Peace and serenity is what Moonlight Cove had to offer its townspeople.
It's a place where everyone knows each other and crime is little more than an afterthought.
Unfortunately, that was before Thomas Shaddack made the Cove a place he calls home.
In fact, unbeknownst to the Cove's residents, Mr.
Shaddack has created a plan to artificially enhance people to make them more efficient...
and answer only to him! However, when something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
In time, many of the town's "improved" citizens begin to regress into blood thirsty killing machines.
Interestingly, Mr.
Shaddack's enhancements affect the town's inhabitants in different manners.
Some lose touch with their emotions and reality, while others embark on their deepest desires, no matter how dark or sadistic they may be.
Unfortunately, those who are yet to be "enhanced" are forced to live in a nightmare of epic proportions; in constant fear for their safety and lives.
As Koontz often does, he sets the reader up with amazing descriptions of the plot's setting.
His use of literary elements lures the reader into a mystical dreamscape that soon turns into a nightmare.
Midnight is no different.
The story starts off in a peaceful manner, with the beautiful Janice Capshaw taking a run on the beach in the seemingly serene Moonlight Cove.
This is before she senses an evil presence lurking in the nearby shadows.
Soon, whispering violent chants surround Janice's very existence.
Sadly, this is where Janice's journey ends (literally) and the reader's begins.
Koontz has put together a likable cast of characters, each with their own personality, including the main protagonist, Sam Booker.
Sam is a simple man who loves Guinness beer, Mexican food, and Goldie Hawn...
especially Goldie Hawn.
Then, there's Loman, who actually falls prey to the sinister side of the plot but becomes very endearing by the story's end.
As the town's police chief, he does his job and asks few questions; especially to his superior...
Mr.
Shaddack.
However, as the story moves along, Loman's sense of right slowly creeps in, just barely.
In all, Midnight by Dean Koontz, offers what his fans expect with its elaborate descriptions, likable characters, and a seemingly unbeatable antagonist.
By combining two classic plots, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Island of Dr.
Moreau, it creates a story worth your time in reading.
While not one his best works, Midnight's entertaining plot will keep the reader turning page after page.