The first three installments in the Jane Hawk series take place in 3 months. That was a bit startling to realize. Unlike the first two books, I felt like this one didn't progress the story much. Maybe it was a really really long set up for the next 2 planned books in the series? It did end with a cliff hanger, but before then I felt there was a lot of repetition and wasted writing. This isn't the Dean Koontz story telling I remember. Are these events going to fit in and make sense at another point in time? Maybe, but it left me feeling unsettled and unsatisfied.

The Crooked Staircase, the third book in the Jane Hawk series is a powerful read.
Jane continues her fight against the Techno-Arcadians; the cabal mostly consisting of politicians, agents of secret/ law enforcement agencies, rich business people and techno inventors. They are evidently the worst word in the English language: elitists. Although Koontz is careful to point out that not every Ivy Leaguer, government employee, politician, wealthy business person, innovator, or member of the mainstream press are malevolent elitists, his message is easy to read and seems to cater to the current political climate.
However, this particular group of evil elitists, the Techno-Arcadians, is looking to take over the world and form some sort of utopia; a really nasty type of utopia that seems to only benefit them. One way they are doing this is by destroying people with nanotechnology. These are people picked by a computer algorithm as possible future opponents; basically defined as people who can think and reason for themselves. Read the previous books; you owe it to yourself.
These villains are among the worst I’ve come across in many years of reading; and this from an author who excels in presenting some pretty scary villains. The two Techno-Arcadian hunters on the ground to find Jane or her little boy, Travis, are especially depraved.
Jane is still the loner on the run. A few months ago she was a loving wife, a mother and a respected FBI agent. The murder of her husband Nick by the Techno-Arcadians enraged Jane and put her into beserker mode. Her son Travis is in hiding and she has a star role on the list of Most Wanted for crimes running from murder to treason. However she has plans for some powerful payback. Man plans, God laughs, something Jane has forgotten. Something the villains may have forgotten too.
The story is written in alternating, short chapters with differing POVs. Not fun, but effective to read the mindset of the severely deranged.
It aggravates me that I enjoy Koontz’s books so much. His writing as usual is lyrical, and can be pure bone chilling. His descriptions can give James Lee Burke a run for his money; whether it is an area of Orange County or an escape across California wildernesses. My aggravation comes from his definition of elitists.
Fair warning, this book is dark, unrelentingly dark. Jane is forced to confront how far she will go to protect her son and in her quest to bring down the Techno -Arcadians. She will kill in self-defense, but will she cross other lines that seem worse? Koontz has come up with outcomes that actually are worse than death.
The Crooked Staricase crosses genres, easily jumping from thriller to science fiction to techno thriller. I wanted to sit there with pen and paper taking notes on all the information given on the ways I can be tracked, hacked, or eavesdropped on, making The Crooked Staircase chilling in ways other than just as a distopic story.
As to the title, I’ll let y’all discover that one on your own. I do advise constructing a couch pillow fort.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Dean Koontz is the master of building the intensity of suspense in his thrillers! There were times in this third edition of the Jane Hawk series that I had to close the cover of my Kindle to get a break from it all!

A group of wealthy and powerful people, who call themselves the Techno Arcadians, are trying to reshape society with implanted nanotechnology that allows them to control the minds of ‘adjusted’ people.

“The ones who turn society in the wrong direction, we hate them and believe they deserve to die. Some of those we enslave are just for our pleasure. Others will run the world at our direction while we remain concealed behind them, and they are all ignorant fools who deserve to be enslaved.”

Jane became aware of this when she started investigating a rise in unlikely suicides after her own husband's death—which triggered horrifying threats directed at both her son and herself. Jane hid her boy away with trustworthy friends and went on the offensive to get her revenge and save the world.

I was a little disappointed in the way this third book ended—not in a cliffhanger, but just at the end of a chapter, giving the feeling That’s IT??? But thankfully the first seven chapters of the next Jane Hawk book, The Forbidden Door, are included so give the reader a taste of what’s to come.

Note: I enjoyed listening to the classical music which calmed Jane's nerves as well as mine as she drove on to confront the mysteries of the crooked staircase.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Dean Koontz for allowing me access to an arc of this terrific thriller. Can't wait to read more!

