Relentless

Title: Relentless

Author: Dean Koontz

Published in: 2009

Date read: 4th March 2013

Score: 5/5

Genre: Horror, Thriller, Psychological

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Relentless" by Dean Koontz, published in 2009, is a psychological thriller that delves into themes of chaos theory, the hidden order of the universe, and the terrifying consequences of questioning a truly malevolent individual.

The story introduces Quinn Quincannon, a wildly successful and eccentric inventor of children's toys and games. He's a brilliant and optimistic man, fascinated by the patterns and synchronicities he perceives in life. He lives happily with his wife, Michelle, a former child prodigy who designs mathematical models, and their exceptional young son, Spike.

Their idyllic lives are shattered after Quinn and Michelle attend a dinner party hosted by Michelle's new boss. At the party, Quinn has a seemingly innocuous but deeply unsettling encounter with a mysterious man named Shepherd, who is also a guest. Quinn finds Shepherd utterly repulsive, a personification of pure, unadulterated evil. Shepherd, in turn, seems to take an instant, chilling dislike to Quinn, dismissing his optimistic worldview and his belief in life's hidden beauty as naive and pathetic. Shepherd sneers that Quinn will soon understand the true, ugly nature of reality.

This chance encounter sparks a terrifying and relentless campaign of psychological and physical torment orchestrated by Shepherd. Initially, it's subtle: strange, unsettling occurrences, and eerie coincidences that seem designed to undermine Quinn's belief in universal harmony. But it quickly escalates into a full-blown assault on Quinn and his family.

Shepherd is revealed to be a highly intelligent, wealthy, and utterly ruthless psychopath who views himself as a kind of cosmic "cleaner" or "sculptor," eliminating those he deems weak or out of sync with his own twisted vision of chaos. He seems to anticipate Quinn's every move, displaying an almost supernatural ability to track and torment his victims, hinting at a vast, hidden network or an uncanny understanding of human behaviour.

The novel becomes a harrowing cat-and-mouse game as Quinn and Michelle try to understand and evade Shepherd's escalating attacks. They are pursued relentlessly, losing their sense of security, their home, and almost their sanity. Quinn's optimism is tested to its breaking point as he's forced to confront a form of pure evil that seems to defy all logic and conventional understanding.

The climax involves a desperate confrontation where Quinn must use his intelligence and ingenuity, not just his physical strength, to outwit Shepherd and protect his family. "Relentless" is a tense, paranoia-inducing thriller that questions the nature of good and evil and the terrifying power of a truly malevolent mind.

Comments:
I scored this book a maximum, however, 12 years on I am struggling to add anything that isn't in the plot description.

Books that we've read by Dean Koontz (27):
Demon Seed (1973), Icebound (1976), The Voice of the Night (1980), Phantoms (1983), Darkness Comes (1984), Watchers (1987), Dragon Tears (1993), Mr. Murder (1993), Tick Tock (1996), False Memory (1999), The Face (2003), Odd Thomas (Odd Thomas, #1) (2003), The Taking (2004), Forever Odd (Odd Thomas, #2) (2005), Velocity (2005), Life Expectancy (2005), Brother Odd (Odd Thomas, #3) (2006), The Husband (2006), Odd Hours (Odd Thomas, #4) (2008), Breathless (2009), Relentless (2009), The Silent Corner (Jane Hawk, #1) (2017), The Whispering Room (Jane Hawk, #2) (2017), The Crooked Staircase (Jane Hawk, #3) (2018), The Forbidden Door (Jane Hawk, #4) (2018), The Night Window (Jane Hawk #5) (2019), The Other Emily (2021)