The Whispering Room (Jane Hawk #2)
by Dean Koontz (Goodreads Author)
U 50x66
Lou Jacobs's review
Sep 22, 2017 · edit

it was amazing

Jump on the Millennium Force roller coaster ride .... and experience the breakneck speed of this follow up Jane Hawk novel. I've read the first: "The Silent Corner" and was anticipating the further investigative prowess of our new heroine ... badass and beautiful rogue FBI agent. Koontz weaves another gripping thriller with captivating prose and plotting. Present are his usual blend of humor, action, love and nobility in the face of evil.
The first entry into Jane's world involved her going off the grid to investigate and unravel the inexplicable suicide of her "War Hero" husband . She uncovered a multilayered plot by a cabal of
powerful people to accomplish their own idea of Utopia. Thus, eliminating "undesirables" by suicide and murder to accomplish the goal of a new , better world. They are accomplishing their goals with the aid of science .... injecting nano machines into their victims to force "mind control"
This second novel takes off with the apparent "haunting" of beloved schoolteacher Cora Gundersun resulting in her becoming a suicide bomber .... and leading to the fiery deaths of a Governor, Congressman and multitude of innocents.
Jane's quest to unravel and expose the cabal takes us on a twisting path across the USA. The ultimate goal is a show down with the apparent leader of the cabal ... multi billionaire, DJ Michael.
Her cinematic confrontation with him and his security measures is worth the price of admission.
Koontz introduces us to a slew of quixotic charters along the way ... and a few beloved ones as well. None more captivating than the Jewish, widower and grandpa ... she encounters him at a rest stop after hijacking a State Trooper's vehicle and in need of new "ride" This lovable character instantly accesses her character and plight and willingly aids and abets.
Thanks to NetGalley who provided a E-book ARC in exchange for an honest review. I can't
wait until the conclusion of this grand Koontz trilogy.

The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz 11/21/17

Scrappymags 3-word Review: My girl-crush continues!

Genre: Thriller/action/mystery

Shortest Summary Ever: Jane Hawk, rogue FBI agent continues hunting the people responsible for the death of her husband, but a full-on manhunt of Jane is underway as she's been put on the FBI's Most Wanted list. Oh snap! 

What’s good under the hood: if you read my review of The Silent Corner you know Jane Hawk became my instant book girl crush - a badass who is smart, manipulative, tough, human and isn't some tacky damsel-in-distress cliche'. She's wicked smart. She's not falling while she's running or relying on some guy to save her. She calculating and lethal. She's everything I want to be... in a book! That bad-ass nature continues here where deeper layers of the new Manchurianesque-world emerge. 

The pacing is swift, the story sharp and pages flew by much like the first.


What’s bad or made me mad: The story didn't advance as much as it did in the first (a curse of many trilogies) but was capable in moving fast enough to keep me in love with the series.

Recommend to: Fans of the first book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and making me feel like the greatest bad-ass chic on the face of the earth!

Another page burner from Dean Koontz. I loved The Silent Corner. I love The Whispering Room. If you have a paranoid bone anywhere in your body, this book will enthrall, enrage, excite, and then leave you exhausted. For those who have already read The Silent Corner, The Whispering Room will not disappoint. I cannot wait for #3. Hopefully, only six months.

Dean Koontz has a way of grabbing you at the very beginning and not letting go until it is over. This tale is an edge of your seat story of the power hungry and the one who sees it. I can't wait for another one.

The wonderfully crazy-pants adventures of Jane Hawk continues in this high-octane sequel to The Silent Corner.
Jane, a bad-ass former FBI agent, is still on a dangerous quest to take out the organization that caused her husband to kill himself, put her son in danger, and aims to take over the world- Stepford Wives style. Fans of the first book will be thrilled with the continuation of the conspiracy-laden chaos, which maintains a steady pace from the first page to the last.

The Whispering Room is the latest novel by Dean Koontz and is the follow up story to The Silent Corner. The Whispering Room could be a stand alone book, but is much richer if the reader is familiar with Jane Hawk, the main character. Even though there will be a third book the ending is satisfactory and doesn't leave the reader hanging in limbo. I think these stories are the best yet from Mr Koontz and I've been a fan of his from the very beginning. I was given an early copy to review.

