CANR
WORK TITLE: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.irisjohansen.com/
CITY: Marietta
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: LRC 2020
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born April 7, 1938, in St. Louis, MO; married; children: Roy, Tamara.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Has worked for a major airline.
WRITINGS
Also author of the novella “ Christmas Past,” published in The Delaney Christmas Carol, with novellas by Kay Hooper and Fayrene Preston, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1992. Contributor to anthologies.
Many of the author’s books have been made into audio recordings, including Stalemate, available from Books on Tape, 2006.
SIDELIGHTS
Iris Johansen is a popular and prolific author of romance and suspense novels. She has published more than one novel per year since 1983 and has published as many as eight novels in one year. Quantity of output, however, has not stopped her from being an innovator, in the view of a contributor to Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers, who wrote: “She has stretched the boundaries of the standard formulas in the category romance field and has written some of the best historical romance novels.” Johansen writes category romances set in several historical eras, and she has become known for the conviction with which she describes bygone places and people. Her characterizations are considered among the more complex in the genre. As for sex, the Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers contributor pointed out that the presence of one or more long seduction scenes is a hallmark of Johansen’s work, and that, although the seduction often contains “an element of punishment,” it is always made clear that the heroine is not in real physical danger. Commented the Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers contributor: “The uncertainty of remaining safely on the edge of possible pain adds sexual tension to the stories.”
In the 1990s, Johansen turned from contemporary romance novels and historical romances to writing crime fiction. In this genre, she is best known for her suspense novels and the series featuring Atlanta, Georgia, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan, which began with the 1998 book The Face of Deception. There are over two dozen books in that popular series. Johansen has also written a number of popular stand-alone suspense titles on her own and in collaboration with her Edgar Award-winning novelist son, Roy Johansen.
Several of Johansen’s novels have belonged to Bantam/ Doubleday’s Loveswept line of romances, beginning with Stormy Vows, Johansen’s first novel, published in 1983. With her historical novels, she has taken her readers to far corners of the earth. In particular, Johansen has made two imaginary countries of her own: the Middle Eastern kingdom of Sedikhan and the Balkan state of Tamrovia. Characters recur from book to book, and the two nations are linked by marriage; thus, Johansen’s loyal readers can follow the fortunes of favorite characters such as recovering drug addict David Bradford (who originally appeared in The Trustworthy Redhead ), who finds love and contentment in Touch the Horizon with a woman, Billie Callahan, herself a star of Capture the Rainbow.
Johansen’s novels are sometimes included in established series that feature novels written by several authors. For example, in the “Shamrock” trilogy, a series about the Delaney brothers of Ireland, Johansen wrote York the Renegade while the two other novels were written by Kay Hooper and Fayrene Preston. The “Delaneys of Killaroo” series is a spin-off of the Shamrock tales, focusing on three sisters in the Australian branch of the Delaney family. Although not officially part of the Delaney series, the novel This Fierce Splendor deals with a male character who is a Delaney. The trio of authors contributing to the trilogy also wrote a Christmas book, The Delaney Christmas Carol, in which each writer contributed a novella.
Wind Dancer Trilogy
On her own, Johansen wrote the novels comprising the “Wind Dancer” trilogy of 1991, the first two volumes of which received considerable acclaim from romance reviewers. The novels, spanning much of European history, deal with the Andreas family’s quest for a legendary golden statue called the Wind Dancer. The first novel, The Wind Dancer, is set in sixteenth-century Italy, and the second, Storm Winds, is set in France during the Reign of Terror near the end of the eighteenth century.
The Wind Dancer, which had a first printing of 700,000 copies, is “a lively and imaginative blend of romance and adventure,” according to a Publishers Weekly contributor. That reviewer also applauded the character of Lorenzo Vasaro, the hero’s friend, who is “an unlikely but likable character … a worldly-wise and intriguing blend of ruthlessness and charm.” Publishers Weekly contributor Peggy Kaganoff called Storm Winds “a diverting romance” with “plot twists worthy of a mystery novel.”
Johansen produced other well-received romance novels in the 1990s. Commenting on The Magnificent Rogue, published in 1993, a Booklist contributor wrote: “Passion and suspense abound in [this] … robust romance,” which the writer called “spellbinding romantic fiction from a master of the genre.” The same year, Johansen produced Midnight Warrior, a tale of England and Wales set in 1066. Kristin Ramsdell, writing in Library Journal, commented of the book: “Believable, thoughtfully constructed characters, complex plotting, and lively dialog characterize this sensual historical.”
The Ugly Duckling
Johansen achieved a personal milestone in 1996 with the publication of The Ugly Duckling. It was her most prestigious publication to date, although not the “hardcover debut” that a Kirkus Reviews contributor termed it (at least two of her previous novels had been placed between hardcovers, but in the Loveswept line rather than as solo creations). In The Ugly Duckling, commented the Kirkus Reviews contributor, “mega-seller Johansen abandons the lush historical romances that have made her reputation and stakes out the proven market of Nora Roberts and Sidney Sheldon.” The heroine, Nell, is the plain wife of a rich man who, along with their daughter, is murdered before her eyes; Nell herself is thrown off a cliff and survives but is disfigured. Hero Nicholas, pursuing the drug dealers who killed Nell’s family, takes her under his wing and sees that she receives state-of-the-art plastic surgery that turns her into a beauty. He also teaches her martial arts. Nell and Nicholas set out to destroy the villains and do so with the help of what the Kirkus Reviews contributor called “inventive surprises.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer called The Ugly Duckling “spectacular” and elaborated: “The romance here is suspenseful, and the suspense is romantic; for fans of each, this is a keeper.” Booklist contributor Brad Hooper announced that, in The Ugly Duckling, “the romantic suspense genre is done a good turn.”
Having achieved this new level of success, Johansen went on to create another successful thriller with her next book, Long after Midnight, a tale of scientific breakthroughs and corrupt corporations. The heroine, Kate, is a high-level working mother doing important research for top scientist Noah Smith and trying to give her nine- year-old son a good life at the same time. When Noah’s lab blows up and attempts are made on Kate’s life, Kate and Noah go into hiding to escape from the psychopathic hit man who is stalking them. Kate has two love interests, Noah and his solder-of-fortune friend Seth. Noting that the plot premise contains some familiar, conventional elements, a Publishers Weekly contributor added that “Johansen knows how to take the formula and run with it,” appealing to readers with her believable characters, effective dialogue, and interesting plotting. The review also noted that a plot strand involving the heroine’s father, an Alzheimer’s patient, gives “the deft but somewhat protracted finish a moving, unexpected touch.”
Eve Duncan Series
Johansen turned from stand-alone thrillers in 1998 to inaugurate a thriller series that follows Eve Duncan, a successful forensics sculptor, who was raised in poverty by a single, cocaine-addicted mother. Eve is introduced in The Face of Deception, and in the second installment, The Killing Game, readers learn that Eve’s daughter, Bonnie, was murdered, and though her body was never found, her alleged murderer was executed. Eve moved away to a Tahitian island where her friend Joe Quinn finds her and tells her that he has found a mass grave with a body that might be Bonnie’s. Eve returns to the United States, but before the body can be identified, a stalker begins to pursue Eve, insisting that he was Bonnie’s actual killer. He threatens to kill Eve as well as a ten-year-old girl, Jane MacGuire, whom she has befriended. Eve is terrified but vows to catch the killer, even if she must be the bait. Emily Melton, writing in Booklist, called it “a cross between King’s nightmarish chillers and Cornwell’s forensic thrillers” and observed that the book is a “certain winner.” The Killing Game received many other positive reviews. According to a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “Johansen maintains perfect pacing.” The same reviewer observed: “Aided by smart and realistic dialogue, the suspense holds until the very end.”
Blind Alley once again features forensic sculptor Eve Duncan. This time, when Eve reconstructs the face of a murder victim, she is startled to find that it looks just like her foster daughter, Jane. The victim is just one murder committed by a serial killer who is the reincarnation of a Roman slave. The novel also continues to explore Duncan’s battle with the unsolved death of her daughter Bonnie. APublishers Weekly contributor referred to Blind Alley as a “far-fetched but expertly plotted, eminently entertaining novel.” Patty Engelmann, writing in Booklist, commented: “Solid suspense, a vicious killer, and the heroine’s rough transition to adulthood will keep teens involved.”
Jane MacGuire, Eve’s foster daughter, shows up again in the sixth “Eve Duncan” installment, Countdown, in which she is a twenty-year-old archaeology major at Harvard. On a dig in Herculaneum, MacGuire learns that her face is identical to that of Cira, a Roman courtesan who has been dead for 2,000 years. Cira is the link to riches, and when MacGuire’s close friend is murdered, she fears for her safety. Mark Trevor, another friend who lusts after MacGuire, flies her to Aberdeen. Much of the book occurs at MacDuff’s Run, a fictional castle in Scotland. MacGuire’s foster mother, Eve Duncan, flies her back to the States where MacGuire and Trevor plan to stop suicide bombers who are on a countdown to blow up a nuclear plant. Like most of Johansen’s books, Countdown received positive reviews. A Publishers Weekly reviewer noted: “Action, romance, castles, bomb plots and a booby-trapped hideaway in snowbound Idaho—what more could Johansen fans want?”
In Stalemate, Eve Duncan returns and finds herself in Colombia helping a weapons dealer in exchange for finding out what really happened to her murdered daughter. In a review of Stalemate in Library Journal, Sheri Melnick called the novel “a first-rate suspense thriller complete with expertly developed characters.” Maria Hatton wrote in Booklist: “Johansen strikes again, creating both a nonstop thriller and a character study.”
The eighth “Eve Duncan” novel, Quicksand, was published in 2007. In this story, Eve’s lover, Joe Quinn, works to hunt down Henry Kistle, a man suspected of at least partial responsibility for the murder of Eve’s daughter, Bonnie, years before. Quinn is certain that Eve will not have real peace until her daughter’s body is located and identified. What he doesn’t know is that Eve frequently sees and converses with the ghost of her daughter. Eve sees a demonstration by Megan Blair, a doctor who possesses incredibly powerful psychic abilities, in which Megan is able to hear past traumas. Now Eve is convinced that she may be able to help solve the case of her daughter’s murder. Eventually, Eve and Megan are drawn to a remote area deep in the Okefenokee swamp, where they may either find out the truth of what happened to Bonnie, or become a killer’s latest victims. Shannon, in another review on Bookreporter.com, called Quicksand “a fast-paced read that is nearly impossible to put down.” Weaving together the stories of Eve and Megan “intensifies both,” according to the reviewer for Publishers Weekly, who predicted that readers would “eagerly” follow the narrative.
The series continues with Blood Game, in which Eve is pursued by an evil psychotic, Kevin Jelak, who believes that he will become a vampire god by drinking the blood of women such as Eve. But first Jelak warms up by killing and feasting off younger women, crimes that bring him to the attention of Eve’s lover, detective Joe Quinn, who is developing psychic powers. Now the clock is set ticking, with Quinn trying to stop Jelak before he can get to Eve. “Forensics takes a bit of a back seat with this thriller, but this does not detract from an exciting, suspenseful read,” noted Reviewer’s Bookwatch contributor Christy Tillery French. A Publishers Weekly reviewer felt that the author “risks alienating some readers as the series slips deeper into the supernatural,” with this paranormal thriller, but Booklist reviewer Patty Engelmann had no such reservations about Blood Game, noting that this “latest riveting Eve Duncan tale has it all, from ghosts and secret cults to supernatural avengers.”
Johansen’s tenth novel featuring Eve Duncan deals in art and religion. Here, much of the focus is on Eve’s adopted daughter, Jane MacGuire, who has an exhibition of her paintings in Paris. One of her pieces, “Guilt,” gets unexpected attention when a religious cult accuses her of blasphemy. They crucify one of her friends to show just how angry they are with her. Soon, friends arrive to protect Jane and also to try to recover a treasured religious artifact, as action ranges across Europe. A Publishers Weekly reviewer was not pleased with this series addition, terming it “outlandish” and noting that there is “little focus on Eve and even less on her trademark forensic sculpting.” Similarly, Library Journal reviewer Jane Jorgensen thought this installment “more than a little over the top with the villainous villains and secret sacrifices.” A higher assessment, however, was offered by Booklist contributor Kristine Huntley, who felt that readers “receptive to paranormal abilities and religious mysteries will find much to enjoy in this page-turner.”
