In Dean Koontz's book, The Crooked Staircase, the little boy Travis is hiding out in a fortified bunker below the ground with Cornell, an "End of Times" fanatic who does not need the world above and is spending his days reading.
Cornell has just finished reading the work of philosopher Immanuel Kant. On his table is Nero Wolfe mystery, a fictional character created in 1934 by American mystery writer Rex Stout.
He mentions his interest in reading all one hundred twenty-plus books of Henry James, having found "The Turn of the Screw" very screwy.
Cornell says he understands lying low as he mentions the Wolfe stories. Gavin leans forward in his chair and says, "This is real life now, Cornell. Real bad people, a real threat, not a story by Dickens."
Cornell replies, "There is no meaningful difference, cousin. Plato might agree. Except he's dead. When I return to reading fiction, which I hope to do in just a minute or two, it is my real life.
Did Koontz use this dialog to shape an eccentric character or put action novels on more par with the classics?
