DARKNESS UNDER THE SUN by Dean Koontz

Darkness Under the Sun (Novella): A Tale of Suspense is a novella recently released by Bantam in anticipation of Koontz' up coming ghostly thriller What the Night Knows: A Novel.

DARKNESS UNDER THE SUN is broken up into seven chapters and spans a little more than twenty years of Howie Dugley's life. Dugley is a lonely boy, maimed by his father, and left most days to his own devises. Then one day Dugley encounters a man named Alton Turner Blackwood on top of an abandoned store. At first he thinks Blackwood is some kind of monster because of the way he looks (something like a giant Raven in human form).

Dugley quickly bonds with the enigmatic and charming Blackwood. Blackwood seems to understand Dugley's troubles better than almost anyone. In Blackwood, Dugley sees a father figure, a protector, someone to lean on.

But there is something off about Blackwood. Something dark and evil. Soon Dugley will discover he has made a terrible mistake befriending Blackwood, a mistake that may cost him the lives of his mother and sister, and his very own soul.

Dean Koontz is a master of suspense and delivers the creepy goods. DARKNESS UNDER THE SUN is a fun, fast, read delivered with Koontz' always spot on dialogue and descriptive prose. It will only provide about half hour to an hour of suspenseful reading but for a $1.59 you can't really go wrong. As a bonus the download comes with a sneak peak at the first chapter of WHAT THE NIGHT KNOWS.