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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
This is a book that I'm puzzling over why I had such a different experience from everyone else who read it. Maybe I was in the wrong mood. Maybe it's dated. Maybe it's because I listened to the audiobook...in any case, I found myself bored with this one. After the primary mystery is solved in Book 1, there's not much left for Jane Hawk to discover, so we are introduced to new secondary characters who are slowly figuring things out. But the reader already basically knows what's up, so there isn't much suspense to this suspense thriller.
So are there thrills to this suspense thriller? It's mostly watching Jane smack around guys that I'm relatively certain Dean Koontz would refer to as beta-cucks while reinforcing the age-old trope of female action hero motivated by the safety of her child. And I'm sorry, but having a female protagonist does not excuse your casual sexism. At one point Jane actually tells two little girls she thinks they can be brave because they seem "boy-tough." Check please, I'm done. And Koontz's decreasingly subtle conservative politics just made this whole sequel thematically harder for me to enjoy.
In summary, not much happens until the end, not much new to learn, misogyny, some good action sequences and more talking about how hot Jane is. Perhaps I was just not in the proper mood, but for now I think I'll pass on the sequels.
So are there thrills to this suspense thriller? It's mostly watching Jane smack around guys that I'm relatively certain Dean Koontz would refer to as beta-cucks while reinforcing the age-old trope of female action hero motivated by the safety of her child. And I'm sorry, but having a female protagonist does not excuse your casual sexism. At one point Jane actually tells two little girls she thinks they can be brave because they seem "boy-tough." Check please, I'm done. And Koontz's decreasingly subtle conservative politics just made this whole sequel thematically harder for me to enjoy.
In summary, not much happens until the end, not much new to learn, misogyny, some good action sequences and more talking about how hot Jane is. Perhaps I was just not in the proper mood, but for now I think I'll pass on the sequels.
3.5 stars, rounded up. This was another great Koontz novel and there were a few laugh-out-loud lines in an otherwise serious story. I deducted half a star just because I feel this second book in the series lacked some of the tension and action of the first. Nonetheless, it was well-written and engaging, and served to propel the series onward. There are definitely characters I hope to see make a reprisal in future books, both from The Silent Corner and The Whispering Room.
In The Whispering Room, and the entire Jane Hawk series to date, Mr. Koontz has found that sweet spot of government and corporate "rule the world" conspiracy. In addition to Mr. Koontz' amazing and detailed writing style, the idea that his topic, technology to control humans, is a possibility makes the book that much more riveting and frightening. In this installment, Jane continues her hunt to track down and kill the men that were involved in the suicide/murder of her husband. Along the way she meets up with a small town sheriff who is too smart for his own good. It was nice to see someone else in her corner as they tackle the next level of technology enslavement, the whispering room. Read the first book, read this book, and then impatiently wait with me for the next book.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine in exchange for an honest review.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine in exchange for an honest review.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wow! Intense and gripping, as Jane continues her efforts to stop a powerful group from gaining control over society. She gains an ally, faces new threats, and struggles to stay ahead of her pursuers. This is the second in a trilogy, and I am anxiously awaiting the final chapter. Jane is my hero.
She's the boogeyman to some and a guardian angel to others.
The ultimate bad-a** Jane Hawk is on a hunt to not only revenge her husband but also take down an organization threatening the world as we know it. In this second installment the plot thickens even more and we get to know more about the organization and it's crimes on humanity. Here and there, Jane meets someone who is on her side (or at least to afraid of her to be otherwise). Wielding her wit and two guns, she is by far one of the best (if not THE BEST) female protagonists in the genre.
My new favorite book series!
The ultimate bad-a** Jane Hawk is on a hunt to not only revenge her husband but also take down an organization threatening the world as we know it. In this second installment the plot thickens even more and we get to know more about the organization and it's crimes on humanity. Here and there, Jane meets someone who is on her side (or at least to afraid of her to be otherwise). Wielding her wit and two guns, she is by far one of the best (if not THE BEST) female protagonists in the genre.
My new favorite book series!
Been reading this author since I was in 7th grade. Still can't put the books down after I start reading.
*** I received an advanced e-copy from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review
This is the second book in the Jane Hawk series. In the first book, Jane's husband dies by what is seemingly suicide, but she knows better. She deposits their son somewhere that he will never be found, and then takes off on a mission to clear his name, and prove he was murdered. This book picks up where The Silent Corner ended. She has discovered at least a portion of those responsible, and is taking them out one by one.
