Body of Lies

Eve Duncan #4

by Iris Johansen

Eve Duncan, the signature character of #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen, thought her past was long buried. Until she finds herself tracking a killer so deceptive he leaves no trace behind--except for his victims.

Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan has been summoned to Baton Rouge by a high-ranking government official to identify the remains of an unknown murder victim. Eve wants nothing to do with the project. She has finally found peace from her own tragic past, living a quiet life with Atlanta detective Joe Quinn and her adopted daughter, Jane. Then a stunning series of seemingly unrelated events turns Eve's new world upside down.

Now, in a special government facility, she takes on the project of identifying the victim's skeleton. But she hasn't even begun when another death occurs. Someone totally ruthless, who can strike anywhere at any time and with seeming immunity, is determined to put a halt to her work, her life, and the lives of those she loves. Eve has stumbled onto a chilling conspiracy. There is only one person who can give her the devastating truth . . . and he's already dead.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Romance

369 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her 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 lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.

IRIS JOHANSEN is The New York Times bestselling author of Night and Day, Hide Away, Shadow Play, 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, and more. And with her son, Roy Johansen, she has coauthored Night Watch, The Naked Eye, Sight Unseen, Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle, and Silent Thunder.

http://www.irisjohansen.com

Reviews

[Diane Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great series! a well written plotline that was full of surprises and even twists & turns (paperback!)

[Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the finding of Bonnie's body in the previous book was a bit too easy and not central enough for the story. I mean in the last book Eve and Quinn had small roles while Sarah Patrick and John Logan was the main characters. And we only get to know that Bonnie's body had been found when Sarah Patrick travels to the funeral. I felt that it was weird that it didn't have a more central role in a book. But, in this book Iris Johansen twist everything and suddenly this closet chapter is not as closed as I thought it would be. And, Eve who is hurting after learning of a big betrayal decides to take on the very job she had no plans to take and suddenly she is very much in danger. Now it seems that there could be a secret organization that will stop at nothing to get the skull that she is working on.

As usual was I quickly caught up in the story, and I liked all the twist and turns throughout the story. I was also pleasantly happy to once again get to know Sean Galen as Logan sends him to Eve to look after her. And, as usual not, everything is as it should be, and not everybody is trustworthy. Thankfully Eve as Galen and Quinn to look after her.

I quite liked this book and I'm looking forward reading more in the series!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Pros: The books in the Eve Duncan series are easy to read and for the most part fun. I read the first book in the series but not the second and third but I still was able to slip back into Eve's world. If you like suspense thriller movies from the 1990s and early 2000's than you'll like these books.

Now on to The Cons: I hate Joe Eve's boyfriend.

Here are just a few reasons why:
1)He's unable to control his temper
2) He's prone to violent behavior
3) He tells Eve that he's willing to hit her to "protect" her
4) He tells a HUGE (and I believe) unforgivable
lie to "protect" her
5) He yells at her to "protect" her
6) He follows her to "protect" her
7) He wants to decide who she can be friends with to "protect" her

Joe sounds like an abuser to me.

I HATE HIM!

Eve is described as this smart strong woman but when ever shes around Joe she acts like a helpless child. In the first book I liked the other male character Logan better than Joe and in this book I felt the same about Galen. Joe is trash.

From reading other reviews its pretty obvious that no one else feels this way about Joe in fact everyone seems to hate Eve. I like Eve and I want her to murder Joe and get on with her life.

Do I still recommend the book?

Yeah, because the mystery was fun and because I love Galen and want others to meet him.

[Lain · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starting a series in the middle is always tough, but I'm a firm believer that readers should be able to enter the path at any point and feel welcomed. Johansen does a good job of giving enough of the backstory on her characters (forensic scluptor Eve Duncan, her adopted daughter Jane, and her live-in love Joe Quinn) that I understood what was going on.

She also set up an interesting plot line -- a body-less skull, a mysterious letter in the mail, a betrayal by Joe -- that I was pulled in immediately.

Unfortunately, that's where the good parts end. Eve is a narcissist who seems to act with little regard to her family, the other characters seem to exist solely to serve her will (doesn't Joe have any passions or needs of his own?), and the plot was splotchy and haphazard. Twists and turns appeared without any apparent foresight by the author other than, "Wow, this will fool 'em!" I was left with more questions than were answered. Not a good end to a mystery.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Someone, anyone... Please!... lock main character Eve, (forensic sculpture expert,) away in a secluded place, well-supplied with skulls and self-pity pills. OCD, much ?!? Her abrasive personality rivals the most wicked case of gallstones; her stubborn, petulant child mentality endangers anyone foolish enough to give a flip about her. Sadly ironic her adopted 12 yo daughter Jane is mature beyond her years, while Eve flounders/wallows in shallow selfishness. Jane and her puppy, plus Galen, are the few saving graces in this banal offering. Author Johansen obviously has a one-word fetish to describe emotional bodily reactions: "stiffened" .... which is sprinkled too liberally throughout plot. In fact, readers are subjected to it twice on the same page, generously separated by a few paragraphs. The plot had great possibilities, but ruined by Eve's delusions of omnipotence.

[Amy C · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been really trying to get into this series, but I don't think its going to happen. I don't understand what it is with this author an her female characters. They are just so unlikeable and unrealistic.
Eve is just always about to bitch someone out to the point that her caring side seems unbelievable... how old is she again 30? 85? using words like "youngsters". Also, she gets everyone into this dangerous situation, then, insists on getting in everyones way.
Jane is on the same cranky war path, and, for a 12 year old, she talks like a 49 year old.
The end of this book became so far fetched and agonizing that I had to go back and double check to see if I had finished reading it. And, I had. Beboop :( now I'm sad because I need to find some other series to read.

[Colin Bruce Anthes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm being very kind in giving this three stars. Even pulp fiction should be done with skill in one fashion or another, and Johansen fails to make the grade. Life's too short to drink cheap wine; skip her.

By the third page, Johansen has exhausted her sixth-grade vocabulary. Worse still, she likes to take this limited prose and use it to repeat the same conversation multiple times. She will tell you the villain's perspective as they plan what they are going to do. Then she will tell you what they did. Then she will have a character call Eve Duncan and tell her what the villain did. Then Eve will turn to her scene partner and tell them what she was told the villain did.

I generously award this book 3 stars because the character idea (not character, who is rather bland) of a forensic sculptor made for a bearable read, and because Eve's daughter managed to be interesting (the rest of the characters are merely realistic). I have my suspicions Johansen wrote a 12-going-on-50 character because she couldn't write an actual 12-year-old, but happy accident or no, it worked. There were no other redeeming qualities.

Don't read it. And if you do, give it an accurate rating. 3.91 will reel in poor suckers like me who wasted their time.

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forgot how much I enjoyed reading about Eve Duncan's skull mysteries. She always manages to get into trouble without planning it. She only looks to help the lost but there's always someone using her skills for other things and her family always needs to be protected.
Of course I still want to know about Bonny just as much as Eve so I'll continue with the series until we both find out, if ever.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is nothing better than fodder for grocery store bargain bins. It reads like some old lady's CSI fan fiction (which, I suppose, is pretty damn close to what it is). Johansen's ham-fisted attempt at navigating the mystery genre had me on the edge of my seat as I was counting down the pages until this self-indulgent tripe was finished.

The character construction is shoddy, at best. Eve Duncan is the middle-aged woman's answer to Nancy Drew, with none of the charm, intellect, or (presumably) good looks. Her natural talent for getting herself involved in painfully endless dramatic scenarios is only heightened by her complete inability to do anything but get in the way of their resolution. The author seems to have written a character so weak, helpless and meddlesome that one could venture to suggest that she's put the women's liberation movement all the way back to the early 1900s. Eve Duncan seems to only hold a gun when one is thrust into her hands by a well-meaning and indulgent member of the patriarchy, most of whom treat her like an idiot who would be better off staying on the side-lines -- apparently for her own safety, but it reads more like the menfolk don't want a troublesome woman getting in the way while they take care of adult business. Even Eve's male love interest, Joe, forced her to stay away from the action several times, simply because he felt her presence would prevent him from doing his job to the best of his ability. The author is apparently incapable of manipulating this character trait to her advantage, and instead of developing a strong female character who succeeds in spite of the roadblocks placed her way by the males in her life, Johansen creates a bumbling, delusional, emotionally-compromised woman who can reconstruct a face, but can't reconstruct her life after the death of her daughter.