The focus is once again on Eve in the 2010 title, Chasing the Night. Still tormented by thoughts of her missing daughter, Bonnie, Eve comes to the aid of Catherine Ling, a CIA agent who desperately wants a picture of her long-ago kidnapped son at his current age. Catherine is convinced that the boy is still alive. But this simple case soon takes a complicated turn when the boy’s kidnapper makes contact. Now Eve and Catherine, aided by Joe Quinn, set out to Russia to try to track down the missing boy. Bookreporter.com contributor Amy Gwiazdowski noted: “Fans will be left with eager anticipation for the next installment as this one leaves off with a bit of a cliffhanger.” A reviewer on the Night Owl Reviews website had similar praise, writing: “This story will grab your attention and keep you wanting more.”
Johansen sets off a trilogy within her larger series with the 2011 work Eve. “The trilogy will answer many questions that I have been asked over the years,” Johansen noted in an interview with J. Sydney Jones on the Scene of the Crime website. Here readers are let in on background information about Eve, specifically dealing with Bonnie’s father, John Gallo, and whether or not he was involved somehow in the girl’s disappearance. In the process Eve is caught in a deadly conflict between Gallo and former military men. Catherine Ling and Joe Quinn come to Eve’s aid in this thriller.
Library Journal reviewer Amanda Scott felt that this installment is “essential for series followers and enjoyable enough to attract new fans.” A Publishers Weekly contributor praised the “explosive finale” that “deftly baits the hook for the next volume.” Likewise, Booklist writer Engelmann found this an “action-packed journey filled with killers and heroes, leaving readers on tenterhooks” for the next book in the trilogy.
Quinn focuses on Eve’s lover, Joe Quinn. Here readers learn how Eve fell in love with this Navy SEAL turned cop. Still aided by CIA agent Catherine Ling, Eve and Quinn draw ever closer to discovering what happened to Eve’s daughter, Bonnie. Meanwhile, their investigation draws them deeper and deeper into danger.
Closure on Eve’s long struggle to find out what happened to Bonnie and why is offered in Bonnie. Here Gallo assists Eve and Quinn in the search, finally convincing himself, despite his blackouts, that he was not somehow responsible. Focus falls on the corrupt military men who accused him of the crime in the first place. Engelmann, again writing in Booklist, noted: “Johansen conducts a nail-biting excursion through madness and physical endurance in this stunning conclusion.” Similarly, a Publishers Weekly reviewer concluded: “A stunning finale will move series fans and newcomers alike.”
Eve Duncan returns in Sleep No More, in which she learns that she has a half-sister. This secret comes out when the sister, Beth, who has been in a mental institution for years, disappears and foul play is expected. Aided by her lover, Joe Quinn, and an FBI profiler named Kendra Michaels, Eve races against time and the evil machinations of a killer, Drogan, to save Beth, who has information that powerful people do not want revealed.
“Johansen amps up the tension” in this “new challenge for her ever-popular protagonist,” observed Booklist reviewer Patty Wetli. A Publishers Weekly contributor also had praise for Sleep No More, calling it “gripping.” On the other hand, a Kirkus Reviews critic was less enthusiastic, noting: “Johansen throws in enough crooked characters to house an entire prison in a plot that starts out with promise but ends up being a snoozer.”
Johansen creates another trilogy with her series featuring forensic sculptor Duncan, beginning with Taking Eve. Here she is kidnapped by Jim Doane, a person clearly unbalanced, who demands that Eve recreate the face of his dead son, Kevin, from the skull he has. Meanwhile, Eve’s adopted daughter, Jane, and Joe Quinn attempt to save her. The CIA is also on the case, as the deceased Kevin Doane was a child killer and was also working with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
“Johansen expertly ratchets up the suspense as the action builds to a riveting conclusion,” commented a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Likewise, Booklist contributor Carol Haggas commended Taking Eve, writing: “Johansen weaves a complicated plot laden with repeat performers from her best-selling past thrillers.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor also had praise for this series addition, concluding: “A successful Johansen novel, filled with intriguing twists and characters and an overarching mystery that will keep fans coming back for Book Two.” Reviewing this novel in the online Fresh Fiction, Tanzey Cutter also had a high assessment, dubbing it “dynamically chilling.”
The trilogy continues with Hunting Eve, in which the imperiled forensic sculptor has managed to escape from her kidnapper, Doane, and must now stay out of his clutches as she makes her way through the Colorado wilderness. She also knows more about Doane’s real intentions in kidnapping her, and that makes it even more imperative that she not be recaptured. Doane, a seasoned hunter, is meanwhile on her trail, and at the same time, Joe Quinn and daughter Jane are teaming up with some unexpected allies in an attempt to rescue Eve.
A Kirkus Reviews critic termed Hunting Eve a “layered, thrilling read that will likely motivate fans to read the final book, too.” Similarly, Haggas, writing in Booklist, felt that the novel’s “shocking conclusion” will have “fans of Eve’s exploits clamoring for the trilogy’s final installment.” A Publishers Weekly contributor remarked: “Fans of paranormal romantic suspense will eagerly look forward to the conclusion.”
The conclusion to the trilogy arrives with Silencing Eve, in which Eve, taken captive again at the end of Hunting Eve, is struggling for her survival. Doane thinks that the intricate escape he arranged will leave his pursuers believing that Eve and he are dead, but not so. Joe Quinn, Jane, a CIA team, and the others are still trying to rescue her. Now Quinn finally discovers the reason for CIA involvement: Kevin, the deceased son, has planted a pair of nuclear weapons in the United States and they believe the father means to set them off. Now the race is on not just to save Eve, but also to prevent a nuclear holocaust.
A Kirkus Reviews critic lauded the “compelling storyline” in this “arresting conclusion.” Haggas also had praise for this final volume in her Booklist review, commenting that “Johansen brings her tautly paced trilogy to a pulse-pounding conclusion.”
In Shadow Play, Eve receives the skull of a nine-year-old girl who has been buried. A sheriff in California sent it to her for aid in identification, and Eve gets busy reconstructing the face. As she does so, the spirit of the young girl, Jenny, communicates with her, and soon Eve becomes more involved with the case, eventually traveling to California to take part in the investigation, along with her partner, Joe Quinn. But as the investigation progresses, the killer begins to get rid of all those who might give him away. Soon Eve, too, is in his sights.
A Kirkus Reviews critic offered a varied assessment of Shadow Play, terming it an “intriguing idea bogged down by incongruent plot and character details.” Other reviewers found more to like. A Publishers Weekly contributor had praise for this series installment, calling it a “no-holds-barred mystery that maintains suspense throughout and boasts a cast of multifaceted characters.” Writing in the online RT Book Reviews, Jill M. Smith commented: “Thrilling, emotional and down-right riveting certainly sum up this incredible tale!” Likewise, Fresh Fiction website writer Sandra Wurman commented: “Fabulous premise, richly developed, believable, and addictive.”
Hide Away continues the story arc begun in Shadow Play. Here, Eve and Joe Quinn arrange to protect Cara, the eleven-year-old sister of Jenny, who is in danger also of being killed by a Mexican drug lord. Atlanta, Georgia, where Eve lives, however, proves no safety net for the child, so Eve, who has recently learned she is pregnant, spirits her off to Scotland, where her adoptive daughter, Jane, lives. But as the drug lord discovers the trail, everyone now is in danger.
“This first-rate novel of romantic suspense will please Johansen’s many fans and newcomers alike,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer of Hide Away. Booklist contributor Carol Haggas also had a positive assessment, commenting: “Johansen brings a gentleness to her tough-as-nails heroine that will invigorate and intrigue loyal fans of this long-running series.” A Kirkus Reviews critic observed: “Johansen fans will catch a veritable treasure trove of characters from her previous novels in this latest venture.”
Night and Day concludes the story arc begun in Shadow Play, with Cara’s sociopathic mother, Natalie, kidnapping her daughter in Scotland and taking her to Moscow where Natalie’s father lives. Eve is on the hunt, and once in Moscow finds herself and her unborn child in deadly danger.
“Full of mysticism and mystery, this fast-paced novel is sure to appeal to all fans of romantic suspense,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer of Night and Day. Writing in Booklist, Stacy Alesi felt that the novel and the entire series offer a “winning combination of thriller elements and love story, with paranormal trimmings.”
Mind Game features Eve’s adopted daughter, artist Jane MacGuire, who can see real events in her dreams. Jane is in Scotland chasing a treasure that has haunted her for years. Now, however, her dreams are filled with a young woman who is being held captive. Finally, she identifies her as the sister of Seth Caleb, a man from Jane’s own past. Seth comes to Scotland and together they try to rescue his sister. “The sexual attraction between Jane and Seth simmers in the background as the action builds to a stunning climax in Dubai,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer of the novel. A Kirkus Reviews critic similarly called the work “[e]nthralling, entertaining, and completely satisfying.”
In Shattered Mirror, Eve and her family become targets of a mad bomber. Eve receives an anonymous package with a skull, which she reconstructs as a beautiful woman, but as she gets closer and closer to who murdered her, Eve and her entire family are put in danger. “Fans of paranormal suspense will be rewarded,” commented a Publishers Weekly reviewer.
Eve’s ward, violinist Cara Delaney, is at the heart of Dark Tribute. Cara longs for long-time friend Jock Gavin to come back into her life. Then she is kidnapped by a man who has a grudge against the entire family. A Publishers Weekly contributor had praise for this series addition, commenting: “Strong female characters and a twist-filled plot will keep readers turning the pages.” Booklist reviewer Carol Haggas also lauded this novel, noting: “Johansen’s psychologically intense thriller featuring the newly empowered Delaney, who trades her passiveness for determination, will resonate with prescient timeliness.”
Smokescreen finds Eve traveling to Africa to help a village identify scores of its children savagely killed and burned beyond recognition by guerrilla soldiers. But once on the ground, Eve begins to wonder if she has been brought to Africa under a false and dangerous pretext. Booklist reviewer Haggas again had praise for the author, remarking: “Propelled by a muscular narrative and elaborate subplots, Johansen’s … latest complex Eve Duncan thriller reliably pivots on the cerebral battle of wills among its robust characters.” Likewise, a Publishers Weekly contributor commented, “Best known for her paranormal romantic suspense, Johansen should win new fans with this more realistic page- turner.”
The twenty-sixth installment in the Eve Duncan franchise, The Persuasion, again features the adoptive daughter, Jane MacGuire, who becomes the target of a brilliant psychopath. Now, Seth Caleb, her protector and confidante, is charged with guarding her. But ultimately Jane herself must take on this adversary and stay alive to commit to a life together with Seth. Booklist contributor Haggas felt that the “storytelling technique showcases each character’s individual strengths and exemplifies Johansen’s ability to strike a satisfying balance between electrifying action and emotional intensity.” Further praise was offered by a Publishers Weekly critic, who concluded: “The magnetic relationship between Jane and Seth adds heat to the tense plot. Those who like their romantic suspense with a dash of the paranormal will be pleased.”
Standalone Thrillers
Johansen has also continued to write stand-alone suspense and thriller novels, such as No One to Trust, in which Elena Kyler is the central character. Trained to survive the Colombian jungles by her mercenary parents, Elena flirts with danger and gets too close. Drug lord Rico Chavez rapes her, which results in her having a child. For most of the story, Elena and her now five-year-old son are being pursued by Chavez, who wants to find Elena and take their son. Sean Galen, a CIA operative who also appeared in Johansen’s novel Body of Lies, plans to protect Elena and her son by bringing them to the United States. When Chavez follows her, Galen plans to capture him. However, Chavez sends his thugs instead, and the situation spins out of control. As Elena and Galen flee across the country, they also fall in love.
Patty Engelmann, writing in Booklist, commented: “With its taut plot and complex characters, this is vintage, fan-pleasing Johansen.” A Publishers Weekly contributor acknowledged that in light of terrorism and national security, “the threat of drug cartels feels dated and Chavez is so over-the-top nasty that he’s downright silly.” Of the novel as a whole, the same reviewer observed: “Johansen has delivered better in the past.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor summed up the novel: “Fast-moving plot, elementary prose: another zippy read from mega- selling Johansen.”
Final Target revolves around the escape, rescue, and psychological recovery of Cassie, the U.S. president’s seven-year-old daughter. Cassie was rescued from a kidnapping attempt in France by international thief Michael Travis, who turns up at the home of Cassie’s psychiatrist, Dr. Jessica Riley. Although told by the president to keep Michael away from his daughter, Jessica instead enlists his help in Cassie’s treatment, leading to Cassie, Jessica, and Michael being pursued not only by the Secret Service but also by some of Michael’s nefarious associates. In a review in Booklist, Patty Engelmann called Final Target “a winning page-turner that will please old and new fans alike.”