As much as I loved The Silent Corner, I believe this one is even better. I laughed, I got stressed out, and I was unable to put the book down. This is definitely a must-read!
This is the second book in the Jane Hawk series. In the first book, Jane's husband dies by what is seemingly suicide, but she knows better. She deposits their son somewhere that he will never be found, and then takes off on a mission to clear his name, and prove he was murdered. This book picks up where The Silent Corner ended. She has discovered at least a portion of those responsible, and is taking them out one by one.
As much as I loved The Silent Corner, I believe this one is even better. I laughed, I got stressed out, and I was unable to put the book down. This is definitely a must-read!
Shoutout to netgalley for the ARC.
OK, I think all of the images below are from the second book, but I can't be sure because they blur together. Why do they blur together? BECAUSE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ONE BOOK. I mean, the technological impossibilities aside, the super hot omg we need to talk about it every three minutes doesn't she look like a model protagonist aside, and the literal absurdity of her quest aside, the plot is too slow. For years, my sister and I have said that Dean Koontz has this drive that forces him to use larger words than necessary, and to add these superfluous descriptions in order to make himself look smart. With this trilogy, it seems to be filler. I believe the second book came out less than a year after the first, so obviously, he knows where it's going. I feel badly for readers of Dean Koontz, like myself. Did you ever read Watchers? Or Phantoms? Or Night Chills? They're great. They're scary and have actual plots and good and evil and they're just nice books. But the stuff he comes out with now...I don't know. It feels hollow. It's like James Patterson, churning out two new books a month. Why not turn the Jane Hawk trilogy into one, hard-hitting book? Because we need to describe the gd sky 400 times. I cannot tell you how many times he described the sky in detail with its gray clouds and possibility of rain. WE GET IT. RAIN IS COMING. IT WAS COMING 10 CHAPTERS AGO. Which is another point of contention with me - the chapters are each about 5 pages long. Unnecessary. As happy as I am to have a kick-ass female protagonist, I'm disappointed that she absolutely has to be 1. super hot (she's compared to a runway model, a Vogue model, etc. over and over and over throughout the books. She also eats like there's no tomorrow but is super thin and hot. At one point, she unbuttons a button on her blouse before talking to a couple of teenage boys, not because she hopes it will distract them, but because, you know, maybe it will or maybe it will help her in some way to show off her tits. Gross.) and 2. she's superhuman. There's no way anyone could pull this off. She should be dead about 4000 times. I get it, she's FBI, but she's also incredibly young (27 or 28) so she's barely out of FBI training, and yet can go up against the most amazing criminals in the world and work through these incredibly detailed plans to bring down half the world. Ugh. I mean, the story itself is fairly absurd but I am learning how horribly it is to live in this time period and use technology because literally, no one is safe and we're all going to die. Below are some pictures that illustrate my raw anger at Mr. Koontz.
OK, I think all of the images below are from the second book, but I can't be sure because they blur together. Why do they blur together? BECAUSE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ONE BOOK. I mean, the technological impossibilities aside, the super hot omg we need to talk about it every three minutes doesn't she look like a model protagonist aside, and the literal absurdity of her quest aside, the plot is too slow. For years, my sister and I have said that Dean Koontz has this drive that forces him to use larger words than necessary, and to add these superfluous descriptions in order to make himself look smart. With this trilogy, it seems to be filler. I believe the second book came out less than a year after the first, so obviously, he knows where it's going. I feel badly for readers of Dean Koontz, like myself. Did you ever read Watchers? Or Phantoms? Or Night Chills? They're great. They're scary and have actual plots and good and evil and they're just nice books. But the stuff he comes out with now...I don't know. It feels hollow. It's like James Patterson, churning out two new books a month. Why not turn the Jane Hawk trilogy into one, hard-hitting book? Because we need to describe the gd sky 400 times. I cannot tell you how many times he described the sky in detail with its gray clouds and possibility of rain. WE GET IT. RAIN IS COMING. IT WAS COMING 10 CHAPTERS AGO. Which is another point of contention with me - the chapters are each about 5 pages long. Unnecessary. As happy as I am to have a kick-ass female protagonist, I'm disappointed that she absolutely has to be 1. super hot (she's compared to a runway model, a Vogue model, etc. over and over and over throughout the books. She also eats like there's no tomorrow but is super thin and hot. At one point, she unbuttons a button on her blouse before talking to a couple of teenage boys, not because she hopes it will distract them, but because, you know, maybe it will or maybe it will help her in some way to show off her tits. Gross.) and 2. she's superhuman. There's no way anyone could pull this off. She should be dead about 4000 times. I get it, she's FBI, but she's also incredibly young (27 or 28) so she's barely out of FBI training, and yet can go up against the most amazing criminals in the world and work through these incredibly detailed plans to bring down half the world. Ugh. I mean, the story itself is fairly absurd but I am learning how horribly it is to live in this time period and use technology because literally, no one is safe and we're all going to die. Below are some pictures that illustrate my raw anger at Mr. Koontz.
