“The Crooked Staircase” by Dean Koontz

 

Ok, y’all, this series….this, is awesome. I have loved Dean Koontz’ work for a long time. I believe the first book of his I ever read was “Watchers” – a great blend of a tantalizing plot and just enough scary, then on to “Lightening”, which not only grabbed my by the heartstrings, but made me use the phrase “Mulepuke” for a good 3 months, and quandry paradoxes for quite some time. “Sole Survivor” and “Life Expectancy” are more of my favorites….then I met Jane Hawk. I can’t say Jane knocked out my top 3, but they have definitely expanded my number of top favorites. My family gave me “The Silent Corner” for Christmas, the first in this series, and I devoured it. Sometimes when a book is written about a strong female lead, they must make her almost unhuman to be strong, but in this case, Jane is just a person – a strong person, but a person with weaknesses, a person with a background that gives her an edge over us “normal” everyday people, but she’s so much less powerful than those she fights against. Its a David & Goliath story from the very beginning. In the true Dean Koontz fashion, through “The Silent Corner” and the second book, “The Whispering Room”, people from different places come together in coincidental ways, and lend each other support during Jane’s journey. She must keep herself safe, alive and hidden, protect her son’s location and identity, and those who hide him, protect any who support or assist her, while seeking out the head of the snake while they use seemingly endless resources to track her down. You don’t think of all the ways you can be seen in such a digital age, but Jane has too – and if she doesn’t, or she forgets, for even one split second – someone usually dies. She’s on a mission to prove that her husband’s suicide wasn’t of his own volition, and that many other people in particularly strategic or influential positions haven’t died of natural causes. But will anyone believe her? Does anyone want to believe her? To believe that they can be controlled by such a large high ranking deception by a large group who could potentially control the course of the world? Well, I don’t know yet, because this is an ARC, and it doesn’t finish Jane’s journey – I’ll be waiting with baited breath for the fourth installment, “The Forbidden Door”, and praying that Mr. Koontz will randomly ask me to be a preview reader of this latest gem.

 

(I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Release date May 8, 2018)

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.  Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read.
Open to a random page.
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This teaser is from Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich.  And, I typically share more than just two sentences.

“Lula and I stood in the living room, looking at Grandma’s foot.

‘It looks broke all right,’ Lula said to Grandma.  ‘That’s one heck of an ugly foot you got there, but I like the polish you got on your toes.  What’s the name of that?’

‘Red Hot Rapture.  Lucky I just painted them yesterday.  Imagine breaking your foot when your toes weren’t done up.’

‘Yeah,’ Lula said, ‘I’d hate that.  Does it hurt?’

‘It used to, but I took a couple snorts of Jack Daniels, and I’m pretty happy.'”

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.  Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read.
Open to a random page.
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week my teaser is from another Janet Evanovich book – I can’t stop reading them, I just finished the fourteenth, and there are 18.  Maybe after #18 I can move on to something else!

“‘I’m feelin’ faint,’ Lula said.  ‘If he bends over one more time, I’m gonna pass out.  I can’t stop lookin’.  I’ts a train wreck.  It’s like the end of the universe.  You know, when you get sucking into that thing.  What do you call it?’

‘Black hole?’

‘Yeah, that’s it.  it’s like staring into the black hole.’

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week’s teaser is from To the Nines by Janet Evanovich.  I’m really enjoying this series, it’s so funny, and I look forward to each one!  It’s definitely the brain candy type of book where you can just relax and enjoy it without having to work too hard to keep up with the story line.

This excerpt is between Lula and Stephanie – Lula has found a new diet which is supposed to make her a supermodel.

“Doughnuts are going to be a problem.  Don’t think there’s anything I can eat on a doughnut.

So, whats in the cooler?

Meat.  I got ribs and rotisserie chicken and a pound of crispy bacon.  I can eat meat until I grow a tail and moo.  This is the best diet.  I can eat things on this diet that I haven’t been able to eat in years.

Like what?

Like bacon.

You always eat bacon.

Yeah, but I feel guilty.  It’s the guilt that puts the weigh on.”

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I’ve been on a Stephanie Plum kick, so this teaser is from High Five by Janet Evanovich.

“This call’s about exercise.  Um, I could use some.”

“Now?”

“No, in the morning.  I want to go running, and I’m looking for a partner.”

“You’re not looking for a partner, you’re looking for an enforcer.  You hate to run.  You must be worried about getting into that little black dress. What did you eat just now?  Piece of cake?  Candy bar?

“Everything,” I said.  “I just ate everything.”

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of  Should Be Reading.  Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

He finished his cookie and took another vanilla wafer. I’m not sure I could trust a man who would bypass an Oreo in favor of vanilla wafers. It’s a fundamental character flaw, possibly a sign of true evil.

Patient Zero by Jonathon Maberry

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of  Should Be Reading.  Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

“I’m not one of those people who find their stride.  My body was not designed to run.  My body was designed to sit in a n expensive car and drive.”

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of  Should Be Reading.  Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

“‘Teaching others to read,’ said Bitterblue desolately.  ‘Truly?  Then you were hiding those reading lessons from me.  It’s dangerous for you to print them, I suppose?  But I don’t understand.  Aren’t people taught to read in the schools?'”

From Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of  Should Be Reading.  Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

“As thirsty as he was, Derek had no desire to drink blood from somebody’s neck.  A cold Diet Coke, however, would have been cause for rejoicing. Every so often he ran his fleshy fingertips along his capped teeth in expectation of fangs.”

From Chomp by Carl Hiaasen.