Thanks Netgalley for a copy to read and review while giving my honest opinion. The cover and blurb caught my eye but this is the third in the series and you should read the others first for full details of characters.

Jane Hawk is a bad ass.... no joke. This is a conspiracy book unlike any other that I have read before. It's also chilling and disturbing. Imagine the government having a weapon to make you into a mindless suicide initiator. Jane has stumbled across a conspiracy that has left many dead and very little left for her to lose.

I didn't read the first two in this series and made it through the book fine. I didn't know what I was up against but I find the idea a little chilling. I gave the book five stars for entertainment though, amazing work since I hadn't picked up a book of his since Ashley Bell. Definitely a better series like Odd Thomas books. Those are still my favorites but Jane Hawk is a close second. Thanks Netgalley for a great book!

I am usually pretty luke-warm or right out hate book series. But this is my first experience with Dean Koontz book and have absolutely enjoyed my time so far. I've purchased the first two books so that I could successfully & enjoy the third book.



This series consumes you and you definitely lapse into the reading a movie within your head. The way it is written it feels literally like it is going on as you're reading.





Recommend? Yes, this is a good introduction to this author. At least for me it feels that way. I literally have no other experience with this author so.. but yes, definitely recommend. But start with The Silent Corner as this is the third book.

I received a free Kindle copy of The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz courtesy of Net Galley  and Random House, the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as have read the first two books (The Silent Corner and The Whispering Room) in the Jane Hawk series and found both of those interesting and engaging.

This book continues the saga of Jane Hawk and her pursuit of the truth in proving that her husband's suicide was murder and protecting her young son from those who are trying to cover it up. There is an element of science fiction in this series that I will not reveal as to spoil for those who have not read the books.

There is enough revealed so this book could be a stand alone, but I strongly recommend that you read the other two books in the series first before reading this one. The backstory in the other two books helps with the understanding of the circumstances in this one.

Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the chance to review this in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit to myself I started reading Dean Knootz because of his Odd Thomas series but he’s continued to impress me with his series following Jane Hawk. However, I have to give this a lower score than the previous ones because it was just too much for me and a little too dark with the rape aspects. Also the timelines were a tad hard to follow this time. While a worthy entry I just didn’t enjoy this one as much as the others in the series.

Jane Hawk is on a mission to save the freedom of thousands of minds from a group of elitists who want to create a utopia for "special" people. Her husband was killed by the group, and she has hidden her young son so they cannot get to him. She is causing those in charge of the elitist group some frustration because she is getting close.
This is the third book in a series. Reading the first two books will clear up some details, but this book will stand alone. On the other hand, be prepared for spoilers if you plan to read the other books afterward.

The third installment of the Jane Hawk series finds Jane even deeper into the web of deceit that surrounds her husband's death. This action-packed novel builds toward an intense ending with the enemy closing in, setting us up for the fourth novel. The Crooked Staircase was almost unputdownable for me. If I could have read this one straight through, I would have, but unfortunately I had to sleep. And feed my family. Koontz is still my King of Creepy!

Expect the unexpected in this tale of nanoweb enslavement, which reminded me of Michael Crichton’s cutting edge themes. Because of the purple prose, it wasn’t until Chapter 34 of Part 1 that I was hooked and kept thinking throughout that I would really enjoy reading a condensed version of this series. This superfluous writing would be more fitting for a novella and not a full length novel, much less a series.

I love Dean Koontz writing. His characters are well developed and you feel like you know them personally. I only wish the Jane Hawke series moved a little faster. This book was all search and evade from start to finish, without any satisfactory resolve..

Great book by the author in the continuation of the A Jane Hawk Novel. Holding the suspense throughout the book. Can't wait for the next part of the story.

Oh my goodness this was the most intense book of the series so far! I loved it and could barely put it down. It's going to be very tough to wait for the next book to come out to find out what happens next. Definitely read the other two books first but this series is terrific so far.



Received an ARC through Netgalley.

