77 shadow street who is witness

Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — 77 Shadow Street by Dean R. I am the One, the all and the only. I live in the Pendleton as surely as I live everywhere. The building is my place of conception, my monument, my killing ground.

Almost from the beginning, its grandeur has been scarred by episodes of madness, suicide, mass murder, and whispers of things far worse. But since its rechristening in the s as a luxury apartment building, the Pendleton has been at peace. But now inexplicable shadows caper across walls, security cameras relay impossible images, phantom voices mutter in strange tongues, not-quite-human figures lurk in the basement, elevators plunge into unknown depths.

Soon, all those within its boundaries will be engulfed by a dark tide from which few have escaped. Welcome to 77 Shadow Street. Get A Copy. Hardcover , pages. Published December 27th by Bantam first published More Details Original Title. Other Editions Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about 77 Shadow Street , please sign up.

Joey Ma'am, this book is not appropriate for anyone. It's that bad. See 1 question about 77 Shadow Street…. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of 77 Shadow Street Pendleton, 1. Jul 10, Maciek rated it did not like it Shelves: horror , reviewed , crap , unfinished. It goes like this: "Sparkle Sykes, stepping quietly out of her closet and moving cautiously across the bedroom, followed the six-legged crawling thing that might have been a mutant baby born after a worldwide nuclear holocaust as imagined in the waking nightmares of an insect-phobic, fungi-phobic, rat-crazy mescaline junkie.

It's like feeling only a slight chill when you have a gun pointed at your head, which really doesn't happen - well, unless you're James Bond.

It weighed maybe fifteen pounds. Sparkle snared it by the neck and held it in both hands, an awkward but elegant club in case she needed one. Maybe the creature just turned up to borrow some sugar? Who the hell knows. In going through the wall, it seemed to have gone out of the Pendleton altogether, into some other reality or dimension.

All was as it should be. More often than not, behind the armor of her autism, she refused to recognize the presence of others by even so much as a glance. It's completely devoid of any energy, movement, anything.

I know that it describes a situation, but all I can see is a string of words at a page. And "armor of autism"? Armor is used for protection and has a positive connotation. Autism is limiting to the individual, trapping and forbidding from interaction. It's not an armor - it's a prison. Then we get a short tour of the character's past: we learn about her dad's death, that her mother has been killed by lightning of all possible things, that she was seduced by a drug addict and went through drug induced hell, and has a daughter with that dude, who of course is autistic and of course she's raising her alone.

Don't like her yet? Well, maybe this will change your mind. She wept but she did not sob. She stood there for a long time until the tears stopped flowing and the rain washed the salt from her face.

Nine year old girl, not only orphaned but also traumatized, standing in the rain why do such things never happen on a sunny day? The only thing missing is Tiny Tim on his crutches in the background, shouting "God bless us, everyone! Good writers manage to rouse emotions in their readers. Dean Koontz simply tells you how you should feel, again and again and again and again I didn't even finish this book, but from what I've read about it it gets even worse as it goes on.

Currently, it has one star reviews on Amazon and only 53 five star reviews. I'd mostly encourage people to not even pick it up to read, but to pick it up and throw it out of the window. If a writer wrote his first novel in and in writes crap like this, perhaps it's time to call it quits.

Okay, maybe I was unfair. I've got to be polite. I've got to be respectful. I will look at the next chapter. I am full of hope! The wood floor felt sexy under his bare feet. A lot of things felt sexy to Mickey. Nearly everything. His feet were small and narrow. He was proud of his well-formed feet.

His late mother had said that his feet looked like they were carved by the artist Michelangelo. Mickey liked art. Art was sexy. Why did I do this? Well, at least I can't see much of dreadful authorial intrusion, where the authot tries to ridicule what he doesn't like by making a bad character take the position he doesn't agree with, specifically oversimplifying it to make those who disagree with him look as dumb as possible It was about sensation.

