For those who were left breathlessly awaiting the conclusion of rogue FBI agent Jane Hawk's plight depicted earlier this year in The Silent Corner, the release of this sequel can't come too soon. Jane, readers will recall, was seeking an explanation for her husband Nick's unanticipated suicide when she discovered a bizarre network of similar deaths across the country that set her on a quest to locate a common source. Her clandestine investigation led to the discovery of a sinister group employing nanotechnology to control the actions of an alarming number of individuals without their knowledge or consent and to her suspension from the FBI. In this second volume of Koontz's new series, Jane's mission is retribution. Employing her impressive skill set that combines tech-savviness with physical prowess, she methodically pursues the powerful and evil masterminds behind this malevolent conspiracy, hoping to put an end to the destruction it has caused. The results she achieves both satisfy and leave the door open for Jane's promised return. Verdict Koontz delivers another winner. [See Prepub Alert, 7/1/17.]-Nancy McNicol, Hamden P.L., CT © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

*Starred Review* Here's the sequel to Koontz's terrific The Silent Corner (2017), which introduced a new lead character, Jane Hawk, an FBI agent who risked everything she held dear to solve the mystery of her husband's suicide. Actually, sequel isn't quite the right word for this novel; it's more like a continuation, part two of an ongoing story. Jane is still the most wanted criminal in America (she's killed some people), she's still wanted by the FBI, and she's still in shock over the massive conspiracy she's uncovered a conspiracy that took the life of her husband, who, like other innocent people, was turned into a killer via implanted nanotechnology. Koontz takes a bit of a risk in making his lead character so seemingly unhinged Jane really appears, at the beginning of the book, like she's dangerously close to self-destructive obsession but then Koontz has never exactly shied away from complex characters or situations. And this situation gets very complex indeed, as Jane pursues the people behind the conspiracy with the kind of single-minded relentlessness that makes the book absolutely spellbinding. As good as The Silent Corner was, this one's even better. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Koontz is on another roll with a new series that boasts a juicy premise and a compelling star. Combine that with some marketing muscle, and you have pure gold.--Pitt, David Copyright 2017 Booklist

In this sequel to The Silent Corner (2017), former FBI agent Jane Hawk continues her fight against an evil conspiracy that has been brainwashing people with nanomachines.The 27-year-old Hawk is a former agentand the most wanted woman in Americabecause she's been taking out the bad guys responsible for the murder of her husband and other killings made to look like suicides. Traveling alone, in disguise, and doing all she can to avoid the surveillance of government agencies that have been infiltrated by the conspiracy, she's after the murderous billionaire whose California biotech firm developed the microscopic "control mechanisms" being injected into people's bloodstreams. Among their living victims: young women turned into robotic hostesses at private sex clubs. Hawk gains an ally in black cop Luther Tillman after a kindly teacher in his Minnesota town unthinkably drives a car bomb into a hotel and kills 42 people, including the governor and a congressman. Koontz had his work cut out for him trying to match the terrific first installment in the series. But as solid as the storytelling is here, it lacks the spark and suspense of The Silent Corner. Too many of the scenes in this 500-plus page book are stretched out for no reason. And Hawk, so charismatic the last time around, is largely reduced to a pitiless avenger who resorts to her own kind of cruelty.While Koontz's second effort featuring Jane Hawk may satisfy his longtime fans, his new heroine too often seems stuck on autopilota major disappointment considering how lively she was in her debut. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.