Stalemate

I stumbled across Eve Duncan basically by accident, when I borrowed a book in 2002 from my employer - the book was the first of the series, Body of Lies (Eve Duncan) if I am not remembering incorrectly. I was hooked. Eve Duncan is what is called a "forensic sculptor," which means she takes a skull and sculpts over it her interpretation of the face, based upon forensic measurements and - to a great extent - intuition. She has never yet been proved wrong. However, she generally works for families of missing children or law enforcement agencies - hoping with each skull she brings home, she might find her own daughter, missing all these years. When she receives an offer from the infamous Luis Montalvo - who is well-known and wealthy arms dealer in Columbia - at first she firmly declines. He has tried twice to get her to travel to Columbia to sculpt a skull and she refused - however, the third time he makes an offer she cannot refuse in all good conscience, and she goes - in order to save an innocent family, and also with the promise that Montalvo will help her finally find her daughter. By turns charming and creepy, Montalvo is a wonderful character and I certainly hope we'll see more of him. Overall, a great addition to the series and a well-written book that promises and delivers. Don't miss it!

Well thought out and good read. Nothing fluffy about it. Well rounded characters that make you feel for each one, no matter which one. Definitely would reccommend it to a friend. In fact I already lent it out. In the latest Eve Duncan forensics thriller from bestseller Johansen (Killer Dreams), the Atlanta-based forensic sculptor with an international reputation finds herself attracted, not always convincingly, to a sleazy manipulator. Duncan, who specializes in reconstructing facial features from skulls, has buried herself in her work since the disappearance and presumed death of her seven-year-old daughter, Bonnie, years earlier. That still-open wound is probed with sadistic skill by Luis Montalvo, a shady Colombian arms dealer, who offers to solve the mystery of what happened to Bonnie if Duncan agrees to attempt a reconstruction from a skull Montalvo believes was his late wife's. Despite the misgivings of her former husband, an FBI agent, Duncan accepts, and soon finds herself dodging bullets in a war between Montalvo and a drug lord rival in the Colombian jungle. Despite a shortage of the sort of meaty science that, say, a Kathy Reichs thriller typically provides, Johansen's faithful audience should be satisfied. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

I enjoy author, Iris Johansen's books and Stalemate isured that I remain a loyal reader. The plot moved along quickly and kept me reading. I can't wait for the next book!

I've been a long-time fan of Iris Johansen, especially the Eve Duncan series. Although STALEMATE is decidedly different from the other stories starring Eve Duncan from the past, I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it--so much so that I stayed up until 3am to finish the book. Yes, the Eve in this story isn't the saintly, never-do-anything-wrong Eve that many readers have come to know and love. She becomes attracted to a bad guy who, at least in the beginning of the story, is the mother of all bad guys. Montalvo, however, isn't what he appears to be--just, as it would turn out, the same way that solid, ever-steady Eve isn't just the pushover we've always thought her to be. The action in this story is non-stop, with a great appearance by Galen (one of my favorite characters of all-time) and with a great new character, 19-year-old Miguel. Montalvo, I'll admit, is a very, very appealing character; whether he's being a bad guy who seems to kill without compunction or a sensitive man who lost his wife to a drug lord, you can't help but find yourself drawn to him. I, for one, am hoping that Ms. Johansen brings Montalvo back for more stories. Whether or not Eve and Joe (who, by the way, acted like a giant, ego-bruised baby throughout most of this story) can get their relationship back on track, or whether Eve will allow her attraction to Montalvo to grow, we'll have to wait and see. But STALEMATE is definitely not a disappointing read. Kudos to Ms. Johansen for bringing back an Eve Duncan who actually started to act like a real, fallible human being, instead of a perfect, wounded princess.

I liked to preface this critique like a few other reviewers, I too have read all the Eve Duncan thrillers Iris has written. I must admit i balked at the idea of reading the book once i had read the premise for this one. I thought I wouldn't like the Eve character anymore for leaving Joe and going to aid a criminal as it seemed so out of character. I'm happy to say though I pushed the doubts aside and decided to give the book a chance and i'm glad i did. Holy cr@p was this book good. I was beginning to get bored with Eve's one note stories. We were all becoming familiar with the premise....Eve gets a skull....she ignores everyone and everything to finish the reconstruction and bring the lost one home....some interesting secondary characters develop .... Joe has her back...there are visits from Bonnie and alls well that ends well...and Eve doesn't ever get to evolve from her rut. Although all those classic elements are there in this one there are a few twists that allow Eve much needed introspection that will allow her character to evolve. Thank God for Montalvo in this book. I can't wait to devour any plot involving that one...he finally made Eve interesting. I too agree with the other reviewers who say for God Sakes let the woman find her daughter but with Montalvo on the case now at least it will be a sexy ride along the way. On a side note, is anyone else starting to picture Eve resembling Temperance Brennan from Bones and Joe as David Boreanz's character. =) Anyway, this book was another excellent Iris Johansen read and sets you up to want to read the next one in the Eve Duncan series. (Lets hope Iris Johansen has enough sense to finally let Bonnie be found so maybe she can develop other characters or story arches as interesting characters seem to be one of her fortes.)