Book Review: Ashley Bell
Ashley Bell is an excellent read; a book I could not put down. Although I was a little confused at first by what was happening, I was hooked, right from the very beginning. When things cleared up, and I became familiar with the characters, I was compelled to keep reading.
Not only does it keep you on the edge of your seat, waiting for what is going to happen next, but you will also have genuine compassion for the characters. You will feel like you are right there with them.
An introduction
In this book review, I will detail (hopefully, without too many spoilers) the latest in a long line of spine-tingling thrillers, which readers like you have come to enjoy from Dean Koontz, title after title. Such as Final Hour, Last Light, The City, Whispers, Odd Thomas the series, and most recently, The Silent Corner, also a series. All page-turners to keep any reader riveted.
The book provides the background of ten-year-old Bibi Blair who lived under a grim vault of sorrow each day in Southern California, at least until her grandfather (whom she called “Captain”) came to live in the loft of their garage.
She wanted to marry a hero someday, yet her mind was always spinning. Just how this little girl imagined her life at a tender age. In the long run, this may turn out to be a bit too much for her.
The protagonist
I loved Bibi from the minute she was introduced in the book. What a charismatic young lady. Even from her childhood, you couldn’t help but feel love for her character.
The book ends up taking quite a turn when Bibi gets terminal brain cancer and believes that she did not die because she was meant to save someone else’s life, that someone was Ashley Bell.
At the time of the book, she is currently living in Southern California. To be exact, a small bungalow in Corona del Mar. There was no ocean view, despite being three blocks away from the Pacific. She wrote short stories and kept a diary.
There is mention of her living in San Francisco previously. There, she finds a dog abandoned by a cruel master on a beach just south of where she lives. Much of the writings chronicle Jasper going from place to place in search of a new home. He was a black and gray mongrel named Jasper in her stories, yet a golden retriever named Olaf in Bibi’s real life.
Her parents named her Bibi because they were quirky and lighthearted surfers. Pronounced Beebee, it was derived from an Old French word Bibelot, meaning “toy” or “bauble.” She resisted the thought of ever being anyone’s toy. Yet, by age sixteen, she was used to the name.
After turning twenty, this woman embraced and accepted her quirky name. Feeling it made her stand out. She worried her name would prevent her from being taken seriously as a novelist. However, she never used a pen name.
The plot
Starting with Bibi’s hunt for Ashley, things get crazier than ever as Bibi gets involved in another world in her mind. Her brain tumor puts her in a coma that the doctors cannot understand because the brain activity is as active and as vibrant as if she were fully awake and functioning.
There are many conspiracies and crimes within the story. This story is brimming with themes of both innocence and evil.
The girl that Bibi feels she is meant to save, Ashley Bell, whom she has never met, was a character in a book she read as a child. Ashley Bell was a Holocaust survivor who grows up to become a brain surgeon. Bibi’s strong desire to save her is what consumes her after her close encounter with death.
Bibi has quite a knack for forgetting bad experiences that have happened in her life; however, to save Ashley Bell, she must open a deeper part of her mind of forgotten incidences. These recollections could be crucial to her rescuing Ashley.
Dean Koontz keeps your attention in this story. Page after page and chapter after chapter, you will not want to put it down. Your only concern while reading this book will be to find out immediately what happens next.
The characters
Another thing that is great about this story is that you can see the characters as real people. Such as Bibi’s mom and dad, who the stereotypical Liberal surfer couple from California, if there ever was one.
There’s Pax, her Navy Seal BF, who is currently somewhere unknown to her because of national security concerns.
There’s the Captain, her mother’s father, and Bibi’s childhood confidant, and many others, you will grow to love, and some you will hate tremendously. There isn’t anything that makes you think these are just some made-up people in a story.
The way Koontz describes his characters allows you to envision them in your own way. However, you will envision them as real people, not just as characters in a book. This familiarity makes any story a better read because you feel like you are right there with them. You will feel their happiness, their anger, their love, their sadness, and their pain.
Summary & recommendation
The book itself is quite long; however, with the short chapters in this book, you won’t even notice. You will feel like you are getting through the book quite quickly.
This book will catch your attention immediately, especially those of us who are quite fond of stories that involve an overly determined character, lots of suspense, and maybe even a few murders.
Any mystery lover will enjoy this book and will undoubtedly be content with the plot. This book is a must-read that I give 5 out of 5 stars. Those who are not Dean Koontz fans just might be after reading this novel.
While this book review cannot give too much away, Bibi’s ordeal is both unique and worth a read.
A comparison to other Koontz novels
From the standpoint of this book review, it is a more personal and character-driven story than say Koontz’s novel Breathless. A novel that is basically a high tech and plot-driven retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein.
However, the personal focus and heartfelt emotions make Ashley Bell stand out among the rest of his works. This book is not the usual Koontz thriller; it is a cut above showing what an author can do when he digs deep into a character’s mind and soul.
In conclusion, Ashley Bell is an excellent read that you will not want to miss.
I hope you liked my little book review and I hope I didn’t give away too much (though, I know I didn’t).
It seemed to me that Mr. Koontz is setting us up for a sequel. Will there be another thrilling story that focuses more on Pax? Let me know what you think in the comments.
By the way, if you have not read Final Hour and Last Light, though it is not necessary to the Ashley Bell story, some of the character lead-ins begin in these novellas. Thanks.
Buy it now for your Kindle: https://amzn.to/2O3q8dY
Steve Dalton is a writer, blogger, book reader, & reviewer. Web content for your website’s Home, About Us, Contact Us, and Blog pages are only an email away. Steve is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. He provides a discount for Veterans, First Responders, & students.
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