Koontz's great skill lies in his ability to create credible, likable characters who are caught up in incredible situations that test the limits of their love and reason.

In False Memory the hero and heroine are Dustin (Dusty) and Martine (Martie) Rhodes, a happily married couple, affectionate and loving, whose world comes apart, whose friends and acquaintances are killed or injured, whose comfortable home is burnt to the ground, and whose sanity they themselves question. Dusty is a house painter and Martiea video-game designer. Both are hard-working, witty, compassionate, and personable. They watch out for their friends and go out of their way to help them in times of need. Martie spends time helping her friend Susan, once a successful realestate agent, deal with a debilitating case of agoraphobia, a paralyzing fear of open spaces, of traveling between houses and buildings. Marie drives Susan to psychiatric appointments, purchases...