Book Review: The Night Window by Dean Koontz

What a deliciously satisfying – if a bit deus ex machina-reliant – conclusion to this incredible series! I have reviewed each of the books in order. You can find them here: The Silent Corner, The Whispering Room, The Crooked Staircase, and The Forbidden Door.

I loved Jane Hawk from the moment I met her. Her willingness to fight the good fight against absolutely impossible odds was endearing and the way she always managed to find someone – often at the least likely but most opportune time – willing to do battle with her gave me hope for the ability of light to defeat dark even when such defeat seems not only improbably but nigh on impossible. The books got steadily darker and more gruesome and I have to admit that I was not a huge fan of the previous installment (The Forbidden Door) for precisely that reason. It felt like things were being drawn out past believability for the story and into the grounds of sensationalism purely to keep readers reading.

When this final book was announced I was a little on edge – uncertain whether things would be able to tidy themselves into any kind of satisfying resolution given the taste in my mouth after TFD. I should have trusted Dean Koontz, of course, because he did what he always does – found a way through the dark that felt possible, probable, and credible even in its most bizarre moments.

There is still a heavy brush of darkness here. There would have to be, given the build up and the point of the series. But there are enough moments of hope and optimism, even if offered only as a candle flicker on a pitch-black night, that when things all came together in the end, it felt right. I mentioned a deus ex machina (god in the machine). To me, there is a major character in this book (I don’t want to name him/her for spoiler effect) who felt like the DEM in this series. He/She was introduced early on but largely fell off the radar. His/her appearance here felt a little too convenient, particularly given the skill set and possibilities that were brought into play by the reappearance. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it all play out and frankly can’t imagine how on earth Koontz could have pulled it all together in the end without said reappearance, so it worked for me on the whole.

This was a very satisfying and high-octane ending to a generally marvelously creepy, horrifying, and ultimately uplifting story about the battle between good and evil…

Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy of this book. The Night Window releases in the U.S. on May 14, 2019.