Devoted

Written by Dean Koontz

Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini

An Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller.

From Dean Koontz, the master of suspense, comes an epic thriller about a terrifying killer and the singular compassion it will take to defeat him.

“Canine or human, it is hard to find a more lovable character in fiction than Kipp. Devoted has every mark of a classic.” —Associated Press

Woody Bookman hasn’t spoken a word in his eleven years of life. Not when his father died in a freak accident. Not when his mother, Megan, tells him she loves him. For Megan, keeping her boy safe and happy is what matters. But Woody believes a monstrous evil was behind his father’s death and now threatens him and his mother. And he’s not alone in his thoughts. An ally unknown to him is listening.

A uniquely gifted dog with a heart as golden as his breed, Kipp is devoted beyond reason to people. When he hears the boy who communicates like he does, without speaking, Kipp knows he needs to find him before it’s too late.

Woody’s fearful suspicions are taking shape. A man driven by a malicious evil has set a depraved plan into motion. And he’s coming after Woody and his mother. The reasons are primal. His powers are growing. And he’s not alone. Only a force greater than evil can stop what’s coming next.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Mar 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781543627411

Dean Koontz

Dean Koontz is the author of more than a dozen New York Times No. 1 bestsellers. His books have sold over 450 million copies worldwide, and his work is published in 38 languages. He was born and raised in Pennsylvania and lives with his wife Gerda and their dog Anna in southern California.

Reviews for Devoted

[Michael Horrigan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I could not stop listening to this book.
Amazing story and read beautifully.
A must listen .

[KIM WITCRAFT · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent love Koontz style! Only author I ever read using a dog as a pivotal part of the story.

[Angi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As usual, loved this book, love this author!! I really enjoyed the relationship between Kipp and those that he loved and especially with Woody.

[DaNeen Wyche · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The author. I love his style. I love his novels. He keeps me interested book after book page after page. He makes the impossible seem possible.

[Karen Wilson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love this second, yet stand alone book, to The Watchers.

[Kirk Magill · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The link to Watchers and the introduction of the mysterium! The storyline was very direct and didn’t have the typical Koontz suspense. However I am still a fan and loved the story!

[christopher brown · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Predictable ending. Still a good book. Give it a chance.

[Thomas Cleary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Koontz is a so much better author than Stephen King. Devoted is a superb story crafted with all the elements of a got to keep reading thriller.

[Vicki Chaney · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good audio book!!! I really enjoyed it! At first I couldn't keep all of the characters separate, but as the book went on, they all were woven into the story expertly.

[Rochelle Manel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good book with Animal and human interactions….
Heartwarming enjoyable story

[Mike Skeens · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

You gotta read this! BUT, read Watchers First b/c it's kinda related.

[vecharo · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Wow This writer has truly run out of writings. Good imagination, for a child. Just not what I have come to expect from Mr Koontz.

[Barbara Hiniker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it! Had me on the edge of my seat!

[wvteddy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Randi Robinson's Reviews > DevotedDevoted by Dean KoontzDevotedby Dean Koontz (Goodreads Author)5580150Randi Robinson's reviewMar 14, 2022 · editit was amazingbookshelves: 1-main-list-2022I have read pretty much everything Dean Koontz has ever written and this is one of the best, definitely up there with Watchers. I have noticed a shift in Koontz's writing after his beloved Trixie came into his life. All his books have dogs now, usually golden retrievers, and they are treated as serious characters. Kipp is one of the main characters in Devoted. His abilities are unique, abilities I wish all dogs had or maybe they do but unlike Woody I can't hear them. Woody is an autistic boy living with his widowed mother. At 11, he reads on a college level but he has never spoken. Lee Shackett is the evil found in all Koonts's books, and he is truly scary, an evil truly possible. A greedy CEO of a company that is researching "a cure for cancer" where a leak has occurred, he is becoming. Becoming what? You will need to read the book. He is the character who produces the gore in the book-not a lot but definitely gory. Add bad cops and a little romance in the mix with Koontz's linguistic ability and you have a book I truly loved. I listened to the book and Eduardo Ballerini did an excellent job as usual. He is one of the best.

[kindleifier · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Gave up after listening to several minutes of present tense nastiness from the antagonist of the piece.I picked this up because I was curious about Dean Koontz’s writing and this sounded interesting. Curious no more.

[buffalogr · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I plodded through this book, surprised to find Kipp the wonder dog and a metamorphosing man on a collision course. The latter having been captured multiple times, but always manages to escape. Combine that with a delusional, crooked sheriff, a hired hit squad and...well, imagine that! The book had several lines of advance that came together in the end; they were all neatly identified. All that said, the book just did not grab me and drag me into the abyss.

