“The Forbidden Door” (Bantam), by Dean Koontz
Jane Hawk returns and learns that her enemies are beginning to close in with plans to eliminate her as a threat in Dean Koontz’s latest thriller, “The Forbidden Door.”
Hawk was a well-respected FBI agent who lost her husband to a supposed suicide, but she knows better. Now she lives on the run, trying to destroy the organization that uses mind-control technology to achieve its goals. At this point, Jane is the only roadblock to the organization’s domination. She has hidden her child from the group, but its reach exceeds that of the police and government and it quickly takes out the child’s guardians.
Jane has a backup plan, but she knows it’s only a matter of time before the organization finds her son’s new hiding place. The organization wants to force Jane out into the open and decides not only to continue to pursue her son but also to capture her husband’s parents. The cat-and-mouse game continues.
Koontz takes the antagonists and moves them to the forefront of this story. The villains are vile and disturbing and their methods and goals are horrifying. When Jane or one of the cabal’s targets gains the upper hand, it will elicit cheers in the reader’s mind. Unfortunately, those moments don’t last for long. Can Jane overcome such impossible odds and defeat an organization seemingly more powerful than any world government or enforcement agency?
Koontz continues the incredible saga of the robust character of Jane Hawk, and it’s as terrific as the others in the series. There is more to tell in her story, and it’s a bit frustrating with the novel ending without resolution. At this point, her story is so developed that starting with this book would be a bit confusing to newcomers. Start with “The Silent Corner,” so his latest can be fully appreciated. Jeff Ayers, AP
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