| What the Night Knows | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Dean Koontz |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Thriller, Horror |
| Publisher | Bantam Publishing |
| Publication date | 2010 |
| Media type | Hardcover Paperback |
| Pages | 464 |
| ISBN | 0553807722 |
What the Night Knows is a 2010 novel by bestselling author Dean Koontz.[1] Following the events of the novella "Darkness Under the Sun," it follows the life of John Calvino, a survivor of a violent attack on his family and current police officer. In the aftermath of Billy Lucas's brutal slaying of his family, Calvino notices many similarities between Billy Lucas's family and his own, and Lucas knows more about Calvino than he possibly can. Spooked, remembering the attack of that left his family dead so many years ago at the hands of the late Alton Turner Blackwood, Calvino starts worrying that Blackwood, or his memory, might be back, and the family Calvino created may be in danger.
Though some may call it part of the horror genre, Koontz refers to the novel as a "ghost story."[2]
Before the release of What the Night Knows, Koontz released a prequel, a novella for the Kindle entitled "Darkness Under the Sun." It tells the early days of Alton Turner Blackwood, the man who killed John Calvino's family, including excerpts from Blackwood's own journal (a trait which continues through What the Night Knows). In it, Blackwood, traveling city to city, meets a killer, which ends up as a pivotal turning point in Blackwood's career as Death incarnate.
Blackwood somewhat similar to other villains in the Koontz's works, such as Krait in The Good Guy, Corky Laputa from The Face, and Vassago from Hideaway. However, with the publication of "Darkness Under the Sun," it is clear that there is more to Blackwood than just villainy.