Dean Koontz, the bestselling novelist whose suspense thrillers have sold more than 500 million copies, does few public events these days and travels even less. But he couldn’t resist sharing his upcoming novel, “The Friend of the Family,” at Northwest Passages on Jan. 31. 

Koontz will appear live on the Bing Theater’s big screen from his Southern California home for a virtual conversation with Comma managing editor Donna Wares and readers in Spokane. 

“The Friend of the Family” will be published Jan. 20 and introduces readers to the Museum of the Strange and the lonely life of a traveling carnival sideshow. The star attraction is a gifted young woman who is rescued by a kind-hearted family. 

Koontz is best known for writing thrillers and has written more than 140 books– typically two a year.  His work has been translated into 38 languages. 

The author lives in Orange County with wife Gerda and their golden retriever Elsa. Koontz has dedicated “The Friend of the Family” to the nonprofit Canine Companions for Independence, which provides dogs to people with disabilities. Representatives from the group and their service dogs will join Northwest Passages on Jan. 31.  

Tickets: $10 admission. Northwest Passages readers also can pre-order copies of  “The Friend of The Family,” which comes with a keepsake commemorative bookplate signed by author Dean Koontz for this special event (*Note: Only a limited number of signed bookplates will be available.)