"Dean Koontz at his best"

Though nearing thirty, Micky Bellsong feels like her life is stuck in California quicksand with no future and wondering "is that all there is"? She has a boyfriend and lacks steady employment forcing her to live in her Aunt Geneva's trailer. Micky's life changes when she meets her new trailer neighbor brilliant nine-year-old Leilani Klonk, a preadolescent suffering from physical deformities. The precocious Leilani tells Micky wild stories involving alien abductions, UFOs, her crazy stepfather, and her missing brother. Though she finds the youngster entertaining, Micky disbelieves the tales assuming they are the work of a fertile imagination.

However, Micky begins to believe that Leilani's stepfather plans to kill the little girl if he fails to contact the aliens whe he belives has the cure for her deformities. She turns to the authorities to keep her friend safe, but they write her off as a nut case. Making matters worse, Leilani and her family vanish into the night. Micky decides to pursue them because she believes the crafty stepfather will murder Leilani soon.

The dean of suspense writers may have written his best tale to date with the incredibly insightful taut thriller, ONE DOOR AWAY FROM HEAVEN. Dean Koontz allows the tension to slowly boil by fully developing the key cast members so when the pot overflows with action, readers understand why, yet remain unsure of what is really happening. The audience will adore Leilani and root for Micky on her quest to not only save a little girl, but to find and save herself too. Dean Koontz is typical Dean Koontz with this tale, only better than ever.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted January 13, 2002