The Bad Place
Dean R. Koontz

Frank Pollard awakens in an alley, knowing nothing but his name - and that he is in great danger. Having taken refuge in a motel, he wakes again only to find his hands covered in blood. As far as he knows, he's no killer. But whose blood is this, and how did it get there? Over the next few days Frank develops a fear of sleep, because each time he wakes he discovers strange objects in his hands and pockets - objects far more frightening than blood.
Husband-and-wife detective team Bobby and Julie Dakota specialize in high-ticket corporate security investigations, but when a distraught and desperate Frank Pollard begs them to watch over him, they can't refuse. Out of compassion - and curiosity - they agree to get to the bottom of his mysterious, amnesiac fugues.
It seems a simple job: just follow a client who wants to be watched and tell him where he winds up. But as the Dakotas begin to discover where their client goes when he sleeps, they are drawn slowly into ever-darkening realms where they encounter the ominous figure stalking Frank. Their lives are threatened, as is that of Julie's gentle, Down's-syndrome brother, Thomas.
To Thomas, death is "the bad place" from which there is no return. But Julie and Bobby - and their tortured client - ultimately learn that equally bad places exist in the world of the living, places so steeped in evil that in contrast death seems almost a relief...."

I want to start off by giving a warning about this novel. This is in no way appropriate for anyone other than an adult. There is a lot of violence and odd sexual perversions going through this novel and I don't believe it's appropriate for anyone under the age of eighteen. Even those that are adults might find this novel to be grotesque.

I've read a lot of Clive Barker books, which are usually twisted, and this read much like one of those. Unless you're alright with extreme violence, lots of deaths, and weird and taboo sexual themes, don't bother with this book.

That being said, all of that isn't gratuitous and is actually integral to the plot. If that sort of thing doesn't bother you, then this is a fairly good read. The characters are well fleshed out and believable, there are a lot of exciting twists and turns that you don't see coming, and the good guys do win out in the end even though the body count is very high.

The plot is original and quite fascinating and the treatment of Thomas, the Down's-syndrome adult, is actually quite impressive. He's portrayed in a strong roll where he is more special than most people and has talents that even his family doesn't know about, talents he uses to try and save his sister Julie and her husband Bobby.

Even though there was a lot of wincing, I was enthralled with the book and am very glad that I read the entire thing and wasn't too put off by its adult nature.

I haven't read much like this novel before, and so in the end, I have to say that I enjoyed it.

My Rating: Four out of five snails.