Tension builds in Dean Koontz thriller 'The Silent Corner'

"The Silent Corner: a Novel of Suspense" (Bantam), by Dean Koontz

FBI agent Jane Hawk must go rogue and stay completely off the grid if she's going to uncover the truth behind a personal tragedy in Dean Koontz's latest gripping thriller, "The Silent Corner."

Hawk had a wonderful job and a loving husband. One day he leaves her a cryptic message and takes his own life. In her grief, she takes a leave of absence from the FBI and tries to figure out why he killed himself. She soon uncovers what she sees as a vast conspiracy of dozens of people who seemingly had no reason to commit suicide while leaving behind bizarre messages supposedly justifying the deed.

Hawk and her young son aren't safe if what she believes to be happening is reality. She hides her son with someone she can trust, then goes so far off the grid she cannot be tracked by technology, although she is still able to utilize the benefits of the internet. Someone who can do that, and Hawk is an expert, is said to be in the silent corner.

What Hawk is trying to uncover is truly baffling, and the paranoia and mystery increase as the story unfolds. The payoff doesn't quite work when the buildup is so intense and complex, and some might wonder if all components of the story truly resolve.

In the end, none of that matters since Koontz has created such a wonderful character in Jane Hawk that minor nitpicks don't take away from the enjoyment of the novel. Readers will clamor for more tales involving Hawk and her quest for justice. Koontz rocks it again.