In Dead Aim, photojournalist Alex Graham, emotionally scarred after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, is covering the collapse of the Arapahoe Dam and discovers that there are villains who actually caused the dam to collapse and who may be part of a Central American terrorist group. When she is pursued by the bad guys, Alex is helped by ex-CIA agent Judd Morgan. After coming to her rescue, Judd teams up with Alex and the two go after the terrorists who may be planning to assassinate the president. In an interview with Adam Dunn in Publishers Weekly, the author commented on the involvement of 9/11 in Alex’s life. “I had already started Dead Aim before 9/11. After it happened, I redid the first two chapters. There was just no way I could ignore it.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor referred to Dead Aim as a “smoothly written, tightly plotted, turbocharged thriller.” Another reviewer, writing in Publishers Weekly, noted that “Johansen’s latest fast- moving thriller offers lots of cinematic action” and later added that “the nonstop action and slick plotting won’t disappoint.”
Fatal Tide focuses on Melis, a woman who was sold into white slavery at the age of eleven. When Melis’s foster dad, a scientist who researches mysteries of the deep sea, is blown up in his boat, Melis and ex-Navy SEAL Jed Kelby set out to solve the case, which may involve a lethal new weapon that is wanted by a Middle Eastern dictator. In the process, they end up in the Canary Islands, hoping that a group of dolphins can lead them to the hidden weapon. In a review of Fatal Tide in Publishers Weekly, a contributor wrote that “the exotic locals, lusty sex and capering dolphins provide easy-reading entertainment.” Booklist contributor Patty Engelmann commented that the author “is in fine form here as she presents a truly deranged villain, a reluctant heroine, and a less-than-perfect hero.”
Kerry Murphy is a fire investigator with psychic abilities in Johansen’s novel Firestorm. Emotionally traumatized from a house fire in her youth, Kerry and her dog Sam team up with fellow psychic Brad Silver to investigate a secret plot to incinerate the earth. The two have more in common than psychic abilities, however, as both have lost loved ones in fires. A Publishers Weekly contributor commented that the author “ably captures the smell, the smoke and the terror of fire.”
Johansen continued her prolific output with several more novels published in 2006. In her thriller Killer Dreams, Johansen tells the story of Sophie Dunston, a sleep researcher who has developed a drug for insomnia. Sophie’s former boss is using the drug to alter people’s minds, however. He targets Sophie’s father, who ends up killing his wife. Sophie seeks revenge and teams up with Matt Royd, a troubled man who also suffers from the drug experiments. Maria Hatton, writing in Booklist, called Killer Dreams a “suspenseful tale of nightmarish evil.” Entertainment Weekly writer Eric Kohn commented: “Dreams is no snooze.”
Grace Archer and her daughter, Frankie, are under protective custody thanks to the CIA in On the Run. The goal is to trap Marvot, a French underworld figure who is after Grace because of her involvement in a CIA plot involving Marvot and two dangerous horses. Rogue CIA agent Jake Kilmer is on hand to help protect Grace but also has ulterior motives as he seeks the valuable horses for himself. “Johansen gives her readers what they have come to expect from the queen of suspense,” wrote Patty Engelmann in Booklist. A Publishers Weekly contributor commented: “The Johansen formula works so well in this novel that readers may expect a sequel.”
In her novel Pandora’s Daughter, Johansen tells the story of Megan Blair, met in the “Eve Duncan” novel, Quicksand. Megan is a doctor who possesses powerful psychic abilities. Megan was orphaned as a teenager, and since then, she has lived an uneventful life with her Uncle Phillip. One night, Megan’s world is torn apart. While driving, she finds herself menaced and eventually forced off the road. Phillip contacts Neal Grady, a government agent, to tell him about the incident. Neal had known Megan’s mother, and had spent time with the two of them in the summer before Megan’s mother died. Grady reveals the incredible truth to Megan: her mother was a “Pandora,” a person with strong psychic gifts. Neal also has some of these psychic powers, and Megan herself is what is called a “Listener,” someone capable of hearing the echo of terrible things that have taken place in the past. Megan’s mother did not really die an accidental death, and Phillip is not her uncle; he has been employed by Neal for all these years to protect Megan. She is now the target of Molino, the man responsible for her mother’s death. Molino’s henchmen end up injuring Phillip when they make an attempt on Megan’s life. As Neal and Megan work on an important mission to find an ancient ledger related to a family with powerful psychic abilities, they find themselves falling in love with each other.
Megan must “hear” the echoes of past horrors along the way, and according to Terry Miller Shannon in a review on Bookreporter.com, the author “delivers some interesting plot twists and ideas, and she keeps the surprises coming until the very last page.” Booklist reviewer Patty Engelmann recommended Pandora’s Daughter as “an exhilarating thriller” with well-drawn characters. Another reviewer, Melnick, noted in her Library Journal review that the psychic aspect of the story is made “eerily believable” by Johansen, who “captivates readers” with her story.
Johansen teamed with her son, Roy Johansen, to write another thriller, Silent Thunder. The story concerns Hannah Bryson, a marine architect, whose brother Connor was killed by an explosion that occurred on a Russian submarine being prepared for a museum. Connor’s death is passed off as an accident by government officials, but Hannah thinks there was more to it than that. She knows that Connor had discovered some mysterious symbols deep inside the sub, and she is convinced his death is tied to these symbols. The book features some elements so common to the thriller genre that they could have seemed trite, but according to Haggas in Booklist, the “muscular characters” and a well-paced narrative keep this story “gripping and relevant.” A Publishers Weekly writer also praised the book, noting in particular its “exciting finale.”
Shadow Zone continues the story of Hannah Bryson and her research on the ancient city of Marinth, swept under the surface of the Atlantic Ocean millennia ago by a giant tsunami. But the secrets of Marinth survive, and they may fall into the wrong hands. “Entertaining action scenes compensate in part for two-dimensional characters and trite romances,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer of this work. Haggas, writing again in Booklist, had a higher assessment, noting that the “Johansens adeptly juggle multiple points of intrigue, smoothly balancing the prerequisite whirlwind pacing with plausible, even restrained, personal relationships.”
Johansen again collaborates with her son for Storm Cycle, a “sinuous thriller that pits a supercomputer against hieroglyphics in an ancient Egyptian burial chamber,” according to Booklist contributor Haggas. Rachel Kirby is a computer guru attempting to finds a cure for her sister’s rare sickness by utilizing excess capacity of computers around the world. This leads to Rachel being caught up in the chase for the cure via an ancient Egyptian physician, Peshet. A Publishers Weekly reviewer found this a “fast-paced romantic thriller,” while Haggas dubbed it a “pulse-pounding adventure.”
Deadlock is a suspense thriller from Johansen writing on her own and featuring a hunt for lost treasures of the Romanovs. Emily Hudson is an archaeologist dispatched to Afghanistan to try and save some Russian antiquities that have been loaned to a local museum. Soon, however, she is kidnapped, becoming a pawn in a deadly game to find the lost riches of the last tsar of Russia. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted of this novel: “An especially far-fetched plot and unconvincing dialogue mar this romantic thriller.” However, Haggas, again writing in Booklist, felt that the work “maintains a riveting electric tension right from its robust beginning.” Similar praise came from Bookreporter.com writer L. Dean Murphy, who found Deadlock “fast-paced and dialogue-rich, with plenty of international intrigue.”
Catherine Ling, the CIA agent who made her first appearance in the 2010 “Eve Duncan” series installment Chasing the Night, is at the center of What Doesn’t Kill You. Here she is on the trail of a deadly Chinese herbalist, Hu Chang, who has the recipe for a poison not only extremely lethal but also highly undetectable. Ling and Chang’s relationship goes back to the time Ling was a poor kid on the streets of Hong Kong and the herbalist became her mentor. Ling is teamed up with another agent, John Gallo, who has also known Ling before. There are sparks between the two, but they try to focus on the hunt for Chang, staying one step ahead of a supervillain who wants to secure the poison in aid of an assassination plot against a U.S. presidential candidate.
A Kirkus Reviews contributor was not enthusiastic about this stand-alone thriller, noting: “The book, weighed down by a predictable plot, won’t thrill the reader with its super-woman heroine, wickedly handsome love interest and by-the-numbers supporting cast.” Other reviewers, however, had a higher assessment of What Doesn’t Kill You. Booklist reviewer Haggas thought that the novel’s “staccato pacing, sinuous plot, and strong-willed characters” will “satisfy eager fans.” Similarly, a Publishers Weekly writer found it a “grandiose yet agreeable thriller” that is also marked by Johansen’s “trademark dry wit.”
Kendra Michaels, the FBI profiler from the “Eve Duncan” series installment Sleep No More, is the focus of Close Your Eyes, once again written with Johansen’s son. Blind for the first twenty years of her of her life, Kendra has retained the other heightened senses she developed as a girl. A music therapist, she has proved an invaluable aid to the FBI. Now she is called in to help solve a case in Sand Diego: six people have been stabbed to death in the last forty-five days, and the man investigating the case, Kendra’s former beau, Jeff Stedler, is missing. She puts her powerful senses to work, discovering new clues that could lead to the murderer and her missing former lover, but now the serial killer is after Kendra.
A Publishers Weekly reviewer felt that the Johansens “combine idiosyncratic yet fully realized characters with dry wit and well-controlled suspense” in this “gripping” thriller. Booklist contributor Mary Frances Wilkens also had praise for this collaborative effort, noting that the “pace here is quick, and the subject matter intriguing.”
In Sight Unseen, Johansen again teams up with her son for another installment featuring FBI profiler Kendra Michaels. In this outing, Kendra uses her special powers of inner sight to immediately realize that a deadly pile-up on a San Diego bridge is not an accident. Instead, it is an enormous murder scene, and she alerts to police not to destroy valuable evidence. But as the body count rises, Kendra begins to see a pattern. Someone is killing people in ways similar to her most publicized cases, and now this madman is out to discredit Kendra before he kills her. “The Johansens do a page-turning job of tying up all the loose ends in this complex cat-and-mouse game,” commented Haggas in Booklist.
The Naked Eye, another collaborative project between mother and son, once again features Kendra Michaels in a “thrilling race against time to stop a killer who seems to follow Kendra’s every move,” according to a Publishers Weekly reviewer. In this tale, Kendra suspects that Eric Colby, a serial killer, is still alive, even though he was supposed to have died of lethal injection. When a reporter, Sheila Hunter, gets wind of this theory and publishes it, she winds up dead in a manner consistent with Colby’s killing pattern. Now Kendra is involved in a race against time before Colby strikes again. Writing in Booklist, Haggas noted: “The Johansens power-up the emotional stakes in this page- turning thriller.” A Red Carpet Crash website contributor also had praise for the novel, terming it a “thriller that has exciting characters, sexual tension, computer hackers and a stunning climax that will have you on the edge of your seat.” RT Book Reviews website contributor Jill M. Smith concluded: “The intensity and terror of this book are off the charts, so make sure to leave the lights on!”
In Night Watch, Johansen teams with her son again on the fourth novel in the series featuring Kendra Michaels. Here, Kendra is visited by Dr. Charles Waldridge, the surgeon with the Night Watch Project who miraculously gave her sight after she lived her first two decades blind. Waldridge is troubled but cannot discuss what is bothering him. When he disappears, Kendra recruits a freelance government agent, Adam Lynch, to track him. The trail takes them to the California mountains and the corpse of one of the doctor’s associates. The killing continues, and Kendra must be at the top of her game to survive and also to uncover the secrets about Night Watch. “The mother-and-son Johansen team … delivers another high-stakes, high-powered thriller in the popular Kendra Michaels series,” noted Booklist contributor Haggas. Similarly, a Publishers Weekly reviewer concluded: “The danger that Kendra and Adam face increases dramatically as they get closer to the truth, as does the attraction between the two. The plot builds to a stunning conclusion.”
Kendra is again in action in Look Behind You. Here she is in San Diego on the trail of a serial killer who leaves behind a variety of random objects at each murder. Soon the FBI and Kendra discover that these objects are actually related to a number of other serial killer cases across the country, and they come to the startling conclusion that actually there is only one serial killer who has been responsible for numerous seemingly separate series of killings nationwide. Now the team and Kendra also become targets of this cunning psychopath. A Publishers Weekly reviewer had praise for this series installment, commenting: “A long list of well-developed suspects makes this one of the more complex and satisfying entries in this best-selling romantic suspense series.” However, a Kirkus Reviews critic had a less enthusiastic assessment, concluding: “The authors tick off all the thriller boxes and then some, but they offer nothing new to distinguish this book in a crowded field.”