Only the bourgeoisie, the tacky middle class, thought art should affect the better emotions and have meaning. It was kitsch. Art thrilled. Art spoke to the primitive, to the wild animal within. Art strummed deeper chords than mere emotions. True art was about the meaninglessness of life, about the freedom of transgression, about power.

You're a terrible, terrible book, and it makes me sad that trees had to die to carry this awfulness in print. What a waste! View all comments. I really tried to like this book, but ended up really not caring for it all. View 2 comments. Oct 08, Steven Walle rated it it was amazing. In 77 Shadow Street, Dean Koontz takes us on quite a trip of the supernatural. We start in a hotel which has been leaped in a time warp to some time in the future.

In this time there are no humans. They have all been whipped out save one who is a super human and is held responsible for remembering the whole history of the world. I won't tell you how it ends so I recommend you all read it. Enjoy and Be Blessed. View all 3 comments. It sounds complicated, and it is and Koontz somehow ruins this - read the negatives for that but in some parts it does work.

But of course, in more recent typical Koontz fashion, he goes over the top with ways to repetitively describe them, very nearly ruining their credibility as evil beings and turning them into an almost comic-book kind of villain.

And now comes the part everyone will automatically skip to, due to my low star rating of this book: the negative stuff. Perfect example being that stupid fungus. Again and again and again, the reader is presented with a picture of the fungus that seems to grow all over the place in the Pendleton after the switch.

It is truly overkill at times. Think Dora the Explorer trying to tell a story. Winny is only 12 yet acts with more courage and bravery than the supposed war veteran he is with and even has a better vocabulary.

Those 2 kids are but a small part of the huge cast of characters Koontz attempts and fails to craft into this novel. Nearly every one in this book is one cliche after another. You have the hit-man, the ex-marine turned accountant, the 2 older women who believe in ghosts and ghouls, a blind man, a Vietnamese refugee escaping from his past, a borderline paranoid, and an indian concierge. Not a single one of them bring anything to the literary table.

I gave up on Patterson. I gave up on Cussler. I even gave up on Michael Crichton there at the end of his life, but again and again, I find myself still purchasing the newest Koontz books.

When I finish, it I know I will be disappointed. I know I will feel like I wasted money. I very well feel like this may be my last attempt at trying to give Koontz another shot. Koontz must not read any of the comments people post on his books because they have consistently been more and more negative with each new story and they show no signs of getting any better. You want an honest opinion? Skip this book.

View all 8 comments. Feb 13, Juli rated it it was ok Shelves: read-local-library , dnf. I really wanted to like this book. The blurb sounded interesting and creepy. Dean Koontz is hit or miss for me. This one is a miss. I DNF'd this about pages. The story moves too slowly. No real suspense or action. Weird, mostly unseen, mysterious creature sneaking up on people -- Koontz Trope. Very little character development. This one is not for me. DNF and taking it back to the library.

Sometimes I really enjoy Koontz It did keep me entertained while I I really wanted to like this book. It did keep me entertained while I spent 3 hours getting my hair colored and cut View all 4 comments. Dec 28, Kendra rated it really liked it. Just a quick comment before I even start reading. So many readers whine about his writing having changed, but I like the new stuff. I don't want my favorite writers to stagnate and write the same damn thing.

I'm not the same person I was 20 years ago, why should my authors be the Just a quick comment before I even start reading. I'm not the same person I was 20 years ago, why should my authors be the same?

Like it or dislike it, but don't whine for the past. I can only read it in bits and pieces because it is disturbing! It is well done, suspenseful, detailed but moves at a good pace. View all 14 comments. Feb 22, Christine rated it did not like it Shelves: reads. The original family was plagued with tragedy and ever since there has been a cycle of tragic events … coincidentally every 37 years. The curse of tragedy, however, seems to have stayed on despite the renovations and now ghostly images, disembodied voices and glowing mold haunt the residents of 77 Shadow Street.

