Hell's Gate by Dean Koontz

He was a murderer. Beyond that, he can't remember anything about his past. He is even unsure of his name. Victor Salsbury was supposed to be dead, but he thinks he is that same man. A man with a mission, Victor acts out orders from someone, or something. Where these orders come from he doesn't know. He does not even know why he has to do them, only that he has to and because he might find some answers. The few clues to his identity only add to the mystery; a machine he knows instinctively is called 810-40.04 and some items he needs for his mission were prepared for him.

He was alone until a dog came to him. Intrepid became a constant companion since. Then he meets a woman named Lynda while fulfilling his mission. All the while he still can't make sense of everything. Not until he found they were threatened by some strange creatures he has seen on the wall in his house.

One of Dean Koontz's earlier novels, Hell's Gate has the distinct Koontz elements found in his recent books: a complex lead character with an unknown past and a dark mission; a cute dog and lovely woman for company; ruthless antagonists; and a revelation on a cosmic scale. The pace is slower in the first when Victor is still looking for clues while performing the preliminaries of his mission. It will pick up when he meets Lynda and discovers that a dead man has his identity. I think fans will enjoy this short novel as much as I did.

Rating: 8 out of 10