I can read a book in 1 day, 3 tops. It was almost 2 weeks before I came to the end of this book . It was torture. I used to be a a HUGE Dean Koontz fan then it just started getting weird so I stopped. This book was a quick reminder of why I stopped reading his books. Overly words. Overly descriptive. It just went on and on and on, it was torture. And all the answers I would want aren't til the next book. I hate to give a bad review, but this book was the worst book I have read in years.

In this third installment of the Jane Hawk series, this rouge FBI s still on the run. Is she getting closer to revealing the truth behind the outbreak of murder/suicides that is responsible for her husband’s death? Her travels take to Lake Tahoe and beyond in this high intensity drama as she searches for answers.

I am a huge Dean Koontz fan and was excited to read this newest book. It was very well written as I've come to expect of Koontz books. This was an extremely well thought out and intricate story. I loved the characters and the great descriptions and background stories created for each. That said, I did feel like this book was extremely long and then was left hanging at the end. It also seemed to be too desolate and bleak overall even though a theme throughout the book was the hope people felt for a better tomorrow. I would've liked to see more glimmers of hope and triumph sprinkled through the story. I am still intrigued to find out where all this will lead Jane Hawk and her sweet boy, Travis, though I do fear that things may not turn out as well as we all hope. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this book.

Love me some Jane Hawk! Another in the popular series by the master of suspense Dean Koontz, the Crooked Staircase kept me on the edge of my recliner, finishing the book in one day. Once again it's Jane versus the nanotechnology manipulators, who are succeeding in creating a slave race out of average Americans, by random selection. The plot speeds along, screeching to a halt at the cliffhanger. I love the way he weaves in new characters, some with back stories, some without. Some make it, some don't.
Read Jane Hawk stories, you won't be sorry!

I was rolling along, loving this book, remembering why I had enjoyed Dean Koontz in the past when ———- it just stopped. It was more like part one than a whole novel. The last 8% or so was just a preview of what was to come. That is not at all what we expected. (This was the current read aloud selection for my wife and I.) We both agreed that we were very unlikely to read the sequel. We’ll see. Jane Hawk is a great character, and the plot is very pertinent to the real world these days, but you can’t just leave people hanging.

I know every author has the right to try a new genre but after reading the third in the Jane Hawke series I will not be reading the 4th one. While the Hawke books do involve techno-sci elements, each book is basically one long continuation of the original plot - super mom embarks on long journey to keep son safe. Just substitute the morphed killers, etc.

Great story. Can't wait for the next one. Dean Koontz is a master.

This is the third book in a series about former FBI agent Jane Hawk who has been trying to uncover the leaders of a secret organization using brain implants to control the population. I have enjoyed all three of the books, but am now getting irritated that the series is going on for so long. I had originally thought this would be a trilogy and expected things to wrap up in this last book. That is not the case and now I"m wondering how long the author is planning on dragging out this story. Although the writing is fast paced and interesting, I think it's past time to wrap up this story.

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"I thought my war was over years ago."
"It's all one war," she said, "and it's never over."
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This is absolutely the most fascinating, horrifying, deliciously twisty series! I am a long-time fan of Dean Koontz, but with the Jane Hawk books he's really come up with something delightful - the plot lines are eerie and creepy and unbelievably believable. The characters are evil and heroic and broken and battered and unredeemable and terror- and awe-inspiring in equal measure. The action is finely tuned, interwoven with cards held - and revealed - at just the right time to keep the reader on not only the edge of their seat, but the edge of their nerves. I keep thinking that things can't possibly get *that* much worse, and then - lo and behold! - they springboard right past worse and into uncharted territory...

Jane Hawk is perhaps the greatest, strongest, most phenomenal female heroine of all time. She is nearly super-human in her ability to stay one step ahead of the evil she's pursuing, yet at the same time, her motivations and periodic bursts of self-reflection and concern about the configurations her mission is forcing her into keep her altogether human. She never doubts her path - she knows this is the ultimate winner-takes-all - or her love for her son. She has moved so far past self-doubt in her conviction about the destruction that the Techno Arcadians are seeding in their wake that she should, by rights, start seeming inhuman (or at least un-human) in her responses, yet she never does. She remains - odd though this will sound - an utterly humane ultra-violent, whatever-it-takes protagonist. Even when she's forced to turn to some of the methods of her enemies, she manages to do so with just enough humility and calm recognition of the point-of-no-return corners she's been pushed into that she remains not only likeable but unquestioningly, unfailingly, so. Koontz has her walking tightropes and she not only manages to do it with aplomb, but she does it while remaining upright - no small task, considering the forces massed against her. It is this indomitable spirit, as much as the great story-telling, that keeps this series so compelling...