What would you think if powerful people within the government decided that they know what’s best for you and the country. In order for this to happen this secret society of powerful people must institute a plan, a technological/medical revolution, so to speak. Jane Hawk, a disgraced FBI Agent, was faced with this type of overreach, when her husband committed suicide. What was never revealed was that her husband was getting too close to the truth about this organization, so they shot him up with nanotechnological microscopic cells. There are quite possibly millions that are captured in a serum which is injected into a person. These nanos eventually over take the brain and the host is totally controlled. The person is verbally commanded by someone to commit suicide, and they do it. Jane is on a mission to find out who the top dog is that is controlling this deadly project. If something isn’t done, the whole country could fall victim to one organization controlling everyone. In the meantime, she has to stay hidden, because the government had painted her as a murderer and traitor. They also have put the word out that they are looking for her young son to use him as bait against her. Jane utilizes her FBI expertise to go covert and stays under the radar. She is a huge threat to the master plan. Jane is being chased by some of the best. Will she keep her son safe? Will she find the person at the top of this heinous plan? Will she ever regain her good name and reputation? I enjoyed the plot of the book, but some of it was a little far fetched for me. I do feel that the book was much too long and could have been accomplished in a shorter book. The character development was superb. However, I am not a huge fan of cliff hangers, especially those that ended like this one. If you enjoy techno-thrillers, this book is for you.

4 kept me going stars

Jane Hawk is a remarkable capable woman who in this third book in the series is still tracking a nefarious group called the Arcadians. Their goal is to control the population, eliminate what they think to be the troublemakers, and create a society of peace( well peace according to them) with them in the lead position. They do this by using a drug which uses nanotechnology to eventually control one's brain which is triggered by a group of words. The Arcadians decide who will be injected and who will die. Mind control is their goal and they do not care who dies in their attempt at domination. Jane's husband was one of their victims and his "suicide" death was their mind control at work.

Most of this secret Arcadian group have deep workings with government groups like the FBI, CIA, NSA, and others. They have many powerful people within their ranks and their workings are secret and covered up. They take away one's free will without the person realizing what has been done to them. This is a scary prospect one that might not be so far fetched in the atmosphere we live in today.

This is the third outing for Dean Koontz with the Jane Hawk series. Having not read a novel by Mr Koontz, I was in for quite a surprise in the direction this series has gone. I have not read the previous novels but after reading this one, I will certainly be pursuing the others. This was a long novel, but had just the right amount of suspense and nail biting episodes to keep one going. The ending was well done as the next book in this series in on approach. This is a fine book for those who like a bit of science mixed in with conspiracies, and the government. I, for one, will be back for the next installment to watch how Jane not only protects her young son, but also battles the evil forces at work in the Arcadian organization.

Thank you to Dean Koontz, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this very exciting novel.

I enjoyed the characters, especially Jane. However, I was frustrated at the lack of substantial plot, and how just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong. I was also extremely disappointed at the lack of any kind of ending to the book - just a plug to read the next!

This book was so good. I made sure to read the first 2 so I wouldn't be lost. I read all 3 in about a weeks time. It picked up where the last book left off and I am already anticipating the next book. I would definitely say this book is intense, it kept me on the edge of my seat. I didn't want it to end but I had to know what happened.

Jane Hawk is a total badass and she doesn't let the fact that she's outnumbered and outgunned get in the way of her quest for justice. This continuation of the series opens explosively and leaves you gasping for air and wanting more.

I loved this third installment of the Jane Hawk saga, much more so than even the first and second. The urgency I've come to know and love in Dean's writing was ever present in this story, and any hope Jane and the guardians of her son could glean from their experiences was harshly countered by the parallel sub-story of the twins. I can't wait to read the fourth!

This is the third book in Dean Koontz’s Jane Hawk series. I started with the second book in the series, and I feel that the author takes the time to fill in a lot of what happened in the previous books, so it does work as a standalone. However, it would be nice to have more details about things that happened in the first book.

This novel is definitely a page turner, and the author doesn’t seem to think twice that he leads me and other readers to care about a character, to be fearful for their safety and then ultimately have something bad happen to them. Is no one safe in this series? It added to the edge-of-my-seat feeling, and a hope that Jane Hawk and her few friends would proceed with extreme caution.


Events in the story are so realistic, it is actually scary to think what real people would do with technology like this. The book ended in a way that left me wondering what was going to happen next .

There is some graphic violence and men who take advantage of women because they have no respect for them. This is part of the plot to take over the thoughts and actions of people.