But that being said, the plot is suspenseful and filled with action. They are either venal and amoral, or they are noble and moral. There are no characters who straddle the chasm between the black and the white. Hawkins is a former SEAL, but he loves dogs and is kind and gentle. She keeps a gun next to her bedside and practices with it monthly. Megan is the epitome of a wonderful mother and beautiful woman, artistic, graceful, and strong. From top government officials to hired killers, the plethora of bad guys might seem numerous enough to require an army to vanquish.īut Koontz’ heroes include Megan Bookman and Ben Hawkins, the guy who rescues Kipp from a bad situation after Dorothy dies and Kipp sets out to find Woody, whose telepathic communications have been received by Kipp. There is no gray in this story - the characters are either pure white, all goodness and morality, or they are pure evil with depraved sexual desires, violent tendencies, unabated greed, and a complete and utter disregard for any humane tendencies or compassion toward fellow man or beast. We also meet Lee Shacket, an evil man with absolutely no redeeming qualities. Koontz romanticizes dogs, especially these special dogs, and he writes, “It was his nature to love beyond reason.” But those of us who have dogs and have experienced that love might agree that dogs do, indeed, love us beyond reason. Kipp is bereft as he deeply loves Dorothy, who returns that love completely. We also meet Kipp, the extraordinary dog whose companion, Dorothy, is on the brink of death. He has investigated his father’s death and believes he knows the truth, which he has written in a huge report that he has not shared with his mother or anyone else. Woody has never spoken to Megan or anyone, but he reads voraciously and is exceptionally computer savvy. Her son, Woody, is autistic but high functioning. She is a widow of three years her husband was killed in an accident that wasn’t entirely plausible. And Kipp, the loyal golden, is the kind of dog every dog lover dreams of having - a dog who understands us completely and can communicate with us freely. In “Devoted,” Koontz creates a dog, and then a network of dogs who - maybe, he hints - descend from that highly intelligent dog.

The Dean Koontz book that got me hooked on him was “The Watchers,” and the dog in that book, a brilliant golden retriever, thoroughly enchanted me.

Dean koontz einstein