Odd Thomas (Odd Thomas #1)
Author: Dean Koontz
Published: 2003
On Goodreads
My Rating: 
Rated G for ghostly crime solving.
“The dead don’t talk. I don’t know why.”
Odd Thomas lives a simple life. He works in a diner as a cook. He is in love with Stormy Llewellyn and they’re meant to be together forever. Destiny has told himself. And from time to time he’s visited by ghosts seeking his help to get justice for their deaths. On occasion that means breaking a few laws to prevent a crime.
There’s a strangeness in the air lately. A stranger comes to Pico Mundo and has quite the following of deadly shades that feed off of fear. Odd works hard to ignore them but there are so many that it’s impossible. Something utterly horrific and evil is coming and he’s in a race against time to find out what it is and stop it before it’s too late.
Dude. DUDE. D-U-D-E. YES. I was skeptical at first. I’d read Lightning (review here) and found it both emotionally wracking and scary, but swoony-sweet. I still wasn’t sure about starting this series. I’m so glad I did though! Stimulating, fast-paced, but engaging. The voice of Odd is so clear. I just fell in love with the guy. Granted, I saw the movie first, starring Anton Yelchin, may his soul rest in a happy and peaceful place. It was pretty damn good! I actually wish it had led to a TV series because I’d binge that so hard. This book really filled my yearning, aching heart for a supernatural book. Love. That. Genre. With ghosts leading Odd all over the place and shady bodachs closing in, this is a rush. Oh, and I can’t forget about ghost Elvis Presley because that was an epic cameo. Just saying.
Odd is so well rounded out and well-written and just a character that I’ll hold onto and never let go. Wholesome and humble. Same with his destiny, Stormy Llewellyn. She is a feisty dish and I was eating every bit of her up. She wasn’t in the spotlight. She was the spotlight and Odd stood in it. Just two characters that really complement each other, which made the conclusion to the book so much more devastating. Don’t worry. No spoilers. But seriously, these two will get you going with their banter and cuteness. Emotional, I am.
The everyday life feel of this book that really made me think about my own pathetic world was gorgeously amplified by the natural occurrences of ghostly hang-arounds. Fantastic. Strangely scenic and made the world of Odd’s so much more. The mission of which Odd takes, to stop a mass tragedy by a satanic cult (cooler than it sounds btw), is intense and really got my heart clenching in anticipation. Koontz has the stuff I cling to in books.
Overall
Enriching characters. Phenom ghosties. A mission to stop a deadly tragedy. A love that’ll last forever. I loved it all. So much depth but without the heavy weight, if you know what I mean. Also, to be able to get so much action and adrenaline in such a short span? Epicness of otherworldly proportions. I’m super smitten. Truly. I am recommending this so hard if you haven’t read it yet.
Quotables:
“I tend to believe in the traditional architecture of life and the afterlife. This world is a journey of discovery and purification.” (Odd, p. 24)
“It wasn’t gentlemanly of me to deny you your weirdness.” (Stormy to Off, p. 176)
“Life, Stormy says, is not about how fast you run or even with what degree of grave. It’s about perseverance, about staying on your feet and slogging forward no matter what.” (Odd, p. 297-298)
“We are not strangers to ourselves. We only try to be.” (Odd, p. 384)
More to come soon…
-K.
P.S. Song today? This is Your Life by Switchfoot
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The Scarlet Reader 
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