In my on going quest for a good ghost story I thought of all people Mr. Koontz would deliver. I hate to say this, but not so much! There are so many characters in this book … obviously the inhabitants of a luxury condo building … and the story progresses as each tells a part of the action.

Sometimes this works, but in this case it is like watching a movie with too many fast cuts. Instead of adding to the drama and action it actually takes away from it. Would not recommend this one, even to a Koontz fan. Nov 16, Jackie rated it liked it Shelves: horror , thriller.

I thought it was a haunted house story but it's not. Which is cool too. However, in the mid-way point, I was tired of the same long winded descriptions of grotesque and nasty things, the same thing over and over.

I lost my momentum and found myself putting the book down more easily and not in much of a rush to get back to it. It wasn't a bad book, just not one of Koontz's best. View all 5 comments. Seventy-Seven Shadow Street was the most peaceful address in the city. Or not. At long last. So what? Fear is the engine that drives the human animal. With its grotesque imagery, this is the kind of uber-weird acid-trip horror that did so well in the 80s.

Make no mistake: this Seventy-Seven Shadow Street was the most peaceful address in the city. Make no mistake: this is one bizarre book! Koontz even manages to rationalise the madness to some degree. His habit of interspersing his horror plots with pseudo-science is often hit-or-miss. In 77 Shadow Street , however, it seems to work a whole lot better.

In fact, it works really well, because this is such a visual novel. Not a lot of beating around the bush - observe: freakishness! The nature of the haunting, however, is extremely unconventional.

The mechanics of 77 Shadow Street are so far out of the box it should change horror writing forever. Will men enjoy the book? S Greaux If they enjoy a well-written book, yes. See all 5 questions about False Witness…. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. Sort order. Start your review of False Witness. View all 28 comments. Aug 02, Regina rated it it was amazing. Her latest, False Witness, is no exception. So why 5 stars for something that sounds so hard to read?

Because this author is just so dang reliable in her storytelling and characterization. Unlike that sentence. If you like Karin Slaughter, you'll like this. If you haven't read her before, what are you waiting for? View all 66 comments. Karin Slaughter continues her trademark focus on contemporary American social and political issues with this, her latest exhilarating standalone crime thriller. She documents the impact of the pandemic, everyday safeguarding procedures, the enormous and unbearable death toll, the lost jobs, food scarcity, the starving kids, and the politicians unwilling to provide the resources to address the desperate needs of the nation.

She portrays the country's drug crisis in her humanising portrayal of 37 Karin Slaughter continues her trademark focus on contemporary American social and political issues with this, her latest exhilarating standalone crime thriller. She portrays the country's drug crisis in her humanising portrayal of 37 year old heroin addict, Callie, a child gymnast and cheerleader, suffering a broken neck, her life blighted by constant back pain, and as a child experiences the terror of being groomed and regularly sexually assaulted by a violent paedophile, Buddy Waleski, whilst babysitting his 10 year old son, Trevor.

In , after being physically attacked and fearing for her life, Callie nicks Buddy's femoral artery with a kitchen knife, a shocked and traumatised Callie calls her older sister, Leigh, on the cusp of leaving to study Law in Chicago, who deals with the situation. Both cannot escape the reverberations of that event, Callie burying the past deep with the help of drugs, her tragedy being being that of self knowledge, whilst Leigh is trapped in a cycle of self sabotage and guilt.

She is separated from her beloved husband, Walter, and desperately missing her daughter, 16 year old Maddy, staying with her husband. Leigh, her family, and Callie are to find themselves gravely endangered when the past raises its ugly head, as Leigh finds herself representing wealthy sexual predator, a rapist client, 33 year old car salesman and manipulative psychopath, Andrew Tenant, who turns out to be a grown up Trevor intent on destroying all their lives, knowing what happened to his father, facing a trial on charges of kidnap and sexual assault.

