Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (Audiobook Review)

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Title: Odd Thomas
Series: Odd Thomas, Book 1
Author: Dean Koontz
Publisher: Random House Audio
Narrator: David Aaron Baker
Duration: 10 HOURS, 33 MINUTES
Copyright: 2003
Genres: paranormal, mystery, psi
Filed in: Audiobook reviews
Review copy provided by Kearney Public Library.

THE GIST: Odd Thomas sees dead people. Sometimes the ghosts need help from Odd, like little Penny Kallisto, who helped Odd find her killer. Sometimes they just like to hang out, like Elvis, who always shows up wearing a costume from one of his many movies, and enjoys listening to his own music.

When Odd is not communing with the dead, he’s a pretty average guy, a short-order cook with dreams of moving up into the tire installation industry, and loves spending time with his girlfriend and soul mate, Stormy Llewellyn. Stormy understands his strange gift, and loves him all the more for it.

Life in Pico Mundo, California is pretty quiet for Odd and Stormy; at least it was until Robert Thomas Robertson showed up. The minute Robertson walked into the little diner where Odd worked, Odd’s sixth sense went haywire. Robertson looks and acts strangely, but even more worrisome to Odd, is the entourage of Bodocs following the man. Bodocs are wraith-like spirits who gather around people or places where death is imminent, and Robertson has an unusually large number of them following him around. Odd quickly decides that this man bears watching.

Using his psychic magnetism, Odd finds Robertson’s home in a shabby part of town. A quick inspection inside reveals that Robertson has built a revolting shrine to several well-known mass murderers, and a missing calendar page hints that Bob Robertson may have something deadly planned for tomorrow.

With the clock running down fast, Odd gradually links Robertson to two other people, two people that Odd knows and trusts. All his psychic energy is telling him that the three maniacs have something deadly planned for Pico Mundo, and all the clues are pointing directly at the Pico Mundo shopping mall, where Stormy works at the ice cream shop. If Odd Thomas can't figure out what the madmen have planned, Stormy may end up right in their line of fire.

MY THOUGHTS: I’ve read a few Dean Koontz books and didn’t care much for them. Joni, a Koontz fan, raved about the Odd Thomas series, so I finally decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised. One of my criticisms of Koontz in the past has been that he doesn’t spend enough time helping the reader get to know his characters. That wasn’t a problem with “Odd Thomas”; I liked the characters and genuinely began to care about them, a critical component of any audio book. I'm looking forward to reading the next audio book in the series, “Forever Odd.”

NARRATOR: I enjoyed David Aaron Baker’s narration of “Odd Thomas.” He has a light, conversational tone that is very pleasant to listen to. I especially like the way he reads dialogue; it sounds the way people really talk, and not so much like he’s reading it from a page. I’m looking forward to hearing more audio books from David Aaron Baker.

FINAL WORD: “Odd Thomas” is a little bit suspense, a little bit supernatural, and a little bit love story, with a twist at the end to cap it off. It’s not your typical ghost story, but I enjoyed it very much.

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (Audiobook Review)
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz (Audiobook Review)
Brother Odd by Dean Koontz (Audiobook Review)
Odd Hours by Dean Koontz (Audiobook Review)

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This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.
Audiobook review by Steven Brandt
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