This is from an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

This author has more pen names than I have fingers on two hands: David Axton, Brian Coffey, Deanna Dwyer, KR Dwyer, John Hill, Dean Koontz, Leigh Nichols, Anthony North, Richard Paige, Owen West, and Aaron Wolfe. I honestly couldn't remember reading anything by him prior to this, but checking in my blog revealed two previous stories, neither of which I liked! One was an audiobook ( The Face of Fear) about a slasher serial killer going after women. This was recommended by a friend, but is quite simply not my cup of tea. My eyes glaze over when I see a serial killer novel in my daily book bargain flyer, because this genre has been so done to death. That particular novel was especially objectionable because it was in audiobook form and read by Patrick Lawler, who I honestly cannot stand as a book reader. The novel of this author's that I read was a graphic novel version of some Frankenstein-based story, and I did not like that one either.

Had I remembered either of those, then I would not have requested this one, so the lack of any lasting impression made by these other books had led me to think this was the first of his I'd read. I'm not sure why this one was more appealing to me initially. It's not like it was perfect, but there was intrigue and action, and nothing completely dumb to begin with, so that made a difference, but there were parts which were stretched a little too far in my opinion. I stayed with this as far as I could, but in the end it simply could not hold my interest, so I gave up on it about one third the way through. I couldn't face reading any more of it, the way it was going - or failing to go!

There's this Indian (not native American) brother and sister who live in a really nice house out in the boonies. One night when the sister is standing outside watching the rain, she sees an SUV drive up and three guys climb out, scale the gate to the property and head into the house. Knowing this can't be a good thing, she sneaks back into the house where her brother is, and she gets some hornet killer spray and disables the guys with it by spraying it into their faces. So far so good, but instead of calling the cops at that point, the two of them go on the run! There is no sensible explanation given for this behavior, so this was my first problem.

One of the guys in the trio invading the home was from the sheriff's department - the girl recognized him. If he was a police officer, then why sneak up? Why not simply go knock on the door (or ask for admittance through the gate in this case) like he was on official business, and then when the door was opened, force their way in? Anyway, the girl disables all three of them with the hornet spray, which was pretty cool, but instead of taking their guns and tying them up (or even handcuffing them, if the sheriff had cuffs on him), and calling the police, the brother and sister go on the lam! These characters are both authors and they have zero imagination, so this felt really inauthentic to me, not to say lame. This is a serious problem with Big Publishing™ and an author who garners a certain level fo success: the editors don't know when (or maybe how) to say no!

If these two feared the police might be compromised because of the sheriff's presence, they could have called the FBI or something. These two were not criminals and not dumb people. They had no idea why the sheriff had shown-up with some heavies and some chemical, and needles like maybe it was for an interrogation. All the siblings had had to do was call the cops. OTOH, if the author actually wanted them to run (and int his case it seems he didn't), then he needed to supply a more convincing reason than was on offer here. I was willing to let that slide, but the whole thing slid too far downhill for me in the end.

There's a second story running in parallel with this one, in which this woman, who is evidently scared of something given her exhaustive security precautions, arrives home to find a woman already in the house waiting for her. This visiting woman, who goes by Jane, isn't a threat and is apparently going after the first woman's ex-husband (a man who had treated her brutally to get what he wanted). The visiting woman is an ex-FBI agent who is living off the grid and has her own personal vendetta against this man.

It sounded like a great start to the story, but the problem was that the author rambles way too much for my taste and for an action story. There were too many asides, too many details, and too many wasted pages. At one point there are two guys trying to track the Indian pair down, and this goes on and on and endlessly on, and it became tedious to read, especially since it was obvious where it was going. I couldn't help but wonder why there was all this padding when the end result was the same. The same thing happened in the parallel story with the main character getting into a boring conversation with this young woman who she encountered in a house where she was trying to get to the house-owner.

In the end I was beaten by sheer boredom waiting for the real story to begin, This felt like one long prologue, and I don't do prologues. I wasn't about to spend any more time on a 340 page novel when it was this uninspiring in the first hundred pages, and especially with such an improbable plot. Based on what I read, I cannot recommend this.

Jane Hawk is back! Her son Travis is safe and she's back out there rooting out and fighting against the Techno Arcadians. These are bad guys. Very bad guys. Jane, however, is one determined woman. The novel alternates chapters to tell the story not only of Jane but also of a some of those on the Arcadian list. As always, this is a highly readable fast paced novel with a great heroine and a plot that asks you to just go for the ride. I do think you need to have read the earlier books to appreciate this one. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. AND, thanks to the last bit, I know that book 4 is out there and I'm looking forward to it!

This is the third book in the Jane Hawk series. It is just as fast paced as the first two. Each chapter leaves you on the edge of your seat. Like the first two books, The Crooked Staircase picks up where the previous book left off. There is no hand holding, so I advise you to read the first two books. Jane is still trying to find out who is the head of the Arcadians who killed her husband and is trying to remake the world brain controlled nano technology. She has a new lead to expose and bring to an of the Techno Arcadians. While being pursued, Jane is is brought to the Crooked Staircase to obtain evidence that could end Arcadians. But the Arcadians are getting closer to finding her 5 year old son that she has had hidden with with friends who would die for their country and their freedom. This book ends in a bit of a cliff hanger, unlike the first two books. So it will be difficult to wait for the The Forbidden Door.

I have really been enjoying this gripping page-turner series featuring former FBI agent, Jane Hawk. This third installment of the series may be the most action-packed and devastating yet, and it sure to keep you turn the pages until late in the night.

To recap the series so far - Jane is on the run seeking justice for her husband who was murdered with the use of nanotechnology. During her investigation, she uncovered a huge conspiracy to enslave and eliminate a large section of society. The players are so powerful and dangerous that Jane had to hide away her son and go underground. The method for world domination employed by the villains is truly frightening - the implantation of nanotechnology which takes away free will. Forget "it's a tumor" a la Schwarzenneger, the next time you get a headache, your mind will immediately jump to spiders laying eggs in your brain. (((Shudder)))

Jane Hawk has been slowly working her way through the Arcadians conspiracy, seeming to have the top player next on her list for elimination. But each time we see that the compartmentalization of the conspirators is deceiving on the surface and the players extend further and wider than anticipated. In The Crooked Staircase, Jane is moving up the chain to some bigger players and finding out bigger secrets as a result. She faces her most dangerous foes yet and has some very close scrapes where I wasn't sure if she was going to make it to the next scene.

Jane's family and friends also play a bigger part in this installment, which is both riveting and heartbreaking. We haven't seen the Washington family in action yet, but now they are required to exercise those military skills that played such a big role in their past. Travis proves himself to be a brave little man, and his coping skills definitely impressed me for a child his age. We meet a cousin of the Washingtons as well who proves to be a very interesting addition to the series going forward.

The ending caught me off guard and is a semi-cliffhanger. There is a preview of the next book, The Forbidden Door, for the last 5% of the book. However, I couldn't bring myself to read it because I knew it would make me even more impatient for the next release date.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Bantam Books.

You must read the first two Jane Hawk books before this one. It is not a standalone book at all and you need that background information To appreciate the storyline. I personally loved the first book, The Silent Corner. I enjoyed the second, the Whispering Room, but felt the storyline started to go a little beyond belief with the nanotechnology. I struggled with this book but still want to see where this story goes.

There was a subplot in this story about 2 young Hindu adults, the Hindu religion and their creative genius that just did nothing to add to the story and could easily been deleted. It just added a level of violence that was unnecessary.

The writing was also a challenge. Sometimes the sentences were so long, a single sentence was its own paragraph. There was excessive descriptions. I love the visual ness that many authors bring to their story but this went way overboard many times throughout the book. And then there was the vocabulary. I have never had to look up so many words in a book. It felt like there was a need to add a $25 word when a $0.25 word would do: panoply, solipsism, lubricious, espaliered, darkle, tarn are just a few.

