Sometimes you want to read a romance without the sappiness. Sometimes you want to read a fantasy without the vampires or werewolves. And sometimes, you just want to read a thriller without the nightmares.

During the time when you are in one or all of these moods, consider reading Innocence, the latest novel by Dean Koontz, that mixes a tad of love, a tad of the supernatural, and a tad of gruesomeness to create a dark, bittersweet confection.

Born with a unique condition that forces him to hide from others, protagonist Addison spends his days underground and his nights rummaging through a present-day city. During one of his visits to the library in the wee hours, he witnesses the pursuit of a mysterious girl, Gwyneth, and risks his safety in order to confront her. A seemingly unlikely friendship quickly becomes meant to be, as she is also familiar with isolation and needs his assistance in an impending task. As Addison and Gwyneth race to bring her father’s murderer to justice in the middle of a winter storm, they discover they aren’t the only ones running out of time.

With precise descriptions and assertive images, Koontz’s language can transport you to powder-laden streets and snowflake-speckled skies, even when reading the novel in a bone-dry winter. However, in order to appreciate Koontz’s storytelling talent, you have to be patient. It’s not until the end of the novel that the images excite, the suspense begins and the morals are put into question. Before that, the author chooses to keep many of the imperative details of the unfolding action ambiguous. He focuses on the main character’s past, and the constant teeter-totter between flashbacks and rising action is simply tiresome.

Innocence is blur of romance, fantasy and horror both bewitching and anguishing, and when it finally begins to settle, it all falls beautifully into place.