Slaughter excels in her characterisations, capturing the complex sibling relationship between Leigh and Callie, their undoubted love for each other, there is nothing they will not do to protect each other. Through their lives, and those of Tenant's victims, the author provides a damning indictment of male behaviour when it comes to young girls and women, the sense of entitlement, the daily sexual harrassment, stalking, the paedophiles, child abuse, the brutal sexual assaults, domestic violence, and the murders.

Men acting with impunity, all too aware they are unlikely to be made to pay, in a society and justice system where women are disbelieved, or presumed to be asking for it, and deserving of what happens to them. This is a dark, riveting and intelligent novel, one of the highlights for me was the understanding and compassionate vet Dr Jerry that Callie works for.

This is so much more than a crime read, and is likely to appeal to existing Slaughter fans and other crime and mystery readers. Highly recommended. View all 19 comments. Revenge Served with a Steak Knife False Witness is a suspenseful thriller about two sisters who get caught up in a revenge plot linked to their pasts.

This is a tautly written cat and mouse game filled with deplorable characters, violence, and love that transcends darkness. Callie and Leigh had a rough childhood. With an abusive mother, the two sisters had to fight to stay alive--literally and figuratively.

When one of their past sins comes back to haunt them in the present, the two sisters reun Revenge Served with a Steak Knife False Witness is a suspenseful thriller about two sisters who get caught up in a revenge plot linked to their pasts.

When one of their past sins comes back to haunt them in the present, the two sisters reunite to take down a creepy and twisted sociopath. Narrated by Leigh and Callie, I loved both. Each offers a very different perspective on their pasts. Leigh has grown up to be a tough-as-nails high-priced lawyer, whereas Callie is a junkie struggling to survive her addiction. Both sisters are intelligent and have a razor-sharp wit.

The first chapter end with a disturbing twist that had me sick to my stomach. The plot centers on events stemming from pedophilia, rape, addiction, abuse, sadistic murder, and mental health issues.

The two sisters' tenacity and intelligence made this somewhat bearable. Covid makes its way in which, while realistic, was another aspect of the harsh reality that Slaughter paints. Dark, twisted, and filled with gritty characters and gruesome situations, this book had me covering my eyes.

This is not an easy read, as it is filled with the lowest of the low. There is a high level of tension and suspense. In the end, Leigh and Callie got under my skin and broke my heart. I recommend False Witness , but it is not for the faint-hearted.

Trigger Warnings: pedophilia, rape, drug abuse, emotional and physical abuse View all 74 comments. Oct 05, Farrah rated it it was amazing. You know, I'm not even mad at myself for not reading her sooner. View all 49 comments. Jun 25, Nilufer Ozmekik rated it really liked it. Well, well, well! This one gives me the same depressing, anxious, sad feelings as well.

I think this book may be the one of the sadde Well, well, well! Self destructive, flawed characters who are victims of self flagellation break your hearts and you feel so useless and helpless when you read their heart wrenching stories. They have mandatory, intense bond they cannot deny but they are estranged, learning to have limited connection, living different lives.

But now the demons of their past come back to threaten them. You know what favorite quote says: three can keep a secret if two of them are dead. Callie and Leigh are sisters, raised in poverty by the year of the mother who were abusive and neglectful from the beginning. They are connected by a crime they committed when they were teenagers. Could we blame them after being witnessed their dealt shitty hand and the obstacles they had to endure when they were only two children. They did what they had to do for surviving!

And they did! They survived but did they have a fulfilled life? Yes, they did! Both of them the queens of self destruction! Leigh seems like having a decent life: a successful career, a kid, a civilized divorce! And mansplaining at the work place is frustrating. She deserves a promotion. One day, she assigned to represent a man who is accused for rape.

Actually he knows old her! He knows what she and her sister have involved in. But dear Callie is not at her best. Her addiction is the main reason of their estrangement but now they need to be reunited to confront to their past demons to keep move forward!

