Some may be put off by Dean Koontz’s different approach in this novella and in the book, "The City,” from which the characters in "The Neighbor" are taken. Just because this didn't seem like a Dean Koontz approach is no reason to punish him with a lower rating, and in fact, both plots work perfectly together and are well done. Koontz’s books are mostly the same, but the relevant point is that they are good. This one was also.
The book’s period is exciting and, again, well done. The ending of "The City" was unexpected, and the profile of the two supporting characters in their own story in "The Neighbor" fits the bigger story and seems to add to it.