And what can be said about Eve's surrogate daughter, Jane? The twelve year old, bursting with so-called street-smarts, is apparently representative of what is good and pure in the world. She is supposed to exist as a foil for Eve's own jaded personality. However, this goal is never fully reached, as Jane's character is so painfully underdeveloped that she provides nothing to the plot progression, and only serves as a constant reminder of how weak and pathetic Eve is -- presumably not the kind of foil the author was looking for). Jane is just another unfortunate female character caught in Johansen's crosshairs.

This book was painful to endure. I have never been so thoroughly unimpressed with an author and am disappointed that my stubbornness prevented me from stopping reading this book entirely. I am baffled that this book has been so well-received on this website.

[Choco Con Churros · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entretenido. Un poco embarullado al final. Un caso como Dios manda, una heroína que no para de poner en peligro a los que la rodean, un enamorado algo neardenthal... Todo bien enlazado (Un poco "bigger than life", pero es un estilo como otro cualquiera). Se lee con gusto. Destripadoras

[Jill Bratcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book via a swap site and then realized it was book #3 in a series, so I obtained the first book. Months later I pulled this one out of the to-be-read pile and accidentally read it before the first book. Oops. That said, you don't need to have read book one to follow this one AT ALL. Iris Johansen does a great job of filling you in on the most important aspects of the characters' history without boring you (and hopefully those who *have* read the previous books).

Eve Duncan is a complex and likable character, whose needs and wants the read immediately grasps. From that moment on, as Bette Davis famously once said, fasten your seatbelts, you're in for a bumpy ride - as one thing after another threatens Eve, her adopted daughter and her mother. She and those surrounding Eve make for enjoyable characters to revisit in a series, too, where you can see their character growth (as I'm seeing now that I'm reading book #1).

Admittedly, I suspected something was amiss with certain characters, but Johansen still fooled me; I didn't guess exactly what whas up with them.

Read this in two sittings and couldn't wait to go back and start the first book (which I'm halfway through!).

All that said, I didn't give it five stars because, well, I guess I'm so used to reading thrillers from the Christian market that sometimes the foul language jolted me out of the story. Not that I don't suspect bad (and good) guys speak like that; I know they do because I encounter people every day in life who do. I just think you don't *have* to include it. (If Jim Bell and Brandilyn Collins can write believable suspense without it, so can anyone else.) And the emphasis on how great characters' sex life is just doesn't ring my bell either - although in this case, had I read the first book, I probably would see it in a better context, since the couple in this book isn't a couple yet in the first one.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eve Duncan is pulled in by a high powered senator to do a facial reconstruction. This story weaves in a secret society manipulating the world economy. The storyline is good. At times there is too much focus on Eve and her partner Joe which tends to be immature. Looking forward to the next book.

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first Iris Johansen mystery I've read, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It held my interest from the beginning to the end. Eve Duncan, one of three main characters is a forensic scientist where she is able to take a skull and recreate the person's face who it was with remarkable accuracy. She has abilities to help different government agencies when they are unable to identify a body based on a skeleton or a skull. Her love interest is Joe Quinn, and they have an adopted daughter named Jane. Eve's own daughter was killed years earlier, and they haven't been able to recover her body. They are still working to do so. Joe has been a Navy Seal, worked for many groups, and has amazing abilities. They love each other very very much, and Jane is a very smart girl who has a wonderful fit in their family. This is Book #4. At some point will have to find the other earlier ones. Would recommend.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was intrigued while I was reading, I had to find out what was going to happen, although I was a little annoyed by the Big Conspiracy-plot. (There are simple minds out there who actually believe in that crap, please don't get them started)

After I finished the and had time to think about it, it's a "two star, not likely to read another by the same author". None of the characters are believeable and only a few likeable, or at least to symphatize with. As for the plot, well, I'm not one for the NWO-type of conspiracies. In the end the plot was just to smart for its own good, I may have to read it again to decide if I read it too fast or if she wrote it too fast and forgot to tie up some loose ends. (And I will not read it again)

And isn't it a bit strange that a novel set in the Deep South, mainly Georgia and Louisiana, doesn't feature a single black person? Or is it only my European prejudice or something? (Or did I read it too fast?)