In The Whispering Room, an on-the-run former FBI agent, Jane, and a small-town sheriff from Minnesota, Luther, team up to stop a cabal of powerful business and government leaders who are trying to mold society to their sinister expectations through the use of nanotechnology. The characters of Jane and Luther are well-defined and interesting. Dean Koontz definitely knows how to make a scary idea seem realistic, and this story is engrossing and fast-paced. What I found lacking, however, was the backstory of the sinister cabal -- how and why did they get together and what is their long-term plan. Additionally, I was disappointed in the ending because it wasn't really an ending; it seems to be more just a pause in the action until a sequel is written and released. As a reader, I either want a story with a beginning, middle, and end, or I want to be told upfront that the book is just the first in series. In summary, The Whispering Room was a terrific read without a definitive ending.

Note: Since posting this review, I have learned that The Whispering Room is Book Two in a three-part series. I was unaware of that when I read the book and my review should be read accordingly. Thank you Net Galley,

This second book in the Jane Hawk series is as fast paced and exciting as Silent Corner, the first book. Jane is on the run from nearly everyone, never knowing who she can trust as she continues on her mission to avenge her husband's death and protect the world from evil narcissists. As always, Koontz' prose is impeccable. Highly recommended.

This sequel to the Jane Hawke series was not quite as riveting as the first - not to mention, there really was no end. I understand that some stories/plots are too "complicated" for one volume but this series is too simplistic for me. I much prefer Koontz's earlier novels (The Watchers) which were not only riveting but anxiety-provoking as well.

Loved this book. I think Jane is just the best character in this book. I am so excited for this series. I have always liked your books but this series is my new favorite!

I loved the first Jane Hawk book. I’m happy to say that the love is still there.

Now, first things first. If you haven’t read the first book, stop now and read that one. You need the background in that book in order to fully understand what we’re dealing with. While this 2nd book does brings us new horrors and new enemies, what happened in the past is critically important.

Jane is still Jane. She’s this wonderful Samuel Jackson-esque (only without the cursing) mix of supremely cool and righteous vengeance. You do not want to get in her way when she’s protecting those who belong to her – and even protecting those who don’t.

In addition, Koontz brings us a new character to love. He’s not Hawk-Fabulous, but he’s awesome in his own way.

Now, lest you think you know everything there is to know about the who, the what, and the how of all this…you know absolutely nothing! Expect some startling surprises in this one.

I want book 3 and I want it now. Koontz leaves us with one humdinger of an ending – cruel and oh so enticing! More, please!

This was a good book with THE most unsatisfying ending EVER. I realize that this is part of a series but REALLY, WTH?????? I'm not sure if I will continue with the series.

If I could I would rate this a 2 and ½.

I read “The Silent Corner” and was curious as to how Mr. Koontz would advance the plot in this book. It was difficult for me to finish this novel, I picked it up and put it down. It starts right where the other book ended with our hero, Jane Hawk still running and trying to chase down the #1 head of the conspiracy and financier of the operation.

I have to be honest and say that I really didn’t enjoy this book very much. There is literally no character development and it’s just a chase and run book. In Silent Corner we had the freshness of his new character, Jane Hawk, to investigate and the beginning of that book was very interesting as she tried to figure out why all of the suicides were being committed. In this book she has figured out that there is a conspiracy, knows that there are brain implants being controlled by “them” and that they are using this “technology” to try and somehow purify the race. In this book she has to even take out a colleague because he also has been taken over by the brain implant. Of course power and money are really behind the plot, same old, same old, same old.

I did enjoy some of the other characters, in particular Luther Tillman who is the sheriff of a small town that has experienced a suicide attack. He begins to investigate Cora who seems willing to commit suicide and take innocent people with her. However a government agent shuts down the investigation and Cora’s house is burned to the ground. The discovery of her journal with her repeating such phrases as she has “a spider in her brain” leads Luther to continue his own investigation.

What makes Jane’s investigation so difficult is that government agencies are involved at all levels and she can trust no one.

I think I’m probably the only one who enjoyed “Ashley Bell” because it was a variation from his rogue agents and the chase and run format. I have trouble suspending belief that any real woman, no matter how well trained, would be able to do what Jane Hawk does. I think it would make it more interesting if she had some allies, more developed characters that we could get to know.

My husband is a big Koontz fan and I was truly trying to see what he found so likable about his writing. I think if you are just looking for a quick read with lots of gunfights and chasing then you will probably enjoy this book. I like my thrillers with more unusual and unique plot lines and a feeling of tenseness throughout, I didn’t find that here.

