Blind Alley

Great addition to the Eve Duncan life stories. I never get tired of reading about her life. Eve and Joe are of course my favorite characters that Iris has created. I love the awesome balance that Iris can always seem to create between action and love to keep her audience on the edge of their seat. This is a great story. This is a must buy and a must read.

This was a gift for a friend. Arrived in mint condition on time! Thanks Alot.

I have read all of Iris Johansen's novels and loved them all, but the Eve Duncan novels were always my favorites; one of the reasons is because of her fiercly independent adopted daughter Jane. Blind Alley is a story devoted to Jane. It is a book that combines Johansen's usual mystery and intrigue but is better because of Jane's independence and effort to find her own place. Blind Alley also concludes without leaving you hanging while promising more.

Cira. A name, a woman, an obsession. Someone is killing women who resemble this beautiful actress who died over 2,000 years ago during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and every clue ends up in a blind alley. Iris Johansen brings back forensic sculptor Eve Duncan for a non-stop thriller as the path of a serial killer leads right to her front door. When I discovered Iris Johansen several years ago, I quickly read all of her books and was particularly fascinated by the ones involving Eve Duncan. She had lost her seven-year-old daughter to a serial killer and the child's body was never recovered. As a result, she had almost unbearable difficulty dealing with the tragedy. So Eve dedicated her life to "bringing home" unidentified victims by recreating their likeness through sculpture. Each person who she is able to give back to his or her family brings a little more closure to Eve's own grief. From captivating descriptions of the culture and times prior to the devastation of Mount Vesuvius, to the delightful characterization of Eve's adopted daughter, Jane, Johansen once again comes up with just the right combination of story, suspense, romance and values. Oh, for a teenager like Jane! Eve and her husband, Detective Joe Quinn, adopted the streetwise little handful seven years ago and she has grown into a beautiful young woman who appreciates everything and doesn't wallow in the misery of her lost childhood. Of course, with her sense of responsibility, there is also a need for independence, and Jane does not hesitate to make decisions based on her own strong moral code --- even if it will cause her parents to fret a bit. With customary ease, Johansen takes an obsessive killer, dedicated police, a mysterious champion, various archeologists and dramatic settings, and molds them all together to "bring home" another bestseller. --- Reviewed by Maggie Harding, a substance abuse counselor in Phoenix, AZ who wanted to be Brenda Starr before life intervened. In addition to this site, Maggie reviews for www.womenonwriting.com. To contact her, e-mail [email protected].

Usually Joe wants Eve to ease up on her workload as a forensic sculptor but this time he is pushing her to work as fast as she can. She understands when the sculpture is the face of Jane their adopted daughter. It seems that a serial killer is murdering women who look like Jane, thinking they are Cira, a woman who died in Herculaneum when Mt. Vesuvius blew. Coincidentally, Jane dreams of being Cira and fighting to get out of Herculaneum through the tunnels aided by her ex-lover Antonio. Mark Trevor uses guiles and lies to ingratiate him into the search for Aldo because he has a score to settle with the man. Aldo has targeted Jane as his next victim believing he has finally found the reincarnation of Cira. Her policeman father Joe, Eve and Trevor bait a trap that will hopefully bring Aldo out in the open so he can be captured if he doesn't kill them first. Some of Iris Johansen's best books feature Eve Duncan and company and Blind Alley is no exception. This exciting action thriller involves Jane who is older than her seventeen years and the feeling that springs up between her and Trevor are appropriate because Trevor doesn't act on them. Although nothing can come of it because she is too young, she is determined when the time is right they will be together. This suspense laden thriller features many of the characters readers have come to care for in the Eve Duncan series as this exciting and powerful work propels fans to want to read more of the fabulous works of Ms. Johansen. Harriet Klausner