Today we are featuring The Whispering Room: A Jane Hawk Novel by Dean Koontz for Book Beginnings on Fridays.
Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!
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Even though Dean Koontz is a super popular author, I haven’t read anything of his before. When I saw a review for his most recent publication, The Whispering Room: A Jane Hawk Novel, I had to pick up a copy.
Blurb: Jane Hawk is an FBI agent who has uncovered evidence of an evil organization which is brainwashing innocent people and forcing them to carry out crimes. Things go wrong when she tries to expose their plot and she becomes a fugitive from the law.
First Sentence:
Cora Gunderson walked through seething fire without being burned, nor did her white dress burst into flames.
Discussion:
Does this sentence seem a bit awkward? I think it jolts because I’m expecting a parallel sentence structure, like: “She walked through the seething fire without being burned and without her white dress bursting into flames.” I wonder why he doesn’t use the same verb form throughout?
The image is still compelling to me. I want to know how this is possible and what is going to happen.
What do you think?
Are you a Dean Koontz fan?
That is a curious sentence!
I haven’t read Dean Koontz in ages…and I must admit that he was never a favorite of mine. But this very day, when reading an e-mail about popular 2017 books, The Whispering Room was on it.
I like the idea of a female protagonist, too; although male authors don’t always get their female characters “right.” Am I sexist? LOL
Right after saying that, I thought of several male authors who do it very well…Jonathan Kellerman, for one.
Thanks for sharing…and for visiting my blog, with the pink VW.
I just tried to subscribe to your blog, and both attempts were met with “there was an error.” ??
Thank you for letting me know. I’ll look into it immediately.
Did you mean the e-mail subscribe or the RSS?
Dean Koontz is another one of those authors I’ve slotted into “too scary for me.” So I’ve never tried one of his books. I hope you enjoy this one awkward sentences or not. This week I’m reading Crimson Death by Laurell K. Hamilton from my TBR mountain. Happy reading!
Ha Ha. Can so relate to TBR mountain.
This Dean Koontz novel does have some pretty disturbing violence.
Sounds like Dean did his job well. lol Makes everyone have to know what the heck is going on. Hard to go wrong with one of his novels. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
sherry @ fundinmental
I’m with Kathy. I think Koontz is too creepy for my taste. Hope you enjoy the read, though.