If you read my review of "The Silent Corner," you know how much I liked it. You also know how much I was looking forward to this sequel. I can only say now that must be part of why "Jane Hawk #2" feels like a let down. To be sure, there are large sections of this book where I was as absolutely riveted as I was the first time around. Jane Hawk is one of Koontz's greatest creations. But some of the other characters and their stories simply didn't work for me. Somewhere in the middle of the novel, I realized I was in the middle of a series and that this book wouldn't really have a resolution because there's a "Jane Hawk #3" on the horizon. I understand this. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. I'm still looking forward to the next one. But with a bit more reluctance than before.

In THE WHISPERING ROOM, Dean Koontz continues the saga of Jane Hawk, rogue F.B.I agent. When we last saw Jane, she had just killed a key member of a diabolical conspiracy to purity the human race. The conspiracy had developed organic technology to spread in the brain, making the host obey commands. Oftentimes, the command is to commit suicide. That's the method being used to purity the race.

Jane had taken out a few members of the group, but the #1 guy--and the financier, was still out there. In the recent fire fight, Jane also had to kill a colleague, who had been taken over by the network.

Jane Hawk is tough, and she knows what she has to do. First, however, she needs help. She breaks into the home of a respected journalist to ask for help. But will he give it?

She was now a rogue agent, and she’d had enough of killing.


I found THE WHISPERING ROOM to be a little more captivating than the first book in the series. Of course, book #2 does not need to spend any time setting up the plot. We can get down to those evil "bots" spreading through the brains of the victims.

When reading any Dean Koontz book, get ready to learn some new words. I found that reading the Kindle version had one big plus: When I come to a new word, I just highlight it, and Kindle brings up the definition.

See also https://www.bassocantor.com/blog/whispering-room

While I really enjoyed The Silent Corner, The Whispering Room really left me...well, it just left me with nothing, I found it very predictable and unbelievable, and as a result, somewhat boring. I wanted to love it, had looked forward to getting my hands on it, then it was just ok. If you pick this book up and haven't read The Silent Corner, you may enjoy it more than if you read it afterward. Some parts were familiar and kept making me think I had read them previously. Overall, not a very good book. I probably won't read the next in this series.

.I hadn't realized it was the second book in a series when I first applied for it. Luckily, as in most Koontz books, I was able to read it and get the general impression of the story that must've been explained in the first book.
This wasn't the best Koontz book that I've ever read, but I still enjoyed it. Based on the ending, I assume there will be a Jane Hawk #3. (If not, I would be very disappointed in the ending. If so, yeah- another Dean Koontz book to read)

Just could not get into this book. For some reason the main character just didn't appeal to me. The plot was ok but a little out there, somewhere.

I was so looking forward to this book. I expected the same suspense and twists in this book as there was in The Silent Corner. Unfortunately, that just didn't happen. There is nothing more disappointing in anticipating the sequel to a book you really enjoyed than to have it fall flat.

This book felt like a lot of nothing. Hundreds of pages of filler that lost my attention more than it kept my attention. I ended up listening to most of it on audio because I just couldn't force myself to sit and read it.

As a follow-up and conclusion to a very complex story, this book was definitely not one I enjoyed. If I take out the equation of the first book, this was an okay book. Sadly, it did have a first book.

Dean tried to add too many new webs to this ever-changing story. The lines in the story began to blur. At some point, it just made no sense anymore. Nothing of significance happened in this book. It felt like hundreds of pages of filler from just about start to finish.

The Whispering Room picks up right where Jane Hawk left off in The Silent Corner. The story does a good job recapping the first book, so you can read it as a stand-alone, but I still recommend reading the first book in the series before reading this one.

Jane Hawk is a kick-ass, rogue FBI agent on the run to avenge her husband's "suicide". I didn't feel like there was any new character development. In fact, I felt like Jane was more heartless which made it more difficult to feel for her.

I enjoyed the story and the all action. It was basically a non-stop chase. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for a copy of Dean Koontz's "The Whispering Room" in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series. It’s so refreshing to have a strong female lead character. Once I got used to Koontz’s writing style (short chapters make it seem kind of choppy at first), I enjoyed the fast pace and found it to be a real page-turner. I have already recommended this book to several female customers who were looking for a good thriller and were intrigued by the female lead. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment.

This is the second book in Koontz’ Jane Hawk series. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, The Silent Corner, and this installment was just as good, maybe better. In The Whispering Room, Jane Hawk continues her relentless pursuit of those who are manipulating unlikely people into committing suicide. A real page-turner. Eagerly awaiting the third installment.

