Your Heart Belongs to Me: A Novel

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars | 1,203 ratings

Price: 1.99

Last update: 08-01-2024


About this item

From the #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense comes a riveting thriller that probes the deepest terrors of the human psyche—and the ineffable mystery of what truly makes us who we are. Here a brilliant young man finds himself fighting for his very existence in a battle that starts with the most frightening words of all…

At thirty-four, Internet entrepreneur Ryan Perry seemed to have the world in his pocket—until the first troubling symptoms appeared out of nowhere. Within days, he’s diagnosed with incurable cardiomyopathy and finds himself on the waiting list for a heart transplant; it’s his only hope, and it’s dwindling fast. Ryan is about to lose it all…his health, his girlfriend Samantha, and his life.

One year later, Ryan has never felt better. Business is good and he hopes to renew his relationship with Samantha. Then the unmarked gifts begin to appear—a box of Valentine candy hearts, a heart pendant. Most disturbing of all, a graphic heart surgery video and the chilling message: Your heart belongs to me.

In a heartbeat, the medical miracle that gave Ryan a second chance at life is about to become a curse worse than death. For Ryan is being stalked by a mysterious woman who feels entitled to everything he has. She’s the spitting image of the twenty-six-year-old donor of the heart beating steadily in Ryan’s own chest.

And she’s come to take it back.

Top reviews from the United States

Carolyn J. Mears
5.0 out of 5 stars Deceptively Brilliant
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2008
For those who think the story in Your Heart Belongs to Me falls short of Koontz's usual literary offerings, consider this: Is it possible Ryan's tale is not fiction at all, but rather a true story? Perhaps the oft-mentioned "subtext" (for which Ryan endlessly searches in Samantha's book) is a clue. Think about it. Who puts dead bodies on display "as art" in "middleclass neighborhoods"? Who looks everywhere suspiciously, seeing a potential culprit in every single face? Who cannot long survive on the life force given him by parents - who, by the way, he continues to support in style in spite of years of parental neglect? And who can never-ever keep the real girl no matter how deeply she loves him for a while, or how long he may linger in her mind after the fact? (I could go on, but don't want to reveal too many details of Ryan's story, which is good in its own right, for those who haven't read it yet.) So, whose true story might this be? Fiction.

I can't say for sure that Fiction is the real topic - the author's intended subtext. Every element of the story just happens to fit that premise. But, who knows, next read-though, I may see a different subtext that works equally well. The only thing I can say with certainty is that Dean Koontz knows what he's doing - and from where I sit, it looks brilliant.
Laura E. Felty
4.0 out of 5 stars Did not see that coming
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2024
This was difficult to read. At times I was not sure where it was going. Koontz was good with details and descriptions. I thought I knew how it would end, but nope. He had to change it all up on me.
Marcella Spratt
5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2023
This story is wonderfully enlightening with the knowledge of violence spelled out and just how hard it is to see in oneself we all sometimes have bouts of violence and don't recognize just how stupid it is to hate the truth
Brian Reaves
3.0 out of 5 stars Slow-moving and uneven with a nice ending
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2008
This book definitely isn't up to Dean's normal standards of writing. For one thing, the heart transplant mentioned on the back copy doesn't happen until over half the book is over (chapter 32 of 57). The sad thing is the story has no real idea of what it is trying to be. In parts it feels like "The Face", then takes turns to be like "Tick Tock"'s pursuit scenes, drifts into a melancholy "Odd Thomas" story, and finally finds its rhythm toward the end. Unfortunately, only Koontz's most avid readers are likely to get that far.

Don't get me wrong, there were good points too. One particular plot twist at the end goes all the way back to the opening sentence in the book, but it mostly falls flat. If he had taken the plot concept the book focused on in the back copy and made that the entire focus of the book, it might have been suspenseful and like "Intensity" in a way, but it seems more like an afterthought than a serious concept.

The nice thing about Dean's writing is the fact that he gives us two books a year, so even if one falls flat we still have another that was great six months earlier and another coming six months later. I'll definitely buy the next book he writes. If this is your first Dean Koontz book, don't judge the rest of his exceptional work on it. Pick up just about anything else of his instead.
Joseph Palen
5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome back Mr. Koontz
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2008
I was disappointed with his last book, which seemed to be more of an effort to write a book than a product of inspiration, and I thought went to the Odd Thomas well one time too often. Not this one. This is Koontz back with all his creative juices, spinning out twists and turns, reverses and double reverses. An unusual love story, where the intimacy becomes less but the true love becomes more intense. It was refreshing to share the life of a dot com billionaire for a change instead of the good, simple, poor, Odd Thomas. But the Evil is the same - truely wicked and twisted. The moral is: better check where your new body parts came from, you might not want them if you know. A truely weird, truely Koontz book - and even with a (surprise) feel good ending. Good job!
Sandra Harrison
5.0 out of 5 stars Koontz Fan
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2010
With this novel, Koontz puts his spin on human transplant donation. The story might turn some off to becoming donors or it might even encourage others to become donors so that that happens in this story doesn't happen (as I'm sure it does). It's like, buyer beware especially when it comes to getting body parts. Story also covers paranoia to the extreme. As a paranoid myself, it shows how one's mind can do so much harm taking a person to places where no one would ever hope to go. Fast reading with an interesting main character who starts out as the guy who has everything money can buy but ends up happier after losing almost everything (including his own life). If you like Koontz, this book will not disappoint.
karen
4.0 out of 5 stars Your heart
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2023
Way different then what I expected,so sad,so real! The world is so filled w evil and hate and greed. On the other hand there is good and honesty and love. Sometimes you j guy st have try o dig deep to find it.
Marty
5.0 out of 5 stars A fan of Koontz
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2021
On ce again, I'm not disappointed. Can't wait for the next book. I did not see what happened to him coming, love the ending & all references to a higher power.

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