Double Blind finds Kendra at first reluctant to take on a new murder case brought to her by the FBI. Then she learns that the victim, a young woman, was found near Kendra’s condo and that she was carrying an SD card intended for Kendra. The SD card has a video of a wedding reception. So it appears that the young woman died in an attempt to get this information to Kendra, whose initial reluctance to take on the case is further obliterated when the bride featured in the video is abducted. Soon, the hunt enlarges, encompassing a powerful law firm and a huge and wealthy corporation. Kendra soon joins forces with Adam Lynch, the agent- for-hire, and private investigator Jessie Mercado as the killings continue. A Publishers Weekly contributor remarked that “magnetic characters and a twisty, suspenseful plot ensure that readers will eagerly anticipate the next installment.” Booklist reviewer Haggas similarly found this to be a “worthy addition to the Johansens’ Kendra Michaels series.” A Kirkus Reviews critic offered another perspective on the novel, concluding: “The heroine’s miraculous powers, the seemingly unstoppable villains, the perfunctory interest in character, the punchy dialogue, and the highly efficient action sequences suggest more clearly than ever that what the Johansens have been doing throughout this series is writing superhero comics without the pictures.”
Kendra deals with murder more personal in Hindsight. When two staff members at the Woodward Academy for the Physically Disabled are killed, Kendra is on the case. She attended this school for the blind when younger and knew the two who were killed. But it is unclear if the two victims were the result of one killer. One of the victims was stabbed, while the other was shot in the head. Kendra must figure out if she is looking for one killer or two, while coming to terms with the knowledge that the key to these killings may be within her. “The authors pepper the twisty plot with plenty of red herrings,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer, who added, “suspense fans are in for a treat.” Similarly, Booklist contributor Haggas felt that “[f]ans of the Kendra Michaels series … will revel in this riveting tale of intrigue and devotion.” Likewise, a Kirkus Reviews critic concluded: “Mystery, danger, and sexual tension abound in an action-packed thriller.”
The Perfect Witness is a stand- alone story by Johansen and her son that features a sixteen-year-old girl named Teresa. The heroine is able to read other peoples’ memories when she comes into contact with them. She hates her ability, and she hates that her crime-boss father uses her gift for his own nefarious ends. In fact, one of her father’s rivals is trying to kill her. When Teresa’s own father dies, her terrible mother starts dating the very man who is trying to murder her daughter. Teresa runs away, but she is still being hunted, and then a stranger named Andre Mandak rescues her by killing the men who have been hired to assassinate her. Mandak is an experienced psychic talent, and he tells Teresa she can learn to control her gift. He helps her change her name and finds her a place to live, and Teresa even starts going to college. She begins to live a normal life, and then new would-be killers come for her, so she must help Mandak in exchange for his services. After they team together once more, a subtle romance begins to grow between the main characters.
For the most part, critics praised The Perfect Witness, noting that story is suspenseful and engaging. Indeed, John Jacobson on Criminalelement.com, stated that “ The Perfect Witness isn’t pulling punches. Emotionally, the book deals with a lot of off-and-on-page distress with its main character that further adds to the thriller. Fast pacing, offset with traumatic emotional developments, creates a reading environment that is about upping the stakes with each chapter.” Jacobsen went on to conclude that “ The Perfect Witness creates an environment that emotionally entangles you as it creates a sense of constant chase. With Johansen’s hard, minimalist style, the resulting story is one of both passion and peril.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor was more reserved, asserting: “Though a few plot points seem slightly contrived,” the story’s “enticing hook and compelling storytelling overcome some small flaws.” Stacy Alesi, writing in Booklist, was far more positive, and she called The Perfect Witness a “fast-moving stand-alone thriller, which combines suspense, romance, and the paranormal into one whirlwind read.”
With Your Next Breath, the Johansens revisit the character of Catherine Ling, and this time around, Ling is racing to save three of her closest friends, all of whom are being targeted by hit men. Ling seeks help from her mentor, Chang. Together, they realize that the likely culprit is drug lord Tom Santos. The man blames Ling for the death of his wife Delores, and he decides to get his revenge threefold. Ling’s son, Luke, is Santos’s first target, and she must call in every favor she has ever earned to protect him. Ling gathers all of her friends around her, and she learns who her true allies are in the process.
Reviews of Your Next Breath were somewhat mixed, and some reviewers complained that the story is short on the action that Johansen fans have come to expect. For instance, a Kirkus Reviews critic observed that “much of the plot is contrived,” and it features “cartoonish bad guys.” The critic warned that “even die-hard Johansen fans will find disappointment between the covers of this white-hot mess of a book.” On the other hand, Booklist correspondent Haggas felt that Your Next Breath offers “a small window onto the emotions and vulnerabilities of this otherwise steely and self-reliant woman.”
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The adventures of Kendra Michaels continues in Blink of an Eye, when pop star Delilah “Dee” Winter is kidnapped in the middle of her show at the Hollywood Bowl. Kendra and partner Jesse Mercado, who was Dee’s former bodyguard, are on the case and find Dee’s current bodyguard murdered. With help from FBI agent and Eve’s love interest, Adam Lynch, and a Silicon Valley billionaire who put up Dee’s ransom money, the case jumps into high gear. “Blazing gun battles, electrifying car chases, and menacing hostage manipulation imbue Team Johansen’s latest installment” that provides a thrilling combination of physical and psychological tension, according to Booklist reviewer Carol Haggas.
Kendra Michaels returns for the last book of the series, More Than Meets the Eye, where serial killer James Michael Barrett agrees to show law enforcement the burial site of his latest victim, but a bomb at the site kills everyone, including Barrett. Kendra and the FBI believe that Barrett wasn’t acting alone and there might be an Alpha operative that’s been calling the shots. Kendra teams up with college student Tricia Walton, the only victim of Barrett’s who survived. Praising the book as a nail-biter, a Kirkus Reviews contributor remarked: “The torrid pace of the cat-and-mouse game is sent into hyperdrive by the suggestion that the Alpha may well be an FBI agent.”
Johansen’s Chaos introduces a new heroine, CIA agent Alisa Flynn, whose unorthodox operation finds her breaking into inventor and entrepreneur Gabe Korgan’s mansion. She smooth talks him into joining her on an investigation into the notorious African warlord Jorge Masenak, who stole racehorses, as well as kidnapped 59 students, from an elite girls school in Morocco. One of the students is Flynn’s ward, Sasha Lawrence, who has a special bond with Chaos, an ill-tempered stallion. Lauding the tough, determined, and capable new heroine, Carol Haggas explained in Booklist that “her personification of familiar tropes of female strength, power, sexual attraction, and supernatural talents” will be popular with readers.
Another installment of the long and remarkably popular Eve Duncan series is The Bullet. Doctor and medical researcher Diane Connors believes she may have discovered a silver bullet that can cure most diseases. Sociopath pharmaceutical magnate Joshua Nalam wants the drug so he can destroy it. Connors, who is Eve’s husband Joe Quinn’s ex-wife, asks Eve and Joe for help after discovering that Nalam killed Connor’s research partner. Carol Haggas reported in Booklist that the story was “Less action-oriented than many of Johansen’s thrillers,” and a writer in Publishers Weekly called the book “overstuffed” with “long stretches of expository dialogue.”
The last book in the Eve Duncan series, Captive, finds Eve’s adopted daughter, Jane MacGuire, researching the lineage of the Earl of MacDuff’s ancestor Fiona, who might be distantly related to Jane. Meanwhile, Hugh Bohdan, an African dictator’s second in command, has his eye on Jane, after learning that she is the lover of the MI6 agent Seth Caleb, who killed the dictator. As the characters face nearly insurmountable odds, “Johansen gives romantic suspense fans exactly what they want,” declared a writer in Publishers Weekly.
Johansen introduces a new series and character Logan Tanner in High Stakes. Tanner is a professional gambler who has a violent secret past as an extractor. Gambling for the thrill of the win, he’s drawn into a contest to free Lara, a musical prodigy, who is a pawn in a demeaning game by her father, Volkov, a Russian mafia boss and his cronies. Tanner can accomplish two things: save Lara and get revenge on Volkov, who murdered Tanner’s best friend. In an interview online at Mystery and Suspense, Johansen explained her inspiration for Logan Tanner and his world of gambling: “I’m always interested in different and unusual backgrounds and plot lines. … This time I was able to develop characters who knew that world and were able to play their own games of revenge, love, and salvation.” The new series relies on Johansen’s “trademark conflicts involving tests of will between adversaries and lovers alike,” according to Booklist contributor Carol Haggas.
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BIOCRIT
BOOKS
Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers, 3rd edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1994.
PERIODICALS
Book, September, 2003, review of Fatal Tide, p. 928.
Booklist, September 1, 1993, Margaret Flanagan, review of The Magnificent Rogue, p. 34; March 1, 1996, Brad Hooper, review of The Ugly Duckling, p. 1076; November 1, 1997, Kathleen Hughes, review of And Then You Die, p. 435; August 1, 1998, Diana Tixier Herald, review of The Face of Deception, p. 1923; August, 1999, Emily Melton, review of The Killing Game, p. 1987; September 15, 2000, Nina Davis, review of Dark Rider, p. 224; March 15, 2001, Patty Engelmann, review of Final Target, p. 1333; May 1, 2001, Nancy Spillman, review of The Search, p. 1615; October 1, 2001, Joyce Saricks, review of Final Target, p. 342; September 1, 2002, Patty Engelmann, review of No One to Trust, pp. 5-6; February 1, 2003, Patty Engelmann, review of Dead Aim, p. 955; July 1, 2003, Patty Engelmann, review of Fatal Tide, p. 1845; August 1, 2004, Patty Engelmann, review of Blind Alley, p. 1871; November 1, 2005, Patty Engelmann, review of On the Run, p. 4; May 1, 2006, Maria Hatton, review of Killer Dreams, p. 34; May 1, 2006, Jeanette Larson, review of On the Run, p. 52; October 15, 2006, Maria Hatton, review of Stalemate, p. 5; March 15, 2007, Mary Frances Wilkens, review of Stalemate, p. 71; July 1, 2007, Patty Engelmann, review of Pandora’s Daughter, p. 8; December 15, 2007, Patty Engelmann, review of Quicksand, p. 5; March 1, 2008, Carol Haggas, review of Silent Thunder, p. 30; September 1, 2008, Carol Haggas, review of Dark Summer, p. 4; October 1, 2008, John Charles, review of The Treasure, p. 5; February 15, 2009, Carol Haggas, review Deadlock, p. 4; June 1, 2009, Carol Haggas, review of Storm Cycle, p. 6; August 1, 2009, Patty Engelmann, review of Blood Game, p. 6; February 15, 2010, Kristine Huntley, review of Eight Days to Live, p. 4; February 15, 2010, May 15, 2010, Carol Haggas, review of Shadow Zone, p. 5; February 1, 2011, Patty Engelmann, review of Eve, p. 36; September 1, 2011, Patty Engelmann, review of Bonnie, p. 48; February 1, 2012, Carol Haggas, review of What Doesn’t Kill You, p. 38; May 15, 2012, Mary Frances Wilkens, review of Close Your Eyes, p. 20; September 1, 2012, Patty Wetli, review of Sleep No More, p. 54; February 15, 2013, Carol Haggas, review of Taking Eve, p. 35; June 1, 2013, Carol Haggas, review of Hunting Eve, p. 39; September 15, 2013, Carol Haggas, review of Silencing Eve, p. 36; March 15, 2014, Carol Haggas, review of Live to See Tomorrow, p. 53; July 1, 2014, Carol Haggas, review of Sight Unseen, p. 43; October 15, 2014, Stacy Alesi, review of The Perfect Witness, p. 22; March 1, 2015, Carol Haggas, review of Your Next Breath, p. 27; June 1, 2015, Carol Haggas, review of The Naked Eye, p. 56; January 1, 2016, Carol Haggas, review of Hide Away, p. 40; June 1, 2016, Stacy Alesi, review of Night and Day, p. 52; September 1, 2016, Carol Haggas, review of Night Watch, p. 58; February 1, 2017, Carol Haggas, review of No Easy Target, p. 26; June 19-20, 2017, Carol Haggas, review of Look Behind You, p. 60; August 1, 2017, Jane Murphy, review of Mind Game, p. 30; March 1, 2018, Carol Haggas, review of Shattered Mirror, p. 28; May 1, 2018, Carol Haggas, review of Double Blind, p. 26; December 1, 2018, Carol Haggas, review of Dark Tribute, p. 30; June 1, 2019, Carol Haggas, review of review of Smokescreen, p. 45; November 1, 2019, Carol Haggas, review of Hindsight, p. 24; May 1, 2020, Carol Haggas, review of The Persuasion, p. 45; August 1, 2020, Carol Haggas, review of Chaos, p. 26; December 1, 2020, Carol Haggas, review of Blink of an Eye, p. 26; May 1, 2021, Carol Haggas, review of The Bullet, p. 27; September 1, 2021, Carol Haggas, review of High Stakes, p. 40.
