Author: Dean Koontz
ISBN: 978-0-7322-9870-8
RRP: $19.99
Publisher: HarperCollins
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
I have long been a fan of Dean Koontz and he is probably the author with the most shelf space in my collection so it is also with great anticipation I approach a new one of his books. The problem with this is that the bar is generally set pretty high for him and a couple of times I’ve come out a little underwhelmed.
The Silent Corner is the first in a new series, which is always exciting because you know that you will have time to get to know these characters and follow them through a range of situations. The best bit for me in this situation is that I came to The Silent Corner late, it was first published last June, which means that I only have a couple of months before the next book is released.
Admittedly, it took me a while to warm to this story. The first few chapters left me with a feeling that this would be all fate and higher powers but, lucky for me, I persevered and fell in love with a story that is deeply disturbing and maybe a little too believable to be dystopian.
Jane Hawk loses the love of her life to suicide; a man who had it all and loved his life. Jane is determined to discover the truth, because she knows there is more to his suicide than there seems. Her research leads to disturbing statistics about the rising suicide rate and she is determined to learn what it means.
Koontz has woven a disturbing tale; complex and psychologically terrifying. The best thing about Koontz thrillers is that the scare factor doesn’t come from the gore and the depravity; it comes from the shadowy organisations that are out to change the world to their own ends, and not always (or ever) in the best interests of humanity.
Often the heroes in a Koontz novel are the little guy (or gal in this case) with passion and dedication to their cause that are determined to get to the truth at any cost, usually a very high personal price. They are heroes that find unlikely allies along the way and find it necessary to make massive sacrifices. They are heroes with strong character who often find themselves making decisions that go against their personal beliefs because they are the right decision for the greater good.
Jane Hawk is a widow who has lost a lot, but she has a lot more left to lose. She knows what’s at stake but walking away won’t make her any safer in the long run, not when anyone can see the direction the world is going. The tragic trend she has uncovered does not bode well but it isn’t enough to track the trend; now she needs to discover the how and the why with the bad guys close on her tail.
Who can you trust when the cover-ups seem to start at the top? Are any of the government agencies safe? These are the issues Jane faces as she travels across the country in her quest for answers.
An FBI background, and an ID that she didn’t hand in when she went on leave, offers greater access but it comes with great risk because that’s a lot of manpower to possibly add to your tail when you’re trying to stay ahead of the bad guys.
The Silent Corner stands alone well, I think you could be quite satisfied with this as a complete story but it certainly left me thrilled to know that there is another book coming that will see Jane further work towards a life that is safer for all our citizens.
In a world that is increasingly driven by technology, with every move seen, recorded and tracked, it is much harder to live off the grid than it used to be. Hawk works hard to stay out of sight and off the radar, always fearing that They will work out where she is, and where she’s heading.
Koontz has done it again with a spine chilling tale of the darkness in the minds of men. It is scary in that the madness of the bad guys is such that they have the arrogance and the power to think that they’re untouchable.
Fans of Koontz won’t be disappointed and I would definitely recommend, now to hope that he keeps up the momentum and brings us many more Jane Hawk stories.
Dean Koontz can be found on Facebook, Twitter and his Website.
The Silent Corner is available now through HarperCollins Australia, Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.
Thanks to HarperCollins Australia 20 of our Beauty and Lace Club Members will be reading The Silent Corner so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
I really enjoyed reading The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz . Once I settled down to read it the novel flowed really well.
It is centred around FBI agent Jane Hawk who is investigating the apparent suicide of her husband believing that there is much more to the story than meets the eye.
It is at times hard to follow the story as it jumps from person to person through out the story but it is well worth not giving up on as the end is very gratifying.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for allowing me to read and review this great novel which I highly recommend for those wanting a book that they can really get involved in.
Thankyou Beauty and Lace for allowing me to read “The Silent Corner’ by Dean Koontz. My first read on Beauty and Lace and also Dean Koontz.
Jane Hawk, the heroine , is one tough lady and on leave from the FBI to seek the real truth of her husbands recent suicide and also linking his death to the alarming rise in suicides. Not knowing who she can trust she has sought ‘the silent corner’ and many camouflages to remain undercover but only managing to stay one step ahead of the enemy. Her main goal is to keep her five year old son safe and takes untold risks hoping to uncover a greater force and provide safety for the future. I found this book a good easy read full of suspense and psychologically disturbing. Thankyou
The Silent Corner is the first of Dean Koontz’s books that I’ve read and i really enjoyed it. I loved the strong female lead character Jane Hawk and the disturbing biotech themes explored. I was drawn in to the story and really wanted to find out how events concluded. Not realising this was the first book in the series, I was a little surprised how it ended. But suffice to say I’ll be looking forward to reading the next one. At times the prose was a little flowery but overall I thought it was pretty well written and the descriptions really added to the depth of the storyline, settings and characters.
Many thanks to Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review The Silent Corner.
My first delve into Dean Koontz, and what fun! 3 out of 5 for an adventure. Thanks Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins. Jane Hawk is an FBI agent but this is not an FBI or crime adventure as I thought but a mystery adventure into deaths, including Jane’s husband Nick. The book reads like a good TV thriller with plenty of chases and thrills along the way. Without spoilers it was great how we were in the head of some of the characters being “not themselves”, and how that was handled, particularly the thrilling conclusion.
One thing, did anyone else find Jane not believable as a woman? I felt if you just changed the name to John things would fit better, all those big sandwiches and utilitarian sleep eat stuff, I do not know I just did not believe Jane as a woman. Did not make any difference it was fun adventure.
An intriguing suspense, made more intense by the fact that this could actually happen in the not too distant future. Nanotechnology is developing at such a rapid pace which makes this thriller all the unnerving. My only critique is the unnecessarily flowery language. I had to re-read a number of sentences before just shrugging, letting it go and moving on.
Thanks for the opportunity to review this book.
I was very excited to be reading this book as haven’t read Dean Koontz before and thought I would love his books. This has been a real struggle for me to read. It’s a shame because the plot is really interesting and somewhat believable. The struggle has been the over description of every detail. I just wanted to go a few chapters ahead to get to the point.
I will pick up some of his previous books to try I think.
I’m thinking now I won’t read the rest of this series but I hate not knowing what is going to happen so might just try the next one!
I read a lot of Dean Koontz when I was an early teen and always loved his stories. I was excited to be given the opportunity to read The Silent Corner and update my Dean Koontz reading list. This was a departure from his previous style of writing and it seemed to be overly descriptive in parts that didn’t need to be. Overall I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more in the series, hoping that the style will improve and I get to know Jane Hawk even more.
I was so excited to read this story, the blurb sounded like it was going to be a really good read.
However I really struggled all the way through it, (sad face) the ideas were great but it fell flat for me.
I appreciate the opportunity however to have had the chance to read The Silent Corner. Thank you Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins.