The Crooked Staircase
By Dean Koontz
- Release Date: 2018-05-08
- Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Jane Hawk—who dazzled readers in The Silent Corner and The Whispering Room—faces the fight of her life, against the threat of a lifetime, in this electrifying thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling suspense master Dean Koontz.
“I could be dead tomorrow. Or something worse than dead.”
Jane Hawk knows she may be living on borrowed time. But as long as she’s breathing, she’ll never cease her one-woman war against the terrifying conspiracy that threatens the freedom—and free will—of millions. Battling the strange epidemic of murder-suicides that claimed Jane’s husband, and is escalating across the country, has made the rogue FBI agent a wanted fugitive, relentlessly hunted not only by the government but by the secret cabal behind the plot. Deploying every resource their malign nexus of power and technology commands, Jane’s enemies are determined to see her dead . . . or make her wish she was.
Jane’s ruthless pursuers can’t stop her from drawing a bead on her prey: a cunning man with connections in high places, a twisted soul of unspeakable depths with an army of professional killers on call. Propelled by her righteous fury and implacable insistence on justice, Jane will make her way from southern Southern California to the snow-swept slopes of Lake Tahoe to confront head-on the lethal forces arrayed against her. But nothing can prepare her for the chilling truth that awaits when she descends the crooked staircase to the dark and dreadful place where her long nightmare was born.
Don’t miss any of Dean Koontz’s gripping Jane Hawk thrillers:
THE SILENT CORNER • THE WHISPERING ROOM • THE CROOKED STAIRCASE • THE FORBIDDEN DOOR • THE NIGHT WINDOW
Praise for The Crooked Staircase
“An absorbing thriller full of fresh touches . . . Writing his unusual heroine, Koontz keeps the pages alive with attitude as well as action. . . . For Hawk, who is as fearless as she is beautiful, no obstacle is too great, especially with the well-being of her hidden-away five-year-old son on her mind.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Spellbinding . . . Beautifully plotted and written with notable care and flare . . . The Hawk series . . . is among [Koontz’s] best work.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Unrelenting . . . [Jane] rivets readers’ attention. . . . Michael Crichton fans and thriller aficionados who appreciate a fierce female protagonist . . . should be urged to meet Jane Hawk.”—Library Journal
Reviews
Next!
5By dancin evergreenThis series is as good as Koontz’s Nameless series.One of Koontz’s best
5By ADBigRedExcellent and gripping novel. Jane Hawk lives up to her fierceness again!Couldn’t finish
2By Farmhand747For the first time ever I couldn’t finish a Dean Koontz book. The writing was the same, maybe a little drawn out and overly dramatic in the beginning, but non-stop after awhile with his fast paced short chapters. Still, I started to dread picking it up to read a little more. I read for entertainment, education, and escape. This hit too close to home for any of that …too close to real life, or what some folks think is real life today. Too much conspiracy, too much gratuitous violence, too many totally unloveable characters, too much death among the good ones, too much sadness and loss. Maybe, hopefully, in a few years I’ll be able to finish it. Until then, I need something a bit less like watching the news.Blah blah blah
1By Kimberrrrr19Lame ending. I don’t think I’m going to finish the series. SorryAddictive but reminiscent of FoxNews….
3By Sportfit56As usual, Koontz mesmerizes with beautifully drawn characters and thrilling plot twists. But halfway through this series, I can’t get over the channeling of QAnon and FoxNews. It’s uncanny how the entire series is based first on a premise that eerily echoes conspiracy theories about Bill Gates and other “elites” enslaving us with microchips. Then the books hammer home the philosophy that all “elites” (and Koontz repeatedly uses that word), especially those who attended Ivy League universities, are evil overlords trying to rule the world. The bad guys are always federal government “elites”, including two laughably improbable hit men who graduated Harvard and Princeton; The “good” people are always local cops, rebels, cowboys, and ex war heroes. I’m beginning to wonder if Koontz was part of the January 6 insurrection, because he is peddling all the propaganda we hear from those people. It’s a shame, given his immense talent….Great Book
4By PinkPamelaI couldn’t put it down. So many twists and turns.Jane Hawk series
5By 61roadmasterWow! Excellent! This whole series so far is great, thanks Dean.The Crooked Staircase
5By Baaaaats!!!Simply outstanding! Just bought books 4 & 5 to finish this enthralling series.Absolute rubbish
1By Matt1859Author uses 1000 pages to tell a 250 page story. Worst book ever readThe Crooked Stairway
3By Catee StyslingerVery interesting but too much description of areas. I like a little but this went with pages of describing. Just finished this book and there was no happy ending or ending . Story just stopped.Nail Biting
5By a from athensI am a long time Dean Koontz fan. I am very impressed by the Jane Hawk novels. I read the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd books over a 1 week period with little sleep. I absolutely could not put them down and had many drowsy days at work because of them. 😬. It was worth the sleepless nights. The Crooked Staircase was action packed from beginning to end. Jane Hawk is a riveting character and I cannot wait until The Forbidden Door is released!AWFUL!!!
2By ElmseI always buy Dean Koontz books as soon as they are out. This one made me vow to stop. Bounced from one awful violent murder to another. I’m done.Rainy day Read
3By Monluvz2As an avid Dean Koontz fan, I have read 75% of his work. The suspense and story line in this epic kept me engaged but the descriptive writing rambled. The spellbinding thrall I have come to associate with his books was scattered and frustrated.The crooked staircase
1By you are trumping the systemWorst book oh Dean’s I hav3 3ver read. Really hav3 been avid fan over the tears. Too much non- interesting details for my taste.quit on page261. Never have done that in my reading of reading hundreds of booksMy last Koontz book!!
1By Skyking1975I can't believe what a jumbled mess this book is. I can't believe that when the final showdown is near the book just ends. I paid for a book expecting a beginning middle and end. I don't want to read a serial novel. I have read all of his books but this will be my last.The Crooked Staircase
1By TarverpThis book did not have a satisfactory ending. I was left disappointed and kept looking for another chapter to wrap things up. Will not be reading more of this author.The crooked stair
5By Dixie Doodle 🐶Hello, I am a big fan of your books. I have read all three and I am very much anticipating your new book and the Jane Hawk series. This is a book that I could not put down until I get to the end .Mr. Koontz you are an incredible writer and I’m so glad for your work. Thank you. Now I’d like to say something about the series your books are so rich with all of the senses. When I read I am lucky enough to visualize your writing and be in the book as an observer. Jane Hawk series is thrilling beyond words. I was moved to tears and so much more. Thank you for your work please keep writing. Your devoted fan Vickie TackettBeautiful prose....slow and predictable plot
2By read and relaxThis one disappointed ...after all these years reading Koontz. The plot line took a long time to develop, and was completely predictable by the middle of the book. What motivated me to continue to read it was Koontz’s writing style, but I found that that was far from satisfying when I finally finishedCrooked Jane
5By liliputian dwarf readingI hated to see it end. It was great. Everything that could have gone wrong did. I wonder if there’s going to be any coming back from this threat to humanity.
