Dean Ray Koontz

""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 void that remains stands his widow, Jane, surrounded by questions destined to go unanswered . . . unless she does what all the grief, fear, confusion, and fury inside of her demands: find the truth, no matter what"--

A Novel of Suspense

The Silent Corner

W. J. Long III

A stellar tale that caught me with its early twist and led me through by the nose until I turned the final page.

I highly recommend it.

Dean Koontz

Celeste Richardson

Full review now posted!
Original review can be found at Booknest.

2.5/5 stars

Being disappointed by one of your favorite authors is a hard pill to swallow. Watching that author fall further and further down your list of favorites while you stand helplessly by is no picnic, either. Once upon a time, Dean Koontz was one of my very favorite authors. 

When I was in high school I somehow came to hold the fervent belief that one couldn’t be a fan of both King and Koontz, so I checked out a book by each from the library to help me choose a side. The King book was Cell, which was pretty terrible. I never made it past the first thirty pages. But the Koontz book was The Taking, which I’ve since read nearly half a dozen times and still consider a favorite. It was intricate and disturbing and beautifully written, and it had quotes from my favorite poet (T.S. Eliot) sprinkled throughout. I fell in love with the book, and with Koontz’s writing style. My decision had been made, and I was definitely not a King fan. Koontz was the author for me.

Fast forward to this time last year. I decided to give King another chance, and I’ve somehow fallen in love with his sparse style and chunky novels. If you follow my reviews, you know that I read and loved IT and The Stand. Before I started reviewing, I read and really enjoyed 11/22/63, The Gunslinger, and Revival, the last of which had one of the most terrifying endings I’ve ever read. Since then, I’ve read one new book by Koontz that I liked (Ashley Bell), and I’ve tried and failed to reread some books by him I used to love. After reading The Silent Corner, I’ve come to think that my teenage belief that one couldn’t love both authors might have some truth to it, at least for me. Because this book left me disappointed.

The sad thing is, I can tell it’s a good book. The plot is compelling, the main character interesting, the supporting characters sympathetic, the bad guys completely evil, and the overarching premise laden with dread. These are all hallmarks of the Koontz I loved. But the beautiful writing that enchanted me in my youth, the prose I could mull over for hours, now seems forced and ill-fitting to a plot without the supernatural elements present in most of Koontz’s books. The dialogue was stilted. And while the characters were interesting, they never felt quite real. I couldn’t make myself connect with any aspect of this book, despite my best efforts. I just didn’t care. The only reason I managed to finish reading it at all was because he’s been one of my favorite authors for so long. 

All of that being said, I think this might be a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.” As I said, all of the components necessary to make a book good are here. Even the writing, which felt so off to me, is still objectively superior to the styles of many popular authors. It just didn’t work for me. But if you’re looking for a tightly woven conspiracy thriller, with a kickass heroine and healthy doses of suspense and espionage and firefights, give this one a try. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it much more than I did. And who knows, maybe someday I'll manage to love both King and Koontz at the same time.

Santosh Singh

Jane Hawk.. a new protagonist by Dean Koontz... a new series. Dean Koontz does not disappoint and produces a page turner. Jane Hawk is likeable but there is not much of a character development in this book but she seems quite likeable. The series has started on a good note and I am looking forward for the next book. Mainly to see how this story moves forward.

Tiffany Robinson

The premise of this book sounded really good to me, but I could not get into it for the life of me. I did manage to finish this, but I will not be reading the next book in the series cause I do not care what happens to the characters.

Judy Hudgins

If you are going to read one book this summer, let this be the one!

Jane just lost her husband to suicide. And it seems there has been a rise in the number of suicides, but no one is mentioning any of that. Did I mention Jane is a crack FBI agent?

So Jane goes to 'the silent corner', off the grid, so to speak, where she can't be traced, because it seems there are some really bad people not liking where she is poking her nose.

The story has a great premise and very believable. The action keeps you on the edge of your seat. And while the mystery has been solved, the story isn't over! So I can look forward to more about Jane and her adventures.

Jan Talkington

While reading this all I could think is that something like this could really happen. And if it does I hope there’s a Jane Hawk to save us! I didn’t know it was going to be a cliff hanger so now I’ll have to move on to the next book.

Jolie

I had an ultimate fangirl moment when I saw that The Silent Corner was available for review on NetGalley. See, I am a huge Dean Koontz fan. Huge. I started reading his books my sophomore year of high school, Ticktock was the book, and I was hooked. I have read every single book of his up to The Husband. Then I stopped. I had two children almost back to back, moved 3 times and honestly, didn’t have the time to read. In 2011, I got my first Kindle and started reading again. I missed reading his books (mine got lost in one of the moves we had). So when I saw The Silent Corner for review on NetGalley, I applied. I was not expecting to be selected and when I got the email that I had been selected, I got up and did a happy dance.

I wasn’t disappointed in The Silent Corner. It was everything that I have come to expect from his books. Plenty of intrigue, action and a hint of paranormal. From the beginning of the book, I was hooked in because I had to find out what Jane was doing and how she was going to do it. Believe me, when a book does that to someone, it is worth reading and keeping (I am talking my SO into buying me the hardcover when it is published).

From the opening scene to the end, which was really creepy, I was kept on my toes. You never knew where the story would end up or what Jane would do. I loved it. Normally, I don’t like it when the author plays mind games or switches to other characters point of views. But in this book, it worked and it helped build the story up to the climax and when the two main storylines intertwined.

What I liked about this book is how realistic it was. What was happening to these people on that scientist’s Hamlet list….that could happen. It is possible that some nut with a God complex could design something like what is outlined in the book and then use it in the same way. As with all of his other books, there is a hint of truth running through it and it makes you think….what if?? Could it really happen??

The end of the book was pretty intense. All of the storylines were brought together in a way that ended all but the main one. Doing that also left the book wide open for book 2….which I will be waiting with bated breath to come out.

How many stars will I give The Silent Corner: 5

Why: Great plot lines, great characters, and overall a great book

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence and language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

The Silent Corner A Novel of Suspense

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