The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz (Jane Hawk #1)

Synopsis:

“I very much need to be dead.”
These are the chilling words left behind by a man who had everything to live for—but took his own life. In the aftermath, his widow, Jane Hawk, does what all her grief, fear, and fury demand: find the truth, no matter what.

People of talent and accomplishment, people admired and happy and sound of mind, have been committing suicide in surprising numbers. When Jane seeks to learn why, she becomes the most-wanted fugitive in America. Her powerful enemies are protecting a secret so important—so terrifying—that they will exterminate anyone in their way.

But all their power and viciousness may not be enough to stop a woman as clever as they are cold-blooded, as relentless as they are ruthless—and who is driven by a righteous rage they can never comprehend. Because it is born of love.

The synopsis on this book was way too intriguing for me to pass it up. Plus, I just enjoy Dean Koontz novels. So, no brainer here.

This was one of those novels that I picked up a year ago, read a few chapters, then got distracted by life and put it down for way too long. So, when I picked it back up, I started from the beginning. This time, it sunk its teeth into me and wouldn’t let go.

It's kind of funny. I bought The Silent Corner and The Silent Patient in the same Amazon order. Then I read them back-to-back a year later. It wasn't even on purpose. Just a funny coincidence I suppose.

The Silent Corner a truly compelling story about mind control, while there may be a bit of a sci-fi edge to it; I shudder to think that anything like this could become a reality. But I wouldn’t deny the possibility. I almost felt like I had been injected with mind-control serum because I couldn’t put this book down. Whenever I wasn’t reading it, I just wanted to get back to it.

I’m a sucker for a badass female protagonist. So, this checks off all the boxes for me. I was thrilled to learn that it’s the first book in a series and not a stand-a-lone. It’s pretty long which could seem daunting, but it flies by.  

The ending of this book was absolutely unbearable, because . . . hear me out:

SPOILERS AHEAD

It was ramping up very quickly. I was able to calm myself down by reassuring myself that there are more books in this series, so obviously Jane Hawk doesn’t die in the end (of this one, at least). But, as it went along, I got attached to other characters, and I had no idea how this was going to play out.

Then there was the final scene between Jane and Nathan and it made my cold heart so very sad.

I read A LOT of thrillers and detective novels. They’re the majority of the books that I read. Bad things happen in these books. But, I’m one of those people that doesn’t want anything bad to happen to the protagonists. And, when things are going poorly, I get upset. I know . . . I know . . . it doesn’t make much sense. But here we are. I was squirming while finishing this one. But I was pleased by how it concluded.

Jane Hawk is a badass. I can’t wait to read the next one.

5/5 Stars

Memorable Quote: “It’s a beautiful, terrible world, isn’t it?”

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The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Synopsis

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him...

This is the first book in awhile that I started and couldn’t put down until it was over. I read it in just over 24 hours – due to having to work during the day. I don’t know what about it really hooked me, but I needed to see what happened.

I don’t know if it’s just because I’m into psychology and I wanted to know what was keeping Alicia silent, or if the writing was just good enough to keep me turning the page. Either way, I sped through this one and was not disappointed.

I can see why it’s one of the books of the year. It keeps you on your toes. The story winds and weaves and you never really know what’s going on. It had almost a Gone Girl feel (which I loved) but I’m guessing that’s due to the journal entries.

The ending and twist reveal actually got me. I think I was predicting everything except what actually happened. I’ve read some reviews where people said they saw it coming a mile away – I’m just glad that I didn’t. As the chapter was building up to the reveal, I could feel my eyes widening and my jaw actually dropped.

It was a fun ride! The writing was decent. I enjoyed the shorter chapters. I think I would pick up another of Alex’s books to see if I like more of his work. Alas, this was his first novel. I’m interested to see if his next work is also a hit.

4/5 Stars

Memorable Quote: “I remember thinking, there’s no going back now. We were crashing through every last boundary between therapist and patient. Soon it would be impossible to tell who was who.”

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