The Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz

Book Review

Robin C.M. Duncan

“Benny is nice – too nice – so much so that they feel compelled to destroy him.

But he has a friend who is going to scare the hell out of them…

Benny Catspaw’s perpetually sunny disposition is tested when he loses his job, his reputation, his fiancée, and his favorite chair. But he’s not paranoid. Someone is out to get him. He just doesn’t know who or why. Then Benny received an inheritance from an uncle he’s never heard of a giant crate and a video message.

All will be well in time.”

(Thomas & Mercer, 1-2-24)

Full disclosure, I’ve never read a Dean Koontz book before, so I won’t be comparing this to anything else in his significant body of work, including many #1 bestsellers. I have no predisposition against him as an author; I’ve been aware of his name for a long time; he just never blipped on my TBR radar. As an ardent SF and Fantasy fan, I think I was unsure what sort of books he wrote. Still, it’s pretty much impossible not to have heard the name Koontz if you’ve ever visited a bookshop, an airport or a train station. Koontz has sold over 500 million copies of his 105-plus novels since the first, Starquest, in 1968.

Still, going into this novel, I had no preconceptions of genre or style; The Times used the phrase “literary juggler” in their description of Koontz, and having a clean slate for once was rather nice. So, onward into mystery then, for me anyway.

I’m happy to report that I found this story to be skilfully and appealingly told, narrated with great confidence and style. The humour is bone dry, with wit to the fore. All in all, it’s a very nice story. So nice, in fact, that I began almost to find the fairytale quality of the narrative and the verging on flippant dialogue rather too easy. There is a threat, but it is all very tastefully described. Is this what cosy horror looks like?

For me, the book’s most exciting and entertaining element is the secondary thread involving Benny recollecting his school days. Throughout most of the novel, this strand of reminiscence alternates with the main, present-day timeline and is loaded with sinister mystery, dark tension and youthful daring. I found more engagement with that strand’s setting, characters and jeopardy than with the main narrative.

The characters are likeable, undoubtedly, described with great verve and invention, and I did feel for Benny as his comfortable life quickly unravelled (although as personal misfortune goes, it’s not exactly destitution, more like a First World setback or two). The antagonists, too, are relatable, elevated from cardboard cutout baddies but stopping just short of moustache-twirling villains. Truly, the author turns a lovely phrase; the reading of this book was very smooth and entertaining. Koontz displays enviable skill in fascinating without fireworks.

This is all well and good, and yet here comes the ‘but’—for me, the present-day story’s outcome never felt in doubt. I’d have liked the characters to be put through the wringer more (more ringers, please, and bigger ones, too); in that way, the most satisfying reads do. So, maybe this is cosy horror, comfy suspense, a relaxing thriller? For me, it’s all just a little too easy-going.