Dean Koontz – The Book Diva's Reads

2019 Book 143: THE NIGHT WINDOW by Dean Koontz

The Night Window Jane Hawk #5 by Dean Koontz
ISBN: 9780525484707 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9780525484714 (ebook)
ISBN: 9781543627336 (audiobook)

ASIN: B07GMS9JXT (Kindle edition)

Publisher: Bantam Books
Publication Date: May 14, 2019

#1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz brings Jane Hawk’s one-woman war to an explosive climax as the rogue FBI agent wages her final battle against a terrifying conspiracy–for vengeance, for justice, and for humanity’s freedom.

Groundbreaking, wholly involving, eerily prescient and terrifyingly topical, Dean Koontz’s Jane Hawk series sets a new standard for contemporary thrillers. Since her sensational debut in The Silent Corner, readers have been riveted by Jane Hawk’s resolute quest to take down the influential architects of an accelerating operation to control every level of society via an army of mind-altered citizens. At first, only Jane stood against the “Arcadian” conspirators, but slowly others have emerged to stand with her, even as there are troubling signs that the “adjusted” people are beginning to spin viciously out of control. Now, in the thrilling, climactic showdown that will decide America’s future, Jane will require all her resources–and more–as she confronts those at the malevolent, impregnable center of power.

What do you do when the lives and safety of your loved ones are being threatened by a shadow cabal that seeks to use technology to rid itself of any perceived threats as well as make key individuals in government, law enforcement, banking, media, etc. agents for your cabal? Well, if you’re name is Jane Hawk, you fight and fight dirty. In The Silent Window Jane’s husband Nick had been forced to commit suicide by this shadow cabal known as the Techno Arcadians and her five-year-old son’s life had been threatened. She took a leave-of-absence from the FBI, sold everything she could sell, hid her son away and went hunting the leadership of this cabal. In the second book, The Whispering Room, Jane along with Minnesota Sheriff Luther Tillman, discover an entire town in Kentucky filled with “adjusted” adults, learn the phrases to control these people, and rescue all of the children from the town. Book three, The Crooked Staircase, has Jane going up against a key government agent, and Techno Arcadian, his brother, and some of her deepest fears in an effort to stay a few steps ahead of the game of cat-and-mouse. By book four, The Forbidden Door, the Techno Arcadians have figured out where Jane has hidden her son and are fast on his trail. His surrogate aunt and uncle, friends to Jane and her husband, do their best to keep Travis away from harm and die protecting him. Fortunately, Jane and her new found friends, an 82-year-old retired wig maker – Bernie Riggowitz, and Sheriff Tillman help her rescue Travis and his new caregiver, Cornell Jasperson before it’s too late.

Because of Jane’s law enforcement background, keen intelligence, and desire to protect her son, she’s always been able to stay one or two steps ahead of the Arcadians in their search to keep her from discovering more of their secrets. She now has the assistance of her former FBI colleague, Vikram Rangnekar, an IT specialist, to help plan her final steps. Vikram has somewhat boldly left the FBI, accessed one of Jane’s compatriots to get vehicles, and is working feverishly to backdoor into numerous databases (including the a few belonging to the government) to ascertain who is involved with the Techno Arcadians, who’s on the adjusted list, where their money is coming from, and how it’s being channeled. All Jane has to do is stay alive…or that’s what she thought. She has to stay alive and keep Vikram alive whilst battling her former partners in crime and the Techno Arcadians and the bad guys are closing fast. Unbeknownst to Jane, a burglar targets Bernie’s daughter’s house, finds Travis, and attempts to “sell” him to his Vegas fence. In just a few short weeks, Jane has had so many fires to put out and has been portrayed as public enemy number one in the media. Her disguises are no longer effective, her vehicle is being tracked a little too fast to her liking, and she’s running out of options. Will she be able to discover the truth about the Techno Arcadians and reveal it to the world before it’s too late? Will Travis be sold away without her knowledge? Can the Techno Arcadians be put down without a massive fight? Can good and righteousness triumph over evil?

I slowly savored The Night Window by Dean Koontz simply because I knew it was the last book in the Jane Hawk series and I didn’t want the story to end. I normally read a book in a day, but I kept putting this one down because I didn’t want it to end. The themes of a shadowy government-within-a-government cabal, use of technology to make us blind sheep willing to follow any command, unlimited use of governmental law enforcement powers to coerce, harm, and kill anyone that gets in their way were all incredibly scary to read about or even think of as a possibility. Having said that, Mr. Koontz presented all of these fantastical ideas in such a way that it seemed not only plausible but probable rather than a bit too science-fiction fantasy or out-of-this-world. I loved meeting Jane Hawk, her son Travis, Jane’s in-laws – Ancel and Clare Hawk, her friends Gavin and Jessica Washington, Gavin’s cousin – Cornell Jasperson, retired wig-maker Bernie Riggowitz, IT specialist extraordinaire Vikram Rangnekar, and more. There are bad guys and even worse guys that appear throughout each book. Some live to see another day and some do not. The heart of the Jane Hawk series isn’t simply a shadow cabal and a conspiracy, but one person uncovering this cabal and conspiracy and going out of her way to do the right thing and get justice for her deceased husband and the thousands of others killed and targeted by this group with the help of a few friends. If you enjoy well-written, gripping, suspenseful thrillers with plenty of twists, then I strongly encourage you to read the Jane Hawk series. If you’ve read the previous books in this series, you’ll definitely want to read The Night Window just to see how it all ends (no, I’m not telling). I enjoyed the action, the characters (okay, just the good guys), and the settings. I, for one, am sad to say goodbye to Jane, Travis, Bernie, Luther, Cornell, and the gang. Thank you, Mr. Koontz, for another gripping story and introducing us all to Jane Hawk.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not paid, required, or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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2018 Book 391: THE FORBIDDEN DOOR by Dean Koontz

The Forbidden Door Jane Hawk #4 by Dean Koontz
ISBN: 9780525483700 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9780525483922 (ebook)
ISBN: 9781543627299 (audiobook)
ASIN: B07B2JR8RS (Kindle edition)
Publisher: Bantam Books
Release Date: September 11, 2018

When this relentless rogue FBI agent comes knocking, her adversaries will have to answer—with their lives—in the latest thrilling Jane Hawk novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Corner.

“We’re rewriting the play, and the play is this country, the world, the future. We break Jane’s heart, we’ll also break her will.”

She was one of the FBI’s top agents until she became the nation’s most-wanted fugitive. Now Jane Hawk may be all that stands between a free nation and its enslavement by a powerful secret society’s terrifying mind-control technology. She couldn’t save her husband, or the others whose lives have been destroyed, but equipped with superior tactical and survival skills—and the fury born of a broken heart and a hunger for justice—Jane has struck major blows against the insidious cabal.

But Jane’s enemies are about to hit back hard. If their best operatives can’t outrun her, they mean to bring her running to them, using her five-year-old son as bait. Jane knows there’s no underestimating their capabilities, but she must battle her way back across the country to the remote shelter where her boy is safely hidden . . . for now.

As she moves resolutely forward, new threats begin to emerge: a growing number of brain-altered victims driven hopelessly, violently insane. With the madness spreading like a virus, the war between Jane and her enemies will become a fight for all their lives—against the lethal terror unleashed from behind the forbidden door.

We first met Jane Hawk in The Silent Corner when she had sold her home, packed up as much as possible, took a leave of absence from the FBI, and drove from Virginia to acquaintances in California, dropping off her five-year-old son Travis, before beginning her quest for answers and, yes, just a bit of vengeance against her husband’s death and threats against her son. She obtained some answers but found herself driving back across the country to obtain more answers in The Whispering Room the second book in this series, to Iron Furnace Lake, Kentucky where she met a sheriff from the mid-West and they helped to rescue several children from the town filled with adjusted adults. This chance meeting in Kentucky meant Jane learned that children under the age of 16 can’t be injected with the nanites to become “adjusted” or mind-controlled. She also learned the key-phrase used to gain control of these adjusted people at that time. In the third book in this series, The Crooked Staircase, Jane has once again returned to California and is attempting to learn more about the upper echelons of the Techno Arcadians. But this shadow cabal is out for Jane in a vicious way and feel that the best way to get her to get her son. His safe place is no longer safe and her friends are able to spirit him away to another safe hiding place just minutes before their property is invaded. Now Jane knows that it is truly take-no-prisoners scenario and she is ready to kill or be killed when it comes down to protecting her innocent son. Thankfully, the Techno Arcadians don’t have her son, but they seem to be closing in. And the group also seems to be closing in on Jane’s in-laws and neighbors while launching a full-scale media campaign targeting Jane as public enemy number one. Jane’s friends and family recognize this smear campaign for what it is, but other’s may believe the lies so Jane continues to wear disguises and live an incognito life. Not as easy to do as you might think, when this cabal can hack into any camera system across the US, tag license plates, and use facial recognition software to track people, innocent or guilty, for their nefarious purposes. Is it possible for Jane and her small crew of friends to reach her son and once again spirit him safely away when everything they do might be watched? If that’s not problematic enough, it appears that some of the adjusted people are walking through a so-called “forbidden door” and going beyond crazy, like rabid animals. It’s one thing to deal with a group of crazy cabal thugs, but to deal with crazed rabid humans on top of everything else?!

I’ve read all of the books in the Jane Hawk series several times. I had to reread The Silent Corner before reading The Whispering Room when it was released, and then reread both books before reading The Crooked Staircase when it was released. And yes, I just reread the previous books before reading The Forbidden Door. Just in case you can’t tell, I’m loving this series and find Jane Hawk to be one incredibly strong, cunning, funny, and yet flawed character. If I had to deal with a strong enemy, I’d definitely want Jane Hawk fighting for me. I’ve enjoyed the friendships she’s made over the course of this series, especially those with Luther Tillman (the sheriff) and Bernie Riggowitz (the retired wigmaker – read the series to learn more about Bernie), the drama occurring on the Hawk’s neighboring Longrin ranch with the Techno Arcadians – especially between 13-y.o. Laurie Longrin and so-called FBI agent Janis Dern, and more. Yes, there’s a lot going in this book as well as the previous books. There’s a shadow government-like group trying to create a utopian society while eliminating anyone that they feel may get in their way. There’s tons of psychological suspense, lots of violence (can’t have an overthrow of any kind without violence), and drama tinged with just a bit of horror that some of this might be based in reality. The Forbidden Door is the fourth book in the Jane Hawk series and has a lot more violence and drama than previous books but we also witness Jane starting to make some headway in her fight for justice. I can only hope that the fifth book in this series, The Night Window, sees her become victorious and the bad guys toppled and imprisoned. I know, the odds are slim to none, but hope springs eternal. If you’ve read the previous books in this series, then I strongly encourage you to grab a copy of The Forbidden Door to read. If you’re a Dean Koontz fan but haven’t read any books in this series begin with The Silent Corner and read through The Forbidden Door. I strongly recommend this series to fans of psychological suspense-thrillers or anyone seeking something different to read. Of course, after reading this series, you may never want to go online, use a smartphone, or GPS ever again. I’ll be rereading the entire series when The Night Window is released. Yes, again (while hoping and praying none of this is based on anything close to reality)!

Disclaimer: I received a free print review copy of this book from the publisher. I was not paid, required, or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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2017 book 394: THE WHISPERING ROOM by Dean Koontz

The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz
ISBN: 9780345546807 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9780345546814 (ebook)
ASIN: B071CJBDJL (Kindle edition)
Publication date: November 21, 2017
Publisher: Bantam

Jane Hawk—fiction’s most relentless, resourceful, stunning new heroine—continues her battle against a murderous conspiracy in the riveting sequel to The Silent Corner.

“No time to delay. Do what you were born to do. Fame will be yours when you do this.”

These are the words that ring in the mind of mild-mannered, beloved schoolteacher Cora Gundersun—just before she takes her own life, and many others’, in a shocking act of carnage. When the disturbing contents of her secret journal are discovered, it seems certain that she must have been insane. But Jane Hawk knows better.

In the wake of her husband’s inexplicable suicide—and the equally mysterious deaths of scores of other exemplary individuals—Jane picks up the trail of a secret cabal of powerful players who think themselves above the law and beyond punishment. But these ruthless people bent on hijacking America’s future for their own monstrous ends never banked on a highly trained FBI agent willing to go rogue—and become the nation’s most wanted fugitive—in order to derail their insidious plans to gain absolute power with a terrifying technological breakthrough.

Driven by love for her lost husband and by fear for the five-year-old son she has sent into hiding, Jane Hawk has become an unstoppable predator. Those she is hunting will have nowhere to run when her shadow falls across them.

Jane Hawk, a twenty-something former FBI-agent, is still grieving the murder-by-suicide of her beloved husband Noah. Their five-year-old son, Travis, has been safely hidden away from the people behind her husband’s murder. Jane doesn’t know how high up in the government this group goes, but she does know it has ties to the NSA and possibly the FBI, as a result, she can’t trust any of her former colleagues. She’s now relying on the criminal connections to stay one step ahead of the group that wants her and thousands of others dead. After rigorously questioning a California attorney with ties to one of the leaders of the group, Jane learns that the group has ties to a small town in Kentucky. Meanwhile, in rural Minnesota, a beloved local teacher commits an action that no one understands. Cora Gundersun drives her SUV, containing numerous gasoline-filled canisters that she then sets afire, into a historic inn and restaurant killing dozens of people. Why? Because she was told to do so by the spider in her brain. The local sheriff, Luther Tillman, discovers the reason for Cora’s actions and refuses to take part in the government cover-up. He also learns that Cora hasn’t been quite the same since she returned from Iron Furnace Lake, Kentucky. Both Jane and Luther converge on Iron Furnace Lake and what they found is shocking (no I won’t tell you what they find, read the book!). Will they join forces? Can they protect their families? Will they be able to stay one step ahead of this all-powerful group?

Jane Hawk, star of The Silent Corner, returns to right wrongs, fight for truth, justice, and battle unseen forces of evil in The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz. I enjoyed reading The Silent Corner so much that I re-reread it before reading The Whispering Room (yes, you read that right, I’ve read it twice so far this year). Jane is not your typical hero, as she no longer functions in shades of black and white, keeping everything legal and aboveboard. She now has to function in the shades of gray just to stay alive. Just as the group consistently underestimates Jane, they also underestimate Luther Tillman, as he’s initially written off as a simple, local sheriff with a third-tier college education and obviously no threat to these Ivy-league educated powerbrokers. There’s a lot of action in The Whispering Room and just enough tech explanations to make you never want to touch a computer, tablet, or smartphone ever again. As with The Silent Corner, The Whispering Room is a story about family, friends, trust, power gone wrong, corruption, and more. There’s also drama, action, and humor. Just in case you couldn’t tell, I thoroughly enjoyed The Whispering Room and found it to be a fast-paced and engrossing read. For those of you that enjoy reading suspense thrillers, then I strongly recommend you grab a copy of The Silent Corner and The Whispering Room to read. For those of you that have already read The Silent Corner, I know you’ll want to get a copy of The Whispering Room to read to find out what happens next. I’m looking forward to reading the next Jane Hawk installment, The Crooked Staircase, coming in the Spring of 2018 (and yes, I’ll be re-reading The Silent Corner and The Whispering Room).

Disclaimer: I received a free print review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not paid, required, or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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2015 Book 369: ASHLEY BELL by Dean Koontz

Ashley Bell (Ashley Bell #1) by Dean Koontz
ISBN: 9780345545961 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9780345545978 (ebook)
ASIN: B00VCZOKM6 (Kindle edition)
Publication date: December 8, 2015
Publisher: Bantam

THE MUST-READ THRILLER OF THE YEAR: Featuring the most exhilarating heroine in memory and a sophisticated, endlessly ingenious, brilliantly paced narrative through dark territory and deep mystery, this is a new milestone in literary suspense and a major new breakout book from the long acclaimed master.

At twenty-two, Bibi Blair’s doctors tell her that she’s dying. Two days later, she’s impossibly cured. Fierce, funny, dauntless, she becomes obsessed with the idea that she was spared because she is meant to save someone else. Someone named Ashley Bell. This proves to be a dangerous idea. Searching for Ashley Bell, ricocheting through a southern California landscape that proves strange and malevolent in the extreme, Bibi is plunged into a world of crime and conspiracy, following a trail of mysteries that become more sinister and tangled with every twisting turn.

Unprecedented in scope, infinite in heart, Ashley Bell is a magnificent achievement that will capture lovers of dark psychological suspense, literary thrillers, and modern classics of mystery and adventure. Beautifully written, at once lyrical and as fast as a bullet, here is the most irresistible novel of the decade.

Bibi Blair is a young, vibrant, and highly imaginative young woman. Her imagination is one of the things that is of great assistance with her writing. The one thing Bibi could never have imagined was dealing with a death sentence due to an inoperable brain tumor. Now she’s in the fight of her life in Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz. What, if anything, does Bibi’s imagination have to do with her present predicament? Can she find and save Ashley Bell before it’s too late?

Bibi has always had an active imagination, and sometimes she’s felt like her imagination has become her reality. At the age of five she wasn’t afraid of the dark, but afraid of the shadows and what hides there only to find a shadow monster creeping into her bed and touching her feet and legs. At the age of ten she wrote a series of stories about a dog seeking the perfect home and lo and behold a lost dog finds Bibi and a home. In college, her imagination lands her in hot water with a college professor and forces her to leave college behind. To this day, Bibi isn’t quite sure why the professor was so upset over her short story. As an only child, Bibi has always had the love and support of her parents, Nancy and Murphy Blair, and she has it now while dealing with this medical catastrophe. Even with parental support, Bibi longs for her fiancé, Navy SEAL Paxton Thorpe to be by her side. Fortunately, Bibi receives a reprieve and a miraculous cure occurs. All Bibi knows is that she has been saved in order to save the mysterious Ashley Bell and she must do so before evil destroys them both.

Although Ashley Bell has more than 500 pages, I found this to be a captivating and fast-paced read (even with a moderately-severe migraine I finished reading this in one day). Mr. Koontz combines elements of suspense and thriller genres with the paranormal. He then mixes a little bit of a quest element with the occult, fantastical, and horrific for one truly amazing story. Bibi isn’t a typical heroine, but she perseveres throughout the story in order to do the right thing for the right reasons no matter what. I thought I knew where the story was headed and then a major twist occurred and the story took off in an entirely new direction (no, I won’t tell you what happened . . . read the book!). We learn just enough (or so we think) about Bibi, her parents, her fiancé Paxton, and her friend Pogo (a nickname), that they become quite realistic over the course of the story. The good guys are true white hats and the bad guys are the blackest hats around. It’s a little difficult to describe Ashley Bell without giving too much away, so I’ll just say read this book (I’m serious, read this book)! I’ve never read anything by Dean Koontz before (I don’t know why), but I do know that I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next in this series. While I’m waiting, I’ll simply have to read some of Mr. Koontz’s previous writings to tide me over.

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Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher via NetGalley; I also received a print copy of this book for review purposes from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers’ program. I was not paid, required, or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”