Detroit Free Press, March 10, 2002, review of Body of Lies, p. 4G.
Entertainment Weekly, September 17, 2004, Nancy Miller, review of Blind Alley, p. 84; June 9, 2006, Eric Kohn, review of Killer Dreams, p. 142.
Globe & Mail (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), September 25, 1999, review of The Killing Game, p. D15; June 9, 2001, review of Final Target, p. 342; March 23, 2002, review of Body of Lies, p. D22; October 19, 2002, review of No One to Trust, p. D22; April 26, 2003, review of Dead Aim, p. D39.
Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 1996, review of The Ugly Duckling, p. 249; November 15, 1997, review of And Then You Die, p. 1664; September 1, 1998, review of The Face of Deception, p. 1218; August 1, 1999, review of The Killing Game, p. 1155; July 15, 2002, review of No One to Trust, p. 981; February 1, 2003, review of Dead Aim, p. 165; July 15, 2003, review of Fatal Tide, p. 928; February 15, 2004, review of Firestorm, p. 155; August 15, 2004, review of Blind Alley, p. 766; May 1, 2005, review of Countdown, p. 497; November 1, 2006, review of Stalemate, p. 1094; August 15, 2007, review of Pandora’s Daughter; February 15, 2012, review of What Doesn’t Kill You; September 15, 2012, review of Sleep No More; February 15, 2013, review of Taking Eve; July 1, 2013, review of Hunting Eve; October 1, 2013, review of Silencing Eve; April 15, 2014, review of Live to See Tomorrow; October 15, 2014, review of The Perfect Witness; March 1, 2015, review of Your Next Breath; August 1, 2015, review of Shadow Play; February 15, 2016, review of Hide Away; February 15, 2017, review of No Easy Target; May 15, 2017, review of Look Behind You; September 1, 2017, review of Mind Game; February 15, 2018, review of Shattered Mirror; May 1, 2018, review of Double Blind; August 15, 2018, review of Vendetta; January 15, 2019, review of Dark Tribute; June 1, 2019, review of Smokescreen; November 1, 2019, review of Hindsight; April 15, 2020, review of The Persuasion; January 1, 2023, review of More Than Meets the Eye.
Kliatt, May, 2003, Nola Theiss, review of No One to Trust, pp. 48-49; November 1, 2004, Bette Ammon, review of Firestorm, p. 46; September 15, 2009, review of Blood Game; June 15, 2010, review of Shadow Zone.
Library Journal, December, 1993, review of The Beloved Scoundrel, pp. 174-175; May 15, 1994, Kristin Ramsdell, review of Midnight Warrior, p. 66; January 1, 1998, Jo Ann Vicarel, review of And Then You Die, p. 142; March 1, 2000, review of The Search, p. S1; April 15, 2000, Jane Jorgenson, review of The Search, p. 123; May 1, 2001, Adrienne Furness, review of The Search, p. 145; December 1, 2004, Barbara Hoffert, review of Countdown, p. 88; December 1, 2006, Sheri Melnick, review of Stalemate, p. 111; August 1, 2007, Sheri Melnick, review of Pandora’s Daughter, p. 69; December 1, 2007, Amanda Scott, review of Quicksand, p. 100; September 1, 2008, Amanda Scott, review of Dark Summer, p. 118; March 1, 2010, Jane Jorgenson, review of Eight Days to Live, p. 76; January, 2011, Amanda Scott, review of Eve, p. 84.
Mystery Reader, July 10, 2000, review of The Search.
People, February 9, 1998, Cynthia Sanz, review of And Then You Die, pp. 34-35; August 7, 2000, review of The Search, p. 51; December 16, 2003, review of No One to Trust, p. 63.
Publishers Weekly, January 4, 1991, review of The Wind Dancer, p. 68; April 26, 1991, Peggy Kaganoff, review of Storm Winds, p. 55; September 13, 1991, review of Reap the Wind, pp. 73- 74; November 30, 1992, review of The Tiger Prince, p. 49; July 26, 1993, review of The Magnificent Rogue, p. 63; January 3, 1994, review of The Beloved Scoundrel, p. 78; July 4, 1994, review of Midnight Warrior, p. 57; March 13, 1995, review of Dark Rider, p. 65; December 4, 1995, review of Lion’s Bride, p. 58; February 26, 1996, review of The Ugly Duckling, p. 84; December 30, 1996, review of Long after Midnight, p. 54; November 10, 1997, review of And Then You Die, p. 54; August 17, 1998, review of The Face of Deception, p. 45; July 12, 1999, review of The Killing Game, p. 75; May 1, 2000, review of The Search, p. 49; April 30, 2001, review of Final Target, p. 55; August 12, 2002, review of No One to Trust, p. 274; March 24, 2003, review of Dead Aim, p. 955; May 5, 2003, Adam Dunn, “Taking Dead Aim: Iris Johansen,” review of Dead Aim, p. 192; July 14, 2003, review of Fatal Tide, p. 53; February 9, 2004, review of Firestorm, p. 56; August 23, 2004, review of Blind Alley, p. 37; April 25, 2005, review of Countdown, p. 39; October 24, 2005, review of On the Run, p. 36; April 17, 2006, review of Killer Dreams, p. 165; October 9, 2006, review of Stalemate, p. 37; August 27, 2007, review of Pandora’s Daughter, p. 60; February 11, 2008, review of Quicksand, p. 50; May 12, 2008, review of Silent Thunder, p. 38; August 11, 2008, review of Dark Summer, p. 27; September 29, 2008, review of The Treasure, p. 58; February 23, 2009, review Deadlock, p. 34; May 18, 2009, review of Storm Cycle, p. 32; August 10, 2009, review of Blood Game, p. 32; February 22, 2010, review of Eight Days to Live, p. 38; May 31, 2010, review of Shadow Zone, p. 25; February 14, 2011, review of Eve; p. 36; August 8, 2011, review of Bonnie, p. 24; January 23, 2012, review of What Doesn’t Kill You, p. 145; May 21, 2012, review of Close Your Eyes, p. 36; August 13, 2012, review of Sleep No More, p. 41; February 18, 2013, review of Taking Eve, p. 42; May 27, 2013, review of Hunting Eve, p. 35; February 23, 2015, review of Your Next Breath, p. 51; May 25, 2015, review of The Naked Eye, p. 35; May 25, 2015, review of The Naked Eye, p. 35; July 27, 2015, review of Shadow Play, p. 43; February 15, 2016, review of Hide Away, p. 44; May 30, 2016, review of Night and Day, p. 40; August 29, 2016, review of Night Watch, p. 66; February 13, 2017, review of No Easy Target, p. 49; May 22, 2017, review of Look Behind You, p. 73; August 21, 2017, review of Mind Game, p. 90; February 26, 2018, review of Shattered Mirror, p. 63; May 21, 2018, review of Double Blind, p. 46; January 7, 2019, review of Dark Tribute, p. 33; June 3, 2019, review of Smokescreen, p. 42; November 11, 2019, review of Hindsight, p. 37; April 27, 2020, review of The Persuasion, p. 33; April 26, 2021, review of The Bullet, p. 52; July 25, 2022, review of Captive, p. 57.
Reviewer’s Bookwatch, February 1, 2007, Theodore Feit, review of Stalemate; September, 2009, Christy Tillery French, review of Blood Game.
Romance Reader, November 5, 1998, review of The Face of Deception, p. 1218; June 29, 2000, review of The Search.
School Library Journal, July, 2002, Pam Johnson, review of Body of Lies, p. 143.
ONLINE
All about Romance, http:// www.likesbooks.com/ (October 2, 2011), Sandy Coleman, review of The Treasure.
Associated Content, http:// www.associatedcontent.com/ (May 29, 2008), Todd Michael Greene, review of Pandora’s Daughter.
A-Thrill-a-Week, https:// athrillaweek.com/ (April 24, 2016), review of Hide Away.
Authors Speak, http:// www.theauthorsspeak.com/ (November 2, 2010), review of Chasing the Night.
Big Thrill, http:// www.thebigthrill.org/ (March 31, 2013), Brett King, “Between the Lines Interview with Iris Johansen.”
Blogcritics, http:// blogcritics.org/ (November 18, 2008), Katie Tally, review of Dark Summer.
Bookreporter.com, http:// www.bookreporter.com/ (May 27, 2005), interview with Iris Johansen; (July 23, 2008) Terry Miller Shannon, reviews of Pandora’s Daughter and Quicksand; (December 22, 2010), Judy Gigstad, review of Blood Game; December 26, 2010, Amy Gwiazdowski, review of Chasing the Night; (December 29, 2010), L. Dean Murphy, review of Deadlock; (January 23, 2011), Hillary Wagy, review of The Treasure; (January 21, 2011), Judy Gigstad, review of Eight Days to Live; (January 23, 2011), Amy Gwiazdowski, review of Storm Cycle; (April 25, 2011), review of Eve; (August 2, 2012), Christine M. Irvin, review of Close Your Eyes; (November 21, 2012), Judy Gigstad, review of Sleep No More; (May 17, 2013), Judy Gigstad, review of Taking Eve; (July 26, 2013), Judy Gigstad, review of Hunting Eve; (November 15, 2013), Judy Gigstad, review of Silencing Eve; (September 18, 2020), Alison Lee, review of Chaos.
CrimeReads, https:// crimereads.com/ (January 16, 2020), “Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen on Writing Together.”
CriminalElement.com, http:// www.criminalelement.com/ (September 27, 2013), review of Silencing Eve; (August 8, 2015), John Jacobson, review of The Perfect Witness.
Curled Up with a Good Book, http:/ /www.curledup.com/ (November 14, 2011), Helen Hancox, review of The Golden Valkyrie.
Examiner.com, http:// www.examiner.com/ (December 3, 2010), Rosetta Codling, “An Interview with the New York Times Bestselling Author Iris Johansen.”
Fantastic Fiction, https:// www.fantasticfiction.com/ (July 12, 2020), “Iris Johansen.”
Fresh Fiction, http:// freshfiction.com/ (August 23, 2012), Tanzey Cutter, review of Close Your Eyes; (September 23, 2012), Annetta Sweetko, review of Sleep No More; (March 15, 2013), Tanzey Cutter, review of Taking Eve; (October 19, 2013), Jennifer Barnhart, review of Silencing Eve; (October 9, 2015), Sandra Wurman, review of Shadow Play; (April 12, 2016), Magdalena Johansson, review of Hide Away.
Future Mystery Anthology, http:// www.fmam.biz/ (November 14, 2011), Harriet Klausner, review of Chasing the Night.
Genre Go Round Reviews, http:// genregoroundreviews.blogspot.com/ (February 16, 2009), Harriet Klausner, review of Deadlock; (May 20, 2009), Harriet Klausner, review of Storm Cycle; (May 18, 2010), Harriet Klausner, review of Shadow Zone; (March 15, 2011), Harriet Klausner, review of Eve.
Good, The Bad and The Unread, http://goodbadandunread.com/ (October 13, 2015), review of Shadow Play; (May 20, 2016), review of Hide Away.
Iris Johansen website, http://www.irisjohansen.com (July 12, 2020).
Joyfully Reviewed, http:// www.joyfullyreviewed.com/ (October 2, 2011), review of The Treasure.
Mystery Reader, http:// www.themysteryreader.com/ (October 2, 2011), Jennifer Monahan Winberry, review of Storm Cycle.
Mystery and Suspense, https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/ (September 7, 2021), author interview.
Night Owl Reviews, http:// www.nightowlsuspense.com/ (September 3, 2008), review of The Golden Valkyrie; (November 3, 2008), review of The Treasure; (March 4, 2009), review of Deadlock; (March 1, 2010), review of Notorious; (June 23, 2010), review of Eight Days to Live; (October 12, 2010), review of Shadow Zone; (December 31, 2010), review of Chasing the Night.
