Dark Tribute

Eve Duncan #24

by Iris Johansen

“Plenty of action and mystery…Eve Duncan [does] not disappoint!”― Criminal Element

New York Times bestseller Iris Johansen is back with another high octane thriller in Dark Tribute that will leave your mind racing and your heart pounding.

Despite her tragic childhood, violin prodigy Cara Delaney has finally found peace in her career as a professional musician and stability in her relationship with her guardians, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan and ex-Navy SEAL Joe Quinn. If only Jock Gavin, Cara’s lifelong friend and a man with his own twisted history, would come back into her life, everything would be perfect.

The carefully constructed world Cara has built for herself is suddenly threatened when she is kidnapped by a mysterious man trying to settle a score against her family, setting off a violent chain of events that puts everyone Cara loves in danger. Now, Cara will have to use every instinct she has to stay one step ahead―or else pay the deadly tribute of her family’s dark past.


The Eve Duncan novels

“Enough to keep readers hooked all night long.”― San Francisco Book Review

“Enthralling…and completely satisfying.”― Kirkus Reviews

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

432 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 26, 2019

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

[Kat valentine ( Katsbookcornerreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fabulous adventure from the amazingly Iris Johansen!! I love this series so much,so many awesome characters and a great storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat with so many twist's and turns.. Johansen knows how to writer a totally thrilling tale and her villains are so evil ,but they are no match for eve and all those who inhabit her world !! This is mostly about jock and cara,when cara gets kidnapped by one of her grandfather's enemies it's jock and Joe Quinn to the rescue,but they will be dealing with a man who is not only insane but is truly evil and will hurt anyone who means something to Cara whether it's Joe Quinn or eve or jock or even eve's son michael. When things go terribly wrong and Joe gets caught his son michael will go in search of him ,because Michael isn't a normal child he can actually talk to his dad telephathly and Michael is keeping him going so that he doesn't die from his injuries and high fever! And in all this chaos going on, theirs the relelationship between jock and cara and even though jock has been able to keep cara at arms length all these years ,things have been changing and cara wants more she loves him and wants to be his lover,but jock is afraid of his past as a assassin a cold blood killer who has to fights his demons daily and even though he fights himself and cara it's only a matter of time before these two scarred souls become lovers and once it starts its a sensual and sexy coming together that will leave them breathless and wanting! Settle in for another great read from one of the best selling authors of crime fiction!💖😉

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

While listening to the audio version, I kept falling asleep. This is a DNF for me that I may come back to...but I doubt it.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

the same old, I'm strong, your mine, I'll protect you ! I want something different, I want a good juicy story of a reconstruction a hunt for a killer not of the family, There is so much repetitive conversations! Come on Iris Johansen give me something like the beginning of the series, I'm bored.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cara Delaney, the adopted daughter of Eve Duncan and Joe Quinn, becomes the focus of a deranged man bent on revenge. When she's kidnapped, Eve, Joe, their brilliant, atypical young son Michael, and Jock Gavin (there are unrequited feelings between him and Cara) work to get her back safe. This book is nonstop suspense, and I loved that about it. Cara's fragile but also strong like a strand of silk. She's a great match for Jock, who has a very troubled past that has made him an extremely dangerous man. I hope there are more stories about these two, and the very fascinating Michael, who is mature beyond his years.

Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am over (and I know I said this in another review) of Cara's and if I've being honest every character in this book, saying "I have to protect the other", "it's my fault", "it's my job". This book could have had 50 less pages without that dialog. I'm suprised by Cara and Jock finally hooking up. So this probably means in the next book or two they will kill off Jock. Seems like this author likes to do that. If there was never another book in this series - I would be okay with it. Maybe a new series with a little less "voodoo" to solve the mystery.

[Rachel Walton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't even finish this one. 200 pages in and had to give up. The storyline is too much like all of Johansen's other books, and the dialogue has gotten stale and boring. There's no need to have the characters talking out every emotion they experience. It's also getting really old that the untrained women in the books think they need to be in on the action when they just get in the way.

[Marika Charalambous · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm starting to get Eve Duncan fatigue from what I've noticed. Still a great book, but I was not as hooked on the story as before. I found the dialogue forced, and Michael, the kid, had such a rich vocabulary that even most adults don't speak the way he did in the book. No matter what kind of an old soul a child is, he still needs several Earth years to learn proper grammar, vocabulary, and speech. A preteen is simply not capable of speaking the way Michael spoke at times.

Full review at https://mysterysequels.com/book-revie...

[Sarah Moschel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Used to be one of my favorite authors. Her last 3 books have been awful, the plot old and tired, and I have to force myself to finish

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed seeing some progress being made in this series! Jock and Cara finally hook up and I LOVE it!