The characters were easy to resonate and you truly feel so sorry for them! If you repeat yourself this is only disturbing fiction novel with so many realistic facts, you can keep your emotions intact without getting too much hurt! Looking forward to read the next book of the author! Crossing my fingers to read a new Will Trent book in near future! View all 8 comments. Jul 10, jessica rated it really liked it. Jun 11, Michael David rated it really liked it Shelves: physical-arc-received.

Leigh Collier is a defense attorney in Atlanta. The accused, Andrew Tenant, claims he knows her. When Leigh meets him face to face, she realizes that is true. Leigh only has a week to get up to speed before the trial, but the reason they know each other will only fare well for only one of them.

She has no choice but to reach out to her estranged sister, Callie, for help. Callie is now a drug addict and has been faltering on and off. Tragedy ruins lives every day, but will Leigh somehow be able to right a wrong when pushed against a wall? Karin Slaughter is one of my favorite authors in all of the land, and I was eager to read this latest standalone But I digress. False Witness is suspenseful, and delves deep into all of the characters and their triumphs Slaughter always keeps the kittens safe As a 1 fan of Slaughter, there were parts that were long-winded and seemed to be repetitive.

I cringed at some of the violence, but I understood why it was depicted. Nothing wrong with that, except that some of the characters initially seemed extremely careful, and then forgot to wear their masks and wash their hands when it was convenient for them to do so.

I still highly recommend. Huge shoutout to my friend Denise, who sent me her copy of the physical ARC. View all comments. Nov 17, Elle rated it it was amazing Shelves: author-is-nice , from-publisher , The thing I love most about Karin Slaughter is that she wastes no time. Every single book of hers just absolutely clocks you right away, sometimes in the prologue, but always by the end of the first chapter.

This one had the one-two punch of monumental twists in both, which left me reeling. Everything you come to expect from her—action, tension, biting wit, incredible twists and a grand finale made for premium cable—is present here. Though in all the ways this book is like its predecessors, it also fairly different from her typical novel structure. I think this was a smart move, taking a step back from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Mainly, through one of the two main characters, Leigh, who is a defense attorney. The two had an already tumultuous childhood before a violent event impacted them both irreparably. I love how Karin Slaughter writes sisters. Callie and Leigh are no exception here. And look, Slaughter is no novice to writing violence and sexual violence. The violence in False Witness , though, did have a different feeling to it. Usually I would expect the very beginning to have an assault or murder, then the middle would be a sometimes graphic investigation of those crime s , with the ending usually containing a violent confrontation of some kind.

For its part, False Witness was less explicit than say, Pretty Girls , but there were a good number of assaults peppered throughout the middle as well. And this violence was a lot more brazen and unrepentant, if at times a little cathartic. This is not the neat and easy thriller you walk away from feeling satisfied. Trauma is messy. So is revenge. For me, False Witness is one of the few written-during-the-pandemic books that actually worked.

COVID as a topic is neither a completely avoided nor all-consuming, just a reality of the characters living through it. Libraries are great everyone should visit them and become friends with librarians!!!!!!

View all 15 comments. While not my favorite Slaughter novel, this is still a solid read. The narrator for the audiobook is fabulous, and you could really feel the emotion she put into each and every character she gave voice to.

I feel torn, because the literary side of this book, the one that focuses on the sisters' backstory and relationship over the course of time is outstanding, but I felt like the crime fiction portion wasn't up to par with the author's usual plotting. The cases involving the past with Buddy and While not my favorite Slaughter novel, this is still a solid read. The cases involving the past with Buddy and the present with Andrew contain important thematic elements in how women are treated in the world, even today, but I just didn't feel like this had the special something I tend to find in a slaughter novel, and found there to be a predictable outcome by the ending.

Hey, we can't love them all, and I'll still be waiting eagerly for the author's next release. TW: Basically, if you need a trigger warning, it's probably not the book for you. This book is graphic and violent on page and in great detail. Callie's terrifying phone call. Leigh's frantic drive to reach her. The horrific scene in the kitchen. The familiar smell of the dank house, the cigars and scotch and blood - so much blood.