I still am a huge Jane Hawk fan, and Mr Koontz has developed the characters so well in these three books. Jane is the staunch righteous heroine, unafraid to do the right thing, not hesitating to take out the evil in her path. She will do anything to protect her son, Travis. She has great friends in the Washingtons, and I hated to see them leave the story, but who knows what interesting characters come into the next book.

Someven though imstruggled a bit with the book and did not enjoy as much as the first two, I am still interested to see the next chapter in this saga.

I have three things to say about the books in this series, of which this is the third: First, I loved every single minute of reading them all. Second, they're good enough to keep you looking forward to the next one - perhaps even more so because the endings aren't quite endings at all. And third, if you want to get the most out of them, start at the beginning (with "The Silent Corner" and "The Whispering Room").

That doesn't mean the books can't stand on their own, because they do. But I also know that I enjoyed Books 2 and 3 a lot more because I read what came before (and I'd say that's more true of this one; had I not read the second, I'd have felt a bit lost throughout the first several chapters).

The series features Jane Hawk, a disgraced standout FBI agent who's now on the Bureau's Most Wanted list and on the lam. She's certain her husband Nick's suicide (in a previous book) was murder - committed by an ultra-dangerous and secretive group of powers-that-be called the Arcadians who use nanotechnology to infiltrate the minds of their victims and control their words and actions. Those victims, it seems, are chosen based on a computer model that identifies people who are most likely to get in the way of the group's idealogy - and that certainly included her highly principled husband. While trying to stay out of the group's crosshairs, Jane is now searching for an especially violent member who has threatened her young son, Travis - forcing her to stash the boy with friends at a place where he won't be found (or so she fervently hopes).

Also featured prominently here are fraternal twins and writers Tanujat and Sanjay, who apparently have landed a place on that hit list. Chapters switch from what's happening in their world as they slowly realize somebody's out to get them to what's happening in Jane's - ditto, except in her case, there's nothing slow about the realization.

Her chase is, as might be expected, fraught with identity changes, close calls and dead bodies, but eventually she gets what she wanted (or thought she did). That, in turn, leads her to a frightening encounter with - you guessed it - a crooked staircase that, no matter whether she's going up or down, is filled with almost unimaginable horrors. Put another way, there's never a dull moment in this book; and once again, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance review copy.

Oh yes, about that non-ending: What follows it is a preview of the next book, "The Forbidden Door." When authors do this, I never - but never - bother to read them. But something - maybe the totally abrupt stop of this one - made me take the plunge, and I urge you to do the same. Even though it too ends with a cliffhanger, it eases the pain of the first one a bit and is a little less in-your-face.

As usual, Koontz does not disappoint. From my first "adult" book (Whispers) way back as a teenager I've always loved his style which probably makes me a bit biased. While I can appreciate this is a middle of the series book it did not have middle book syndrome. There was plenty of information there that was new, lots of twists and at time a page turner. The characters are gritty, the world building isn't overflowing, and you can really build an idea of each person with the little the author puts down. Ideal, in my eyes for having secondary characters that were believable. I'm still a little confused about the twins and their importance but now I'm waiting for October to happen so I can get the next book which should hopefully clear that up. Well developed, good plot, strong flowing story line, and a heroine who kicks ass. What more do you want? .

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing , and Dean Koontz for the ARC to review. I’ve read Dean Koontz books before, however, I just could not get into this book. I didn’t even finish the book. I was really disappointed.

This is the third book in Koontz's "Jane Hawk" series. This time Jane falters a bit in her quest to rid the world of the bad guys. Her plans do not work out perfectly, she encounters some failures, and her son is in real danger. A detailed description of how the evil syndicate operates is provided when twins, both successful book authors, are injected and forced to kill. Although the book is supposed to be fiction, with all that is happening in the real world today, one wonders if Dean Koontz knows something that the rest of us don't.

