Frank Pollard awakens within an alley, knowing only his name—which he’s in great risk. Having used refuge within a motel, he wakes once again only to find his hands covered in blood. As far as he understands, he’s no killer. But whose blood is this, and exactly how did it make it happen? Over another couple of days Frank builds up a fear of sleep, because each time he wakes he discovers strange items in his hands and wallets—objects far more frightening than blood.Husband-and-wife detective team Bobby and Julie about The Poor Place Dakota specialize in high-ticket corporate security investigations, however when a distraught and eager Frank Pollard begs them to watch over him, they can’t refuse. Out of compassion—and interest—they consent to reach the bottom of his inexplicable, amnesiac fugues.It seems a simple work: simply follow a client who wants to be watched and simply tell him where he winds up. But as the Dakotas begin to discover where their client will go when he sleeps, they may be drawn slowly into ever-darkening realms where they encounter the ominous shape stalking Frank. Their lives are threatened, as is definitely that of Julie’s gentle, Down’s-syndrome sibling, Thomas.To Thomas, loss of life is ‘the bad place’ from which there is no return. But Julie and Bobby—and their tortured customer—ultimately learn that equally poor areas exist in the world of the living, locations therefore steeped in evil that on the other hand death seems nearly a alleviation.…Praise for Dean Koontz’A master storyteller, sometimes humorous, sometimes shocking, but constantly riveting. His people sparkle with life. And his fast-paced plots are wonderfully fiendish, taking unforeseen twists and changes.’ —The NORTH PARK Union-Tribune’One of our finest & most versatile suspense authors.’ —The Macon Telegraph & News’His prose mesmerizes…Koontz consistently hits the bull’s-eye.’ —Arkansas Democrat’An remarkable novelist…top-notch.’ —Lincoln Journal-Star