After 450 pages, I had hoped for more resolution at the end of The Silent Corner, the most recent offering from long-time author Dean Koontz. Instead, I was left wondering if the hanging plot lines meant that I had unknowingly dozed during those parts, if there was going to be a sequel, or if they were merely abandoned. This “novel of suspense” introduces Jane, the main character, right in the middle of some ambiguous mission without any provided background or context. Through initial dialog, the reader learns that she is an FBI agent who has taken a leave of absence to investigate the recent loss of her husband and fellow agent. Jane does not believe that her husband could have committed suicide as had been suggested, and she has gone off on her own seeking answers. She is being pursued by an unknown powerful group that has been trying to threaten her away from digging into the truth. She has hidden her young son away with friends and is frequently tormented by guilt at having to be separated from him while she risks everything to uncover a secret nefarious plot. The story is driven by a series of discoveries that Jane makes by combining some surreptitious library research with the torture of various villains. I was reminded several times while reading this book of the Jason Bourne movies and the Stepford Wives. The book is definitely packed with fast-paced action and some scientific detail, but I found it to be too derivative and one-dimensional for my tastes.