Random House website, http://www.randomhouse.com (January 29, 1999).
Red Carpet Crash, http:// redcarpetcrash.com/ (July 6, 2015), review of The Naked Eye.
Red Headed Book Child, http:// www.redheadedbookchild.com/ (October 11, 2010), review of Chasing the Night.
Romance Reader, http:// www.theromancereader.com/ (October 2, 2011), Thea Davis, review of Dark Summer,
Romance Readers Connection, http:/ /www.theromancereadersconnection.com/ (October 2, 2011), Angela Etheridge, review of The Treasure, and The Golden Valkyrie.
RT Book Reviews, https:// www.rtbookreviews.com/ (June 26, 2016), Jill M. Smith, review of Hide Away, Shadow Play, and The Naked Eye.
Scene of the Crime, http:// jsydneyjones.wordpress.com/ (February 14, 2011), J. Sydney Jones, “Iris Johansen’s Atlanta and Forensic Sculptor Eve Duncan,” author interview.*
IRIS JOHANSEN is The New York Times bestselling author of Your Next Breath, The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn't Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing The Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora's Daughter, Quicksand,Killer Dreams, On The Run, Countdown, Firestorm, Fatal Tide, Dead Aim, and more. And with her son Roy Johansen, she has coauthored The Naked Eye, Sight Unseen, Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle, and Silent Thunder.
Johansen began writing after her children left home for college. She first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, Johansen began writing suspense historical romance novels, starting with the publication of The Wind Dancer. In 1996 Johansen switched genres, turning to crime fiction, with which she has had great success. She now has over 30 consecutive New York Times bestsellers.
Johansen divides her time between Florida and Georgia. Her son (and frequent collaborator) Roy Johansen is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Iris is a dog-lover and her pals are a huge part of her life.
September 7, 2021
Q&A
Iris Johansen
@OfficialIrisJohansen
irisjohansen.com
Iris Johansen is The New York Times bestselling author of Your Next Breath, The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn’t Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing The Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora’s Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On The Run, Countdown, Firestorm, Fatal Tide, Dead Aim, and more. And with her son Roy Johansen, she has coauthored The Naked Eye, Sight Unseen, Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle, and Silent Thunder.
Q. Your newly-released thriller High Stakes ( September 7, 2021) is a gripping dive into the world of high-stakes gambling. What was your inspiration?
Iris: I’m always interested in different and unusual backgrounds and plot lines. Particularly the ones that give me the opportunity to do research which I always find fascinating. This time I was able to develop characters who knew that world and were able to play their own games of revenge, love, and salvation. In addition, I got to study the games of chance themselves and how the gamblers felt about them. I’ve always enjoyed my trips to Las Vegas, and it was wonderful to revisit a few of those wonderful hotel-casinos.
Q. What kind of research did you get to do for High Stakes?
Iris: I talked to gamblers, of course. Then there are research libraries and computers, and word of mouth. Also you’d be surprised how many people you know who have their own experiences and opinions about gambling. It’s a very personal enjoyment to many people, and if you sit around with a group talking, you’ll often come up with not only interesting stories but arguments about a particular game or judgment call. Try it. If you look back in history, you can also see how gambling could have been instrumental in the outcome of personal and public events. Gambling has probably been around since before the Neanderthal and so have the problems and excitement that follow it like a blazing comet. That’s why it’s such a wonderful fertile subject in which a writer can spin her storytelling!
Q. As a departure from your usual writing, High Stakes is a stand-alone. Besides the secondary character in High Stakes (who readers will recognize), will we be seeing more of Lara, Maria, or others?
Iris: You’re correct, these days it is unusual for me to write a stand-alone. That’s partly because I have such a large family of characters to choose from that it seems natural to let one of them have center stage. They are my old friends, and my fans appear to love them, too. But the characters in High Stakes seemed to need something entirely different and fresh to tell their story. It was high drama on many levels, and I had to work hard to give each one of the characters their own rich personality and background. I don’t know if we’ll be seeing more of Lara, Maria, and the others in another book. It’s entirely possible because they all have stories to tell and they’re very strong personalities. But, as usual, I seldom know when a character is going to pop up until the story calls for them. If they call my name, I’ll be sure to let you know.
Q. In June, you released The Bullet to wide acclaim. What’s next for forensics sculptor Eve Duncan?
Iris: I was so glad that everyone loved The Bullet as much as I did! I worked hard to make that particular story fresh and exciting and give the reader (and Eve!) something new and yet a twist that would resolve the story in a special way.
There is always something new for Eve Duncan! I’m in the middle of writing a story that not only makes the ultimate use of her skill as a forensic sculptor but sends both her and Joe on a stunning adventure that puts them in dire danger on several fronts. I just saw the cover and it’s wonderful. So is the title, A Face To Die For. Can’t wait until it comes out!
Q. This magazine has interviewed your son, Edgar-award winner, and sometimes co-writer, Roy Johansen. What are the joys and frustrations of working with him?
Iris: No frustrations. Roy is a consummate professional and we’ve written several books together including the Kendra Michael series that is fast becoming as popular as the Eve Duncan books. Most people don’t know that Roy has been writing professionally almost as long as I have. He began his career right out of college when he won a national screen writing contest sponsored by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Martin Scorsese. His script MURDER 101, was made into a cable film starring Pierce Brosnan, and Roy won an Edgar Award for it. Not a bad way to launch a career! He’s written projects for the major studios, and he authored several terrific novels before we started writing together. Roy is endlessly inventive during our writing process, which constantly inspires me to bring my best work to the table. It’s definitely a reciprocal process that has been in place since our very first book together. Of course with any collaboration there can be disagreements, and we’ve certainly had a few. But we respect each other, and we talk through our differences in a way that always ends up with us finding a solution that results in a better book. Roy just wrote a fantastic thriller, Killer View, that will be out early next year, and we’ve already started working together on our next Kendra Michaels collaboration. It’s been great fun!
Iris Johansen
USA flag (b.1938)
Mother of Roy Johansen
Iris Johansen is the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Night, Blood Game, Eve, and Eight Days to Live, among others. She began writing after her children left home for college, and first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, she began writing suspense historical romance novels, and in 1996 she turned to crime fiction, with which she has had great success. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia.
Genres: Mystery, Romance, Historical Romance, Romantic Suspense, Thriller
New Books
February 2023
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More Than Meets the Eye
(Kendra Michaels, book 10)
Series
Clanad
The Lady and the Unicorn (1983)
The Last Bridge Home (1987)
Across the River of Yesterday (1987)
Magnificent Folly (1989)
A Tough Man to Tame (1991)
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Donovan Enterprises
1. Stormy Vows (1983)
2. Tempest at Sea (1983)
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Reluctant Lark
1. The Reluctant Lark (1983)
2. The Bronzed Hawk (1983)
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Sedikhan
1. The Golden Barbarian (1991)
2. The Golden Valkyrie (1984)
3. The Trustworthy Redhead (1984)
4. Capture the Rainbow (1984)
5. Touch the Horizon (1984)
6. A Summer Smile (1985)
7. And the Desert Blooms (1986)
8. Always (1986)
9. Everlasting (1986)
10. Til the End of Time (1986)
11. The Last Bridge Home (1987)
12. Across the River of Yesterday (1987)
13. Star Light, Star Bright (1987)
14. The Man from Half Moon Bay (1988)
15. Blue Skies and Shining Promises (1988)
16. Magnificent Folly (1989)
17. Notorious (1990)
18. A Tough Man to Tame (1991)
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Santa Flores
No Red Roses (1984)
Return to Santa Flores (1984)
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White Satin
1. White Satin (1985)
2. Blue Velvet (1985)
3. And the Desert Blooms (1986)
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Wind Dancer
1. The Wind Dancer (1991)
2. Storm Winds (1991)
3. Reap the Wind (1991)
4. Final Target (2001)
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Lion's Bride
1. Lion's Bride (1996)
2. The Treasure (2008)
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Eve Duncan
1. The Face of Deception (1998)
2. The Killing Game (1999)
3. The Search (2000)
4. Body of Lies (2002)
5. Blind Alley (2004)
6. Countdown (2005)
7. Stalemate (2006)
8. Quicksand (2008)
9. Blood Game (2009)
10. Eight Days to Live (2010)
11. Chasing the Night (2010)
12. Eve (2011)
13. Quinn (2011)
14. Bonnie (2011)
15. Sleep No More (2012)
16. Taking Eve (2013)
17. Hunting Eve (2013)
18. Silencing Eve (2013)
19. Shadow Play (2015)
20. Hide Away (2016)
21. Night and Day (2016)
22. Mind Game (2017)
23. Shattered Mirror (2018)
24. Dark Tribute (2019)
25. Smokescreen (2019)
26. The Persuasion (2020)
27. The Bullet (2021)
28. A Face to Die For (2022)
29. Captive (2022)
30. The Survivor (2023)
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Eve Duncan Omnibus
The Face of Deception / The Killing Game / The Search (2000)
An Eve Duncan Collection (2011)
Iris Johansen Collection (2015)
Eve Duncan Series: Books 8-10 (2016)
Hunting Eve / Silencing Eve (2016)
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Hannah Bryson (with Roy Johansen)
1. Silent Thunder (2008)
2. Shadow Zone (2010)
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Catherine Ling
1. Chasing the Night (2010)
2. What Doesn't Kill You (2012)
3. Live to See Tomorrow (2014)
4. Your Next Breath (2015)
5. Vendetta (2018)
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Eve, Quinn and Bonnie
1. Eve (2011)
2. Quinn (2011)
3. Bonnie (2011)
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Kendra Michaels (with Roy Johansen)
1. Close Your Eyes (2012)
1.5. With Open Eyes (2012)
2. Sight Unseen (2014)
3. The Naked Eye (2015)
4. Night Watch (2016)
5. Look Behind You (2017)
6. Double Blind (2018)
7. Hindsight (2020)
8. Blink of an Eye (2021)
10. More Than Meets the Eye (2023)
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Logan Tanner
1. High Stakes (2021)
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Novels
The Forever Dream (1985)
The Spellbinder (1987)
One Touch of Topaz (1988)
Strong, Hot Winds (1988)
Wicked Jake Darcy (1989)
Tender Savage (1990)
An Unexpected Song (1990)
Winter Bride (1992)
The Tiger Prince (1992)
Star-Spangled Bride (1993)
The Magnificent Rogue (1993)
The Beloved Scoundrel (1994)
Midnight Warrior (1994)
Dark Rider (1995)
The Ugly Duckling (1996)
Long After Midnight (1997)
And Then You Die (1997)
No One to Trust (2002)
Dead Aim (2003)
Fatal Tide (2003)
Firestorm (2004)
On The Run (2005)
Killer Dreams (2006)
Pandora's Daughter (2007)
Dark Summer (2008)
Deadlock (2009)
Storm Cycle (2009) (with Roy Johansen)
The Perfect Witness (2014)
No Easy Target (2017)
Chaos (2020)
On the Hunt (2023)
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Omnibus
The Golden Valkyrie / The Trustworthy Redhead (1986)
Stormy Vows / Tempest at Sea (2007)
Pandora's Daughter / Quicksand / Dark Summer (2009)
Deadlock / Blood Game (2010)
Pandora's Daughter / Dark Summer (2016)
Silent Thunder / Storm Cycle (2016) (with Roy Johansen)
Always / Strong, Hot Winds (2017)
The Bronzed Hawk / No Red Roses (2017)
Reap the Wind / Deadlock (2017)
Return to Santa Flores / Blue Velvet (2017)
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Series contributed to
Shamrock Trinity
2. York, The Renegade (1986)
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Delaneys of Killaroo
3. Matilda, the Adventuress (1987)
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Delaneys the Untamed Years
1. Wild Silver (1988)
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Delaney Dynasty
This Fierce Splendor (1988)
The Delaney Christmas Carol (omnibus) (1992) (with Kay Hooper and Fayrene Preston)
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Delaneys the Untamed Years II
3. Satin Ice (1988)
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Iris Johansen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty consecutive bestsellers. Her series featuring forensic sculptor Eve Duncan has sold over twenty million copies and counting and was the subject of the acclaimed Lifetime movie The Killing Game. Along with her son, Roy, Iris has also co-authored the New York Times bestselling series featuring investigator Kendra Michaels. Johansen lives in Georgia and Florida.
IRIS JOHANSEN AND ROY JOHANSEN ON WRITING TOGETHER
The mother and son writing duo talk collaboration, conference calls, and killing off beloved characters.