(My wife, Mary Hathaway, was given a free e advanced reader copy of THE WHISPERING ROOM, but due to health and other issues, she could not finish the novel until now.  This is written from her point of view and shared on Amazon as well. The links go to Amazon, but we are NOT getting any money for it.  You can find the books elsewhere and even some are free for download.  They just enrich the meaning if you have read them.)

Many read Dean Koontz for his horror and suspense. I read him because he makes me laugh, brings me hope in our very fallen world, and his plot twists and character development serve as an amazing examination of conscience, one that usually leaves me squirming and landing on my knees in repentance. The higher, anagogical meaning is what I look for and am never disappointed.

In her essay “The Nature and Aim of Fiction,” found in the collection, Mystery and Manners, Flannery O’Connor writes, “I think the way to read a book is always to see what happens, but in a good novel, more always happens than we are able to take in at once, more happens than meets the eye. The mind is led on by what it sees into the greater depths that the book's symbols naturally suggest. This is what is meant when critics say that a novel operates on several levels. The truer the symbol, the deeper it leads you, the more meaning it opens up.”

O’Connor could have been predicting the work of one of her biggest fans, Dean Koontz, in this essay. He may be known as the “Master of Suspense,” and aptly so, but it’s his use of symbols and their anagogical meaning that has me pondering his works long after I finish them and brings me back to them again. The “suspense” of what happens after earthly life is what he wants his readers to consider and I do, with every novel of his I have read.

THE WHISPERING ROOM, the second novel in what is promised to be a 7-book series features the intrepid and determined Jane Hawk, a rogue FBI agent on the run, investigating a series of deaths while attempting to guard herself and those she loves against the unseen enemies. Having been startled, enthralled and moved to tears by the end of THE SILENT CORNER, the first book in the series, I was anxious to see where Mrs. Hawk would land next in her quest to bring justice for her husband and safety for her son and others imperiled by “them.”

While THE SILENT CORNER is meticulously crafted to introduce the Jane Hawk universe, THE WHISPERING ROOM immediately draws the reader into an intimate scene of the slowly unveiling iniquitous underground. The pace is fast and the mood sinister. Jane’s quest for justice introduces her to some of the most foul and disgusting people one can imagine, as well as some of the bravest and kind. One’s conscience is pricked and left mourning for evil and its web in which we are all entangled. Its end left me puzzling and wondering where Jane was headed next in the quest for justice, an answer that is coming in May 2018, in THE CROOKED STAIRCASE. If you have not read The Silent Corner: A Novel of Suspense yet, I strongly recommend reading it first and then reading the sequel, THE WHISPERING ROOM. I also suggest reading T.S. Eliot's Collected Poems, 1909-1962 or at the very least, finding "The Hollow Men" online to read, as well as reading Flannery O'Connor's The Complete Stories (FSG Classics). A look at CS Lewis and his book The Four Loves will also provide more insight into the deeper meaning of the fantastic Jane Hawk series and the other works of Dean Koontz. Finally, I would add reading a novel by his apprentice of sorts, Frank Redman, ELIJAH: A Suspense Novel and reading Redman's publisher web site for his Koontz story.   Redman's influence on Koontz's writing and his life cannot be exaggerated, as once again, Redman's integrity, bravery, faith, and health battle are featured in the Jane Hawk series, just hidden in the characters' words and actions, just as he served as the inspiration for ASHLEY BELL.
Like most adults, my spare time is limited, so I can cover all my reading needs in one of Koontz's amazing novels-- a spiritual work, a fantastic suspense, a deep romance, a political critique, a futuristic sci-fi thriller, and an examination of conscience, all in one amazing novel.

I am a huge fan of Dean Koontz and I love this series. I like the way Koontz is developing the character of Jane Hawk. She's so complicated and Koontz makes it easy to connect with her. I couldn't put my IPad Kindle down because I had to keep reading. I can't wait for the next book!

A solid second book in the Jane Hawk trilogy. To an extent, it suffered the the common problems of most middle books - being a bit of a placeholder. It did get a bit repetitive as Jane didn't really learn any major revelations but confirmed how vast the conspiracy is. The good news is that we also got to meet more potential allies and had more people to boo and cheer. I am looking forward to what I know will be an exciting conclusion and am anxious to see where the conspiracy ends.

Once again Dean Koontz provides the reader with a story like no other.
Keeps your interest, and enjoyable characters.

