From the Corner of His Eye: A Novel

Written by Dean Koontz

Narrated by Christopher Lane

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A thrilling and emotionally powerful novel from the author of the Jane Hawk series

“A literary miracle . . . a tapestry of intrigue and suspense.”—The Boston Globe

His birth was marked by wonder and tragedy. He sees beauty and terror beyond our deepest dreams. His story will change the way you see the world.

Bartholomew Lampion is born on a day of tragedy and terror that will mark his family forever. All agree that his unusual eyes are the most beautiful they have ever seen. On this same day, a thousand miles away, a ruthless man learns that he has a mortal enemy named Bartholomew. He embarks on a relentless search to find this enemy, a search that will consume his life. And a girl is born from a brutal rape, her destiny mysteriously linked to Barty and the man who stalks him.

At the age of three, Barty Lampion is blinded when surgeons remove his eyes to save him from a fast-spreading cancer. As he copes with his blindness and proves to be a prodigy, his mother counsels him that all things happen for a reason and that every person’s life has an effect on every other person’s, in often unknowable ways.

At thirteen, Bartholomew regains his sight. How he regains it, why he regains it, and what happens as his amazing life unfolds and entwines with others results in a breathtaking journey of courage, heart-stopping suspense, and high adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Apr 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798400124518

Dean Koontz

Dean Koontz is the author of more than a dozen New York Times No. 1 bestsellers. His books have sold over 500 million copies worldwide, and his work is published in 38 languages. He was born and raised in Pennsylvania and lives with his wife Gerda, and their dog Elsa, in southern California. Dean Koontz is the author of more than a dozen New York Times No. 1 bestsellers. His books have sold over 500 million copies worldwide, and his work is published in 38 languages. He was born and raised in Pennsylvania and lives with his wife Gerda, and their dog Elsa, in southern California.

[Mel Jones · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely amazing. The details of each character was what made me feel completely connected to each of them.

[Jim · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was the best I've heard in a long time.

[Vicki Chaney · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent audiobook!! I enjoyed every minute of it, and hated for it to end. Excellent narrator also!!

[Teresa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really like the narration. I would definitely read, listen to this book again.

[Eva Sanderson Scalzi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So spoiler alert here, at least to a degree. I really enjoyed the story, it was innovative and very entertaining. I really enjoyed all of the characters and the way that they were described made it possible for me feel like I had a sense of who each player was. However, I was very unsettled by the fact that there was so much attention given to one character, the protagonist, I was generally on the edge of my seat, wondering how this would all resolve with this evil person. That part resolved with such an easy solution, that I thought there would be another showing of this character later in the book. But that never happened, so I was “like what the heck”? If there could’ve been a little bit more development to the demise of that character I think the book would’ve been fabulous, but as it was, it me with a little an empty feeling about the wrap of the story, but the writing was absolutely fabulous.

[joligula · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My favorite Koontz book. He was really on to something when he wrote this. The characters are so real you can touch them. Good, Evil and everything in between. Fantastic story.

[lauriebrown54 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I think of Dean Koontz, I tend to think of his horror writing. This book, while having horrifying things happen in it, is more a combination of science fiction and philosophical tract. It’s plain good versus evil, where the bad is very, very bad and the good is very, very good. The villain, Junior Cain, is a psychopath with an exaggerated view of himself- he thinks he’s cultured, very smart, and a chick magnet. Also, he’s a serial killer and rapist. The good people – all the other characters- are kind, giving, and selfless. We’ve got a girl who is raising the boy, Bart, who’s father died the day he was born. She, Agnes, is known as the Pie Lady because she bakes pies and delivers them to the less fortunate. Celestina is raising her dead sister’s girl, Angel- who is the child of the rapist/killer. Thomas Vanadium is a homicide detective who is stalking Cain, because the death of Cain’s wife seems suspicious. Vanadium also likes to do tricks with coins, making them appear and disappear.

At three years of age, Bart develops a cancer that requires him to have his eyes removed (this cancer really exists, and children *do* have to have their eyes removed to keep it from spreading). A few years later, though, his mother realizes that he can see. His explanation? That there are other dimensions, and a lot of them, he still has eyes. So he checks from one of those dimensions to see what path is clear. Also, he can stay dry by walking between raindrops. It all has to do with quantum physics. Cain is searching for Bart, because he happened to be listening to a sermon on tape while he was raping Celestina’s sister. For whatever reason, he’s decided that Bart is his child from the rape, and that if he kills Bart his miseries will end… yeah, I was confused. It’s a long book (730 pages), and I felt that in places it was just *too* long. It takes a very long time for all the characters to come together, and then, with just a nudge of a quantum physics trick, the story ends. I was left feeling rather let down. I can only give it four stars because of these problems.

