The Husband
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| Author | Dean Koontz |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Suspense, Mystery novel |
| Publisher | Bantam Publishing |
| Released | 2006 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 416 453 - British paperback (ISBN 978-0-00-722656-6) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-553-80479-0 |
| Preceded by | Forever Odd |
| Followed by | Brother Odd |
The Husband is a novel by the best-selling author Dean Koontz, released in 2006. Focus Features, in conjunction with Random House Films, has announced that a film adaption has been greenlit. Filming is expected to commence later this year with a 2007 release date.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Mitch Rafferty was working one day at one of his employers' house. Mitch was a gardener and owned a small business that employed two people, himself and his friend Ignatius Barnes. One day as he was working he got a call from someone he didn’t know. They said they have his wife Holly and would kill her if he didn’t do as they said. They said they wanted two million dollars, but Mitch didn’t have that so he said he didn’t, but they said he would find a way. Then they told him to look across the street. There he saw a man walking a dog, suddenly the man was shot in the head. This just showed Mitch that they were serious. They also said that if he went to the police they would kill Holly.
When the police arrived a detective named Sandy Taggart came with them and questioned Mitch. After the questioning Mitch went home and saw that his house was made to look like he had killed his wife. There was blood everywhere on his clothes in the closet, the walls and all over the kitchen. Then Mitch got a call from the same matter-of-fact voice on the phone they let him listen to a recording that they had taken when Taggart was questioning Mitch. At this point the reader doesn’t know whether Taggart is a good or bad guy. After the phone call Taggart came and sat outside on the porch, Mitch had told him that Holly had come home with a migraine and was sleeping. Taggart told Mitch that they had identified the victim. The victim was named Jason Osteen and had gone to school with Mitch, and they had been roommates after for a year too. They had a falling out and had not spoken to each other in many years. After Taggart had left Mitch went into the garage and took a lug wrench as a weapon. He went into a small room nearby and was stopped by one of the criminals who had his wife. Mitch then knocked over some boxes onto the gunman and the man shot himself and died. Mitch took the handgun the dead man had and a concealed gun by the man’s ankle. Then Mitch put him in the back of his car and drove to his parents’ house. His father Daniel Rafferty was there but his mother had gone out somewhere. He talked with his father a little and we learn that he is a weird guy with what he calls a “learning room” which deprives sensory input. He used to put the children there when they misbehaved and such. When Mitch left he got a call on his cell phone to go and see his brother Anson who had always helped Mitch in his childhood. Anson agreed to help Mitch and said he would give him the two million. Then the two brothers went to Julian Campbell. There Anson pulled a gun on Mitch and said,
“Two million. Truth is,” Anson said almost sadly, without bite
or rancor, “I wouldn’t pay two million to ransom you, so Holly
was dead the moment she was snatched.” -Pg. 157
Anson betrayed Mitch and when Campbell came he had Mitch handcuffed and taken into the desert to be shot, but Mitch killed the two executioners. Then he went back to his parents’ and found them dead. Again the scene had been set up as if Mitch had killed his parents. After that Mitch went to Anson’s house and tasered and tied him up.
Meanwhile Holly was in a basement somewhere being held captive by masked men. One of them came and talked with her about some people in New Mexico and how his life had changed many times there. Then he left, and Holly tried continuously to pry out a nail that was sticking out in the ground. Mitch questioned Anson and got one million four hundred thousand from bearer bonds and cash. Then he got the call from the kidnappers, but it was a different voice. He said he would accept cash and told Mitch to come to the Turnbridge house. Mitch said he would be there. When Mitch was leaving Taggart showed up and said that Anson’s name had been in the victim Jason Osteen’s phone book. Mitch told Taggart that Mitch was house sitting and Anson was away. Then Taggart suspected something and Mitch finally told him the whole story. Then as they were going to see Anson downstairs Mitch tasered Taggart too and ran away.
Meanwhile Holly had taken the nail out and concealed it. Then she learned that one of the kidnappers had suspected the other two to kill him so he killed them and he would get all the money now.
Mitch left to go to a gun store and bought rounds for a gun he had taken from one of the executioners. When he was leaving the gun store he started to get chased by the cops and so he ran on foot with the money in a bag. He found a car unlocked and running so he took it and found an old man inside who started yelling at him so Mitch returned the car right away and went again on foot. He stole an SUV from a gas station and went to the Turnbridge house. When he got inside he fought with the last of the kidnappers and killed him. Then Holly and Mitch escaped and had two children after a while, and Mitch’s business became bigger and Holly became a real-estate agent.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Mitch Rafferty
Mitch is the main protagonist in this story. When his wife Holly has been kidnapped he has to figure out a way to obtain the two million requested as her ransom by any means possible.
[edit] Holly Rafferty
Holly is Mitch's Wife.
[edit] Anson
Anson is Mitch's brother.