JANUARY 16, 2020 BY IRIS JOHANSEN AND ROY JOHANSEN
GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING
“What’s it like to write a book with a member of your own family?”
It’s probably the number one question we get at our book-signings, and we give a different answer pretty much every time. That’s because our dynamic is constantly changing from book to book, chapter to chapter, even page to page. After all, every story is different. As we prepare for the release of our tenth book together, we thought it would be fun to sit down and talk about this unique process that’s still evolving for us.
Iris: I guess we should talk about the beginning.
Roy: Seems like a good place to start.
Iris: Most people probably don’t realize we’d each been writing over twenty years before we wrote anything together.
Roy: You said that at a book-signing once, and I was surprised to realize it. For the first ten years of my career, I worked exclusively as a screenwriter. During the next ten years, I added novel-writing to the mix. I was concerned with establishing myself and finding my own voice before trying to write something together. But even after we decided to try collaborating, it took a while to find a subject that appealed to us both.
Iris: That’s right. But that all changed when you went to Chicago and emailed me pictures of that German World War II submarine in the Chicago museum.
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Roy: The U-505.
Iris: And that was the spark that brought us to write Silent Thunder. We wrote that one totally under the radar, didn’t we?
Roy: No one knew we were working on it.
Iris: We didn’t even tell our agent and editors we were writing that book. Collaborating was such a new process for us we weren’t sure how it was going to turn out. If it turned out badly, we wanted the option of sticking the manuscript in a drawer and pretending it didn’t exist!
Roy: That’s right. It was such an alien way of working for us, we just didn’t know if it was going to amount to anything.
Iris: But I felt good about it very quickly.
Roy: Me too. Early on, we established a pattern that has more or less guided us in all of our books since. First, we spend some time discussing what our book is about and who the characters are. It’s a fun part of the process. Then one of us dives in and starts writing.
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Iris: Sometimes you kick things off, sometimes I do. It depends on the story.
Roy: That’s true. It varies. One of us will write maybe forty or fifty pages, then the other will write another chunk. We go back and forth like that, pushing the story forward in directions that are often a total surprise to the other.
Iris: It gets interesting when we write ourselves into corners that the other must somehow navigate.
Roy: Very interesting! But I think this helps make our stories livelier and more dynamic. We’re constantly trying to entertain each other, so hopefully we’re entertaining the reader at the same time. We keep each other on our toes, and I think that energy translates onto the page.
Iris: I think so too. I get the feeling that we’re bringing the reader along for the ride that each of us are on, being constantly surprised by the twists and turns.
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Roy: But as surprising as the journey can be for each of us, we almost always know where we’re headed.
Iris: Absolutely. Even if we don’t quite know how we’ll get there.
Roy: Another interesting thing most readers don’t realize is that we write our books on two different sides of the country. I write on the west coast, you write on the east.
Iris: That’s right. E-mail definitely makes our lives easier, especially as we move into the home stretch of our books. At that point we’re both writing and sending each other pages every day.
Roy: Sometimes several times a day.
Iris: The time zones also work in our favor. I start work early in the morning, and you write late into the night hours. You send me pages as you’re going to sleep, which is right around the time I’m waking up.
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Roy: And of course, we also talk on the phone a lot.
Iris: Oh, yes. Lots of conferences. Which brings me to another question readers have: Do we ever have disagreements?
Roy: Of course we do! But we’ve never had what I’d call a serious difference of opinion.
Iris: No. When disagreements come up, we just talk through them. We each present our case, and usually who feels strongest will prevail.
Roy: If one of us feels that strongly about something, that means that person probably has a clear vision about making it work. And it almost always works out that way.
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Iris: What do you think our biggest disagreement has been?
Roy: I can think of a major one.
Iris: Olivia?
Roy: Yes! Kendra’s blind friend Olivia. You wanted to kill her off in the very first book.
Iris: I did (laughs). It would have been very dramatic and emotional.
Roy: I agree. But I had plans for her in future books, so I really wanted to keep her alive.
Iris: And she’s been a great character through the series. But think what an emotional wallop her death would have packed!
Roy: I’ve always said you were a bloodthirsty writer.
Iris: I am! Nothing brings a story to life more than a powerful death scene.
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Roy: You’ve proven that time after time. But have you ever angered your readers by killing a favorite character?
Iris: Oh, yes. A few times, actually. I had something of a romantic triangle with my character Jane Macguire. She had two men vying for her affections, Mark Trevor and Seth Caleb. I finally decided to resolve the issue by killing Trevor. Readers were not happy! But I felt the relationship had gone as far as I wanted it to go, and his death lent an emotional weight to the book and to Jane herself. It was absolutely the right decision, but readers grow possessive over characters they may follow over a period of years. Some readers were angry, but most were just sad. And that’s okay, because we want to engage our readers, to move them and make them feel. When readers were upset about Trevor, I knew I’d done my job.
Roy: I know what you mean about readers being possessive about our characters. They have very specific ideas about their love lives, especially who they should or should not date. It’s flattering that they’re so invested.
Iris: My character Eve Duncan has had a relationship with Joe Quinn that has run through her entire series, but I had a book where Eve appeared to have some romantic chemistry with another man. Again, readers weren’t happy. They were protective of Joe and nervous that Eve might disappoint them. Every author has to accept the fact that at some point, their characters don’t belong to just them; as much as we collaborate with each other, we’re also collaborating with our readers. I can’t think of anything more satisfying.
Johansen, Iris MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE Grand Central Publishing (Fiction None) $29.00 2, 7 ISBN: 978-1-5387-2623-5
A shocking discovery at the burial site of a serial killer's first victim sets Kendra Michaels on the track of another serial killer.
Facing certain conviction for murder, James Michael Barrett agrees to lead the authorities to the spot where he buried Dayna Voyles two years ago in order to avoid the death penalty. As it turns out, her body's not the only thing in the grave he dug. When the dust clears, Kendra, a once-blind music therapist who frequently consults with the FBI, is convinced that Barrett had an accomplice who buried that additional item in Dayna's grave too recently for Barrett to have done it himself. According to Jackie Gabert, Barrett's smart, ruthless fiancee, this accomplice may have been an Alpha who was pulling the strings from the beginning. A search of Barrett's cell in the McArthur Detention Center reveals a clue that identifies the next victim of Barrett, and presumably the Alpha, as Tricia Walton, a champion swimmer at UC San Diego determined to qualify for the Olympics. Kendra is working with Michael Griffin, the San Diego FBI chief who doesn't like her much; Adam Lynch, the Department of Justice troubleshooter who likes her to pieces; and Olivia Moore, her blind best friend who runs the online platform Outasite; as Lynch announces: "All we have to do is figure out who the Alpha is, and a few other small items like when, where, and how." The torrid pace of the cat-and-mouse game is sent into hyperdrive by the suggestion that the Alpha may well be an FBI agent.
A model nail-biter whose only misstep is killing off its most interesting character early on.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Johansen, Iris: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Jan. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A731562288/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=16d6656a. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023.
Iris Johansen. Grand Central, $28 (352p) ISBN 978-1-5387-2629-7
Bestseller Johansen's tense 29th Eve Duncan novel (after A Face to Die For) opens in Scotland, where forensic sculptor Eve's adopted daughter, artist Jane MacGuire, is "a guest at the estate of John Angus MacDuff, the Earl of MacDuff's Run." When not sketching, Jane researches the elusive history of Fiona, an ancestor of MacDuff, who suspects Fiona may also be an ancestor of Jane, based on a portrait of Fiona that reminds him of Jane. Meanwhile, Jane's significant other, MI6 agent Seth Caleb, is in Africa, where he's being hunted by Hugh Bohdan, second in command to the late dictator Niko Rozkor, whom Seth killed on a mission for MI6. Though Seth is desperate to see Jane again, he's staying away from her until Bohdan is no longer a threat. When Bohdan discovers Jane's tie to Seth, he sets out to harm her. Just as Jane uncovers a 200-year-old secret regarding Fiona, she must go on the run from Bohdan. Jane and Seth wind up overcoming almost insurmountable odds in their efforts to elude the vengeful Bohdan, and readers will eagerly turn the pages to see what happens next. Johansen gives romantic suspense fans exactly what they want. Agents: Andrea Cirilloand Rebecca Scherer.Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Sept.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"Captive." Publishers Weekly, vol. 269, no. 31, 25 July 2022, p. 57. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A713172938/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=70dc8a2b. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023.
Roy Johansen. Grand Central, $28 (384p) ISBN 978-1-5387-6281-3
In this propulsive series spin-off from bestseller Johansen (the Kendra Michaels series), PI Jessie Mercado, Kendra's friend and occasional colleague, takes center stage. Kendra, "a San Diego music therapist whose powers of observation made her a go-to consultant in sevetal high-profile law enforcement investigations," introduces Jessie to a new client, Owen Blake, the co-owner of an incarceration consultancy, which handles financial and personal needs for people who are serving prison sentences. Blake's partner, Carl Ferris, has disappeared, and he wants Jessie to find him. Though she suspects that Blake may be hiding something, she nonetheless agrees to take his case. She's assisted by her new boyfriend, "the hottest actor on the planet," who decides to put the skills he has honed working on Marvel Superhero flicks to good use. Kendra also lends a hand. When the first person Jessie questions about Ferris is murdered and she too is attacked, she realizes there's much more at stake than a missing person. Relentless action and dastardly villains keep the pages turning. Johansen, who usually collaborates with mother Iris Johansen, delivers the goods: Agents: Andrea Cirillo and Rebecca Scherer, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Feb.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"Killer View." Publishers Weekly, vol. 268, no. 52, 20 Dec. 2021, p. 72. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A688844724/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e0faac3c. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023.
High Stakes. By Iris Johansen. Sept. 2021. 368p. Grand Central, $28 (9781538713105); e-book, $28 (9781538713099).
Logan Tanner is a world-class poker player, that rare breed of gambler whose challenges come from men with shady pasts and uncertain futures. He typically plays for offshore bank accounts and rare vintage roadsters, but when a mutual friend ropes him into a game with a different kind of prize, Tanner sees a chance to settle a long-overdue score. Since childhood, Lara, a Russian piano prodigy, has been the plaything of her father, Anton, and his sadistic boss, notoriously violent mobster Volkov. The two men taunt her with escalating trials of strength, cunning, and endurance that have nothing to do with music and everything to do with staying alive and pleasing Volkov. Freeing Lara from this increasingly dangerous predicament provides Tanner with an irresistible opportunity to play for the ultimate stakes, life or death for Lara and justice for Tanner's closest friend, one of Volkov's earliest victims. The prolific Johansen launches a new series with new characters, relying on her trademark conflicts involving tests of will between adversaries and lovers alike.--Carol Haggas
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 American Library Association
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Haggas, Carol. "High Stakes." Booklist, vol. 118, no. 1, 1 Sept. 2021, p. 40. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A675268059/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=326f3fbb. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023.
The Bullet. By Iris Johansen. June 2021.400p. Grand Central, $28 (9781538713198); e-book, $28 (9781538713174).
Just when the world is realizing that global pandemics may be the rule and not the exception, the discovery of a rare botanical concoction that could be a panacea for all life-threatening conditions threatens the life of the doctor researching this medical silver bullet. Diane Connors' find garners the attention of Joshua Nalam, a Big Pharma billionaire whose industry is threatened by such a product. A power-hungry sociopath, Nalam has kidnapped and purportedly murdered the brother of Connors' partner in the development of the miracle cure, and there's only one person who can ascertain whether the charred corpse found in a mountain enclave is that of Kai Hakali, and that's Eve Duncan, starring in her twenty-seventh outing. When Connors recruits Eve, she also involves Duncan's husband, Joe Quinn, who just so happens to be Connors' ex. Along with other Johansen heroes Catherine Ling and Richard Cameron, the entourage must keep Connors and her silver bullet from ending up in the wrong hands. Less action-oriented than many of Johansen's thrillers, this timely tale focuses on the power struggle between Connors and her protectors. --Carol Haggas
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 American Library Association
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Haggas, Carol. "The Bullet." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 17, 1 May 2021, p. 27. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A662304548/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ef5e39e8. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023.