Dean Koontz latest installment in the Jane Hawk series does not disappoint!!!!!! Action packed, drama filled, and sci fi fantasy. Jane Hawk is still on her mission to find the mastermind behind the takeover of the human race and she's getting closer with every chapter. This book is just as good as the previous two in this series if not better. Thank you Netgalley for my oppurtunity to read and review this book. I highly recommend this whole series if you haven't read them yet.

I haven't read any of this series, so this review comes from the perspective of someone who missed out on all that came earlier.

I enjoyed this story. It's an intelligent scifi/thriller that is riveting. One can only hope that such technology would never exist in real life, and that brings the fear into the story. Jane is an amazing character fighting against a seemingly unconquerable foe. Fans will recognize that good vs evil is at play here, a recurring theme in his books. We don't really have a resolution here, so hopefully good will triumph in the end.

I can see I am going to have to get the other books in this series so I can catch up with this story. Koontz never fails. The emotion, tension, and suspense makes this a winner.

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The Crooked Staircase - release date May 8, 2018. My thanks to Net Galley and Random House for the opportunity to read this heart-pounding copy and give an unbiased review of this good vs evil novel. A great series, 4.5 stars

Jane Hawk, rogue FBI agent, is now a wanted fugitive after bringing down former powers-that-be of the Techno-Arcadians in book two. Many lives have been lost to this group that uses nano-technology to eliminate any threatening human beings to their movement of supremacy, including her own husbands, a former special ops guy. Her life and that of her 5-year old son Travis have been threatened by this same elitist group. Her job isn’t done. She has Travis hidden away with trusted friends and their loyal dogs who are keeping Travis out of harms way, as she sets out after one of the top baddies in the covert TA group, Booth Hendrickson, who is one of the most evil people she will meet. His is the story of the Crooked Staircase, and what a scary staircase it is.

I strongly recommend reading books one and two before beginning this one, to better understand Jane and why she is on this one-woman quest. There is a sub-plot in the beginning of this one that is very sad as we witness what the baddies can do. Evidently that is its purpose, as their story doesn’t factor in to Jane’s present journey in this dark segment.

I loved books one and two. This one is more suspenseful. It is riveting, intense, and yes, disturbing... lots of action, absolutely no boredom. Just what I like. Jane is being pursued all over Southern California by two of the evilest and scary professional killers you can imagine. You will despair, then you will hope, you will be scared witless at times, and other times feel calmer and sappy as you witness love, tenderness and compassion from some of the good fully-fleshed characters, brought to life on these pages. Your heart will break as some good people are lost in this segment, making Jane’s quest even more urgent.

One thing you won’t easily do is put the novel down, even to sleep. Koontz is at the top of his game with this series. Such a writing talent, Koontz has the reader caring and rooting for Jane to right the wrongs that are being done to good people, and to reunite with the little boy that needs his mommy. The chapters about Travis had me on pins and needles, and loving those two German shepherd’s Duke and Queenie, who stayed on guard and by his side.

One way this differs from the first two installments is that there is no satisfactory closure to this scenario. Some things were settled, but it is definitely left open for the next installment. Thankfully, the author is not making us wait long between excerpts. Next is The Forbidden Door - coming October 9, 2018 — I’ll be first in line.

Jane Hawk is a highly trained FBI agent. Problem #1...her husband supposedly killed himself. But she later discovered he was injected with a substance that allows complete brain control. This lead her to information that the US government had been infiltrated by this evil group. So now Jane has gone rogue. Wanted by the government and the evil group. After making plans to protect her small son she set off on a violent journey.Problem #2.. this journey took her down the crooked staircase. This deep descent took her to depths of depravity she never knew existed . Jane is a very strong female character both emotionally and physically. The ending left me grabbing for the next book in the series. You can read this as stand alone story but reading all of the series is recommended .

