REVIEW: The Whispering Room

The Whispering Rooom
Author: Dean Koontz

Jane Hawk is back. She's still on the run....a fugitive....a rogue FBI agent. Following the apparent suicide of her husband, Jane discovered a conspiracy, something so evil and diabolical that she immediately knew she had to find those responsible and stop them. A group of powerful, wealthy people have developed technology that can hijack the will of any person...take over their brain. The person can be made to do anything. No resistance. No conscience. They will obey without question. Some people are made to kill themselves like Jane's husband. Others are made to commit terrorist acts. And some are just used as mindless sex slaves for the wealthy. They made a mistake when they killed Jane's husband. They made a mistake when they threatened the life of her young son. They made a mistake when they tried to kill her. And, they made the biggest mistake of all when they underestimated her power to bring them down, to exact revenge.

This book is hard hitting from the beginning and doesn't let up until the very end. I loved the first book in this series, The Silent Corner.....and I enjoyed this book just as much. Jane Hawk kicks ass. She is intelligent, resilient, and cunning. As a highly trained FBI agent, she knows how to use surveillance, interrogation and techonology to her best advantage. She also knows how to avoid being seen, unless she chooses to be noticed.

Dean Koontz is hit or miss for me. His horror books recycle plot elements a bit too much -- sentient dogs, groups of people battling supernatural forces, etc. But the Jane Hawk series is something from Koontz that's fresh and wonderfully written. He could even write in a talking dog and nobody would see a single eyeroll from me.....that's how much I like Jane Hawk. A strong, hard-hitting, brutal female main character.  The story has great realistic action and excitement. It's not often I sit and read an entire book in one sitting, but this series has had me burning the midnight oil twice now. I'm sure I will be totally into the third book, The Crooked Staircase, when it comes out in June 2018.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Random House - Ballentine via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**