by Dean Koontz
First published 2018
Jane Hawk lives as a fugitive. The former FBI agent wages a solitary battle against a secret conspiracy spreading murder-suicides across America. Her husband died in this epidemic. Now both the government and a hidden cabal hunt her relentlessly. Jane knows she might die tomorrow, or face something worse than death. Her enemies deploy vast networks of power and technology to destroy her. They command armies of professional assassins. Jane refuses to surrender. She tracks her primary target, a cunning man with elite connections and a twisted nature. Her pursuit takes her from southern California to the snowy mountains around Lake Tahoe. Righteous anger drives her forward. She demands justice for her husband and the countless other victims. Jane prepares to confront the deadly forces that want her eliminated. She will descend into the dark place where her nightmare began. The crooked staircase leads to chilling truths about the conspiracy that threatens millions of people and their free will.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, righteous-anger, solitary-hero
Setting: California, Lake Tahoe
Period: 21st-century
491 pages · Hardcover · Bantam
Content warnings: violence