Jane Hawk continues her quest for revenge for her husband’s death in this third book in the series. This one had a lot more action, but it was also a darker novel, with lots of torture and a theme of bad things coming all the time. The book was hard to put down, but it was also hard to read since there is a threat to her beloved child Travis whom she thinks she has safeguarded. Since the book ends with a cliffhanger, and we know the next book is THE FORBIDDEN DOOR, we know that the quest is not finished, but I was quite dissatisfied with such an ending that made me want to read more right away when the next book isn’t available yet. The Techno Arcadians in this thriller were pure evil and will appeal to hard-core sci-fi fans. Jane’s strength and determination are what is carrying this book and makes it well worth reading.

The plot development seemed a little slow to me in this book. I kept wanting some form of tension to build but never felt like it got there. The main character is very dynamic so I was hoping the plot would make her shine more.

In this third installment, the author takes us through varios subplots that are engaging and full of action.
Our main character uses deceive, traps, torture, among other tactics, to obtain the information needed to overpower the elitist group that is trying to shape and control the world.
The developments in the investigation will be chilling and unsettling, with an unexpected and cruel twist.

What a breath of fresh air to have a protagonist who uses her intellect and her wits to outsmart the enemy! To have a woman who is not a smart mouth, but simply smart – as in intelligent. She’s someone with confidence in herself and in her abilities and puts that confidence to work in solving whatever problems she encounters. This is my first book featuring defrocked FBI agent, Jane Hawk.

And it wasn’t just Jane, our heroine, who exercised her intellect, but other characters in the book – both men and women. Even though there is definitely a Sci-Fi element in the story, our characters rely on their craftiness and abilities rather than on some sort of magic wands or supernatural abilities.

So far as the plot and the theme are concerned, they could be right off the pages of current news reports. It’s all about the take over of our nation (and the world) via mind control by a group the book dubs, Techno Arcadians.

Up to this point, the book would have a solid 5* rating from me. The following is the reason it got knocked down to 3.

The suspense builds throughout the book. In the 4th section you think you can’t stand it any more, but then … it just keeps on escalating. There’s no relief. The suspense overwhelms the enjoyment at this point and really never gives the reader a break in the tension. That was a huge negative. For me another negative is that so many good people whom we get to know in the book get killed. A third negative is all the gruesome details especially in the 4th or 5th sections. Then lastly the ending is missing. If I hadn’t read other reviews mentioning the ending, I would have thought that my copy was simply missing the last few pages. Nope. Apparently the story ends with several characters hanging off their various cliffs and with a teaser from the sequel to make sure we buy the next book to find out what happened.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Publishing Group, for an ARC of this book. This review will be published immediately to GoodReads.

I was able to slide right into Book 3 after finishing Book 2, and was delighted to do so. Dean Koontz is a master storyteller, and Book 3 is my favorite of the series thus far. Jane is continuing on her mission to expose and obliterate the evil plot devised by some pretty horrific minds. Suspense, intrigue, murder, power struggles, and just plain evil abound, and Jane is probably one of my favoritest bad-ass female characters that Koontz has written. I thought Book 3 was going to be the last, but oh no, there is definitely more to come. This series has been amazing, and although mind-control nanobots seem a bit "out there", it's horrific to imagine that something like this could really be possible. This is what Koontz does best, and he is definitely on his game!

Loved it! Received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. The third installment in the Jane Hawk series was excellent and scary of a "Stepford Wives" existence by our government. She has hidden away her son, Travis with trusted friends who are ex-army special forces, but Jane receives a call from Travis that they never came came back from grocery shopping. This story of how evil is born, bred and fostered through fear and sociopaths to become top officials. Scary and good. Look forward to the next book.

Wow, wow, wow!!! It took me one day to inhale it and three days to savor it slowly lol. I have loved this series from book one and been along for the ride with our main character through all her trials. Such a great book! I womt tell you more because that would be giving up the goods lol. Just read it and you won't be sorry.