Trio of quality books explore facets of faith

June 14, 2014

Best-selling novelist Dean Koontz frequently includes spiritual struggles in his novels, and Innocence (Bantam Books, 2014, 338 pages, $28) is no exception. Here we meet Addison Goodheart, a young man driven to live beneath the streets of a great city because his face repels his fellow human beings. Raised by an alcoholic mother who could barely stand the sight of him, and then adopted by a man with a similar likeness, Addison survives by emerging from his shelter only at night, hiding his face and avoiding contact with people.

Until he meets Gwyneth. She is a young girl, an heiress, who is being pursued by a maniac who wants what remains of her fortune. Together she and Addison fight back against this man and his thugs. While we follow them in their flight through the city, Addison sees what he calls the Clears and the Fogs, which seem to be angels and demons.

To reveal more of the plot of Innocence would give away the ending. Suffice it to say that Koontz, like Evans, is not for everyone, but again he clearly appeals to tens of thousands of readers.

Read the full article @ Smoky Mountain News.