5 stars out of 5
Finishing this book brought back feelings similar to those I had after reading the last book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series: I didn't want the journey to end, but I wanted the journey to end. I'm not sure this is the last we'll see of rogue FBI agent Jane Hawk, actually, but if it really does mark the end of this series, it brings a bang-up ending to her battle against mind-controlling powers-that-be who killed her beloved husband and threatened the very existence of society as we know it.
It's been a heck of a ride - this is the fifth book in the series - each and every one a winner in my book (in order, The Silent Corner, The Whispering Room, The Crooked Staircase and The Forbidden Door). I will say, though, that while the books do stand alone, each builds on its predecessors, so I strongly recommend starting at the beginning if you're new to the series and want to maximize enjoyment thereof.
At the heart of the adventures is a secret but ever-expanding group called the Arcadians, who use implanted nanotechnology to infiltrate the minds of their victims and control their words and actions (and I won't even get into all the things they do to torture people). By this time, a large number of humans all over the country have been "adjusted," as the process is called - and it's been next to impossible to determine who's been infected (and thus, who can be trusted). Jane is determined to bring the group down, but in the process she's had to go to monumental lengths to avoid capture and hide her precious young son in the hope of keeping him safe. She's had a rough time of it in the preceding books, but so far both she and Travis - he with more than a little help from her friends - have eluded capture.
But it's getting much harder; at every twist, turn and corner are cameras loaded with face-recognition software that renders disguises like wigs and make-up virtually useless. Behind every stranger lurks the possibility of an Arcadian or a person whose mind is being controlled by them. As this story begins, Jane is researching mega-billionaire Warwick Hollister, who may be at the top of the ringleader chain. Meanwhile, oblivious to Jane's investigation, the egomaniacal Hollister is entertaining his twisted side by playing catch-and-don't-release in the snow with a terrified victim.
A few chases and near-misses later, Jane hooks up with FBI guy Vikram Rangnekar, a computer nerd with a larger-than-life crush on Jane. Young Travis, too, is facing unforeseen danger; it seems someone with an eye on a big payday has stumbled upon the boy and his identity. Jane's Spidey senses tell her he's in danger - but can she find a way to save him without losing them both (literally and figuratively)?
Don't expect me to answer; you'll just have to read it for yourself. At this point, there's nothing left for me to say except thank you to the author for an exciting series and the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy. Over and out!
The Night Window by Dean Koontz (Bantam, May 2019); 432 pp.
5 stars out of 5
If it's possible to have a love-hate relationship with a book, this is it. On the one hand, the writing is almost exquisite, virtually ensuring my reluctance to put it down. Conversely, wading through page after page hoping that yet another important character won't bite the dust - probably in a most horrific way - is borderline unbearable. Characters I adore; other characters so loathesome that I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemies.
Oh, what a happy conundrum!
This is the fourth book in the series featuring former FBI agent now-fugitive Jane Hawk; the other three are excellent as well. And for the record, although each of the books can stand alone, I daresay I've derived much greater understanding and enjoyment by having read them in order from the beginning (and I recommend this to anyone who's new to this series).
At this point, Jane has been indicted for espionage, treason and seven counts of murder - many of the charges trumped up because she's fighting a nasty group called the Techno Arcadians, who are intent on changing society by injecting select humans (including Jane's late husband) with mind-control drugs. These "adjusted" folks, whose numbers are growing day by day, then can be programmed to do the bidding of the Arcadians - with the possibilities ranging from sweeping floors to murder to committing suicide. All of the above are fast zeroing in on Jane, her young son Travis and her in-laws Clare and Ancel Hawk; torturing or killing the latter three would, in their opinion, bring Jane to her knees. In the previous book, the couple Jane entrusted with hiding Travis were found and dealt with, so he's now living with a slightly autistic but sweet recluse named Cornell. Scared and lonesome, Travis calls his mother, who promises she'll come to get him.
At least that's her intent - but we all know what happens to best-laid plans. Most of us, happily, won't run into fake FBI and Homeland Security officers with murder on their minds nor mind-controlled folks who have been ordered to be on the lookout for us - but Jane isn't so fortunate. And since the brain-altered folks look and act just like they did in their previous everyday lives, who can Jane trust?
The answer is almost no one, thus complicating her attempts to get to Travis and keep both of them out of the hands that would do them wrong. There are several narrow misses (involving some pretty grisly scenes and salty language, for those who may be bothered by that stuff}. And just when you think Jane, Travis and their trusted friends may make it, the nanotechnology begins to go awry; one by one, the recently injected people begin to psychologically regress - euphemistically falling through "the forbidden door" and turning into insatiable killing machines.
I'd love to say there's a happily-ever-after ending, but that's just not the case (well, except that Jane lives to see another day, which one would expect of any character without whom there wouldn't be a series). It's certainly a wild ride, though, and once again I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy. Another winner that has me chomping at the bit for the next installment (The Night Window). Bring it on, please!
