Going Home in the Dark - Book Review

This is a review of last year’s book by Dean Koontz, published in January 2025. The book is titled “Going Home in the Dark”.

Long-time fans of Dean Koontz will recognize his ‘quirky’ sense of humor in this book. In fact, that humor is more apparent than ever, as the author seems to have taken a personal interest in ‘asserting’ himself (through dialogue) throughout the narration of the story by its 4 main characters. It certainly gives the book an interesting slant, beginning with the first page of text in a note from Dean Koontz himself. The title of said ‘note’ is:

Read This First or Live to Regret it Forever

Synopsis

Going Home in the DarkCheck Price

The Characters

There are four main characters in Going Home in the Dark who call themselves the Amigos! Outcasts, definitely in the Nerd category, Rebecca, Bobby, Spencer, & Ernie become solid friends in their teens as a way of surviving both high school and the fact that none of them had any sort of solid parental support or guidance. That shared trauma turned them into a fiercely independent unit—a bond so enduring that nearly twenty years later, when this story begins, they are as close as ever.

The so-described 4 Amigos grew up in an idyllic small Midwestern town called Maple Grove and, whether because their teen situations were so dreadful they searched for a better way, or whether they were just very smart and creative, they each became extremely successful, and very rich, pursuing their chosen fields.

• Rebecca Crane: California - Actress
• Bobby Shamrock - East Coast - Novelist
• Spencer Truedove - Chicago - Artist
• Ernie Hernishen - Maple Grove - Song Writer

Ernie is the only one of the four Amigos who stayed in Maple Grove, while the other three followed their professions in other parts of the country. Even though they live independent lives as adults, they continue to stay in touch with each other on a regular basis. Their friendship is such a lasting kind that when Ernie falls into a coma, the three others immediately return to Maple Grove.

Once back in their hometown, Rebecca, Bobby and Spencer suddenly discover repressed memories from the age of 14 when they first met and became ‘The Amigos’.  Now, the current circumstances force them to confront the buried secrets and shared trauma from their past. They must discover what it all means in order to help Ernie and perhaps save themselves.

Summary

This novel combines childhood fears, buried secrets, friendship, and a strange darkness lurking beneath the idyllic small town of Maple Grove.


This is a horror/thriller novel by Koontz, but with the author’s narrative comments sprinkled throughout,  frequently breaking the tension, it allows the stories’ ‘happenings’ to appear in a lighter vein even though the situation often seems to be dire.

How everything is resolved, whether or not Ernie wakes up, and the constant suspense of not knowing if all four Amigos survive will keep you on your toes throughout the reading of ‘Going Home in the Dark’.

A psychological thriller, with supernatural elements.

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*This review of the Dean Koontz 2025 novel “Going Home in the Dark” was written by Wednesday Elf

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