#3 The Search - ★★★★★
#4 Body of Lies - ★★★★★
#5 Blind Alley - ★★★★★
#6 Countdown - ★★★★★
#7 Stalemate- ★★★★★
#8 Quicksand - ★★★★★
#9 Blood Game - ★★★★★
#10 Eight Days to Live - ★★★★★
#11 Chasing the Night - ★★★★★
#12 Eve - ★★★★★
#13 Quinn - ★★★★★
#14 Bonnie - ★★★★★
#15 Sleep No More - ★★★★☆
#16 Taking Eve - ★★★☆☆
#17 Hunting Eve - ★★★★★
#18 Silencing Eve - ★★★☆☆
#19 Shadow Play - ★★★☆☆
#20 Hide Away - ★★★★☆
#21 Night and Day - ★★★★☆
#22 Mind Game - ★★★★☆
#23 Shattered Mirror - ★★★★☆

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

In fairness to the author this is the 24th bookin the Eve Duncan series and I have not read any of the others. Also, in fairness to her, this is a review of an ARC. Both of these probably are responsible for the 2 star rating on this Eve Duncan adventure. In actuality, Eve Duncan did not play a very large part in the story but her son, Michael and her daughter, Cara were the two main characters--other than Cara's grandfather and the villain of the piece, an insane old adversary of his, Svardak.
well as her relationships with Eve and her family and a former killer, I guess, Jock were all unfamiliar to me. It was therefore difficult to get into the present interactions with any understanding. Nevertheless, I found Cara to be rather irritating, her romantic involvement with Jock improbable and lack of understanding of Kaskov immature. As to Michael, precocious ten year olds have never been intriguing or cute or intelligent to me.

The basic plot could have been interesting if this were a stand alone book and if it had not been so repetitive and padded with unnecessary rehashing of --you can't be here, protect her, she broke the connection or he did, music is the only reason to be involved, etc, etc, etc.

Stuck it out to the bitter end, which was perhaps the most exciting part of the whole book. Heard of this author but not sure if this book makes me want to go back to the beginning of the series and start it. Other books have hooked me mid series, but this one has not.

[samantha vogel-Hespos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I love the author. This book puts you on the thrills & rollercoasters of danger, fear, love, and relationships. I couldn’t put this book down once I started reading it. I highly recommend it to anyone.

[Anke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book

[Vincent Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Dark Tribute book #24 by Iris Johansen, the focus is on Cara and Joe Quinn. In book #23, Team Eve Duncan, which comprises Eve, her son Michael, her husband Joe Quinn, Cara Delaney, Jock Gavin, and Jane McQuire (who is not featured in book #23), work together to save Michael when he is kidnapped by a monster who detonates a bomb to get to Michael.

In this book, the carefully constructed life Cara has built for herself is suddenly threatened when she is kidnapped by a mysterious man from her grandfather's past, setting off a violent chain of events that puts everyone Cara loves in danger. The hero of the team, Joe Quinn, is taken captive when he goes to save Cara. Will Cara become a tribute to her family's dark past, or will she be able to keep herself and her loved ones alive?

However, I was not interested in the violence. I always want to see how characters grow up, making me stick to a book series. In book #23, Cara and Jock become an item. Cara is upfront when she tells Jock that she wants to be him, and he won't push her away. (Such a declaration. Is there this kind of woman in real life?)

In this book, Cara and Jock make love (or have sex) for the first time. Despite Cara's sluttish appearance (from her language), she is a virgin. When they make love, you can experience it; every touch, kiss, emotion, and slurp. It is so passionate it borders on erotica.

As usual, Iris Johansen's filler phrases that have become her undoing still pepper this book; I wonder whether she gets to know of feedback like this. Either her or her team is sleeping on the job.

It is as thrilling as any other Iris Johansen story.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was waiting for this story - Jock and Cara - but ultimately it delivered less Jock and Cara and more Michael and Joe. Cara is a taken captive by someone who wants to get back at Koskov, Cara's grandfather. Cara escapes but Svardak really wants her dead and is determined to kill people close to her. He ends up getting Joe. This was not easy to do, more like a lucky shot. Rather than letting Jock handle everything, Michael decides that he needs to help his father so using a little psychic intervention he figures where his father has been taken. They all set a trap for Svardak. But the book was boring. The big build-up for Cara and Jock and the exploration of their relationship never really came. They love each other but what happens now? The story plodded along and I didn't care much about how they killed Svardak only that they did just to shut him up. Although he had killed others before Cara, he was more annoying than threatening and though Johansen explored his motivation once she did that early in the book, she was done with him. He was nothing more than a device for the rest of the story. I expected better.

[Avidreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the many characters in the Eve Duncan universe, Jock is one of my favorites and one that I wish they would explore more. Jock and Cara finally confront the nature of their relationship before it is threatened by someone from her grandfather's past. Michael becomes very protective of Joe, and he, Joe and Eve help Cara overcome the latest threat. I honestly knew from the moment they introduced Cara as a child that it was headed in this direction and I had issues with it at first. I do like the way they handled the relationship. I really am getting to the point that the Kendra Michaels books are the ones that I like the most ( and that one kind of jumped the shark), but Iris has temporarily redeemed herself a little with this book.





