Lightning

Dean Koontz

Laura Shane has had a guardian angel all her life. At first she doesn't know it - he first appears the night she is born. But then he appears eight years later, then again four years later. Then he disappears and doesn't help her when she believes she needs it. The odd thing is, he doesn't seem to age.

Laura's mother died when she was born. Her loving father dies when she is twelve. She goes to an orphanage and meets Thelma and Ruthie. They become her best friends. They warn her about the pedophile that works at the orphanage. They advise her what to do if she gets placed in a foster home that she doesn't like. They help her adjust to life without her father or any family other than themselves.

When she is in college Laura meets Danny, a Viet Nam vet who is gorgeous and shy. She also has started writing short stories. The two events combine, bringing her a new family and career that fulfill her. She doesn't realize her guardian angel is still active, protecting her from events she never knows about. Then comes the snowy January day that Laura and her family are supposed to die on a mountain road. The blond stranger appears again in time for them to get out of the car and out of the way. But now Laura, her family, and her friends are in more trouble than she could guess. She has to fight back to stay alive.

Time travel is one theme that intrigues many readers. Koontz uses time travel to excellent effect in Lightning. The time travelers arrive with flashes of lightning and thunder as they displace the air when they appear. That is the signal to warn others of their arrival. The time of their origin is alluded to through half the book, but will surprise most readers (as it did me) when it is finally revealed.

Lightning is good suspense with believable characters. I'm glad my plane was delayed to give me time to read more of the book. While staying with a friend, I went to bed a little early so I could finish it. It's a riveting novel. I applaud Dean Koontz even if it did take me 20 years before I read this book. I've had friends recommending this book for a long time. I'm glad I finally listened.