist.

The readers continue to get to know Nameless, a clairvoyant fixer who has amnesia. Nameless receives his instructions for each task from Ace of Diamonds, who only provides the information needed to accomplish the task at hand. In this second story, Nameless’ task is to deal with a photographer who has serial killer tendencies, Palmer Oxenwald. Throughout the cat-and-mouse chase of Nameless and Oxenwald, the reader gleans a few more details about what makes Nameless tick.