Leigh had to know for sure. She needed to hear it said out loud. Her teenage voice came out of her mouth when she asked, 'Trevor? Leigh felt a tingle of goosebumps prickle her skin. She had been his babysitter, and then, when she was old enough to find real work, she had passed the job on to her baby sister.

We both thought it would be good to change things up after what happened with dad. He'd abandoned his wife and son. No note. No apologies. That's what Leigh and Callie made it look like. That's what they had told the police. Buddy had done a lot of bad things. He was in debt to a lot of bad people. It made sense. At the time, all of it had made sense. Andrew seemed to feed off her dawning recognition. His smile softened, the upward curve of his lips slowly smoothing out. He said, 'It's been a long time, Harleigh.

Andrew said, 'I thought you'd forgotten all about me. She would never forget him. Trevor Waleski had been a sweet kid. A little awkward. A lot clingy.

The last time Leigh had seen him, he had been drugged into oblivion. She had watched her sister gently kiss the top of his head. Then the two of them had gone back into the kitchen to finish murdering his father. The only person who can help her is her younger, estranged sister Callie, the last person Leigh would ever want to ask for help.

Where do I start with this review? Slaughter never fails to surprise me. False Witness is a complicated I mean that in a positive way story of abuse on many levels. Paedophilia, alcohol, drug, and parental abuse are all a part of False Witness, as is the Covid pandemic.

I am not going to talk about the plot, because I don't want to give anything away. I will say, however, that I didn't much like False Witness to start with, thanks to Ms Slaughter's realistic and graphic portrayals of drug addicts their habits, of Buddy Waleski and his proclivities. It made me feel dirty, like I wanted to go stand under a hot shower until the water ran out. I didn't like Callie, although by the time I had finished, I had a sneaking admiration for her. And although she could not resist the siren song of heroin, she was incredibly strong in other ways.

He wanted to raise his newly lettered middle finger, but he restrained himself. Offending a concierge was a bad idea. Your mail might go missing. The suit you expected back from the dry cleaner by Wednesday evening might be delivered to your apartment a week later.

With food stains. Although flashing the finger at Norman would be satisfying, a full apology would require doubling the usual Christmas gratuity. He went through the inner door that Norman buzzed open for him and into the communal hallway, where he turned left and, licking his lips at the prospect of a nightcap, proceeded to the north elevator. Sometimes, like now, the beauty of the scene and the joy of the birds seemed forced, aggravatingly insistent, so that Earl wanted to get a can of spray paint and obliterate the entire panorama.

These days, this former senator so frequently felt the urge to deface so many things that he needed to strive to control himself lest he vandalize his way into the poorhouse. The security camera was missing. The white wainscoting had vanished, too. The walls, doors, and floor were all brushed stainless steel. His stomach seemed to rise, then to sink.

He stumbled sideways, clutched the handrail, and managed to remain on his feet. No thrumming of hoist cables. No clatter of counterweights. No friction hum of rollers whisking along greased guide rails. It still was there, but now the numbers began at 3, descended to 2 and 1 and B, followed by a new 1 through The floor seemed to be falling out from under him. Besides, the Pendleton had just four levels, only three aboveground. The floors represented on this panel must be subterranean, all below the basement.

But that made no sense. So this could not be the Pendleton anymore. Which made even less sense. No sense at all. Maybe he had passed out. A vodka nightmare. No dream could be this vivid, this intensely physical. His heart thundered. His pulse throbbed in his temples. Acid reflux burned his throat, and when he swallowed hard to force down the bitter flood, the effort brought tears that blurred his vision.

He blinked at the indicator board: 13, 14, Panicked by a sudden intuitive conviction that he was being conveyed to a place as terrifying as it was mysterious, Earl let go of the handrail. He crossed the car and scanned the backlit control board for an emergency stop button. None existed.