This one ended with more of a cliff-hanger than I like. I love series books and don't mind loose ends when I know more books are coming (particularly when they're coming from someone like Koontz who is prolific, with quick turn-arounds, and who you know will follow through on those ends), but I don't like when a major plot point/twist is introduced right at the end and then everything just stops. It feels too abrupt, a hostage situation forcing the reader to buy the next installment just to finish the story that was already read. There's a sample chapter of the next book in this one, so you know it's coming soon. "Soon" won't be soon enough though - if Jane is the guts of this story, Travis is the heart and soul. And as Jane herself would happily tell you, one cannot live without one's heart and soul. I'll be anxiously waiting to see where this latest test of Jane's legendary endurance takes her - my mind races with possibilities, most of which are horrible - which is a testament to Koontz's wisdom in ending the book exactly where he did, regardless of how I feel about cliff-hanging plot developments... Perhaps that's why he is Dean Koontz, and I'm me. :)

My review will run on my blog (www.Jill-Elizabeth.com) approximately one month prior to the release date.

This is the third Jane Hawk novel. I have loved them all. Jane is on a mission, and nothing will stop her, or so she hopes. She has put friends Gavin and Jessie in grave danger by having them take care of her son, Travis. Will they survive and what will happen to Travis if they don't. Can't wait for next installment.

The Crooked Staircase is a rollercoaster ride that almost is never ending. I felt like I was free falling for quite sometime until I was thrown for a loop and taken on a roundabout. This suspenseful book will keep you going all the way to the very end. Dean Koontz can never fail me when I need an adrenaline rush!

Oh, this book is torture!!!! I love the beginning with Booth and Jane, then after what happens with Anabel I’m in shock. And the loss of two of my FAVORITE characters breaks my heart and has me anxious as to what’s going to happen next in that part of the story. Jergen and Dubose really REALLY need to get exterminated and I truly hope Jane gives them exactly what they deserve. The glimpse at the next book has me very worried for Jane, I hope her situation isn’t as bad as it appears. This story is so complex, I just don’t see how our heroine and her family (son and in-laws included) will escape unscathed. Koontz never lets me down, this story is a definite page turner!

The Crooked Staircase (Jane Hawk #3) is action-filled suspense from beginning to end. Jane continues her battle against the conspiracy that plans to "adjust" individuals to eliminate free will and dispose of those who may cause the cabal trouble.

Jane Hawk is one of those kick-ass protagonists that fights the good fight against the evil Techno Arcadians. You can't help but cheer her on.

I like: that Jane Hawk is such a clever and relentless protagonist; that Koontz makes secondary characters interesting and well-rounded.

Wasn't crazy about: losing characters I like; the weirdness of the crooked staircase toward the end.


Fast-paced and difficult to put down. You will be up late with this one.

Read in January; review scheduled for February 22.

NetGalley/Random House

Thriller/Suspense. May 8, 2018. Print length: 512 pages.

Another thrilling installment in the Jane Hawk series. Jane is back kicking ass and taking names. So much was happening in this book that kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t read it fast enough! The plot thickens with some major developments and new (evil) characters. Can’t wait for what happens next!

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

I am really digging this series. Love Jane Hawk...what a badass. But I give this 4 stars instead of 5 because I feel like the story may be dragging on too long at this point. I would have liked to see it wrapped up at the end of this book. I will be sticking with it though because I need to know how it ends!

I liked this better than the one before. This was a really good story as we get into the meat of this adventure. I still have to wish that Koontz would spend more time on each character rather than jumping so quickly as it causes my attention to slip. I really prefer being absorbed and riveted in a book and with the constant switches it’s too distracting and way to put down.

I should start by saying I am not a fan of serial books. Too many writers use the genre to pad pages of recap from pervious books. If a book is well written only minimal review is needed.
And then we come to the Jane Hawk series. I have found myself totally engrossed in this series. We don’t spend page after page rehashing the past. We get fresh new page turning story.

Jane Hawk is trying to stop a group that is using injectable nano particles as a form of mind control. They say it will bring about a better world. The reality is that it produces pliable people who will do their will, even when that will includes murdering innocents. Anyone who doesn’t fit with their plan must be eliminated and former FBI agent Jane Hawk has found herself on the run charged with multiple murders and treason.

Beware. The Jane Hawk books are hard to put down. But know you are in for a great ride.

A great example of Dean Koontz writing. Tense, good vs. evil, and just the right amounts of bravado and conscience. Koontz' protagonists are just flawed enough to be believable but still manage to do what they need to do. Very much looking forward to the next Jane Hawk installment.

This author makes every situation come alive, all his characters clearly defined. Although this is true once again, for the first time I wasn’t satisfied feeling as if 1/2 the story is missing. We now wait for the sequel but not with an ending to this one that finishes any part of the ongoing saga

Koontz is always a fun read. Lots of intrigue and excellent vocabulary. A great writing style.