Dean Koontz has knocked it out of the park again with The Whispering Room, the second in a series featuring Jane Hawk. In typical Koontz fashion, once you turn the first page, you don't want to put the book down until you've read the last. Jane continues her search which started in The Silent Corner, to discover why certain entities have made certain people commit suicide, including her husband. What she finds out puts her and anyone who knows or helps her in danger, especially her 5 year old son. It's a roller coaster ride to the last page...when does the next book come out???

I couldn't finish this book, I'm sorry. I really tried to. I guess I'm not just a mystery person but this book was really boring and there were too many facts that I wasn't interested in. I guess the author wanted to show how much he researched but he went a little over the top. Also, the swearing and language could be a bit too coarse. Very few people actually speak like that. The switching of POVs was not bad but it wasn't good either.
If you're a mystery buff, you might like this.

More old school Dean Koontz which was enjoyable. I highly recommend picking up the first book before you jump into this one though :)

Fast paced, great heroine and lots of action.

Spoiler free!

The second book in the Jane Hawk series does a good job of standing on its own as a novel. It’s gripping, action packed, and well written throughout.

Readers of Koontz’s Frankenstein series may feel they are treading familiar ground, and I’ll circle back to that later.

Jane Hawk, rogue FBI agent, is hot on the trail of one man who stands behind an operation to change the world by changing its citizens. However, he only has his own best interests at heart.

Determined to get justice for her deceased husband and revenge for her son, who has been sent to live with the only people Jane can trust–her in-laws–Jane first takes down the right-hand man of the operation in a sequence of thrilling scenes.

She unexpectedly teams up with a small-town sheriff whose family has also been impacted by the world’s events. They work together briefly to rescue children from an entire town that has been afflicted by one man’s selfish, evil intentions. When they split up again, Jane travels to California to pursue the one man behind it all.

Frankenstein series readers will be in familiar territory with the plot device used by the main antagonist, the man Jane pursues in California.

Overall, this book is a solid read, worth your time even if you have read the Frankenstein series. Unlike some other popular authors who use their work to lay out their political views, thankfully we can count on Koontz to thrill us, chill us, and create the escape from reality that is the reason many of us read fiction without burdening us with society’s troubles.

Liked:
- Lots of gripping, suspenseful scenes with the precision and beauty typical of Koontz.
- Jane Hawk is growing on me as a character. Her resourcefulness, bravery, and love for her child is furthered in this second installment.
- The immersion and escape created by a compelling plot that’s well executed with characters you care about.
- LOVE Dean’s beautiful and precise prose!

Disliked:
- Honestly, nothing! But Dean is my favorite author so I’m probably biased. 🙂

Other:
- The plot device used in this series was also used in the Frankenstein series. That said, it’s used in a compelling way that maintains interest throughout the novel, so that makes it more of a casual observation than a hard-and-fast dislike.

Special thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this title.

The always-fabulous Dean Koontz returns with a second installment of his Jane Hawk series. The Whispering Room ratchets up the suspense and the action, as Jane delves deeper into the corruption of a secret cabal that believes itself beyond the law — but not beyond the reach of the relentless Jane Hawk. This is a gripping and thought-provoking series that belongs in every book shelf.

There is no doubt Koontz is a great writer and I’ve enjjoyed his books for years. This is no different and it was an excellent read with some good suspense, great characters, touching moments and emotions that run the gauntlet. I must say though hat I don’t understand the constant switching from character to character. One page or less and you’re on to the other characters story. It gets rather irritating at times and makes me want to put the book down in between these switches. I also can’t understand the chapters. New chapters are made right in the middle of the characters tale. It’s just odd and not an enjoyable part of the read.

A masterpiece! Wonderfully detailed! For instance, on page 18 the silence was so thick you could cut it with a knife when Jane called out into the stillness, "Hello? anyone home?" I actually felt the silence as it gathered around her and filled the room as she waited patiently. Jane knew what she must do.
Great title, THE WHISPERING ROOM, is filled with intrigue, suspense, and unforgettable characters from an amazing author. Dean Koontz will send your mind reeling as you delve deep into a never-forget-read. A read that will haunt you, even in the daylight hours.

Jane Hawk, a rogue agent was trying to find out what was happening to everyone. In her search will she be driven deeper into danger? Will there be more killings? Who could she trust? Would Jane become a victim? A Statistic?

In part one Cora Gunderson is being awakened from a dream by her dog Dixie Belle. She had this same dream two nights before. Why? As Cora followed her dog through the house, she realized something was about to happen, but what? She couldn't quiet figure it out, and she didn't want to take the time to think about it either. She was in a hurry.