0



















.33333333333333

[Micky Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent installment in the Eve Duncan series, this one brings Eve and Joe's adopted daughter Kara to the forefront as the main character and will not disappoint! As always the characters are extremely well developed and brought to life in a manner that makes the fast, action packed plot even more intriguing and entertaining. I am quite looking forward to seeing how Eve & Joe's son's character develops as the story lines progress as I think we will see quite interesting plots involving him in the future! I listened to this one via audio and the reader did an excellent job of enhancing the characters personalities very well to add a bit more depth to the characters that you don't even realize you need, but after listening will enjoy even more!

[LInda L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I have read a few other Eve Duncan books a long time ago, but apparently a lot has happened since the last one. For one thing, this book was more about Cara and her FINALLY lover Jock than it was Eve and Joe. The dialogue was awful -- who talks like that?? The plot was really far-fetched, but still enjoyed it and read it through to the end. Michael was really into telepathy, which is even MORE far-fetched and no 10 year old I've ever met had a vocabulary as advanced as his. Despite all that whining, I did like it and would probably read more Johansens.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I do like the earlier books of Eve Duncan. This one kind of seemed a bit repetitive reminiscent of all the other books. No one does what they are told and they are continually getting in to trouble haha, but I guess that is what is needed to make the conflict. However sometimes it is nice to read a book where you will know the ending no matter what happens in the middle.

[Leslie Lynch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring story that is the same theme of so many of her other reads. How many kidnappings can one family endure? Last book, Jane and Michael were kidnapped. This time Cara and Joe. No wonder she uses the word “protection” some 20 plus times in this story. A real snore with 4 straight chapters of chit chat amongst the rag tag group of rescuers including a 10 yo boy, a 21 yo girl, a sculptor, a Russian mobster and an assassin….dumb.

[Wendy Nickl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read many of her books and always enjoyed them until this one. I can't even finish this book. Cara, the central character, tries to come off as a strong, independent warrior woman. Instead she sounds like a foolish child. I want to kick her in her pants. The ridiculousness of this character is something I didn't expect from Iris Johanson. Very disappointed.

[Sandra Jackson - Alawine · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Cara is kidnapped by a psycho everyone rushes to save her but Cara has changed during her time with the madman and actually does a decent job of saving herself. Her only worry now is his threat to her family. When Joe is captured Cara works with her Grandfather to end the madman's life once and for all and bring Joe safely home. But it's Michael's special abilities that allow them to find Joe in time to save Joe's life.

Cara also manages to get Jock in her bed FINALLY.

[Andrea Bolton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iris Johansen was the author that got me back to being an avid reader with The Ugly Duckling. I’ve been a fan ever since and Eve Duncan stories are my favorite because I’m so familiar with the characters. It’s an action packed, page turner. Good to the very end.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can never get enough of Eve and Joe and Micheal and Cara. I love that we got to see more of Jock, and Kaskov is getting more interesting all the time. The plot itself was very interesting and kept me enthralled, as usual!

[Judith Kovacs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t realize this was part of a series until reading some comments here. Found it to be ridiculously far fetched, and the style somewhat irritating at times, with exclamation marks trying to emphasize things, and then single words like Pain. Won’t be reading any more of them.

[Beth Ann Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes the series in a new direction - Jock and Cara's story - a thriller!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

Even though this is Eve's series, at this point I care more about Cara and Jock than Eve/Joe. I wish IJ would just give them a spinoff. Some elements are a little predictable, but I always enjoy the experience. The entire Michael piece felt odd, and it kept me from giving this one my usual 4 STARS for the series. I'll definitely be reading the next installment.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cara Delaney is the center of this one with EVE, Joe, Micheal, Jock Cara's Grandfather Kashov the Russian mobster and Svardak a Russian nemesis of both Kashov and now Cara. Kidnapping, recovery,
murder and hunt putting all at risk. Cara, an adult now and knowing what she wants with Jock and a revelation about Michael Eve's and Joe's 10 year old son. A good read as only Iris can do it. Enjoy!!

[Linda Munro · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a mad man sets his sites on Cara Delaney, it is far more than insanity ruling him. His family tormented Cara’s biological grandfather when he was young. Kaskov retaliated, killing every member of the Sardiv family except for one member, now Sardiv is killing violinist as tribute to his murdered sister and Cara is now in his grasp as a double trophy, first retribution and second tribute.

Cara refuses to go calmly into the night, setting off a chain of tragic events which threaten everyone she loves.

Can Cara devise a plan to rid the world of Sardiv and save her loved ones?

Not quite what I expected.

[Karen ReadsALot · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit long, a bit far fetched, but a good ending. Eve and her family survive another evil doer.

[Saundra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novels are entirely formulaic and the dialogue is stilted, but I still enjoy them. I skip pages now and then.