[jfe16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Megan Bookman, left a widow when her husband, Jason, tragically died in a helicopter crash, is concerned only with keeping her eleven-year-old son, Woody, safe and happy. Woody, who has not spoken a single word in all his life, believes a monstrous evil is responsible for the accident that killed his father; now, he believes that same evil will come for him and his mother.Kipp, a golden retriever with a remarkable gift, hears the boy wordlessly communicating and sets out to find him before it is too late. For the evil Woody fears is coming for him and for his mother. Is there anything that can save them or are they doomed to perish as Jason Bookman did three years ago?Well-defined characters, a strong sense of place, and a delightfully unique plot in which the good versus evil conflict plays out in Pinehaven, California all combine to create a can’t-put-it-down masterpiece. The suspense is bone-chilling; at times, the grisly descriptions of the consummate depravity created in the tortured mind of the demented psychopath are downright difficult to read. And it is the threat forged by that depravity that underscores most of the telling of the tale with ever-growing tension and leads to each of those heinous actions. But Kipp is a perfect counterbalance, giving readers hope through his loyalty and profound love. The unfolding story offers readers several points of view; Woody’s thoughts are intriguing and give the reader a great deal of insight into the character. Likewise, it’s heartwarming to have a glimpse into Kipp’s thoughts. As the story plays out, everything comes together, leaving readers to cheer for the efforts of Woody, Kipp, and the rest. Don’t miss this one.Highly recommended.

[andsoitgoes_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I always enjoy a new Dean Koontz but the similarities in this book to Koontz's Jane Hawk series were to numerous for me to enjoy including one of the characters last name was Hawkins!

[out1and1about · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Koontz is so good at hooking you into caring about so many characters so quickly. Then he creates clear voices and settings for each to help you follow a myriad of storyline that converge. I stopped reading his books years ago after I’d read so many that I found them repetitive but this was a nice return to everything he’s good at. I really enjoyed the entire thing.

Until the last two chapters. I was expecting the big payoff, the big showdown, and then the, so to speak, smoking gun ended up being a water pistol. Disappointed end to what should have been the big showdown. Still four stars because the rest was so good.

[asheley-627878 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was so great! Such a surprise for me. I never imagined I would care to pick up a story featuring a dog that can communicate with other dogs and humans. But I ended up liking it so much. The characters were great and the villains were pure evil. The short chapters were suspenseful and made me want to keep listening to just-one-more-chapter over and over. I've read in reviews that this story is a little bit similar to another by Koontz (Watchers) but I haven't read that one yet. However, I did go ahead and buy Watchers before I even finished this one.Audiobook Notes: Edoardo Ballerini narrates and, honestly, he reads this story perfectly. All of his voices were wonderful and I felt completely engaged with all of the characters, good and bad.Title: Devoted by Dean KoontzNarrator: Edoardo BalleriniLength: 11 hours, 24 minutes, UnabridgedPublisher: Brilliance Audio

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Devoted" is a twisted, crazy roller coaster of a book. Dean Koontz covers all the bases with though. It is at times genuinely frightening and disturbing...and at other times you feel like you have fallen into a PG rated family movie. I love animals and I am careful about reading books that animals are ultimately mistreated...I also love Dean Koontz's writing and I know how devoted, (no pun intended), he is to his Golden Retrievers, so felt I was pretty safe that the dog would be fine... but I have to say this one took me by surprise. I believe if I say it was something totally "other" I wouldn't be far off the mark. Parts of the book were genuinely gripping...some parts were absolutely terrifying...and others were heart warming... but the jump between all these emotions came off as jarring. Overall...if you are a Dean Koontz fan or if you are an animal lover...especially big beautiful, intelligent dogs...you will be able to relate to this story and not be too overly bothered by any of the genre mixes.

[toobusyreading · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I much prefer Stephen King to Dean Koontz, but I enjoy his books occasionally, and I like his attitude toward dogs. But this book just didn't work for me, despite the dog. It was gratuitously gruesome and sadistic, especially the torture of women. I felt like a voyeur watching a snuff film. But just as important, the story felt like a rehash. Nothing new here, nothing new, move along now.

[dianekeenoy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a great book to read during a pandemic! I absolutely love Dean Koontz and have read and own all his books. This book has everything you need during these trying times, really bad guys, a monster (of course!) really good guys, a brilliant child and dogs, lots of dogs and the best of all the most perfect ending. Enjoy!