Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Dean Koontz books. I read my first one at age 12 and never looked back. "Elsewhere" is classic Koontz with instant connections to characters, a weird (but awesome) story, and the writing that feels like putting on a favourite pair of slippers from the very first word. I did find the ending a little rushed and disappointing, but it's still a very good book!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Elsewhere by Dean Koontz.
Since his wife, Michelle, left seven years ago, Jeffy Coltrane has worked to maintain a normal life for himself and his eleven-year-old daughter, Amity, in Suavidad Beach. It’s a quiet life, until a local eccentric known as Spooky Ed shows up on their doorstep.
Wow what a read. Absolutely brilliant. I loved the story. I loved Amity Jeff Michelle and Ed. But Falkirk. I did not like him at all. I loved the ending. Wow. 5*.

Elsewhere by Dean Koontz
I give this book 4 stars
Spooky Ed entrusts Jeffy Coltrane and his 11 year old daughter Amity with hiding an object—something he calls “the key to everything”After accidentally activating the key,Jeffy and Amity discover the device allows them to jump between parallel planes.
But they aren’t the only ones interested in this device.
Falkirk is also in pursuit, determined to use its grand potential for profound evil. Unless Amity and Jeffy can outwit him, the place they call home may never be safe again.
An mysterious fast paced adventure that is full of suspense,An entertaining and scary read.lt had me gripped and turning the pages of this race against time,good verses evil tale..l was rooting for Jeffy and Amity and detested Falkirk right from the start.
With thanks to Netgalley,Dean Koontz and Harper Collins UK

Such a cool book! Koontz going somewhere ese in this book! Bringing something maybe a bit more science-fiction, he use to be more of a fantasy author even if he often flirt on the line of both genres. Great cast of characters, good twist and just a lot of fun. Dean Koontz is good author, who I like a lot, but it has been some time since one of his book excited me that much! Read it!

Elsewhere gives a glimpse of a posited infinity of universes - the multiverse. The fast paced adventures are "edge of your seat" and absorb the reader.

Jeffy and his 11 year old daughter Amity live in California. Their wife and mother Michelle left them 7 years ago and hasnt been seen since.

When a homeless man befriends Jeffy, it turns out he is a famous scientist who is on the run from hidden forces. He has invented a device to travel to other universes in their multi universe world, "the key to everything. Realizing the damage the devices can do, he destroys all but one and leaves it with Jeffy, telling him to never use it and after a year, if he doesnt return to bury it in a barrel of concrete.
When the forces that are chasing the scientist and his last device arrive at Jeffy and Amitys house, it forces them to use the machine and jump to another universe, their only means of escape(a little by accident via a pet mouse!). Its is only then that they realize that there may be another version of Michelle alive and well in this universe and, despite his reservations, Jeffy agrees to Amitys demands to go look for her before they jump back home.

Thats the gist of it. Any more would really be spoiler territory.
I enjoyed this one for what it was. Its the second "multiverse" book Ive read in the last few weeks and thankfully it was a lot better than the previous one.
Theres a nice twist up about halfway through the book that really piques your attention and adds another dynamic to the story. While that dynamic is brought to its conclusion by the end I was still left a bit wanting with that story arc. While the characters of Jeffy and Amity were well written, Michelle seemed a bit of an afterthought which impacted the emotional impact of the book hugely.

With a nod to Lord Of The Rings, the multi verse backdrop is exactly that, a backdrop rather than the story. This is a story of love and of good vs evil. Its very entertaining and despite the subject matter, quite a light read.

I did feel a little unfulfilled at the end. There was something missing to lift this into the "great" category and I cant help thinking it was some(not all)poorly written characters and their story arc that are responsible.

Thanks to Netgally and Harper Collins for an ARC

Elsewhere concerns Jeffy (sorry hated that name, Jeff or Jeffrey for a fully grown man) who has been raising his 11 year old daughter Amity since his wife left 7 years previously to ‘find herself’
Given a box to look after by a homeless man who warns of dire consequences if said box is opened. Obviously the box is opened and the mobile phone looking instrument is activated. The story then begins with Jeffy and Amity being transported to different parallel universes where people are the same but their characters and all around them very different.
The first jump had some heart pounding moments, this author can sure write to frighten you out of your skin.
The story continues with them visiting different universes, a fascinating premise, entertaining and well told.

A great read with interesting characters and a very engaging storyline, I always enjoy multiverse tales and this is an example of the better kind, highly recommended

Jeffy and Amity are thrust with a "key to everything" device. Amity is the biggest character in this story. She is strong and yet wise for her age. Her relationship with Jeffy is undeniably strong bonding a parent can have with his child. As a whole, the story doesn't have that wow factor. Edwin goal was to find a perfect multiverse that he can live on. However, the story never explained why he was so attached to Michelle in another world. His goal was to put together Michelle's family. Along the way, he also picked up some more to add to this family. This is where the story fell flat. The most amazing part of this is the different worlds that Dean Koontz was able to create for the jumps. It would have been much better if this was a full-blown scientific fantasy of the multiverse with a stronger goal than putting a family together. It's still a very good read.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for letting me read this wonderful ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jeffy Coltrane , his 11 year-old daughter Amity and her pet mouse Snowball live in the small coastal town of Suavidad Beach, South California. For the last 7 years Jeffy has been bringing up Amity alone after his wife Michelle walked out, being dissatisfied and frustrated with her life.
Jeffy is befriended by an eccentric man ,Ed Harkenbach ,who he knows quite well but has second thoughts about when he asks Jeffy to hide a device he calls ,"The Key To Everything" and claims to be in fear of dark forces who will do anything to get hold of the object. Very shortly a group of heavies claiming to belong to the NSA descend on the area and their thuggish behaviour has Jeffy thinking that Ed might just be right.
While told by Ed not to touch the device under any circumstances his curiosity overwhelms him and ,of all characters, Snowball inadvertently kicks off a journey that changes the lives of Jeffy and Amity in all kinds of ways.