The Whispering Room by Dean Kootz is a 2017 Bantam publication.
Kick-butt heroine Jane Hawk is back ready to save the world from a diabolical and evil plot against America.
After reading the ‘The Silent Corner’, I was cautiously optimistic about this new series. After reading this second installment, I have become a true believer- lock, stock and barrel.
The thing about this storyline that makes it so incredibly chilling, especially in America, is that while it may sound like pure science fiction, our government has experimented with mind control in the past. After a recent mass shooting, where a plausible motive still remains totally unclear, this story really makes me think, and scares the crap out of me.
As the story picks up, Jane is now the most sought after woman on the planet, which makes her job all the harder. But, she is determined to take down the billionaire sponsoring the mind control experiments that took the life of her husband, robbing her son of his father.
As more tragedy takes place, Jane races against time, but soon finds the network behind such an evil plot is much larger than she knew.
The David versus Goliath set up, pits Jane against powerful entities and keeps her on the run, struggling to stay under the radar, and still manage to see her son on occasion.
"After the coming tide of change had passed, there would be no rest in the world, only the peace of submission or death, only the quiet dread that keeps the mouse mute in the presence of the fanged and searching cat.”
The story does start off with a literal bang, but the real suspense stems from Jane’s predicament, while we follow her along on a tense road trip, where she encounters other adventures, on top of everything else she must contend with. The danger is always there, simmering, then escalating.
But, the scariest thought of all is the prospect that Jane will not succeed. So, I cheer her on with all my might, mentally supporting her, as the world, as we know it, rests on her shoulders.
Jane’s work is far from done, as she will face a new set of circumstances in the future. Jane is a tough but compassionate heroine, vulnerable, yet capable. Her cynicism is hard earned but not necessarily celebrated, but most of all Jane is a survivor and I for one feel immense respect for her tenacity, and her sense of right and wrong, in the ultimate good versus evil showdown.
Overall, this second installment is even better than the first one and sets the stage for an even more intense follow up in the next installment. I can hardly wait!
It is good to feel this excited about a Dean Koontz series again!
4.5 stars
Kick-butt heroine Jane Hawk is back ready to save the world from a diabolical and evil plot against America.
After reading the ‘The Silent Corner’, I was cautiously optimistic about this new series. After reading this second installment, I have become a true believer- lock, stock and barrel.
The thing about this storyline that makes it so incredibly chilling, especially in America, is that while it may sound like pure science fiction, our government has experimented with mind control in the past. After a recent mass shooting, where a plausible motive still remains totally unclear, this story really makes me think, and scares the crap out of me.
As the story picks up, Jane is now the most sought after woman on the planet, which makes her job all the harder. But, she is determined to take down the billionaire sponsoring the mind control experiments that took the life of her husband, robbing her son of his father.
As more tragedy takes place, Jane races against time, but soon finds the network behind such an evil plot is much larger than she knew.
The David versus Goliath set up, pits Jane against powerful entities and keeps her on the run, struggling to stay under the radar, and still manage to see her son on occasion.
"After the coming tide of change had passed, there would be no rest in the world, only the peace of submission or death, only the quiet dread that keeps the mouse mute in the presence of the fanged and searching cat.”
The story does start off with a literal bang, but the real suspense stems from Jane’s predicament, while we follow her along on a tense road trip, where she encounters other adventures, on top of everything else she must contend with. The danger is always there, simmering, then escalating.
But, the scariest thought of all is the prospect that Jane will not succeed. So, I cheer her on with all my might, mentally supporting her, as the world, as we know it, rests on her shoulders.
Jane’s work is far from done, as she will face a new set of circumstances in the future. Jane is a tough but compassionate heroine, vulnerable, yet capable. Her cynicism is hard earned but not necessarily celebrated, but most of all Jane is a survivor and I for one feel immense respect for her tenacity, and her sense of right and wrong, in the ultimate good versus evil showdown.
Overall, this second installment is even better than the first one and sets the stage for an even more intense follow up in the next installment. I can hardly wait!
It is good to feel this excited about a Dean Koontz series again!
4.5 stars