This book is the second book to feature Odd Thomas. Odd Thomas is a twenty year old man who lives in the fictional small towm of Pico Mundo. Odd is able to commune with the dead. In many cases, he can ease their pain and aid their transition to the next world. In other cases, he just observes them. He also has an ability to track people using what he calls "psychic magnetism".
His occupation is a short order cook in a small diner in Pico Mundo. He is friends with th chief of Police in whom he has confided his secret. This connection proves to be a useful one in several instances in the book. This novel takes place 6 months after the closing events in the original Odd Thomas book. Odd is still depressed over the recent loss of his girlfriend. Odd hears the news that his childhood friend Danny Jessup has been kidnapped. He uses his powers to find his friend. He finds him in a tunnel leading to an abandoned hotel and strapped to a bomb. A further complication is that Danny has a bone disease that makes him very fragile. Feeling lonley and isolated, Danny agrees to meeta woman that he has spoken to over the phone. Danny told his new friend, Datura, that Odd can see ghosts. So, she decided to kidnap Dannt to force Odd to show her ghosts. Odd departs to go find Datura. He uses his psychic magnetism and goes into a room which has weird candles and roses and white linen covering the chairs. There he finds Datura and with her two thugs whom she calls Cheval Robert and Cheval Andre. She tells Odd that he must show her ghosts. so reluctantly Odd takes her to the casino in the hotel where he previously saw many ghosts, and one particularly mean and nasty poltergeist. Almost as soon as they enter, the ghosts start coming to them and Datura starts mocking one and really putting her down. This causes the poltergeist who Odd refers to as Buzz-Cut to start throwing plaster and stones and other things at them. At this point, Odd escapes from Datura and goes back to Danny. He manages to disarm the bomb and takes Danny to an elevator and leaves him there with water, some food, and a flash light. In this way he will be safe as Odd tries to disarm th others and get them out of the hotel. | ||
Plot & Themes Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) Magical Beings/Mental/Magical/Powers Yes magical powers: Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Horror story? Yes Horror plotlets - the ghost chased me! Descript. of chases or violence - 40 % planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10 % Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 0 % Main Character Identity: - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Main Adversary Identity: - none Setting Takes place on Earth? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths scientific jargon? (SF only) - some scientific explanation |