From one small rodent's inadvertent actions begins a tale of alternative universes ,Deep State conspiracies, love,loss and.......killer robots.
This a great read with constant action and high tension as Jeffy,Amity and occasionally some of the other characters flit around the multiverse and see their lives and Suavidad Beach affected by the various different narratives that fate and circumstances have dictated unique to each universe. Through the medium of various characters Dean Koontz explains the theory of multiple universes and most readers will get the general idea. Koontz throws in all kinds of references from philosophers to movies, fairy-tales to scientists and the whole thing is very entertaining. The story never flags and unlike Stephen King Koontz doesn't feel the need to fill his story with a few hundred pages of self-indulgent "off plot" meanderings.
This is a very entertaining read,a great story and strong characters,my favourite being the psychotic John Falkirk who makes Attila The Hun seem like Mr Nice Guy.

I have been reading Dean Koontz books for over 20 years and am never disappointed, he’s always a good bet - would recommend!

Jeff raises his daughter Amity alone after his wife Michelle goes missing. Despite missing Michelle, they both live a happy life and enjoy each other's company and Amity also loves her pet mouse Snowball. Then one day a local strange man, Ed (or Mr Spooky as he is also known) gives Jeff a small box containing "the key to everything" and asks him to keep it safe as there are people trying to get it due to its value and power. Jeff goes along with it even though he doesn't really believe Ed, but soon some 'federal agents' turn up looking for it but luckily he has hidden it. The box is soon accidently activated and at first doesn't appear to do anything, but then Jeff and Amity begin to notice that everything around them seems to have changed. It looks like their house and neighbourhood but with some big changes... what is going on? Dare Jeff and Amity use the key to other multiverses to try to track down Michelle? Or will they be in extreme danger if they try?

A thrilling original tale that will keep you turning the pages until the end. The main characters are likable and you find yourself hoping things work out for them. A really enjoyable and interesting story that does make you wonder what possibilities are out there! A Recommended read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

I don’t normally read this type of book but I requested it because it is written by Dean Koontz. It was a thought provoking read. The idea of alternative realities and moving to a different reality to find someone you have lost in the current one is mind boggling. But this is also a love story and a family wanting to be together somehow. Taken at face value without thinking whether or not you believe in multiple realities this is an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Long awaited! I jump right in! Dean Koontz never disappointment me and even less so with this one. He kind of , I wouldn't say reinvented himself, but bring something different. Solid plot, strong characters. I have gone in kind of blind and I suggest you do the same. Just enjoy and let it surprises you! I highly recommend it!

I very much enjoyed my last reads of Dean Koontz's novels, the Jane Hawk series, and this was an entertaining and enjoyable read too. Jeffy and his 11 year old feisty daughter, Amity, live the quiet life in the Californian town of Suavidad Beach. Jeffy's wife, Michelle, walked out and disappeared from their lives 7 years ago, with Amity barely able to remember her, although she is conscious of a hole in her life, the impact having a myriad of effects on her, like her inability to trust that she can take care of a dog, so she is testing herself by looking after Snowball, a white mouse. A homeless man, Ed, that Amity refers to as Mr Spooky, arrives on their doorstep wanting Jeffy to hide a small box that he describes as the key to everything, claiming that its value is $76 billion dollars, a powerful device that others will do anything to get their hands on, and that he is being chased by a demonic posse.

Ed goes on to warn of the dangers of the device, insisting the box must never be opened, and says that if he is still alive in a year's time, he will come back for it. Jeffy is taken aback by Ed's outlandish request and his first thoughts are that he is losing his mind, suffering from dementia perhaps, but he decides to humour him, and tells him will do as he asks. However, soon after Ed leaves their place is surrounded by a large number of operatives headed by a man that makes them feel uneasy and do not like, John Falkirk, of the National Security Agency (NSA). Falkirk wants to know if they know Ed, whom he refers to as Dr Edwin Harkenbach, their home being searched for the device that Jeffy had removed from the box to hide in a broken down retro bakelite radio that he was planning to fix.

After Falkirk and his team depart, the key to everything is inadvertently triggered upon which everything changes as Jeffy and Amity find themselves amidst an infinite number of parallel worlds, some truly horrifying, as they dare to hope that they might find Michelle and once again become a real family. They must, however, face terror and bad guys too. This was a fast paced thriller with short, snappy chapters that kept my interest, but in my opinion this was not one of Koontz's best novels. For some reason, I did not connect strongly with the central protagonists of Jeffy or Amity, but I loved the central premise of the novel although perhaps it's execution could have been better. Still I found it a worthwhile read, and it is definitely likely to appeal to many of Koontz's fans. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

After hearing great things about some of Koontz' previous novels, I was so excited to receive this one through NetGalley.
I got hooked in from the start, but as the science fiction got more introduced, it slowly let me go.
The premise was fascinating, the idea of parallel universes accessible by 'the key to everything' and cleverly connected the father and daughter duo with their missing wife/mother. This storyline definitely made the science fiction angle more accessible to me and kept me engaged, even when the scifi information went a little over my head at times.