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  • The Crooked Staircase

  • A Jane Hawk Novel (Jane Hawk, Book 3)
  • Written by: Dean Koontz
  • Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers
  • Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (99 ratings)

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The Crooked Staircase cover art

The Crooked Staircase

Written by: Dean Koontz
Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers
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Publisher's Summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Jane Hawk - who dazzled readers in The Silent Corner and The Whispering Room - faces the fight of her life, against the threat of a lifetime, in this electrifying thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling suspense master Dean Koontz.

“I could be dead tomorrow. Or something worse than dead.”

Jane Hawk knows she may be living on borrowed time. But as long as she’s breathing, she’ll never cease her one-woman war against the terrifying conspiracy that threatens the freedom - and free will - of millions. Battling the strange epidemic of murder-suicides that claimed Jane’s husband, and is escalating across the country, has made the rogue FBI agent a wanted fugitive, relentlessly hunted not only by the government but by the secret cabal behind the plot. Deploying every resource their malign nexus of power and technology commands, Jane’s enemies are determined to see her dead...or make her wish she was.

Jane’s ruthless pursuers can’t stop her from drawing a bead on her prey: a cunning man with connections in high places, a twisted soul of unspeakable depths with an army of professional killers on call. Propelled by her righteous fury and implacable insistence on justice, Jane will make her way from southern Southern California to the snow-swept slopes of Lake Tahoe to confront head-on the lethal forces arrayed against her. But nothing can prepare her for the chilling truth that awaits when she descends the crooked staircase to the dark and dreadful place where her long nightmare was born.

Don’t miss any of Dean Koontz’s gripping Jane Hawk thrillers:

THE SILENT CORNER • THE WHISPERING ROOM • THE CROOKED STAIRCASE • THE FORBIDDEN DOOR • THE NIGHT WINDOW

Praise for The Crooked Staircase

“An absorbing thriller full of fresh touches… Writing his unusual heroine, Koontz keeps the pages alive with attitude as well as action…. For Hawk, who is as fearless as she is beautiful, no obstacle is too great, especially with the well-being of her hidden-away five-year-old son on her mind.” - Kirkus Reviews

“Spellbinding… Beautifully plotted and written with notable care and flare… The Hawk series… is among [Koontz’s] best work.” - Booklist (starred review)

“Unrelenting… [Jane] rivets readers’ attention…. Michael Crichton fans and thriller aficionados who appreciate a fierce female protagonist…should be urged to meet Jane Hawk.” - Library Journal

©2018 by Dean Koontz. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

What the critics say

“An absorbing thriller full of fresh touches… Writing his unusual heroine, Koontz keeps the pages alive with attitude as well as action…. For Hawk, who is as fearless as she is beautiful, no obstacle is too great, especially with the well-being of her hidden-away five-year-old son on her mind.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Spellbinding… Beautifully plotted and written with notable care and flare… The Hawk series…is among [Koontz’s] best work.” (Booklist, starred review)

What listeners say about The Crooked Staircase

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Really enjoyed the twists and turns

I’m always surprised by who we say goodbye to, suspenseful, sci fi, police drama, has it all.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Good

its a good storyline but overly descriptive for some parts overall though the author kept you in suspense all the way through

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect for me!

After finishing the Odd Thomas series, I was hoping to find another one by Dean Koontz. A new adventure and character to look forward to listening to. Jane Hawk has filled the void, I love the story and I'm amazed how fast I'm going through them.. the only problem is, there's only two books left...dang!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Edge of your seat excitement!

I love this story and I’m so glad that I know the correct order for the series because I’ve already purchased the next one. I can’t wait to find out what happens. The only issue I have with the narration is that the narrator mispronounces “foyer”. Repeatedly she pronounces it “foy-er”, instead of the correct “foy-yay”. It made me cringe every time because she obviously knows better, since she pronounces “chinoiserie” and other French words perfectly. Other than that, she does a great job with a great story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Feels like an incomplete story

As this is the 3rd book in a series, it’s expected that it would be a continuation of the 2nd book, and be a prelude to the 4th. However, unlike the 2nd book in the series, this one ended in the middle of the story, perhaps too quickly and too bluntly. So I am off to book 4 in a hurry, and hope that installment is more standalone than this one proved to be.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Love , love , love this series and character.

Love the series. I love Jane but hate that there is always a character who helps her that dies or is hurt every book so far.

The character development and the story have me eating up every book and i have even been know to sit in my car in my driveway for 30 minutes after work so I can continue listening.

But the quicker I listen, sadly, the closer to finishing the series I get 🥲😢😢

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

It ws enjoyablel a little dragged out in some chapter, the narrator was great, over all loved it

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

awesome book

it was a great book and kept you going. I would recommend this book to everyone

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wanted to finish without putting it down

Just when you think you know what's going to happen next, Koontz thows another curve at you.
i find I'm enjoying Rogers' narration more with each book.
Only complaint: why can't Audible get the chapter numbers right?!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not the best of Dean Koontz wrtings

Please be forewarned that this is NOT a stand alone novel, but Book 3 in a series of 5. I'm an avid Dean Koontz fan, and have been very into the Jane Hawk series. However, I found this particular book a bit slow, but it did finally get into the fast paced, suspenseful writings I'm use to him delivering. Should I by chance came upon this book without reading the previous two, I don't feel I would have understood enough of the back story to have kept my interest. That being said, having concluded The Crooked Staircase, I am more than looking forward to hearing the next two books, not wanting the series to end.

Elizabeth Rodgers does an EXCELLENT job as narrator, and I am very pleased that Audible has kept her throughout the series. I have no trouble differentiating between characters - male, female or child - and keeping the consistency just adds to one very long, enjoyable listen. Kudos to a job well done.

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1 person found this helpful