Suspense, action in ‘The Silent Corner’

WITH a career spanning four decades, best selling author Dean Koontz is not showing any signs of slowing down.
His latest page-turner, “The Silent Corner”, was released last month and does justice to his status as one of the finest suspense novelists on the planet. From his description of advanced technology to captivating characterisation, Koontz does a great job of creating a puzzle that keeps the reader guessing as to how the story will end.

In “The Silent Corner”, there is a rise suicides by people who seem to have no mental problems.
FBI agent Jane Hawk’s husband, a decorated Marine, is one of the victims and she goes on the hunt for the root cause of these killings. In “Agent Hawk”, Koontz creates a heck of a woman, who gives her all to find out what is happening – even as she is pursued by people who don’t want the truth to revealed.

“Her shoulder rig featured a holster with swivel connectors, a spare magazine carrier, and a suede harness. “The weapon hung just behind her left arm, a deep position that allowed unparalleled concealment beneath her specially tailored sport coats. “In addition to the spare magazine clipped to the rig, she kept two others in the pockets of the jacket, a total of forty rounds, counting those in the pistol.”

That is the kind of punch she packs. The story moves swiftly, despite the fact that Koontz does not use words sparingly, instead masterfully describing every sequence with detail but still keeping things going. Consider this passage for instance: “He rose with the dropped shell, and she squeezed off two shots into the ceiling over his head, popping a recessed lighting fixture.

“Glass and sparks from a shorting wire fell on him, but he also heard the shots, because no silencer fully lived up to its name. The hulk ducked and half turned and saw her, his eyes lanterns of demented rage.”

Let’s hope that this is not the last we get of Agent Hawk from Koontz, and the signs are good as word is that she could soon be the centre of a new television series.