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Body of Lies by Iris Johansen is the 4th book in the Eve Duncan Mystery series. Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan is called to work on a skull in Baton Rouge and finds that someone is out to prevent her work with attempts made on her life and those around her. A brilliant and action packed book with plenty of twists and suspense. Eve's character seems to have deteriorated though. Although excelling at her work, she seems to treat her friends abominably, refuses to accept help and support when needed and frequently acts as a spoilt child.Nonetheless an interesting mystery.

[Iasmy Literatura pe tocuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cartea “Lantul minciunilor“, este un thriller, destul de captivant pe alocuri, dar si putin plictisitor. Autoarea in tot acest vartej de suspans are oarecum momente in care stagneaza actiunea si pare lipsita de inspiratie. Dar cu toate acestea pana la final cartea reuseste sa captiveze, mai ales prin prisma faptului ca aflam amanunte despre societatea secreta Cabala. Extrem de interesanta aceasta noua fata a Cabalei. Eu personal am avut o alta viziune despre aceasta societate secreta, iar aici in carte descopar lucruri la care nu ma asteptam. Nu stiu cat este realitate si cat fictiune in ceea ce prezinta Iris Johansen, dar clar am ramas cu impresia unei CABALE foarte puternice care are ca membri cei mai inalti demnitari ai multor tari, dar si oameni de afaceri puternici, care incearca sa conduca lumea si sa modeleze economia internationala.

In acesta carte romantismul nu prea este prezent, dar avem placerea de a ne reantalni cu Sean Galen, celebrul mercenar, in postura de bodyguoard, un tip absolut fermecator de amuzant. Facem cunostinta si cu o poveste destul de dureroasa a Evei Duncan-o mama care si- a pierdut fiica, dar care incearca sa isi continuie viata intr-o noua formula, cu o alta fetita adoptata. Dar isi va gasi linistea probabil doar cand va descoperi pe cel care i-a ucis fiica- o -fetita de 7 ani,(si inca alti cativa copii) al carui trup nu a fost inca gasit cu adevarat. Chiar si dupa 12 ani criminalul nu a fost prins inca, dar sta ascuns si este la panda. Dar pana sa-l gaseasca pe criminalul fiicei, un alt criminal feroce se contureaza in peisaj, acesta lasand in urma sa cateva cadavre si are misiunea de-a o lichida si pe Eve. Un asasin atat de abil incat nu lasa urme, decat victimele, ajungand pana la a-si omora propriul frate.

Closed CircuitEve Duncan este unul dintre cei mai buni experti criminalisti din tara. A crescut mai mult singura intr-o mahala alaturi de o mama care consuma droguri. La saisprezece ani, Eve ramane insarcinata si naste o fetita pe nume Bonnie. Se intoarce la scoala si incepe sa se intretina singura muncind din greu. La varsta de sapte ani, fetita ei Bonnie este ucisa de un psihopat care mai omorase si alti unsprezece copii. Cadavrul fetei nu a fost gasit si Eve a luat hotararea sa se faca expert criminalist. Studiaza la Georgia State si devine unul dintre cei mai buni in domeniu, din toata tara. In general lucreaza pe cont propriu, dar mai colaboreaza si cu diverse departamente ale politiei. Principala ei munca de expert criminalist este aceea de a modela scheletele si craniile celor ucisi si a le descoperi identitatea.

lantul minciunilor (4)Timp de 12 ani cauta cu infrigurare corpul neinsufletit al fiicei sale, si in urma cu ceva timp este anuntata ca acesta a fost descoperit. Este oarecum linistita acum dupa ce isi inmormanteaza fetita, zilnic mergand la mormantul ei. Dar nu a stat oarecum pasiva si a adoptat si o fetita pe nume Jane, care are varsta apropiata de a lui Bonnie si care a crescut la fel ca si ea pe strazi. O iubeste pe Jane ca pe propria fiica. In acesti doisprezece ani, ancheta cu descoperirea psihopatului care a ucis acei copii, este condusa de Joe Quinn, detectiv la Departamentul de politie din Atlanta. In tot acest timp Joe si Eve au dezvoltat o pasiune , fiind atrasi unul de celalalt descoperind in final ca se iubesc. De doi ani cei doi s-au mutat impreuna si formeaza o familie alaturi de fetita adoptata. Lucrurile par linistite si asezate pe un anumit fagas, dar pare linistea dinaintea furtunii. Un telefon din partea unui inalt demnitar: ii solicita ajutorul pentru a identifica o persoana ucisa cu mult timp in urma. O misiune extrem de dificila, si din cauza ca este si implicare politica, in prima faza Eve refuza.

