The Voice of the Night

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Authors: Dean Koontz

Tags: #Suspense, #Fiction, #Thrillers

BOOK: The Voice of the Night
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Table of Contents
The acclaimed bestsellers by Dean Koontz
THE EYES OF DARKNESS
“Koontz puts his readers through the emotional wringer.”—The Associated Press
THE KEY TO MIDNIGHT
“An exceptional novelist... top-notch.”
3 —
Lincoln Journal-Star
MR. MURDER
“A truly harrowing tale ... superb work by a master at the top of his form.”
—The Washington Post Book World
THE FUNHOUSE
“Koontz is a terrific what-if storyteller.”—
People
DRAGON TEARS
“A razor-sharp, nonstop, suspenseful story ... a first-rate literary experience.”
—
The San Diego Union-Tribune
SHADOWFIRES
“His prose mesmerizes ... Koontz consistently hits the bull‘s-eye.”
—Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
HIDEAWAY
“Not just a thriller but a meditation on the nature of good and evil.”—
Lexington Herald-Leader
COLD FIRE
“An extraordinary piece of fiction ... It will be a classic.”—UPI
THE HOUSE OF THUNDER
“Koontz is brilliant.”—
Chicago Sun-Times
THE VOICE OF THE NIGHT
“A fearsome tour of an adolescent’s psyche. Terrifying, knee-knocking suspense.”
—
Chicago Sun-Times
THE BAD PLACE
“A new experience in breathless terror.”—UPI
THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT
“A great storyteller.”
—New York Daily News
MIDNIGHT
“A triumph.”—
The New York Times
LIGHTNING
“Brilliant ... a spine-tingling tale ... both challenging and entertaining.”—The Associated Press
THE MASK
“Koontz hones his fearful yarns to a gleaming edge.”—
People
WATCHERS
“A breakthrough for Koontz ... his best ever.”
—Kirkus Reviews
TWILIGHT EYES
“A spine-chilling adventure ...will keep you turning pages to the very end.”—
Rave Reviews
STRANGERS
“A unique spellbinder that captures the reader on the first page. Exciting, enjoyable, and an intensely satisfying read.”—Mary Higgins Clark
PHANTOMS
“First-rate suspense, scary, and stylish.”
—Los Angeles Times
WHISPERS
“Pulls out all the stops ... an incredible, terrifying tale.”
—PublishersWeekly
NIGHT CHILLS
“Will send chills down your back.”
—
The New York Times
DARKFALL
“A fast-paced tale ... one of the scariest chase scenes ever.”—
The Hoaston Post
SHATTERED
“A chilling tale ... sleek as a bullet.”
—PublishersWeekly
THE VISION
“Spine-tingling—it gives you an almost lethal shock.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
THE FACE OF FEAR
“Real suspense ... tension upon tension.”
—The New York Times
Berkley titles by Dean Koontz
THE EYES OF DARKNESS
THE KEY TO MIDNIGHT
MR. MURDER
THE FUNHOUSE
DRAGON TEARS
SHADOWFIRES
HIDEAWAY
COLD FIRE
THE HOUSE OF THUNDER
THE VOICE OF THE NIGHT
THE BAD PLACE
THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT
MIDNIGHT
LIGHTNING
THE MASK
WATCHERS
TWILIGHT EYES
STRANGERS
DEMON SEED
PHANTOMS
WHISPERS
NIGHT CHILLS
DARKFALL
SHATTERED
THE VISION
THE FACE OF FEAR
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc. 37S Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4V 3B2, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England
Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
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Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The
Voice of the Night
was previously published under the pseudonym Brian Coffey.
THE VOICE OF NIGHT
A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with Nkui, Inc.
PRINTING HISTORY
Doubleday edition published 1980
Signet edition /August 1981
Berkley edition / July 1991
Copyright © 1980 by Nkui, Inc.
All rights rexrved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
Visit our website at
www.penguin.com
.
eISBN : 978-1-101-17363-3
BERKLEY®
Berkley Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. BERKLEY is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. The “B” design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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To old friends—Harry and Diane Recard Andy and Ann Wickstrom —who, like wine, get better year by year
A faint cold fear thrills through my veins.
—SHAKESPEARE
PART ONE
1
“You ever killed anything?” Roy asked.
Colin frowned. “Like what?”
The two boys were on a high hill at the north end of town. The ocean lay beyond.
“Anything,” Roy said. “You ever killed anything at all?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Colin said.
Far out on the sun-dappled water, a large ship moved northward, toward distant San Francisco. Nearer shore stood an oil-drilling platform. On the deserted beach a flock of birds relentlessly worked the damp sand for their lunch.
“You must’ve killed something,” Roy said impatiently. “What about bugs?”
Colin shrugged. “Sure. Mosquitoes. Ants. Flies. So what?”
“How’d you like it?”
“Like what?”
“Killing ‘em.”
Colin stared at him, finally shook his head. “Roy, sometimes you’re pretty weird.”
Roy grinned.
“You like killing bugs?” Colin asked uneasily.
“Sometimes.”
“
Why?
”
“It’s a real popper.”
Anything that Roy thought was fun, anything that thrilled him, he called a “popper.”
“What’s to like?” Colin asked.
“The way they squish.”
“Yech.”
“Ever pull the legs off a praying mantis and watch it try to walk?” Roy asked.
“Weird. Really weird.”
Roy turned to the insistently crashing sea and stood defiantly with his hands on his hips, as if he were challenging the incoming tide. It was a natural pose for him; he was a born fighter.
Colin was fourteen years old, the same age as Roy, and he never challenged anything or anyone. He rolled with life, floated where it took him, offering no resistance. Long ago he had learned that resistance caused pain.
Colin sat on the crown of the hill, in the spare dry grass. He looked up admiringly at Roy.
Without turning from the sea, Roy said, “Ever kill anything bigger than bugs?”
“No.”
“I did.”
“Yeah?”
“Lots of times.”
“What’d you kill?” Colin asked.
“Mice.”
“Hey,” Colin said, suddenly remembering, “my dad killed a bat once.”
Roy looked down at him. “When was that?”
“Couple of years ago, down in Los Angeles. My mom and dad were still together then. We had a house in Westwood.”
“That where he killed the bat?”
“Yeah. Must’ve been some of them living in the attic. One of them got into my folks’ bedroom. It happened at night. I woke up and heard my mom screaming.”
“She was really scared, huh?”
“Terrified.”
“I sure wish I’d seen that.”
“I ran down the hall to see what was wrong, and this bat was swooping around their room.”
“Was she naked?”
Colin blinked. “Who?”
“Your mother.”
“Of course not.”
“I thought maybe she slept naked and you saw her.”
“No,” Colin said. He could feel his face turning red.
“She wearing a negligee?” Roy asked.

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