Most helpful customer reviews
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Isn't her usual best by far, Nov 13 2009
I've been a fan of Iris Johansen for years and very much look forward to her new Eve Duncan novels. This book however seems like she wrote it in one weekend just to make a buck. It is so cliched. I wish it would state that this book is more romance than suspense. Some of the dialogue is really cheesy and laughable. I almost think is wasn't even her writing it. I gave it two stars because the history behind the story was great but the romance between Emily and Garrett is just silly and their interactions are almost embarassing. If you wan to read Iris Johansen, then go and read one of her books in the Eve Duncan series... those are actually worth reading.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
A good read on its own, suspensful, but..., Nov 13 2009
Reading this book on its own makes it a worthwhile suspense. However long time readers of Ms Johansen might recall The Ugly Duckling whose plot is so similar to this one that it leaves a strong impression of "déjà vu". Secondary characters are so similar, and the way plot events unfold is almost identical, even down to the timing and which characters do what. If it had been another writer, I would think they used the (successful) plot of the previous book to plot their own, but as it is, I suppose Johansen decided to reuse and recycle.
This book has no bearing on the Eve Duncan setting. It involves a sort of museum protector type person for the UN whose characterisation includes being a big fan of Bruce Springsteen. Don't ever say Ms Johansen doesn't go all out to flesh out her characters! Other than the obvious clichés, Emily Hudson is at least described as a strong woman, and acts as such. She is on a mission in Afghanistan with a friend and professional colleague when they get held up by a man who wants information out of them and tortures them to get it. When Emily gets sprung, she is burning with a desire for revenge, and it is with the help of her rescuer that she attempts to unfold the conspiracy that resulted in their being sent to Afghanistan in the first place.
The plot is interesting, though nothing very sophisticated. Ms Johansen likes to include historical props and characters, and this time is no exception. At least the choice of villain was atypical. One twist surprised me and probably contained the best part of the book for me because it explained actions of some peripheral characters in an interesting and original way. Everything else seems cookie cutter, except for the fact that the token computer geek is also a hunk. Johansen spends some time building up her characters, both Emily and Garrett by having secondary characters heap praise on them. It would be a good book, even a better one than The Ugly Duckling, because it relies less on gimmicks and more on the actual writing. Unfortunately, I had read the other before and for me the most suspensful part of the book was to guess how far the similarities would be pushed. The answer is pretty darn far.
As for the emotional conflict, (because you know this is one of these "suspense" books that really are disguised romances for those who won't assume the embarassing covers), it should get an average rating. It was good, but there wasn't much time spent on getting to point B, as soon as a realisation struck one of the characters, the conflict was almost over. I also prefer when characters don't fall in lust in just an instant. Again, with the getting to point B without having travelled from A, is the fact that magically the characters have deep feelings for one another as soon as they hit the sack. Hmm, I'm willing to buy into love at first sight, but give it time to develop!
Anyway, this book is better than most, better than The Ugly Duckling in almost every way, but my enjoyment was greatly reduced by having read TUD first. So I'm guessing the book will appeal much more to readers who haven't.
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by Iris Johansen
by Iris Johansen
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