False Memory

New York, NY, U.S.A.: Bantam Books, 2000. Mass Market Paperback. Fine. First Edition. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. 751 pages. It's a fear more paralyzing than falling. More terrifying than absolute darkness. More horrifying than anything you can imagine. It's the one fear you cannot escape, no matter where you run.no matter where you hide. It's the fear of yourself. It's real. It can happen to you. And facing it can be deadly. Martie and her husband, Dusty, a housepainter, are the usual Koontz protagonistshonorable, resourceful, and persevering. Martie's friend, Susan, suffers from agoraphobia. Martie visits her regularly and takes her to her appointments with noted therapist, Dr. Mark Ahriman. Dusty's younger brother, Skeet, has been in and out of therapy with the same doctor. When Skeet jumps off a roof while painting a house with Dusty, he claims that the angel instructed him to do so. Levelheaded video game designer Martie develops autophobia, a terrifying condition in which the victim fantasizes about using sharp objects to create murder and mayhemon those she loves as well as on herself. Only when Dusty takes her to see Dr. Ahriman and looks at the book she has been reading, The Manchurian Candidate, does he begin to suspect that brainwashing might be involved. He questions the blanks in his recent life and takes a closer look at Skeet's and Martie's unusual behavior. Soon they are on the run from a monster of manipulation, who has government connections to protect him and a psycho's disregard for human life. The master of psychological horror strikes again, this time with a powerful look at inner tormentsthe horrors that come from our own minds. Koontz uses nonstop action, likeable characters who confront and overcome horror in their everyday lives, and lots of nailbiting suspense to create another winner..