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought that this was one of the most unusual books that Dean Koontz has ever written and those who read and follow his works can attest that he has written some very unusual ones in the past. It's filled with evil, love, mysticism, and above all...hope. There are lots and lots of characters and it spans at least three generations. The two characters that really carry the story are Bartholomew and Angel...who were born on the same day...born surrounded by death...and an entire continent apart... but joined in a like mission. The character of Enoch is a man that carries something that demands a sacrifice occasionally causing the reader to be undecided if you should like him...feel pity for him...or just outright hate him. What you will know is that you can never, ever trust him. It's a long, long book but a story that you just have to see to the last page.

[librarycin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2.5 stars

Junior is a rapist and murderer, including pushing his wife off a cliff. Anges goes into labour and has her baby, Bartholomew, shortly after she and her husband are in a car crash and her husband dies. Bartholomew is a prodigy and loses his eyes to cancer when he is only 3 years old. Fimmy (sp? aka Seraphim) has a baby after being raped by Junior; her sister Celestine brings up baby Angel. How are they all connected?

Not a very good summary, I know. I listened to the audio, and it just didn’t hold my attention much, so I missed a lot. I was tempted to rate it ok (3 stars), but I don’t know. Although I’m a tough rater and don’t give out 5 stars often, on the other side, I feel like I’m often not harsh enough on some books. This is definitely not your usual Dean Koontz.

[over.the.edge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

From The Corner of His Eye????
By Dean Koontz
2006

A Good vs. Evil suspense thriller that weave the lives of 3 people together, and reminds us that the greatest fear we can have, is fear itself.

Bartholomew Lampion is born in the mid 60s, his father is tragically killed in an auto accident racing his wife, who is in labor, to the hospital...

50 miles away, in Oregon, Junior Cain, a successful and popular physical therapist working with accident and stroke victims, inexplicably shoved his beautiful wife off the top of a 150 ft. forest watchtower.....there is no reason, he just felt it....

Near San Francisco, a 16 year old gives birth to a daughter she calls Angel. Her pregnancy is result of rape.

Junior is the rapist of the 16 year old, and the father of Angel. But Junior believes his nemesis is a Male named Bartholomew. He will stop at nothing to find him. Believing he killed the Detective who suspects him of rape, he is a madman...on the run...

This is such a great book. It reads like a true life crime, the characters are so well developed. This has to be one of his best novels!!
Recommended.

[booklovers2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Listened on Audible Audio. Not exactly my normal genre, but was interesting and kept me engaged. It did become unrealistic in various scenes throughout but otherwise suspenseful.

[stevetempo_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My first Koontz book...a page turner...I haven't read 100-150 pages in sitting in quite some time...he is one incredible story teller...very interesting and touching themes...with a wonderful satisfying ending....each of the over 800 pages worth it...

[kerryalandenney · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another all-time favorite from an all-time favorite author.

[addictedtomorphemes · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

From the Corner of His Eye
by Dean Koontz

This is my first Koontz. The suspense started off so well with murder, rape, personal tragedy, and surprising ties between different characters. We were able to see inside the mind of a sociopathic serial killer, reading his thoughts and seeing his paranoia increase along with his ego. There were some humorous asides as the killer thought all women were after him because they just couldn't help it. He was so handsome, so skilled, so et cetera, et cetera. He was so deluded. He would describe the reactions from women (who were in reality horrified by him) and he would twist those reactions to benefit himself, i.e. they were "pretending" to be coy, or they were just teases, or they really wanted him but they wanted him to take the decision away from them. It was supposed to be frightening, I think, but the way he described his assets and his skills made me laugh. As we were alongside him as he committed his horrific and unemotional kills, we were inside his mind to see why and how he was able to rationalize the need for these murders.

There was a weird sense of something supernatural thrown in that was confusing for most of the book, as the killer is haunted and stalked by his own prey--those who are already dead. It didn't really end up that way, however, although a strange element is left in the book in the form of quantum mechanics/physics, i.e. the possibility of our other selves living in parallel universes.

This ended up being a disappointing read for me. Although the premise was interesting, it was such a meandering read, that it became more of a chore to finish it. It had too many things going on, too many murders thrown in just to up the suspense but not really adding to the plot, multiple people who were considered prodigies who held unique skills (relating back to the quantum mechanics thing), and an unsatisfying ending. It was just too much all around. I think the book got away from the author.

[john_warner-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This novel describes a "perfect storm" in which three forces of good and evil begin separately, the story develops and the forces converge for a final battle. One force involves Enoch Cain, a narcissist who in the spur of the moment pushes his loving wife off a fire tower. Another force involves a rape and impregnated young woman who gives birth to a daughter who she names Angel, later dies and the child is raised by the mother's sister. The final force involves a woman known as the Pie Lady, who while in route to the hospital driven by her husband, is hit by another car which kills the husband but the mother survives to deliver a young boy with a special gift. Dean Koontz's novels, at their core, is the triumph of good and noble over evil forces. This novel's other themes include an coming-of-age tale emphasizing the conquering of life's obstacles. The novel had me on the edge of my seat, turning the pages, until I reached a satisfying end.

