The Night Window by Dean Koontz ~ a Review

by MK French

In the fifth and final book of the Jane Hawk series, Jane continues to try to collect proof to bring down the Arcadians. In the meantime, Hollister tries to stalk a filmmaker on the "Hamlet list" for his own amusement, and nothing goes according to plan.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

May 2019; Bantam; 978-0525484707
audio, ebook, print (432 pages); mystery

I had first picked up this series with the prior novel, The Forbidden Door (read my review). I was able to dive in from there because there were summaries of events from prior novels mentioned, and this novel picks up pretty much right after the last one ends. The horror of the prior book is written off as a footnote, so I'm sure I missed a lot by not reading the first three books. This one is very much full of suspense and drama. There's Jane in one story thread, dodging Arcadians that want to bring her in, and she's joined by her former colleague Vikram, who had built back doors into various computer systems and is now planning to use them to help her reveal the truth. In another story thread, Jane's son Travis is in danger from an opportunistic thief that tends to maim and rape women if given the opportunity. In the third thread is Hollister taunting and chasing down the filmmaker Tom through the snow on his estate.

While reading this, the Hollister and Tom storyline seemed to be additional tension that wasn't entirely necessary. I don't enjoy seeing into Hollister's head, but I don't hold more value in money and property than in people, so that's likely the reason. He's truly a sociopath, and Dean Koontz writes really excellent and creepy sociopaths. He inevitably gets done in by his own pride, which is fascinating to see; given the allusions to Shakespeare's work, he would be more like Lady Macbeth. Jane is top form in this one and is something of a mentor to Vikram. As much as she didn't see the end of the novel coming, it makes perfect sense from a storytelling perspective. The conclusion felt almost too abrupt, given how the suspense had been built up over several novels, but truly exploring the fallout would likely take another novel or two.

Buy The Night Window at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and golden retriever. 

Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up today! Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.