NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Jane Hawk—who dazzled readers in The Silent Corner and The Whispering Room—faces the fight of her life, against the threat of a lifetime, in this electrifying thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling suspense master Dean Koontz. “I could be dead tomorrow. Or something worse than dead.” Jane Hawk knows she may be living on borrowed time. But as long as she’s … knows she may be living on borrowed time. But as long as she’s breathing, she’ll never cease her one-woman war against the terrifying conspiracy that threatens the freedom—and free will—of millions. Battling the strange epidemic of murder-suicides that claimed Jane’s husband, and is escalating across the country, has made the rogue FBI agent a wanted fugitive, relentlessly hunted not only by the government but by the secret cabal behind the plot. Deploying every resource their malign nexus of power and technology commands, Jane’s enemies are determined to see her dead . . . or make her wish she was.
Jane’s ruthless pursuers can’t stop her from drawing a bead on her prey: a cunning man with connections in high places, a twisted soul of unspeakable depths with an army of professional killers on call. Propelled by her righteous fury and implacable insistence on justice, Jane will make her way from southern Southern California to the snow-swept slopes of Lake Tahoe to confront head-on the lethal forces arrayed against her. But nothing can prepare her for the chilling truth that awaits when she descends the crooked staircase to the dark and dreadful place where her long nightmare was born.
Don’t miss any of Dean Koontz’s gripping Jane Hawk thrillers:
THE SILENT CORNER • THE WHISPERING ROOM • THE CROOKED STAIRCASE • THE FORBIDDEN DOOR • THE NIGHT WINDOW
Praise for The Crooked Staircase
“An absorbing thriller full of fresh touches . . . Writing his unusual heroine, Koontz keeps the pages alive with attitude as well as action. . . . For Hawk, who is as fearless as she is beautiful, no obstacle is too great, especially with the well-being of her hidden-away five-year-old son on her mind.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Spellbinding . . . Beautifully plotted and written with notable care and flare . . . The Hawk series . . . is among [Koontz’s] best work.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Unrelenting . . . [Jane] rivets readers’ attention. . . . Michael Crichton fans and thriller aficionados who appreciate a fierce female protagonist . . . should be urged to meet Jane Hawk.”—Library Journal
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Dean Koontz does a wonderful job of writing not the impossible, but the improbable. Improbable meaning it “could” happen.
Jane Hawk continues in her quest to stop evil from encompassing the world…protecting her son being of utmost importance to her. She is an amazing character that I enjoy following…looking forward to her next adventure!
Never a dull moment . Very fast paced and gut renching. Makes you think about your future and how horrible progress can be when in the hands of corrupt people.
The good and bad news is that the story does not end with each book so I must keep waiting for the next book to come out.
I love books by Dean Koontz. I have not been disappointed yet by this series. Though I had no idea it was a series until I started I love it and can’t wait for the next book. He’s right up there with Stephen King. This series will hook you if you like this type. If not then you may not feel the same as I do. I just know it’s one I could not put down.
Thank you #NetGalley #Dean Koontz #The Crooked Staircase and #Random House
Now I’m waiting for the nex in the series
good read page turner
I love Dean Koontz and have read pretty much everything he’s written. This book though…. it’s flat and tends to fall back on the usual tropes. Yes, it’s part of a series so Jane is still on the run, we could all expect Travis to eventually be in danger and on the run but it’s like I read the same stuff in book 2. Hunt down villain. Torture (or question) villain. Get new clues. Toss in a sociopath. Stir and print. And the twins! They were there for… what exactly? Padding? Honestly? Not sure if I will continue reading the series, and I’m very glad I borrowed book 3 from the library rather than purchasing it.
Dean Koontz new series hits a home run!
Dean Koontz is such a good author! This book was very hard to put down.
All three of the Jane Hawke novels were wonderful!
HATED the ending!
Hands down one of my favorite authors. What an imagination and ability to write … so I never want to put the book down. Wish he could just keep writing forever
How many of these Jane Hawk kooks will we have to read to get to the end of the story? Let’s wrap it up, Dean.
All of the above fit this book. Dean Koontz is a master writer – he uses words like other people breathe. His characters are so fleshed out, you feel you know them. His love for all that is good and true about people and our planet come through in each of his books. I just wish he could write more than a book a year. Read them ALL if you haven’t already done so!
Very fast-paced entertaining book, typical Dean Koonz! Very interesting and different story line with this seriesl. Still lots of action and a ton of violence but no semi-magical dogs anywhere to be found! I would recommend that you read the first two books in this series (This Whipering Room and The Silent Corner) before tackling this one though for maximum enjoyment. It seems there will be a total of six books in this series…. not sure how I feel about that. His books are so non-stop and intense and, after reading all three of them in a row, I was kind of hoping this one would wind it all up but I’ll happily wait for (and read) the other three as soon as they come out. i just don’t have a lot of patience for books that don’t actually end on the last page (unless I already have the next book in hand, read y to read)!
Have read all of Kuntz’s books….love them!
I enjoyed the first two Jane Hawk novels, and was looking forward to this one. Given the length and blurb for this one, along with the way book 2 ended, I thought we would finally get some resolution to Jane’s quest for justice. Sadly, that didn’t happen. Instead, I now have more questions without answers.
The premise for Jane’s story is quite terrifying. The very idea that people could be controlled to the point of suicide, plus the many other ways that the technology is used is more spine-tingling than any of the things that go bump in the night. The problem is that this one seemed to be an almost watered down version compared to the first two books in the series. The edge of your seat tension that was so prevalent in book 2 was missing here. In addition to that we get Jane, who was quite the heroine in beginning but becomes rather unbelievable in this third book in the series. She seems to know everything about everything and borders on invincible.
The story becomes drawn out with overly descriptive prose that sometimes seems to go nowhere. I’m all for setting a scene and painting a picture for the reader, but Koontz went a bit over the top with it here. At a certain point, it began to feel like so much filler and it became more distraction than anything else. We do get some gripping story and even some action in between those descriptions, but in the end, this one was just too easy to set aside. Dean Koontz has proven himself a master at nail-biting suspense, but I didn’t find much of that this time around.
To sum it up, I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either, and given the time I’ve vested in Jane Hawk’s story, I will read the next book, which hopefully is more story than filler and brings some resolution.