This is the second book in the Jane Hawk series. I read the first, so I can't say with 100% certainty, but I think this could be read without reading the first book as long as you don't mind a little initial confusion. Throughout the novel Koontz gives a refresher for all of the important bits that happened, which is a nice reminder if it's been a bit since you've read the first and isn't too much if you've read it just recently like I have.
Unlike the first book, which mainly had Jane's point-of-view in the beginning and then introduced a few new character point-of-views later in the book, The Whispering Room offers a viewpoint from quite a few more different characters right from the beginning. I enjoyed all of them. I felt like they really added life to the characters and to the world that Jane is trying to save. However, the problem was I got more interested in some of these characters than in Jane towards the end. There was more emotional tension in their lives and I wanted to keep following them instead.
The pacing also didn't feel as smooth. There's many suspenseful, fast moving parts that kept me flipping those pages, but there was also moments when I grew a little bored (when Jane is interrogating someone - it begins to feel a bit the same as all the ones in the last book) or disbelieving (the bad guy is right on her tail, but she just happens to forget that she did something and by so remembering saves herself). There wasn't a moment in the first book where I doubted her ability to honestly escape through her strength, smarts, and skill, but sometimes in this book it felt too convenient. Towards the end there was also some more grisly description that I could have done without.
Overall, this is an excellent novel in its ability to bring characters to life and make us care about them. However, I feel like it was a little wobbly in its pacing. The danger is ratcheted up, with Jane facing men higher up in the food chain and with the horror increasing as more details of the villains' plans are unveiled, but there were also some parts that lost me and some lack of believability. A little disappointed, but I'm rooting for Jane and I definitely want to see how this all ends so I will be getting the third book!
Unlike the first book, which mainly had Jane's point-of-view in the beginning and then introduced a few new character point-of-views later in the book, The Whispering Room offers a viewpoint from quite a few more different characters right from the beginning. I enjoyed all of them. I felt like they really added life to the characters and to the world that Jane is trying to save. However, the problem was I got more interested in some of these characters than in Jane towards the end. There was more emotional tension in their lives and I wanted to keep following them instead.
The pacing also didn't feel as smooth. There's many suspenseful, fast moving parts that kept me flipping those pages, but there was also moments when I grew a little bored (when Jane is interrogating someone - it begins to feel a bit the same as all the ones in the last book) or disbelieving (the bad guy is right on her tail, but she just happens to forget that she did something and by so remembering saves herself). There wasn't a moment in the first book where I doubted her ability to honestly escape through her strength, smarts, and skill, but sometimes in this book it felt too convenient. Towards the end there was also some more grisly description that I could have done without.
Overall, this is an excellent novel in its ability to bring characters to life and make us care about them. However, I feel like it was a little wobbly in its pacing. The danger is ratcheted up, with Jane facing men higher up in the food chain and with the horror increasing as more details of the villains' plans are unveiled, but there were also some parts that lost me and some lack of believability. A little disappointed, but I'm rooting for Jane and I definitely want to see how this all ends so I will be getting the third book!