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Shadow Fires By Dean Koontz   Visit the offical Dean Koontz website Rachael Leben's ex-husband, Eric, is terribly possessive and terribly rich, and if there is one thing that frightens him it is the thought of dying. When he steps into the path of an oncoming garbage truck, though, death is instantaneous.   When he hears the news about Eric, the new man in Rachael's life, Benny, rushes to be by her side and it doesn't take Benny long to realize that something is worrying Rachael. It is obvious the moment she opens the door to him. She is carrying a gun. Benny tries to find out what Rachael is afraid of, but she won't say. Then the call comes in: Eric Leben's body has gone missing from the morgue.   Shadowfires is a zombie story with a difference. It offers a very fresh and unusual slant on an old theme. For me to say any more than that, though, would be a spoiler for anyone that decides to read the book themselves.   The two main characters in Shadowfires are Rachael and Benny, they are both very easy to like and it is interesting to watch their relationship develop throughout the story. If I had to pick a most-hated from the characters, strange to say, it wouldn't be the un-dead Eric Leben, it would be DSA agent, Anson Sharp. Eric was a monster, but I grew to pity him in some ways. I found nothing to pity in Anson Sharp, but plenty to hate. Sharp is a strong character and is quite integral to the story. A lot of the subplots centre round him and I bet that most readers will love to hate him as much as I did. If you decide to read Shadowfires yourself, then also watch out for a guy nicknamed The Stone. He only graces a few pages, but what a guy! Other characters to watch out for are the cops Julio Verdad and Reese Hagerstrom. Like a lot of characters in the book, they are quite complex. As is their relationship.   I read the paper back version of Shadowfires and it was 598 pages long. Within those 598 pages there was so much happening, and such great characters involved, that I think I must have experience every emotion known to man. It's a great book.    HOME