Rating:  -
As all avid mystery readers know, we've come to adopt those characters we find in our favorite books, into our hearts and homes. What a wonderful story teller Ms. Johansen is, and I enjoy her enormously. I do have a few questions and comments, though.
Has Eve Duncan always been as whiney and shallow as this book depicts her to be? We all come to expect certain behavior and dialogue between characters, but if I wanted to hear this much whining, I'd call my mother and listen to her whine about not being able to go to Miami this year.
Sorry, this book bored me to tears, and if it had been a movie, I never would have gone back from the snack shop.
And for all those mothers with 17 year old daughters, I think we'd all agree to chip in and buy a DNA sample from Jane to add to our daughter's lunches. How wonderful she is!! Especially when she pretty much announces that she wishes to have an affair with a 30+ con man.
Rating:  -
The plot follows Iris Johansen's style but each book is unique enough to be worth reading. It is refreshing having this book written about the daughter of a character (Eve Duncan) who has already "starred" in other novels.
Rating:  -
I really enjoyed this book. I read it one day. Some of it was a little off the wall, but still a great read. I have read all of Johansen's books and she continues to be one of my favorites.
Rating: -
This is going to be the last Iris Johansen book I'll buy in hardcover, and there's no certainty I'll be buying any in paperback either.
Although this book is promoted as being about Eve Duncan, don't be fooled. She, and her partner Joe Quinn, are very peripheral characters here. Instead, its their 17 year old, foster daughter Jane that takes center stage. And she has none of the character or personality of her fictional parents. In fact, Jane is just flat out boring.
Seems there's a killer going around and cutting the faces off women that look like Jane. His motives are confusing, and pretty nonsensical, but no matter. For a villian, he's dull and 2-dimensional, and completely without personality. He exists purely to be thwarted. At no time does he comes across as menacing, there are no suprises.
The male romantic lead here is Trevor, and like Jane and the villian, he too comes across as dull and uninspiring. Perhaps its just me, but the attraction that develops between 17 year old Jane, and 30+ Trevor was just uncomfortable. I don't understand how an author thats created such interesting, inspiring characters like Eve Duncan, Joe Quinn, Sarah, Logan, Elena, Galen, Judd Morgan can fail so utterly in infusing life and energy into her newest creations.
My advice, save your money on this one, at least in hardcover. This book might be a tolerable paperback read if you are in a bind, and want something that won't tax your brain or require any emotional investment.
Rating: -
I've read all of the books Johansen has written in the Eve Duncan series, because I love the characters and their stories. So I was excited to see the web of 'certralness' branch out to Jane.
I like that Jane is tough, and I like that I can relate with the character, for once, an author not being afraid to write a teenager who isn't an ignorant airhead, caring only about clothing and hair.
But as much as I love her characters, the more I've read Johansen, I think her writing is only so-so. There are only so many time you can say 'tentatively' and 'warily." Way too many adjectives and adverbs...Stephen King warns against those, and while I don't like his stories, I respect his writing.
So all in all, I'll still be buying her hardcovers...I'm a collecter like that, don't like paperbacks, only hardcovers...but I hope she learns to limit the use of her favourite words.
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