I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

Note, will also post to Amazon upon publication

Daniel Koonz has written with horrifying clarity, the possibilities of todays technology age and what could happen to us with it in the wrong hands.
Definitely 5 stars!

I really enjoyed this book. Well written believable characters and an interesting premise ensured that the pages kept turning.

However......as the middle volume of a trilogy I couldn't help feeling that a little pruning would not have gone amiss. Possibly the three books could have been more satisfying as two, there were passages which felt somewhat padded.

I also felt that the author might have fallen a little too much in love with his heroine. Is anyone really so impossibly beautiful, clever, tough, charismatic and cari g as Jane Hawke.

Nevertheless these are petty criticisms compared to how much I enjoyed the actual ride of reading the book. I look forward to the final volume in the series immensely.

I enjoyed this book, it was a little change of pace for me, I've been consuming fantasy lately. As expected it was well written, and the style made the story flow well. I felt the characters were mostly well developed and came together well. ***Spoilers*** I didn't really like the old horror trope of starting off on a character who is getting killed off shortly into the book, but perhaps that wouldn't have been as noticeable for readers of the whole series. I know similar to romance these books with the same story type and a few twists and changes sell well, but it does littler to stretch my imagination. Good rogue agent defeats bad guys, is out there in how many different ways already. So adding mind control via micro robotics is an interesting twist, but I feel like it's been done before too. The fact that some people are basically mindless zombies makes it trendy in a way, but obviously not origonal. I don't notice these things that much when reading the story as when analyzing why I didn't feel into it all the way. The ending has a slight twist, that helps perpetuate the series, but you start to feel like you have a pretty good idea what's coming otherwise. The actual plot seemed a little manufactured just to move the story along. Kids are seen trapped in a brain washed town, another not really original concept. I'm not sure anything is original anymore, but you knew the hero was going to save the kids and take down the bad guy. I felt like the scenes leading up to the villains suicide, were too simple. Not that the heroine needed to show more accomplishments, but that one person shouldn't have made it through there, it diminished this mastermind villain. So, despite that I still give it 4 stars with an expectation of 4.5 from those who prefer this genre. The scenes are just better written than many less experienced writers. I'd like to see Koontz be more adventurous with his story line, but his books probably sell either way.

An absolutely brilliant read, certainly not the sort of novel I would have expected from Dean Koontz - nothing supernatural here.

This is the second book in a series and I did not even realise it. You certainly don't have to read the first to enjoy this one.

Jane is trying to avenge her husband who commited "suicide" but in the process she has become one of the most wanted people in the USA and has to rely on her own wit and a vast array of very sketchy characters to find DJ Michael and force him to come clean on what is really going on.

Brilliantly bonkers filled with conspiracy, nano-tech and mind control. All very plausible and strangly more scary than guts and horror.

Picked up right where book one left off. A follow-up book two from the Jane Hawk series. And Jane is still on the run. I highly recommend starting at the beginning with ‘The Silent Corner’ in order to become fully enmeshed.
Money, power and sex! The triple threat of human nature that combined, have major potential for evil to bloom. A sinister group are using nanotechnology to take over and control unsuspecting innocent people through brain implants. (Sounds crazy right? Perhaps not so far-fetched somewhere in the near future hmmmm….). It rests on Jane’s shoulders to stop them before it's too late. Risking her own life, Jane is determined to bring them down.
Her cross-country chase/run has her bumping into all sorts of characters. (Bernie was my favorite!). Some really didn’t seem that relevant to the overall plot and simply served to slow down the speed of the chase, and thus the book.
Unfortunately this book wasn't all that different from book one. The progression of the storyline stumbled somewhat. Without advancement, the book just felt soooo long!
I am hoping book three (due out in 2018) will take this storyline to the next level!
3.5*
Thank you to NetGalley, Dean Koontz and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for an advanced copy to read in exchange for an honest review

Jane Hawk is back and in more trouble than ever! The Whispering Room picks up where The Silent Corner left off. From the first page the action is non-stop. Jane is playing a high stakes game of cat and mouse - unfortunately for her, it is hard to determine if she is the hunter or the prey.
Many familiar characters are back. And there is a kick-ass sheriff introduced, who I hope will continue to be an important character in the series.
The pulse pounding action and suspense kept me up reading well past my bedtime.

Another great novel in the Jane Hawk series - hope there are more to come!