The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz / Review by Liz Gatterer
The Silent Corner
By Dean Koontz
Bantam Books
$28.00
ISBN 978-0345545992
Published June 20, 2017
Book of the Day
The Silent Corner
Review by Liz Gatterer
The Silent Corner is the first in the thrilling new series by Dean Koontz. Touching and terrifying, it is the story Jane Hawk, a young widow that will not accept that her husband committed suicide, even though she was the one to discover his body. The man she loved would never abandon her or their son—never. And she will risk everything prove it.
As a trained FBI agent, Jane Hawk has the resources and training needed to thoroughly investigate her husband's death. She sells her house and her car, cashes out her bank accounts and secrets away her son. She buys a car that has been illegally modified to be untrackable by GPS. She buys disposable cell phones and acquires fake identification. She steps into the silent corner - a place where she should be invisible to all of the tracking capabilities of modern society. Step by step she follows a trail that may give her answers—or may take her life...
Fans of Dean Koontz will understand that he has two types of "scary stories". On one side you have books like Ticktock, Odd Thomas, or Ashley Bell—tales that have a touch of the paranormal. They are fun and they will get your heart racing, but, they are not terrifying. Voo-doo dolls, Elvis' Ghost or using "Scrabble-mancy" to devine the future isn't "real". We are protected by the bubble of suspended disbelief. Then, there are the books that could very well be real. For me, these are by far the scarier of the two. That is the kind of book The Silent Corner is. This could really happen. Many of the things that Jane Hawk discovers—are really happening! I now fear of all the tech in my life.
The Silent Corner is very well written. The characters are very well developed with detailed backstories that support their abilities and personalities. Even the minor characters are well defined and their roles are clear. This is where Koontz really shines. He paints with a very fine brush. But, he is never course. Although his stories have a sharp edge, the language and sexual content are more implied than stated. And, of course, there are plenty of dog references. The man does love his Goldens!
The second book in the Jane Hawk Series, The Whispering Room will be released 11/7/2017. Look for that review soon!