Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - Velocity

Velocity
Velocity
Author: Dean Koontz
Bill Wile is an easygoing, hardworking guy who leads a quiet, ordinary life. But that is about to change. One evening, after his usual eight-hour bartending shift, he finds a typewritten note under the windshield wiper of his car. If you don’t take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a lovely blond schoolteacher. ...  more »

It seems like a sick joke, and Bill’s friend on the police force, Lanny Olson, thinks so too. His advice to Bill is to go home and forget about it. Besides, what could they do even if they took the note seriously? No crime has actually been committed. But less than twenty-four hours later, a young blond schoolteacher is found murdered, and it’s Bill’s fault: he didn’t convince the police

to get involved. Now he’s got another note, another deadline, another ultimatum…and two new lives hanging in the balance.

Suddenly Bill’s average, seemingly innocuous life takes on the dimensions and speed of an accelerating nightmare. Because the notes are coming faster, the deadlines growing tighter, and the killer becoming bolder and crueler with every communication–until Bill is isolated with the terrifying knowledge that he alone has the power of life and death over a psychopath’s innocent victims. Until the struggle between good and evil is intensely personal. Until the most chilling words of all are: The choice is yours.
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780553804157
ISBN-10: 0553804154
Publication Date: 5/24/2005
Pages: 416
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 439

3.9 stars, based on 439 ratings
Publisher: Bantam
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Leigh avatar reviewed Velocity on + 378 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Engaging story and fast-paced enough to hold my interest throughout the novel. For Koontz fans, you won't be disappointed. For those unfamiliar with Koontz, this is an excellent example of the type of complex plot and general mayhem you can expect from him.
booklady4 avatar reviewed Velocity on + 28 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Ooooh--This one should not be read in the dark!
A creepy, mysterious game is being played with Billy Wiles....can he figure it out before more people die?
Koontz hits another home run with this one!
reviewed Velocity on + 224 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Another great tale by Kean Koontz. Billy finds a note in his car it reads, "If you don't take this note to the police...I will kill a lovely blond school teacher...If you do...I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have six hours to decide. The choice is yours."
What a way to start your day eh?
AmandaBullock avatar reviewed Velocity on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This was my first book by Koontz, and I must say I have placed orders for three more of his books. I didn't think I'd enjoy this at first, as my genre taste usually differs very greatly from the thriller/crime/horror type. Even though I had the whole thing figured out in the beginning (thanks to years of criminal investigation shows...), I enjoyed every chapter and even stayed up well into the night reading it (absolutely a page-turner). I feel Koontz has a very decent style of writing, with just the perfect amount of "shockers" and cliff-hangers. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes Koontz, is looking for a good thriller, or likes this genre (even those who don't!).
Sunshine avatar reviewed Velocity on + 142 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
OMG!! What a great book! Non-stop intrigue from the beginning!!! Koontz is hit & miss for me, this is a HIT!!
Read All 183 Book Reviews of "Velocity"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

curledupwithabook avatar reviewed Velocity on + 169 more book reviews
Oh, how I've missed Dean Koontz! It has been a while since I've read one of his books and this was a great reminder of what an exciting storyteller he is. Fast-paced and nerve-racking, Velocity begins in a bar where our protagonist, Billy, a congenial bartender, is involved in a conversation with a couple of customers. At the end of his shift, he finds a note on his car directing him to decide the fate of two strangers. Either way he chooses - even if he doesn't choose - someone will die. And so it begins...

Even as Billy struggles with deciding what to do, the killer is in motion - setting things up so that Billy, no matter what he does, will be the number one suspect. There seems to be no escaping the inevitable, but wait! Koontz has a wild ride in store!
reviewed Velocity on + 52 more book reviews
I've liked every Koontz book I've ever read--this one was no exception. I was guessing until the very end. Suspenseful and intriguing, I read the book in one sitting.

What kind of secrets is Billy keeping? Who is his tormentor? Will he ever get ahead instead of being one step behind? Can he save Barbara, and what does "saving" Barbara mean?

Find out...read it.
zengirl avatar reviewed Velocity on + 6 more book reviews
This book definitely had me on the edge of my seat.
Details are very vivid; I have to admit I had to skip reading about the injuries a person sustained at one point because I couldn't bear to read it.
Not a book to read in the middle of the night when you can't sleep! lol
reviewed Velocity on + 98 more book reviews
Billy Wiles is an easygoing, hardworking guy who leads a quiet, ordinary life. But that is about to change. One evening, after his usual eight-hour bartending shift, he finds a typewritten note under the windshield wiper of his car. "If you don't take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a lovely blond schoolteacher. If you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have six hours to decide. The choice is yours." It seems like a sick joke, and Billy's friend on the police force, Lanny Olsen, thinks so too. His advice to Billy is to go home and forget about it. But less than twenty-four hours later, a young blond schoolteacher is found murdered, and it's Billy's fault; he didn't convince the police to get involved. Now he's got another note, another deadline, another ultimaatum...and two new lives hanging in the balance. Suddenly Billy's average, seemingly innocuous life takes on the dimensions and speed of an accelerating nightmare. Because the notes are coming faster, the deadlines growing tighter, and the kiler becoming bolder and crueler with every communication-until Billy is isolated with the terrifying knowledge that he alone has the power of life and death over a psychopath's innocent victims.. Until the struggle between good and evil is intensely personal. Until the most chilling words of all are: The Choice is Yours........
GainesvilleGirl avatar reviewed Velocity on + 215 more book reviews
Suspenseful and gripping, I finished it in two sittings, just couldn't put it down. Many of Koontz's books are a bit too horrifying for me, but this one was just right. A bit of horror, a lot of thrills, and a satisfying ending. It's everything I ask for in the perfect murder mystery/psychological thriller genres. I hope there'll be more like this in his writing future.
tracey13 avatar reviewed Velocity on + 310 more book reviews
My housework didn't get done at all for two days while I was busy reading this. Couldn't put it down! Very faced paced and intriguing.
reviewed Velocity on + 4 more book reviews
Great read!
23dollars avatar reviewed Velocity on + 432 more book reviews
I've had VELOCITY in my TBR pile for a few years now so was glad to finally get to it before it spent yet another year in waiting.

I couldn't really get into the book much because it read too much like a Saw movie rip-off. A man gets an ominous note telling him a killer will kill this or that person if the man does this or doesn't do that, the choice is yours.

Anyone who's seen the wildly popular Saw movies knows this is a knock-off from that.

I was yawning after 50 pages so just skimmed through to the end, and yep...nothing new here.
reviewed Velocity on
Dean Koontz is one of my favorite authors and he didn't dispappoint me with Velocity. Fast paced and exciting!
josielikes2read avatar reviewed Velocity on
Pure trill from begining to end.
reviewed Velocity on + 49 more book reviews
psychological thriller, a killer gives a choice to a man "if u don't take this note to the police i will kill a blonde schoolteacher, but if u do take it to the police i will kill a elderly women active in charity work! what to do what to do.
reviewed Velocity on + 3 more book reviews
Fast moving murder mystery


Genres: