The Silent Corner: A Novel of Suspense

I'm not out to give this a negative review, but I did want to review it for the potential benefit of fellow readers.I used to be a die-hard Koontz fan. By sneaking my mom's books, I was reading him before I was an 'appropriate age,' but I devoured them. They were wonderful and scary. I was always excited to get new releases the day they were released. That changed a decade or so ago, and I stopped reading his books, for the most part. Not important to go into why I stopped, but I wanted to address why I decided to buy this book.In looking at the reviews, I saw multiple people saying this book was 'classic Koontz,' 'the old Koontz,' 'the Koontz I used to know,' etc. I couldn't resist. I bought it. I want to warn people looking for 'classic Koontz' to use caution. Maybe we have a different idea of what Koontz books used to be like, why we read them, or why we stopped (if we did), but to me, this book was nothing like what I was looking for, as a former Koontz fan.I have read a significant amount of the book, and if it was a standalone, I'd force myself to finish it, but there are at least two more that I'm not going to read, so I'm just going to set this book aside. All this conspiracy-focused book/series has done for me is made me wonder how Christopher Snow is doing in Moonlight Bay, as we were left hanging two books into a trilogy years ago...

For context, I have read several books by Mr. Koontz and enjoyed them all without exception. This one, however, lost me from the start. The reason? I felt like the author was less interested in telling a suspenseful story and more interested in showing off his expansive and quite colorful vocabulary. Rather than keep the story flowing and the pacing tight, the author assaults the ready with convoluted, paragraph- long sentences that, after only a few chapters, had me rolling my eyes. Want an example? Here is but one of many that needlessly ground the action to a screeching halt: "In the early gleaming of the shrouded afternoon, a sudden brightness flashed apocalyptic, flaring across the park as if to incinerate all it touched and bespeak a world of ashes soon to come, so that all the shadows either leaped back into the things that cast them or quaked across the lawns and walks like spirits dispossessed and seeking new anchorage." Huh? This got old real fast, and caused me to give up 20% in. Sorry, just calling it like I see it.

I truly dislike books that do not have an ending. This one qualifies. Good story with no finish. Why bother?

Different than other Dean Koontz novels but with a familiar feel. This novel is a bit darker--perhaps because the subject matter is more real. The new character grew on me in a good way. Jane isn't perfect but she has lots of heart (dark and light). I'm glad he included the hero extras that come along in the nick of time. I would have given Silent Corner a 5-star except that I was left feeling unsettled at the end. As always the writing was superb--I learned a couple of new words. I'll read the sequel with some trepidation. If the next story doesn't include a smidgeon more hope, I may have to skip the third in the series. I read this genre because I can look at good and evil and maintain some detachment. It scares me when it gets too real. This novel is worth reading, but set your expectations for something different from a Dean Koontz story. Finally, best line in the book: a reporter asks Jane where she stands politically. Her answer, "Disgusted."

end is disappointing, no resolution to her problems....it was a long road getting to that point then, poof, nothing. I won’t be spending the $$$ to read the next one just to find out what should have been resolved in this one

Once upon a time, I read every Dean Koontz book I could get my hands on. I even went to the library and got the books under his pen name (Leigh Nichols).But somewhere along the way, the books changed. They got…mystical. And I kind of lost interest. I’ve ventured back and have found that I liked the last couple of books.This one, I loved. My Dean Koontz love is back!Jane Hawk is the bad ass of bad asses. She is so awesomely tough and passionate and everything you wish you could be. The action is spot on. The crime in question – extremely devious. If it weren’t for work, this would have been a one-sitting read. As it was, I finished it in two.This is book one and, while it’s not precisely a cliffhanger, there are unanswered questions. Usually, that bugs me. In this case, I simply can’t wait for the next book!Unrelenting, compelling, and a thriller that deserves the title! Book 2 now, please!

This book was extremely boring and so hard to finish. It took me 3 weeks and I honestly didn't even want to finish it, but I hate wasting my money. Koontz just goes on and on and on about sunsets, flowers, couches, countertops, refrigerators, etc, etc. Lord have mercy, I DON'T CARE! What I do care about is a character that I get on board with, and though I did want her to get back to "the boy" (which I also found super irrirating), I didn't have a real connection to her or her allies. I always knew her boss would turn on her. It was so predictable. Jane's dialogue sometimes was way too cheesy and over the top. There were certain parts that were intriguing and then it was right back to boring details about things I didn't care about and had zero relevance to the story line. I found myself skipping entire paragraphs. I will not be reading the series to say the least and I cannot fathom how people gave this book 5 stars. To each their own, but this book is on my "never read again" list! Sorry Koontz! 😐

Absoloutley loved it! This is the most exciting Dean Koontz book for years. I have been a massive fan of Dean's work ever since I was a teenager. Read every one of his books and loved them all. The fact that The Silent Corner is a series, just makes it even better. You fall in love with the main character Jane Hawk, and as you read through the pages, she becomes your friend, someone you care about and hope will succeed in her endeavours. The storyline is relatable and makes you think about things, only Dean Koontz can draw me in like this and keep me gripped right up until the very last page and leave me desperately wanting to find out what happens next and eagerly awaiting the release of the second Jane Hawk book in the series. Once again, his written another blockbuster book. Thank you Dean Kootnz, you make my world more magical with your wonderful imagination.

This contains a mild spoiler near the end of the review.I've read, or tried, most thriller writers but never Dean Koontz as I thought he wrote horror. He does, but more recently has branched off into thrillers.At first I was quite excited, thinking I'd found a new-to-me writer with a catalogue of books to get stuck into. I liked the whole premise of the story with FBI agent, Jane Hawk, going rogue to find out if there was something more sinister (there was) to her husband's recent suicide.But this became too much of a ridiculous thing - Jane, a petite, beautiful woman getting herself out of un-gettoutable situation after un-gettoutable situation. She seemed to constantly find strangers to help her do some extremely dangerous things - always seeming to know who to trust, despite only just having met them. Also, because she flies solo, the book does not have any fun and banter - which is fine if you don't look for that, but at over 400 pages makes it a bit of a slog to read. Indeed, I skimmed the final 70 pages after (spoiler alert) it becomes pretty obvious that there is absolutely no way she can totally beat the bad guys by the end.So. A good start - I thought I was going to enjoy it, but it all got a bit silly and I was bored by the end. I won't bother with Mr Koontz again.

I’ve only read one other Dean Koontz and it was riveting. I thought this one was shaping up to be a good, suspenseful read too but about two thirds of the way through it began to descend into one of those novels when the main players get themselves into a fix and manage to extricate themselves by conjuring up very helpful people who have a multitude of resources, all a bit too conveniently. The downside of this tale is that it doesn’t end when the book does, there was nothing to suggest that it was going to be like a TV box set, the first episode of several that you have to watch if you want to know how it all pans out.Koontz writes well, he’s descriptive and scene sets well. In this book there were a number of repetitions which I find annoying, I can remember from one page to the next as it happens.It’s a reasonable read but as it doesn’t stand alone don’t read it unless you are prepared to shell out for another 4 volumes!

I absolutely loved this book. I've read all Dean Koontz books and have enjoyed them to varying degrees, but this one, a good honest thriller, is superb. Different to his others, the main character is a ruthless, hard, honest (in the broadest sense) strong and likable woman (for a change). Would recommend it to anyone who likes this genre of books. If you're expecting a spooky, scary, odd, different dimension sort of book, this isn't. It's a brilliantly written, modern thriller. Couldn't put it down. Excellent!

Won't be reading more of Jane's adventures. Too many words with boring content. Skipped so many pages without losing the thread. Sad.