by Dean Koontz
First published 2010
A stranger slips into the mayor's house in Rainbow Falls, Montana, during the dark hours before dawn. This intruder leads a coordinated wave of replacements who will take over homes, offices, and institutions throughout the small town. These engineered beings assume the identities of those they replace as part of Victor Frankenstein's new campaign against humanity. Deucalion, Victor's first creation, witnessed his maker's death in New Orleans two years ago, yet his instincts tell him Victor has returned. Within hours, Deucalion reunites with his former allies: detectives Carson O'Connor and Michael Maddison, Victor's artificial wife Erika Five, and her companion Jocko. This time Victor operates with a mysterious backer whose resources make him more dangerous than before. As the assault on Rainbow Falls intensifies, Deucalion and his allies face an enemy whose capabilities and destructive vision exceed anything they have confronted. The battle for this Montana town becomes the opening move in a war that will determine humanity's survival.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, horror, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Rainbow Falls, Montana, New Orleans
Period: 2 years ago
350 pages · Hardcover · Bantam
Content warnings: body-horror, violence