The Eyes of Darkness
Dean Koontz (Previously written under the pen name Leigh Nichols.)

A year has passed since little Danny's death - a year since his mother began the painful process of acceptance. But tonight, Tina Evans swore she saw her Danny in a stranger's car. Then she dreamed that Danny was alive. And when she awoke, she found a message waiting for her in Danny's bedroom - two disturbing words scrawled on his chalkboard: NOT DEAD. Was it someone's grim joke? Her mind playing tricks on her? Or something... more?
For Tina Evans, it was a mystery she couldn't escape. An obsession that would lead her from the bright lights of Las Vegas to the cold shadows of the High Sierras. A terrible secret seen only by... the eyes of darkness.

As with most novels, the jacket description does not do the plot proper justice. Embellishing on what the description said, Tina gets signs from Danny that he is still alive. Over time she and an attorney friend realize that these signs are real and somehow, someway, Danny is psychically sending them so that they can find him. When they realize that Danny never died in the bus accident with his fellow Scouts, and that instead he is being held prisoner - forced into government research for a horrible new bioweapon - they will stop at nothing to find him. Even when it means staying a step ahead of those who are sent to kill them.

While this is an average length book, for some reason it is a fairly quick read. I managed to read it in just two nights. Of course, that could be because I just didn't want to put it down and I was having sleep problems, but the not wanting to put it down part shows that it grips you and then doesn't let go.

The beginning is a bit slow, but it's needed to have the proper character development. I'd always rather have a slow beginning with good character development than have a novel jump right to the action and have the characters be two dimensional.

This novel is a glimpse not only into what a mother will do for her child, but also into some of the frightening possibilities of what our government is doing without the public's knowledge. Just how many secret facilities and sections are there? Perhaps none, or perhaps they are real. Either way, the possibility presented in this book does make you think and adds to the terror. If we can't trust our government to protect our children, who can we trust?

I would recommend this book. I'd say that the age range would be junior high or high school and up - but it is meant for an adult audience.

My rating: Four out of five snails.