The House of Thunder

By: Dean Koontz

Narrated by: Laural Merlington, Mel Foster

Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

A sanity-twisting Koontz classic about a traumatized woman and the terrifying place she might never escape.

“Koontz is brilliant.”–Chicago Sun-Times

Susan Thornton watched in terror as her lover died a brutal death in a college hazing. And in the four years that followed, the four young men who participated in that grim fraternity ritual also died violently—or so she thought.

Twelve years later, Susan wakes in a hospital bed. Apparently involved in a fatal accident, she can’t remember who she is or why she is there. All she knows is that her life is unfolding into a menacing nightmare—and that the faces that surround her, are those of the four men involved in that murder years ago.

Have the dead come back to life? Or has Susan plunged into the abyss of madness? With the help of her neuro-surgeon, she desperately clings to her sanity while fighting to uncover who—or what—could be coming for her.

©2007 Dean Koontz (P)2007 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"The reading duo of Merlington and Foster is smooth together. First, they lull you into an almost peaceful state of mind, then they lower the boom - sending chills up your spine." ( AudioFile)

Slow to start

I am a true lover of Dean Koontz but this book wasn't quite as good as other books by him that I have read.

I will say it kept me interested and could not wait to see how it turned out. There was also some frustration for me between the characters. The lady reader was excellent the guy was a little flat and I had a hard time telling the difference between his characters. Overall I would say the book is worth reading but don't expect this book to be on the level of Koontz's previous novels.

Decent story but hard to listen to at times.

I like Dean Koontz, however I feel like the ending was super rushed and cut off, almost a summary of how it ended rather than finishing the story. Yet I think the hardest part of this audio was the female narrator. A couple characters sounded more like you would expect out of a witch rather than a grandmotherly type. She didn’t seem to have a great range. Overall, it was still a decent listen though.

Chiller to Thriller

Susan Thornton is the main character in this book. After a car crash she wakes up in a hospital and can't remember various parts of her life. What she does remember is a murder she witnessed when she was younger. Then anytime someone mentions her employer, who she can't remember panic sets in.
This was a great fast paced book. I read it in one day. Like most of the books by Mr. Koontz, the characters are colorful and well written. At times this book is a little far fetched but that's fiction.
If your looking for a book that is part medical thriller, espionage thriller, supernatural and just a lot of fun to read, then this is for you.
I gave this book 4 stars and have recommended it to many of my friends.
Pick it up and enjoy.

A great read

I love Dean Koontz and this one didn’t fail. Another great story with a great unexpected twist!!

Not as good as I remember it

I could barely get through the audiobook. Mainly because of the terrible voice acting. I read House of Thunder back in the 90s in the Army and couldn't put it down. The female voice sounded awful to me. Most of the male voices too. A decent story can be butchered by poor voice performance.

Disappointed in the ending

I really liked it until the end, just felt like it was a lead up to a quick wrap up. Always great writing though.

Love Dean Koontz books

I've been reading Dean Koontz books for over 30 years and I love his work. This is not his best book but not his worst as some of the reviews would like you to believe. The narrating was difficult at times I agree, both the male and female and I feel I paid too much for this audio book. My favorite Dean Koontz book is By the Light of the Moon and I am sad that no sequels were ever written to it. I love the super heros almost as much as I love Dean Koontz books!

Great Listen

You won't put down your ipod until the very end.

Not a terrific effort.

This is one of Dean Koontz earlier thrillers, good story idea, but rather clumsily developed. Mediocre readers.

Not the best

Slow at the start but then I noticed it was originally published in 1982 And the story line would have been more believable during that time period