Eight Days to Live

I’m enjoying the Eve Duncan series

This is another thriller by Iris Johansen that focuses on the adventures of highly unusual but very interesting characters: Jane MacGuire, Eve Duncan, Joe Quinn, Jock Gavin, John MacDuff, and Seth Caleb, with a small but significant part by Venable. Jane is a beautiful and intelligent waif raised by Eve and Joe, who is now a successful artist. She has strange dreams from time to time where information is revealed to her. Eve is a well-known forensic sculptor who is able to flesh out skulls and show through the reconstruction what the dead person looked like. Joe is an ex-Seal who is now a cop. Jock was a brainwashed young man who was trained to kill and did so for some years until he was rescued by Jane and MacDuff. MacDuff is the Laired of a large Scottish estate, an ex-commando, who is loved by his employees. Seth Caleb is a murderer with an unusual ability to hypnotize people to do what he wants them to do and an ability to kill people by just using his mind. Venable is CIA. Jane MacGuire paints a picture called "Guilt." The portrait is the result of one of her dreams. When her picture is publicized, a religious group that offers human sacrifices called Sang Noir - a perversion of sang-froid, which means coolness of mind, so Sang Noir is a black mind - decides that it must kill her in a religious ceremony on April 1. Venable of CIA hears about the intended murder from an informant who disappears. Jane is determined to find the informant to learn why she is marked for murder. She enlists Seth Caleb. Caleb, Eve, Joe, Jock and MacDuff do all they can to protect her. The story is filled with suspense. True to her style, Iris Johansen portrays all the women in the tale as self-willed, determined people, unafraid of formidable men like MacDuff, Jock, Joe, and Seth Caleb.

I enjoyed rading this fast paced novel with so many of the characters from other novels coming together. I'm looking forward to the next novel.

As always her Eve Duncan stories are always good. This one is no exception. I couldn't put it down. Worth the read. I am looking forward to the next one. I am glad this one was about Jane. I would love to see a story about Jock and Lina next. And of course Jane and Caleb.

Found all around the world, the cult worships Judas Iscariot, who they believe was God's Chosen One to betray Jesus in order to fulfill a biblical prophecy. The members know for certain that Judas is in Heaven sitting next to God. They meet annually on April 1 to provide a human sacrificial blood offer in Judas' name. Jane McGuire is having an art show of her work at the Denarve Gallery in Paris. Someone wants to spend a fortune on "Guilt", a picture of a man whose face is tortured by internal demons. The Judas followers believe Jane committed blasphemy with her painting; so they decide she shall be this year's sacrifice. The picture came to her in dreams, but the cult thinks with the vivid details within the portrait she has been to the holy place where an ancient treasure is concealed. They try to grab her, however Jane escapes, but not before learning she is to be their Offering. Jane calls the expert for advice, her adopted mom Eve Duncan and her lover Joe. Two men are after Jane with differing motives, but share in common that her loved ones are expendable. Eight Days to Live is Iris Johansen at her very best in a fresh switch in which Eve and Joe play secondary roles while Jane stars. She calls on Caleb, a man with psychic powers who applies them in such a way that Eve does not approve. However he remains Jane's only hope to survive the next eight days. This is a gripping one sitting suspense thriller. Harriet Klausner

I love Iris Johansen books since her Loveswept days and this book was no exception. I was glad the story was about Jane, she needed her own book. I liked that she hooked her up with Caleb even though I liked Mark and MacDuff. The story line was very good and kept me hooked for the whole story. Excellent book. I hope she does Lina and Jock's stories.