lantul minciunilor (5)Dar senatorul, il vrea pe cel mai bun expert sa rezolve cazul si atunci va incerca cu ajutorul oamenilor care ii are sa o forteze sa accepte. Un senator, membru al societatii Cabala, care avea un motiv bine intemeiat sa rezolve cazul deoarece era oarecum direct implicat. Cel care trebuia identificat fusese ucis chiar de societatea lor, dar ei nu erau siguri daca chiar il lichidase sau nu. Aveau nevoie de o confirmare. Aceasta putea fi adusa doar de Eve, iar daca descoperea adevarul trebuia ucisa deoarece cazul fusese mediatizat si ar fi iesit la suprafata prea multe secrete. Aici intra in scena asasinul, care face parte din aceeasi societate Cabala si este mana in mana cu senatorul. Incep sa apara o serie de evenimente, dar mai ales unul care o face pe Eve sa accepte. Afla cu stupoare ca Joe Quinn, iubitul ei, omul cu care vroia sa formeze o famile, a mintit-o. Corpul pe care in inmormantase nu apartinea fiicei ei, dar Joe facuse in asa fel ca ea sa creada acest lucru. El a vrut doar ca ea sa-si gaseasca linistea. Dar Cabala descopera, avand tentacule peste tot si ii dezvaluie aceste lucruri. Intr-un impuls de furie vrea sa se departeze de Joe, si accepta misiunea. La insistentele lui Joe, care chiar o iubea, cel care o va proteja este Sean Galen, cel mai bun in bransa. Dar Joe o iubeste extrem si nu poate sta cu mainele in san, trebuie sa fie alaturi de ea, mai ales ca o serie de crime incep sa roiasca in jur. Eve isi incepe munca, si inainteaza incetul cu incetul, iar secretele incep sa apara unul cate unul. O serie de incidente, aparent fara nicio legatura unul cu altul, ameninta sa-i zadarniceasca eforturile. Pe masura ce inainteaza, Eve consatata ca are de-a face cu un ucigas sumbru si ingenios, pentru care nimic nu este imposibil. Tot acum iese la iveala si un complot si sabotaj la nivel inalt, organizat de Cabala.
Si totusi atat Sean, cat si Joe, care vor lucra impreuna si vor fi umar la umar, sunt singurii care se afla foarte aproape de criminal si aproape sa deturneze planurile organizatiei.
Joe, este fost puscas marin, iar acest lucru il ajuta in aceasta misiune, deoarece a fost unul dintre cei mai buni, iar acea experienta isi spune cuvantul. Va fi dur si nemilos cu tot ce vrea sa-i faca rau Evei si fetitei Jane. Parca se activeaza si iese un fel de lup infometat de sange din el cand este vorba de siguranta celor doua.........
http://literaturapetocuri.ro/lantul-m...

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not much of a "romantic suspense" fan and this read a bit like that, but it was a good mystery if not a bit of a mix with action/adventure and not much downtime after awhile. Also the over-reliance of dialogue, which is more endurable if the author did not keep inserting names into the speech too much, which so many authors do but is never how people actually speak. It held my interest and I may try earlier books in the series. It's taboo to read out of order, but I picked this one for a challenge and it's been on my bookshelf TBR pile for years.

[Tory Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed with this addition to the Eve Duncan series. There wasn't too much character development and seemed to drag at times.

[BxerMom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this series. Action packed, emotional it has it all! A must read.

[Wendy Critchlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

In front of this book Kirkus Reviews says this book is “another zippy read” I agree!

[Jjean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first reading of this series but she gives enough background, I understood the "who & why" of the characters - written with many twist - Mystery, murder, romance, family, friendship, and a well written plot -

[Lynn Orser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catching up on some missed Eve Duncan novels. (#4) This is one of the earlier books and it is noticeable if you have read some of Johansen's later works. It is still best to red her novels in order. Thsy make more sense. Enjoy.

[Jeffrey Lyons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had a bit of mystery, a bit of suspense, and a secret society. I liked it better than book three because Eve Duncan was front and center.

