The Darkest Evening of the Year: A Novel [Paperback]

NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLER
 
Who will be with you in the darkest hour?Amy Redwing has devoted her life to rescuing dogs. But the unique bond she shares with Nickie, a golden retriever she saves in the most dangerous encounter of her life, is deeper than any she has ever known. In one night, their loyalty will be put to the test, and each will prove to the other how far they will go—when the stakes turn deadly serious.“Silence of the LambsmeetsMarley & Me. . . edge-of-your-seat storytelling.”—People
 
“Compulsively readable . . . With a magician’s expertise, Dean Koontz sets his multiple story lines spinning.”—The Boston Globe
 
“Koontz’s books always thrill, and this one is no different. What makesThe Darkest Evening of the Yearspecial is that it tugs so effectively at the heartstrings. . . . Koontz is so good, he’ll have readers holding their breath on one page and tearing up on the next.”—Chicago Sun-Times
 
“[A] top-notch thriller . . . with unabashed emotion and wit . . . the perfect book for thriller addicts who know the darkest hour is just before dawn.”—Publishers Weekly(starred review)Dean Koontz, the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.Chapter One


Behind the wheel of the Ford Expedition, Amy Redwing drove as if she were immortal and therefore safe at any speed. In the fitful breeze, a funnel of golden sycamore leaves spun along the post-midnight street. She blasted through them, crisp autumn scratching across the windshield.

For some, the past is a chain, each day a link, raveling backward to one ringbolt or another, in one dark place or anol³'