Review: The Silent Corner – Dean Koontz

Jane Hawk #1

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

SYNOPSIS: “I very much need to be dead.”

These are the chilling words left behind by a man who had everything to live for—but took his own life. In the aftermath, his widow, Jane Hawk, does what all her grief, fear, and fury demand: find the truth, no matter what.

People of talent and accomplishment, people admired and happy and sound of mind, have been committing suicide in surprising numbers. When Jane seeks to learn why, she becomes the most-wanted fugitive in America. Her powerful enemies are protecting a secret so important—so terrifying—that they will exterminate anyone in their way.

But all their power and viciousness may not be enough to stop a woman as clever as they are cold-blooded, as relentless as they are ruthless—and who is driven by a righteous rage they can never comprehend. Because it is born of love. – via Goodreads

I quite enjoy Koontz, usually his books are a fast read, though their quality is all over the show. Some books are really good, some are mediocre, some are messy, so it is quite the mixed bag. When this opened for request, I figured why not? I did not realise when I began that it was the first novel in a series he has started, but no worries. I found that out right at the end, when I only had a few pages left and wondered how on Earth he was going to wrap this crazy story up with to little time.

The book starts off and hits its flow pretty quickly, though it takes some time to actually figure out what is going on and what Jane’s deal is because everything is really vague, which contributes to what Jane is feeling, and slowly but surely more pieces start to fall into place, to pull you in to see what else is on the loose, and before you know it is a crazy, sci-fi style conspiracy has blown up, and you are in for a wild ride. There are chases and escapes and constant fear and terror for Jane, so the book barrels along. There are some cool characters, too, though they mostly just pop in and out.

I felt that there were places the book could have been tightened up more, but I have also realised that this is also par for course with Koontz. There are sections that just ramble on or go on, and they are a little incongruous to the other parts of the book that just barrel along. But that overall does not detract from the reading experience, just slows you down a little once in a while. The dialogue is also a little stinted at times, and there was not really much of it, which is why it sticks out to me so much.

The Silent Corner is an interesting read with a pretty cool, creepy concept, and I think that this series could be well worth the read, and I will certainly follow up with the second one when it releases. I could recommend this, especially if you like a fast read and some conspiracy thrown in for good measure, then this is definitely for you.