On the other hand, this book ticked me off immediately. Everything we thought was resolved in the second book in this series turned out to be a lie. It devastated Eve who felt betrayed by her boyfriend Joe Quinn. I never liked Joe anyway but this really annoyed me as much as it angered Eve. So to get her head on straight, Eve decides to accept a job she was strong-armed into by a Senator to determine if a skull in his possession was that of another political candidate who had been missing for two years. It's all hush-hush of course. What follows are a series of chills involving several deaths by someone who could best be described as sadistic and devoted to a strange cause. We also learn about the Cabal, a secret society made up of movers and shakers from throughout the world who have something evil planned, but we don't find out what that is until toward the end of the book. Throughout the book there are threats against Eve and her family.

What I enjoyed most about this book was Galen, a "fix-it" man who works for multi-millionaire John Logan, who was a short-lived romantic interest of Eve's in earlier books. By "fix-it," I don't mean a handy man who fixes porches. Galen knows how to dig around for information and he knows some scurrilous individuals who help along the way. Galen's humor and ego kept me smiling throughout. Not that is was meant to be a funny book. Galen certainly didn't win many smiles from Joe, who thought he was stepping on his toes while obsessing to protect Eve at all costs. That's another reason I just don't like Joe! He's overly protective, he's bossy, he's demanding, and to me downright threatening toward Eve whenever she opposes him. But then he says he loves her. I cannot understand how Eve thinks the world of him, especially in this book after what he did.

Some Goodreads members do not like 12-year old Jane McGuire, Eve's adopted daughter. Just the opposite for me. I like her character immensely. Her "Tween" attitudes are captured brilliantly. And in this book, she has her own dog named Tobey. I loved her devotion to that dog.

[Pebble Tedford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am caught up in the life of Eve Duncan.....and the adventures she ends up in, in searching for her daughter's, Bonnie, killer. I've only read a few of the Eve Duncan books, but I am looking forward to reading more.

[Kat Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite, by a long shot. The mystery feels too big to be realistic - Secret worldwide government organizations ruling behind the scenes.

The backstory between Eve and Joe bothered me too - I couldn't relate. Granted I've never lost a child, so maybe I really can't relate, and someone who has would feel the way Eve does, but...

It felt like she was writing off not only the love she feels for him now, but 10+ years of being a devoted friend who always had her back, who's saved her life and her sanity, because he lied to her - to give her the peace she'd been searching for since Bonnie disappeared.

He lied for her sake, and maybe he was wrong to do so - but to be willing to end everything with him because of it? Even more wrong. Not to mention rather disloyal and uncaring of everything he has given her. I don't think I'd want someone myself who was that unforgiving.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good read, with lots of intrigue, suspense and romance. Eve Duncan, a forensic sculptor, has taken on an assignment that will put her family in danger. She proceeds with the same intense concentration she always does, determined to put a name on the faceless skull that was found somewhere in the Louisiana bayou. Meanwhile, she is dealing with her own personal problems. Joe Quinn, the Atlanta detective and ex-Navy Seal with whom she shares a life, has been caught in a lie. Eve is not sure she if she can get past this and live with him again. Joe, however, is doggedly devoted and steadfast. I had a little trouble swallowing this last part. Not too many men would show this kind of single minded devotion, but it is a nice fantasy, and this is, after all, a work of fiction. :-)

[Ave · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was dredgery for me to read. I did complete it but it is one of those books that I had to force myself to read. The story is choppy, not flowing, predictable. Eve, the main character is self absorbed, rude and complaining. My favorite character was Galen, a supporting character, but he had a sense of humor and some wit. This is the first book that I have read by Iris Johansen and most probably, my last.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of the same. Everybody is overprotective and on the verge of getting killed. Joe and Eve had a fight in this one but things were pretty much patched up by the end of the book. Jane is still super observant and wise beyond her years. I think I like Galen the most so I'm glad he came back in this book. He isn't a major character though so I may not see him in future books.

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth book in the Eve Duncan series. Eve Duncan is a forensic sculptor who helps identify the dead from their skulls. As with the others in the series, her job puts her life in danger. Fun and exciting.

[Grammarbroad · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think I added this book because it seemed to be set in Louisiana. I only finished it to keep looking for Louisiana connections. Unbelievable book. Literally. Unbelievably, excruciatingly shoddy writing. Again, I'm baffled that this tripe sells. What a waste of time.