The Bad Place by Dean Koontz

The Bad Place by Dean Koontz would best be described as an episode of Black Mirror, due to its eerie science fiction plot and storyline. This 448-page book follows the steps of Frank Pollard, an unusual man, and Bobby and Julie Dakota, two private detectives of a squad known to investigate requests made by clients. The book begins with Frank finding himself in an unusual place with no recollection of past events except for one phrase that constantly circled within his mind. He had noticed that blue light had been following him, surprisingly destroying everything in his path. Trying to find the source of these attacks, Frank contacts the Dakotas. When given a fake I.D. by Frank, they discover that he's linked to a murder. Yet, even more unusual; after being medically tested, they have been led to the conclusion of Frank having teleportation powers. These powers, the blue light, and the random destruction have all been linked to one person: Frank's brother, Candy. Everything that Frank touches, Candy follows. Candy's goal is to get revenge on his brother for one event, and that is the murder of their mother.

The way Koontz had written the story was interesting and somewhat new to me. The chapters at the beginning of the book separate the lives of Frank and the Dakotas, with each chapter alternating between both of the groups. This allowed me to visualize what the situation was between both of the characters. When they finally met up, it felt like a great collaboration from two different characters, similar to the feeling of your two favorite television characters meeting in the same world. This interaction basically ties the whole book together. Koontz's words were very descriptive, and the whole story overall was very entertaining. So much so that I had to play sci-fi music in the background to set the mood.