" 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 eally happrning. 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.
"Preston Maddoc thought it his mission in life to extinquish the lives of the infirm and disabled. . As a cover, he feined the life of one seeking aliens to explain his traveling lifestyle. His step-daughter Leilani, however, was not to be fooled. Late at night, Preston would visit the sleeping Leilani to tell of his mercy killings and bring her a trophy of the deceased. Not asleep at all, she would record these atrocities later, in code, in her journal. Having confided the contents of her journal to her neighbor, Micky Bellsong wasted no time to help the nine year old girl. Sensing the breach, Preston threatened Micky who found Leilani's home abandoned the next day. With the help of a hired detective, the search is on to save Leilani and bring Preston Maddoc down."
Tracey Ray, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of One Door Away From Heaven
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases - 20% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- very upbeat
- depressing/sad
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Horror Story?
Yes
Horror plotlets
- the mad stabber chased me!
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- escape/rescue from kidnappers
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- unemployed
Age:
- a kid
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
- missing body parts/abilities
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- killer
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- deluded
- wild
- eccentric
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- insanity
- kicks
The antagonists are:
- cults
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- bulging muscles
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- California
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 2
- 3-4
Unusual forms of death
- poisoning
- flamed
- perforation--bullets
- perforation--swords/knives
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