[kat32969 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ok, now this book is one of my all time favorites!! I love how Dean takes what the average person thinks is fake, and spins it into a very believable reality. I am a big fan of the unexplainable and Dean brings that into everything he writes but makes it feel very real. This book is about an amazing combination of phenomenons

[lmeza-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great as always, I love Koontz, what can I say?

[jbemrose_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I never read any of Dean Koontz books before. When I started the book I could not put it down. I was hooked. I couldn't wait to read what nexts. Enoch ( Junior) Cain was a very evil man. I will read more of his books.

[erleen_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Title:From the Corner of his Eye
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre/s: Suspense Thriller, Mystery
Synopsis:

Bartholomew Lampion is born on a day of tragedy and terror that will mark his family forever. All agree that his unusual eyes are the most beautiful they have ever seen. On this same day, a thousand miles away, a ruthless man learns that he has a mortal enemy named Bartholomew. He embarks on a relentless search to find this enemy, a search that will consume his life. And a girl is born from a brutal rape, her destiny mysteriously linked to Barty and the man who stalks him.

At the age of three, Barty Lampion is blinded when surgeons remove his eyes to save him from a fast-spreading cancer. As he copes with his blindness and proves to be a prodigy, his mother counsels him that all things happen for a reason and that every person’s life has an effect on every other person’s, in often unknowable ways.

At thirteen, Bartholomew regains his sight. How he regains it, why he regains it, and what happens as his amazing life unfolds and entwines with others results in a breathtaking journey of courage, heart-stopping suspense, and high adventure.

My Thoughts:

Ever since high school, I’ve had heard Dean Koontz’ name was one of the most amazing writer in the world but I’ve never read any of his books until last year. I was skimming title after titles of novels in a local bookstore when I stumbled upon this novel called “From the corner of his eye.” My first impression was it doesn’t look very interesting for two main reason: 1.) it has almost 800 pages and; 2.) it’s font size is 10px. But because I’m curious to know how well Dean Koontz is, I bought the book. And here’s my reaction after I read it.

My jaw dropped, my mouth drooled, and I was so blown away I cried. I don’t even know what to say or how to react on what I just read. I’ve never read anything as profound and brilliant as this. EVER!
The characters are very well written, the plot is so complex and everything is flawless. Barty Lampion is so adorable and admirable on how he perceived everything around him. His optimism is so contagious it oozes out in the pages of the book.
I would totally recommend this to everyone. This is a must-read.

[clstaff · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Before you let the low star rating that I gave this book turn you away, know that I would have given the book 4 and a half, maybe even 5 stars if it wasn't for the dismal, utterly disappointing ending. Up until maybe the third last chapter this was an amazing book that I found very hard to put down. The twists and turns were superb, the suspense palpable and Junior Cain (the bad guy) is easily one of the most well written antagonists I have come across. It is because of the excellence of the majority of the story that the ending was such a hideous anticlimax. An extremely well written book, which unfortunately left me feeling empty and disappointed.

[scoshie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Again Koontz can write a story that enthralls and baffels. It is amazing how he can make the unbelievable sound reasonable. Another good story for an already great author. Nice way to spend a day in the sunshine

[stephiesmith_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I only discovered Dean Koontz in 2009 and I've been busily reading him ever since. I don't like every single one of his books (they are always superbly written, but sometimes I don't care for the setting or a main character or something else), but this book was an absolute delight to read and I did not want it to end. I checked it out from the library and now will buy it so I can read it again. What did I love about it? (1) It draws you in from the first paragraph. (2) The main characters are endearing; you'll cheer for them from the moments they arrive. (3) There is a profound spiritual slant to it that really makes you think about life as you think you know it. (4) The plot is complicated (but not confusing) with many strings that all come together at the end. However, the main reason I love this book is because I laughed all the way through it. Koontz seemed to have great fun with the characterization of the serial killer, a narcissistic megalomaniac who suffered physically every time he killed someone (but at the same time was pleased to know that he was such a sensitive guy that his killings would affect him so), was filled with self pity to the point of crying, when, for example, he killed someone he had cared for and would now have to live without, and who congratulated himself on his logical analyses and deductions, which were, in fact, quite deluded. Not often do I read a book where a character is as entertaining to read as this one was. It drew me to the treadmill and kept me on it for an hour every day--no small feat!

[harpua_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm just not really sure how I feel about this book. In one sense I really enjoyed it and it kept me reading despite when hundreds of pages passed without anything really happening.

