Preview
  • The Bad Weather Friend

  • By: Dean Koontz
  • Narrated by: Ray Chase
  • Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (2,112 ratings)

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The Bad Weather Friend

By: Dean Koontz
Narrated by: Ray Chase
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Publisher's summary

Benny is so nice they feel compelled to destroy him, but he has a friend who should scare the hell out of them in this breathtaking new kind of thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense Dean Koontz.

Benny Catspaw’s perpetually sunny disposition is tested when he loses his job, his reputation, his fiancée, and his favorite chair. He’s not paranoid. Someone is out to get him. He just doesn’t know who or why. Then Benny receives an inheritance from an uncle he’s never heard of: a giant crate and a video message. All will be well in time.

How strange—though it’s a blessing, his uncle promises. Stranger yet is what’s inside the crate. He’s a seven-foot-tall self-described “bad weather friend” named Spike whose mission is to help people who are just too good for this world. Spike will take care of it. He’ll find Benny’s enemies. He’ll deal with them. This might be satisfying if Spike wasn’t such a menacing presence with terrifying techniques of intimidation.

In the company of Spike and a fascinated young waitress-cum-PI-in-training named Harper, Benny plunges into a perilous high-speed adventure, the likes of which never would have crossed the mind of a decent guy like him.

©2024 The Koontz Living Trust. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Ray Chase performs an unusual story of good versus evil centered on the nicest man in the world.… Chase's portrayal suits the jaunty character well, shifting between humorous and ominous to great effect. Even during dramatic violence Chase's depictions keep the story engrossing. Often Koontz breaks the fourth wall, but Chase never breaks character. With a performance that careens from funny to horrifying and back again, Benny's story is engaging and a wonderful deviation from Koontz's usual style.”AudioFile Magazine

What listeners say about The Bad Weather Friend

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

what did I just listen to?

I love koontz, I've read all his books. But this title has me wondering what am I missing? The story is engaging but doesn't offer more than a simple explanation as to what a Kraggle is? For a creature that plays such a big part of the story, I needed more backstory. And the cabal that instigate the story, again I needed more backstory. My recording had odd "sound voids" between chapters, has me pondering if the recording is corrupted.

Overall, my poor review is a reflection of holes in the story and poor sound engineering.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Koontz Does it Again!

Loved the plot. Loved the characters. Dean never disappoints. Will recommend this book to friends, family and “blue-squared-away” strangers I meet!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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where's my craggle?

Dean Koontz is awesome! Always funny, clever and the most interesting and endearing characters, especially the women. Narration was outstanding. I want a craggle so badly! Wished it was longer.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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great narrator

I enjoyed this story very much! The narrator was great and I laughed several times and cringed equally... the best of both worlds.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Story

The story reminded me of a bunch of different stories at different times...I'm not intelligent enough to write a good review. It was just incredibly entertaining!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book

What else can I say. Koontz came out with another great book! Give it a listen, you won’t regret it

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved every minute!

Too much fun! Many thanks for every word and laugh. please write another one just like it.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Two stories that need separate books!

This book would have been much better as two books. I am very interested to hear more detail about the boarding school. I would have enjoyed more detail on Spike and his history. Two different stories put together made this experience less enjoyable.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great fast-paced dialogue. Great conspiracy theory stuff.

Like Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in My Girl Friday but for those that have a sneaking suspicion that the world is out to get them…and that might just be the case.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best Koontz in a decade!

Best Koontz in years! I love it! His last 10-12 books were hard to finish, I read this one twice already!

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