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By the Light of the Moon

A Novel

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By the Light of the Moon

By: Dean Koontz
Narrated by: Kate Rudd, Seth Podowitz
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About this listen

Dean Koontz has surpassed his longtime reputation as “America’s most popular suspense novelist” (Rolling Stone) to become one of the most celebrated and successful writers of our time. Reviewers hail his boundless originality, his art, his unparalleled ability to create highly textured, riveting drama, at once viscerally familiar and utterly unique.

Author of one #1 New York Times bestseller after another, Koontz is at the pinnacle of his powers, spinning mysteries and miracles, enthralling tales that speak directly to today’s readers, balm for the heart and fire for the mind. In this stunning novel, he delivers a tour de force of dark suspense and brilliant revelation that has all the Koontz trademarks: adventure, chills, riddles, humor, heartbreak, an unforgettable cast of characters, and a climax that will leave you clamoring for more.

Dylan O’Connor is a gifted young artist just trying to do the right thing in life. He’s on his way to an arts festival in Santa Fe when he stops to get a room for himself and his twenty-year-old autistic brother, Shep. But in a nightmarish instant, Dylan is attacked by a mysterious “doctor,” injected with a strange substance, and told that he is now a carrier of something that will either kill him...or transform his life in the most remarkable way. Then he is told that he must flee—before the doctor’s enemies hunt him down for the secret circulating through his body. No one can help him, the doctor says, not even the police.

Stunned, disbelieving, Dylan is turned loose to run for his life...and straight into an adventure that will turn the next twenty-four hours into an odyssey of terror, mystery—and wondrous discovery. It is a journey that begins when Dylan and Shep’s path intersects with that of Jillian Jackson. Before that evening Jilly was a beautiful comedian whose biggest worry was whether she would ever find a decent man. Now she too is a carrier. And even as Dylan tries to convince her that they’ll be safer sticking together, cold-eyed men in a threatening pack of black Suburbans approach, only seconds before Jilly’s classic Coupe DeVille explodes into thin air.

Now the three are on the run together, but with no idea whom they’re running from--or why. Meanwhile Shep has begun exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior. And whatever it is that’s coursing through their bodies seems to have plunged them into one waking nightmare after another. Seized by sinister premonitions, they find themselves inexplicably drawn to crime scenes—just minutes before the crimes take place.

What this unfathomable power is, how they can use it to stop the evil erupting all around them, and why they have been chosen are only parts of a puzzle that reaches back into the tragic past and the dark secrets they all share: secrets of madness, pain, and untimely death. Perhaps the answer lies in the eerie, enigmatic messages that Shep, with precious time running out, begins to repeat, about an entity who does his work “by the light of the moon.”

By the Light of the Moon is a novel of heart-stopping suspense and transcendent beauty, of how evil can destroy us and love can redeem us—a masterwork of the imagination in which the surprises come page after page and the spell of sublime storytelling triumphs throughout.

©2002 Dean Koontz. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
Psychological Suspense Exciting Heartfelt Witty Adventure Fiction Comedy Mystery

Critic Reviews

“Perhaps more than any other author, Koontz writes fiction perfectly suited to the mood of America post-September 11: novels that acknowledge the reality and tenacity of evil but also the power of good; that celebrate the common man and woman; that at their best entertain vastly as they uplift. By the Light of the Moon is one of those best, exciting and deeply moving.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Koontz seems to know us, our deepest foibles and fears.”—USA Today

“Surefire plotting and a roster of characters built out of painful tragedies make the pages move…. Koontz has a touching faith in the human spirit.”—People

What listeners say about By the Light of the Moon

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amazingly imaginative adventure

I enjoyed this story from start to end. Dean Koontz is an amazing story teller. I listened to the audio version and loved the production

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by the light of the moon 🌙

wonderful, amazing. to short but well worth the time, so so entertaining. I will revisit this one again in the future

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By The Light Of The Moon by Dean Koontz 💜💙

I totally love this book another Awesome book by Dean Koontz and his nano bots Thank you so much
for a grate book enjoyed every page and chapter 💙💜💙💜💙💜💙💜

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Annoying

I absolutely love Koontz’s storyline’s but his over description of every single item is sooooooooo annoying, it makes for very boring listening when he waffles on and on just get on with the story Dean for Pete’s sake!!

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Fantasmagorical!

Once again, Mr Kootnz has outdone himself with this amazing tale! This definitely calls for a sequel with the final characters. I absolutely adored this story, thank you 😊

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LOVED THIS BOOK

As a Dean Koontz fan, this one doesn't disappoint.
Great fun.
Worth the money indeed.

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An engrossing fantasy

If you like Dean Koontz at his finest - hopeful, optimistic,..villains almost cartoonishly evil, heroes empowered and well meaning and usually successful… well, then this is for you.

There were a few instances where I thought ‘ugh enough metaphors and similes already, just tell me how they got out of this fix’. But despite the wordiness I really enjoyed this novel.

I think Dean Koontz is for people who love graphic novels, fantasy and super heroes. I love all those so this was for me. And yes the Labradors did make one tiny little appearance just for the long time fans.

Very good narration too.

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a great listen

another enjoyable story from the master himself. Dean Koontz' characters feel like friends or family by the end of his books

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Urgh

Great storyline but way too much attention to detail. I found myself increasing the spread just to get through it.

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Ableist disability tropes

I struggled to read this book as an autistic person because the author expresses very ableist views about level 3 autistic people. I cringed at many of the lines said by the female lead

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