The Forbidden Door by Dean Koontz (Bantam, September 2018); 480 pp.
5 stars out of 5
I have three things to say about the books in this series, of which this is the third: First, I loved every single minute of reading them all. Second, they're good enough to keep you looking forward to the next one - but even more so because the endings aren't quite endings at all. And third, if you want to get the most out of them, start at the beginning (with The Silent Corner and The Whispering Room.
That doesn't mean the books can't stand on their own, because they do. But I also know that I enjoyed Books 2 and 3 a lot more because I read what came before (and I'd say that's more true of this one; had I not read the second, I'd have felt a bit lost throughout the first several chapters).
The series features Jane Hawk, a disgraced standout FBI agent who's now on the Bureau's Most Wanted list and on the lam. She's certain her husband Nick's suicide (in a previous book) was murder - committed by an ultra-dangerous and secretive group of powers-that-be called the Arcadians who use nanotechnology to infiltrate the minds of their victims and control their words and actions. Those victims, it seems, are chosen based on a computer model that identifies people who are most likely to get in the way of the group's idealogy - and that certainly included her highly principled husband. While trying to stay out of the group's crosshairs, Jane is now searching for an especially violent member who has threatened her young son, Travis - forcing her to stash the boy with friends at a place where he won't be found (or so she fervently hopes).
Also featured prominently here are fraternal twins and writers Tanujat and Sanjay, who apparently have landed a place on that hit list. Chapters switch from what's happening in their world as they slowly realize somebody's out to get them to what's happening in Jane's - ditto, except in her case, there's nothing slow about the realization.
Her chase is, as might be expected, fraught with identity changes, close calls and dead bodies, but eventually she gets what she wanted (or thought she did). That, in turn, leads her to a frightening encounter with - you guessed it - a crooked staircase that, no matter whether she's going up or down, is filled with almost unimaginable horrors. Put another way, there's never a dull moment in this book; and once again, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance review copy.
Oh yes, about that non-ending: What follows it is a preview of the next book, The Forbidden Door. When authors do this, I never - but never - bother to read them. But something - maybe the totally abrupt stop of this one - made me take the plunge, and I urge you to do the same. Even though it too ends with a cliffhanger, it eases the pain of the first one a bit and is a little less in-your-face.
The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz (Bantam, May 2018); 512 pp.
5 stars out of 5
When I finished The Silent Corner, the first book in this series featuring FBI agent Jane Hawk, I loved it so much that in my review I urged the author to hurry up and finish the next one sooner than scheduled. He must have heard me, since he beat that original date by a couple of months. And oh boy, am I glad he did!
This one can stand alone, although I'm sure I enjoyed it more for having read the first. That one had plenty of action, but here it's almost nonstop, meaning I was "forced" to put other chores on the back burner so I could keep reading (honestly, I think it's even better than the first, and I gave that one a 5-star rating). The prose is pure Koontz, with each turn of the phrase artfully crafted. The focus of the plot - really, really bad guys and gals who are using nanotechnology to turn human beings they don't like into well-controlled automatons - may be a bit "out there," but on the other hand, as one of my favorite comedians, Judy Tenuta, used to say, "It could happen."
In the first book, Jane's husband Nick reportedly committed suicide - but Jane knew better and vowed to get to the truth. That in turn put her at odds with the FBI and even higher-up powers, forcing her to go on the run and put her young son Travis in hiding. Early on, she seeks help from a respected journalist - hoping he's someone she can trust (it's nearly impossible to discern who's had the technology implants, making Jane's quest to take down the instigators all that much harder). At the same time, a much-loved Minnesota school teacher inexplicably commits mass murder by driving her homemade bomb-laden car into a crowd (killing herself as well). When Jane learns of the incident, she immediately suspects that the woman was "guided" by an outside force.
At the same time, local Sheriff Luther Tillman has suspicions all his own; wanting to find out why the normally sweet teacher would commit such a horrible act, he visits her home and retrieves a few items. Shortly thereafter, her home goes up in flames, adding fuel to Luther's belief that something is rotten in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Jane and Luther lead separate investigations for a while, but as might be expected, their trails eventually come together. From that point on, there's no going back - and they must cling to the hope that the way forward won't end with either or both of their deaths.
Mysterious and spooky and all together ooky, this book is a must-read for anyone who loves thrillers spiked with a tablespoon of science fiction. Love it - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz (Bantam, November 2017); 528 pp.
Finishing this book brought back feelings similar to those I had after reading the last book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series: I didn't want the journey to end, but I wanted the journey to end. I'm not sure this is the last we'll see of rogue FBI agent Jane Hawk, actually, but if it really does mark the end of this series, it brings a bang-up ending to her battle against mind-controlling powers-that-be who killed her beloved husband and threatened the very existence of society as we know it.
