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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
A lot
Significant violence; murders are part of the game's mechanics
Language
Some
Some strong language
Sexual Content
None
No sexual content
Substance Use
Barely any
Social drinking in bar setting
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Profound psychological torment from being unable to stop deaths; guilt, helplessness
What this book is about
Bartender Billy Wiles finds a note offering him an impossible choice. Each choice leads to a death. Someone is playing a game with Billy's conscience and there's no way to win. Koontz's standalone thriller is one of his most purely tense, delivering a sustained nightmare of moral traps and the horror of being controlled by an unseen sadist.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Murders and sustained violence
Psychological torture
Dark thriller content
Reader Verification
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