I’ve found over the years that despite Koontz being classified as Horror, he has really become more of a thriller writer. This I would qualify more along those lines as well. This novel has some science-fiction elements as it’s basis, quantum physics, but it is primarily a psychological thriller. We see into the head of self-aggrandizing serial killer and suffer through his delusions and paranoia. You may think that he is the primary character as his viewpoint dominates the book. But in reality he plays just a bit piece in the whole book, mainly just to drive the true primary characters together.

Most of the book takes place over about a three year period, despite being teased in the opening paragraph of a major event occurring 13 years down the road. Well we really don’t see that until the last 50 pages or so (which those pages cover about 40 years). This skewed pacing while confusing at times does work and keeps you moving forward.

The climax comes with about 50 pages or so to go and is a bit of a let down, yet seems completely appropriate in the overall context. Everything then wraps up nicely and I’m now left with a confused outlook on this book. This isn’t one I will rush back to read again, but it is one that will keep me thinking about it for some time to come. For that alone, it was a success and well worth the read.

[cyndavaz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow - this was one of those Koontz books that had a ton of depth to it. The cast of characters were so realistic and compelling that the long, drawn-out final chapters/ending can be forgiven.

[jayne_charles_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Once in a while Dean Koontz comes up with an absolute stonker, one that doesn't sem like he knocked it up in a couple of days. This is such a book. Starting off with a fascinating conundrum, and a tragic accident, it goes on to introduce a host of intriguing characters, whose motivations and interconnections are tantalisingly ambiguous. The book is at once moving (Bart losing his sight had me blubbing) and humorous (the vomitus/ejecta exchange). There's a little thread of magic running the whole way through it, and it ties itself off nicely at the end.

Just a small criticism - I skipped most of the sections where Edom spouted facts, I'm not sure what they added to the story, except to demostrate that Koontz knows a lot of stuff, possibly.

[margotmissedthesun · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the only book I have read three times. When I bought my hardcover version, I donated my paperback to my high school library for everyone else to enjoy.

[redrhondahonda · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my favorite Dean Koontz book of all time!

[melydia_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First and foremost, this was a refreshing change from your Standard Koontz Novel (that is, one long chase scene as the main character desperately tries to figure out what's going on). The story revolves around three groups of people: Agnes, her amazing son Barty, and her two eccentric brothers; Celestina and the charming child Angel; and the psychotic Junior and his pursuer, Detective Vinadium. The connection between all the characters is not clear at first, but everything does get tied up in the end. Some of the pseudoscience was a touch painful, and the last couple chapters felt really rushed and more than a little bit contrived, but all in all I liked it. The characters were delightful. It's these sorts of books that keep me coming back to Koontz time after time. I just wish he was a bit more consistent in quality.

[oogod · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Koontz was one of my founding authors when I started reading on a daily basis as a teenager. It has been years since I have read one of his books because I got burnt out on them…every story was starting to feel the same. Reading this book reminded me how great of a writer he his and makes me want to go back and read some of my favorites from him.

[rebeccaann_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Though normally I'm a big fan of Dean Konntz, this book just didn't sit well with me. For starters, the description of this book seems a bit misleading. I went into it thinking this was mostly going to be about the character Bartholomew, yet most of the book occurs while Barty is somewhere between not even born and three years old. Instead, the book seems to focus on many different people. There's Agnes Lampian, Barty's mother and Celestina White, the older sister of Serafina, Angel's mother. Tom Vanadium is the aged detective investigating the death of Naomi, Enoch Cain's late wife. And then of course, there's Enoch Cain himself (Junior, as he prefers to be called), the clear and unrivaled antagonist of the book. There's also Jacob and Edom, Agnes's brothers, as well as a few others that I can't remember the names of at the time. As I listened to this book rather than read it, you can see how I found the man different characters a bit confusing to keep up with at times.

Besides the misleading description of the book, there's also the lack of character depth. There was really no gray area in the story. People were either amazing good, almost angelic, or they were Junior Cain, the only bad guy in the entire book. Not only was he bad, but we was a psychotic-insane-sociopath-delusional type of bad. There was no area in between and therefore, no one really felt real.

Apart from bad character development, there was way too much theology for me. I have no problem with religion, but neither do I really have any interest in it. Therefore, I tend to dislike literature that focuses heavily on religion, and From the Corner of His Eye was immersed in it. Most of Koontz's books tend to have some element of religion in them, but I've yet to see one so completely imbued in theology and for me, it was a turn off.

If you're already a serious fan of Dean Koontz, then I might recommend this book. The story as a whole is decent. It's also an interesting look at the theory of quantum physics. I will admit, though, that had I had another audiobook available at the time I was listening to this, I doubt I would have finished From the Corner of His Eye.