While it is not a bad book, it is not particularly good one either. Here is why:
The setting of the story, characters and mood, takes 75% of the book. So I now know, in meticulous and glorious detail, how the Las Vegas entertainment industry works. I know everything about a dancing girls, show managements. My head is also clogged up by useless information about granny penny gamblers in its full professional detail. And the casino inner workings, including catching card counting and cheating of every kind. If you think Im boring you with all this, well at least you know what I felt for 3/4 of the book.
About 15% is devoted to dating.
Now the 20% that is left is pretty good suspense writing.
There is also the story. The only thing that keeps it moving is the action. There is really no character development, and the conclusion can be seen miles away. The end is simplistic and not really much of a resolution. Its happy ending for the sake of happy ending. All bad people die supernatural death in a frozen helicopter, without ever knowing Danny the kid has rigged the engine through telekinesis.
As far as the Wuhan 400 virus. There is a lot of hype about it. I think it is a coincidence. The author picked up a Chinese virus laboratory at random, and got a hit. I see this in other books. Pure coincidence. Nothing about the virus matches -only the name of the lab.
Here is spoiler synopsis:
Mother works for Las Vegas show-business. She is haunted. Her home is haunted. She meets a lawyer. She sleeps with him. He is ex-special-forces intelligence gathering guy. He promises to help her excavate her dead sons grave (legally). Government takes notice and tries to kill them. Trough haunting and poltergeist they believe her son is alive and has developed mind powers - somehow. They go to Sierra mountain secret research lab and rescue him. The kid helps them get in because he is telekinetic and can control electronics and machinery. The good doctor spills the beens about the kid being accidentally infected and the only one who has survived the virus 100% kill rate. They get read of the bad guys, who are hunting them, by having the kid brake the helicopter propellers. Bad people die. The end.
Koontz did another great job. This book kept me intrigued...is Danny still alive? I was very happy with the ending.
A great book by a great author. A++