Iris Johansen. Grand Central, $28 (400p) ISBN 978-1-5387-1319-8
In bestseller Johansen's overstuffed 28th outing for forensic sculptor Eve Duncan (after 2020's The Persuasion), scientist Diane Connors, the beautiful exwife of Eve's husband, Det. Joe Quinn of the Atlanta PD, turns up on Eve's doorstep and asks her "to perform a reconstruction on the skull of a man who is supposed to be buried somewhere in the Rocky Mountains of Nevada and help me identify him." The reconstruction of the skull gets lost in the main plot, in which Diane, who has found a way to synthesize a plant that can cure cancer and practically everything else, Eve, and Joe do battle with billionaire Joshua Nalam, who has the "power and money and ability to bend governments and companies to his will" and covets Diane's discovery. Paranormal elements include the ability of Eve's psychic 10-year-old son, Michael, to achieve a sort of emotional contact with vatious players in the drama. Readers should be prepared for long stretches of expository dialogue in which characters lay out their CVs to one another. This one's strictly for series fans. Agent: Andrea Cirillo, Jane
Rotrosen Agency. (June)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 PWxyz, LLC
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"The Bullet." Publishers Weekly, vol. 268, no. 17, 26 Apr. 2021, p. 52. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A660548068/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b92eb0fe. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023.
Blink of an Eye. By Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen. Feb. 2021.352p. Grand Central, $2819781538762882); e-book, $28 (9781538762875).
When pop superstar Delilah Wilson fails to appear on stage for her encores at the Hollywood Bowl, Kendra Michaels and her friend and sometimes colleague, private security expert Jesse Mercado, are in the audience to witness the chaos and confusion. Rushing backstage, their FBI crime-solving credentials and reputations for rapid analysis at the ready, Kendra and Jesse discover the dead bodies of Dee's bodyguards and irrefutable evidence that Dee has been kidnapped. Kendra's favorite FBI agents weigh in on the case, including on-again, off-again lover Adam Lynch. When the eye-popping ransom demand arrives, billionaire Silicon Valley titan Noah Calderon provides the funding. Once romantically involved with Dee, Cameron's generous offer puts him at the center of the investigation in more ways than one. Blazing gun battles, electrifying car chases, and menacing hostage manipulation imbue Team Johansen's latest installment in the Kendra Michaels series with a thrilling blend of physical and psychological tension that showcases the fierce intelligence, grit, and determination of their female protagonists. --Carol Haggas
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 American Library Association
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Haggas, Carol. "Blink of an Eye." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 7, 1 Dec. 2020, pp. 26+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A647835798/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6d24b306. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023.
Johansen, Iris CHAOS Grand Central Publishing (Fiction None) $28.00 9, 1 ISBN: 978-1-5387-1313-6
The latest stand-alone from the chronicler of Eve Duncan and her remarkable family tells the story of an equally remarkable bunch of freelance law enforcers arrayed against a nefarious mercenary.
Jorge Masenak has outdone himself with his latest coup: Stealing a dozen racehorses lodged at Morocco’s St. Eldon’s Academy, kidnapping 59 students from the girls school, passing them around to his confederates, and threatening to execute them if any government agency makes a move against him. Cue the entrance of rogue CIA agent Alisa Flynn, who promptly persuades tech mogul Gabe Korgan to help her rescue the girls. Alisa is particularly close to Sasha Nalano, her official ward, who’s a wizard with horses, and Sasha is especially close to Chaos, an ill-tempered stallion with preternatural speed—so close that girl and horse communicate telepathically. Enlisting soldier of fortune John Gilroy to help with logistics, Alisa and Korgan quickly devise a plan to rescue the hostages. But Masenak escapes, taking Sasha and Chaos, whom he’s determined to have Sasha train on a dramatically accelerated schedule so he can be raced one-on-one against Nightshade, the Triple Crown winner owned by ruthless lumber baron Marcus Reardon. Instead of sweating the details of plotting or characterization, Johansen sets this modern swashbuckler in an alternative reality in which the heroes can infiltrate the villain’s armored strongholds at will, characters compare each other to Wonder Woman and Indiana Jones, and the software has powers as superhuman as the people who develop and use it in the field.
Everything and everybody is larger than life yet somehow smaller than life as well.
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"Johansen, Iris: CHAOS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Aug. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A632285792/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d57db69f. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023.
Chaos. By Iris Johansen. Sept. 2020. 416p. Grand Central, $28 (9781538713136); e-book, $14.99 (9781538713167).
Johansen is back with a new heroine, CIA agent Alisa Flynn. Like her predecessors in Johansen's canon, she is tough, determined, capable, and focused. In her debut appearance, Alisa is partnered with inventor, entrepreneur, and soldier-of-fortune Gabe Korigan to rescue dozens of girls from a Boko Harum-type kidnapping conducted by Masenek, a sadistic African warlord. The girls were students at an elite private academy also attended by Alisas ward, 15-year-old Sasha Lawrence. Saving the girls from relentless rape and torture is mission one, complicated by Sasha's talents as an extraordinary horsewoman. Masenek has entered into a high-stakes race against his nemesis, Reardon, and it is up to Sasha to deliver a winning performance on a cantankerous horse. Flynn, Korigan, and their cadre of special operatives also race against time and the unknown to defeat Masenek and Reardon and save Sasha and her prized horses. Though Flynn is a new star in Johansen's pantheon, her personification of familiar tropes of female strength, power, sexual attraction, and supernatural talents will make her an instant hit with Johansen's many loyal fans.--Carol Haggas
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 American Library Association
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Haggas, Carol. "Chaos." Booklist, vol. 116, no. 22, 1 Aug. 2020, pp. 26+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A633841855/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=48ca8222. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023.
Chaos
Iris Johansen. Grand Central, $28 (416p) ISBN 978-1-5387-1313-6
This exciting series launch from bestseller Johansen (the Eve Duncan series) introduces Alisa Flynn, a special operative of the CIA, who was recruited at 13 when she was a street orphan in Caracas, Venezuela. Three truckloads of a military guerrilla group descend on St. Eldon's Academy, a girls' school in Morocco. Besides intending to hold the richest girls for ransom and selling the rest, they want to take possession of the school's stable of thoroughbred horses, the paperwork regarding their pedigrees, and teenager Sasha Lawrence. Sasha is known as "something of a horse whisperer," who "can coax a horse to do almost anything for her." Unfortunately for mercenary Jorge Masenak, the leader of the intruders, she's also Alisas ward. Alisa puts her career and life on the line to track down Masenak and save Sasha, with the aid of Gabe Korgan, a Nobel Prize winner, inventor, and billionaire, and Margaret Douglas, a fellow animal whisperer who's appeared in another Johansen series. The wildly over-the-top characters and plot race toward a fittingly extravagant conclusion. Johansen's fans will be in heaven. Agent: Andrea Cirillo, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Sept.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 PWxyz, LLC
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"Chaos." Publishers Weekly, vol. 267, no. 30, 27 July 2020, p. 40. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A633466530/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9cd19115. Accessed 13 Jan. 2023.
A Face to Die For: An Eve Duncan Novel
by Iris Johansen
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Eve Duncan, a well-known and highly respected forensic sculptor, has just finished an extensive job in the African village of Maldara, recreating faces from the bones of children who were slaughtered by tomb raiders. She is living in seclusion there, as far away as possible from her nemesis, Adam Madlock, the current president of the United States.
Eve’s husband, Joe, and son, Michael, are in Scotland, where they too are in hiding. Madlock is a would-be dictator, out to destroy the US and assume full power. Eve and Joe are doing everything they can to escape his clutches while simultaneously trying to figure out ways to bring him down.
"As with the other Eve Duncan books, A FACE TO DIE FOR is filled with danger and suspense from the beginning and keeps building until the end."
The father of archaeologist Riley Smith was recently killed by a terrorist group led by Dakar, the leader of a band of tomb raiders, the same men who murdered the children of Maldara. Most historians believe that Helen of Troy never really existed, but not only were Riley and her father certain that she was a real historical figure, they had been looking for her final resting place and were convinced it was in Azerbaijan. They were fans of Eve’s extraordinary sculpting talents and wanted her to do the reconstruction of Helen’s face once her tomb was located. Even though her father is dead, Riley is on a mission to finish the search and “bring Helen back to life” via forensic sculpting.
At first, Eve is reluctant to get involved as she doesn’t believe in Helen’s existence. Also, leaving Maldara and traveling to Azerbaijan would certainly put her life in danger from Madlock and his cronies. But with additional encouragement, Eve decides to help Riley. In fact, she and her husband come up with a plan that they hope will bring Madlock down.
As with the other Eve Duncan books, A FACE TO DIE FOR is filled with danger and suspense from the beginning and keeps building until the end. While it’s possible to dive into this 28th installment without having read any of the previous entries, I highly recommend you savor this fascinating series from the beginning. Meanwhile, fans of Iris Johansen and her plucky protagonist will not have long to wait for #29; CAPTIVE releases on September 6th.
Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin on July 15, 2022
Captive: An Eve Duncan Novel
by Iris Johansen
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While most of the books in Iris Johansen’s Eve Duncan series focus on the titular main character, CAPTIVE revolves around Eve’s daughter, Jane MacGuire, and her significant other, Seth Caleb. Eve is a relatively minor figure in this particular episode.
"This 29th entry in the series is told in Johansen’s distinctive style, with lots of action taking place in various locations and from different characters’ perspectives."
Known as the Hunter, Seth is hired by governments around the world to hunt down bad guys and bring them to justice. Concerned that Jane is being targeted by Hugh Bohdan, a well-known crime lord, Seth encourages her to stay at MacDuff Run, a secluded estate in the Scottish highlands, while he attempts to track down and do away with Bohdan.
Jane is a very strong-willed and resourceful woman. She doesn’t like being cooped up and is chomping at the bit to do something useful. After Bohdan’s men make a play for her, Jane realizes she’s not safe, even in her current hideaway. So she makes up her mind to quit playing the victim and go after Bohdan herself --- with Seth’s help. Can the two of them bring down this criminal mastermind before they are eliminated themselves?
This 29th entry in the series is told in Johansen’s distinctive style, with lots of action taking place in various locations and from different characters’ perspectives. While this broadens the scope of the narrative, readers must pay close attention to the storyline in order to keep up with everything that’s happening.
As with previous installments, Johansen does an adequate job of filling in the backstory to familiarize her fans with all the characters, their relationships to each other, and some of the more recent plots. Newcomers to the series should have no problem settling in and enjoying the ride as they eagerly await #30.
Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin on September 23, 2022
Chaos
by Iris Johansen
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New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen brings us to billionaire Gabe Korgan’s mansion, where rogue CIA agent Alisa Flynn is caught breaking in. In a split-second decision, she attempts to persuade this brilliant mind to join forces with her to catch their mutual enemy, a scumbag named Jorge Masenak. Most recently, this son of a local crime boss has kidnapped students at St. Eldon’s Academy, a girls' school in Morocco where the daughters of many influential people attend.
Reluctantly, Alisa and Korgan agree to work together. With Korgan’s financial and material affluence and Alisa’s espionage training, they must devise a plan to safely extract the girls while capturing the elusive Masenak. When it is revealed that one of the students has a special link to Alisa, the stakes are raised even higher.
"CHAOS is an emotional thriller that...will grab your attention from the first page and not let you go."
I absolutely loved the slow-burn development of Alisa and Korgan’s relationship. Even from their first interaction, the sexual chemistry is palpable and they clash in the most extraordinary way. Sometimes they will make some semblance of progress, only for one of them to say the wrong thing and ruin the moment. I felt so emotionally invested in them, and their exchanges will keep you on the edge of your seat. Johansen knows how to write wonderfully crafted characters and dialogue.
Let it be known that there are triggers of rape and pedophilia here. However, Johansen only employs these moments sparingly; she does not use extreme gore and violence just to get a reaction from her audience. I appreciate how she focuses on the aftermath for bystanders and victims rather than on the acts themselves. Her nuance and care when writing these scenes are respectful but still expose the ugly and wretched events.
Sasha, a horse whisperer, is a sister figure to Alisa. She is the one who was kidnapped alongside the other students. At only 15, she has faced so much hardship and pain, yet is so resilient, tenacious and inspiring. She is incredibly selfless, even in the face of extreme violence, and her relationship with animals is so tender and precious. Johansen has done a phenomenal job creating these strong female role models.
As Alisa and Korgan work together, we see them chip away at each other’s pasts. The characters’ backstories are well-thought-out and informed a lot of the interactions in the novel.
CHAOS is an emotional thriller that will take you to the deep, hidden recesses of the Szarnar Jungle. It will grab your attention from the first page and not let you go. Even for those who typically don't gravitate towards suspense novels, the yummy romance and cheeky animals will surely satisfy you. I recommend this worthy book to anyone who needs a little more excitement during quarantine.
Reviewed by Alison Lee on September 18, 2020