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Comments: I've never been much of a Dean Koontz fan, but this series is a clever departure from his usual action thrillers. The books all feature a young man named Odd Thomas, who sees dead people. Actually, he only sees those who have unresolved issues making them reluctant to "go over" to the other side. In the first of these books, he helped Elvis Presley; in this one, it's Frank Sinatra.
But those interactions are actually just side plots. The main story always involves some larger mystery or crime to be solved, into which he is pulled via his other 'gifts' -- urges, premonitions, visions, etc. They're never very specific, and he's learned to just go with the flow and let things develop at their own pace. That makes for a very laid-back, thoughtful hero, in contrast with the traditional goal-driven gunslinger.
A great scene in this book is where Odd is being held prisoner and roughly interrogated by the bad guys, while the ghost of Frank Sinatra watches (seen only by him). On an impulse, he begins viciously insulting Sinatra's life, work and reputation, driving the ghost into a rage. As the bad guys watch in horror, things in the room suddenly start flying about, poltergeist-style, causing them to hide under the table and giving Odd the chance to flee.
There are three more books in this series, and I'm looking forward to reading them on future trips.
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