Saturday, August 17, 2019

Review - The Killing Game

Title:   The Killing Game
Author:  Iris Johansen
Series:  Eve Duncan #2
Genre:   Mystery/Thrillers
Publisher:  Bantam
Format:  Audiobook
No. of Pages:   384
Date of Publication:   1999; 2018
My Rating: 4.5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

A merciless killer on the hunt...an innocent child in his sights...a woman driven to the edge to stop him...

The killer knows Eve Duncan all too well. He knows the pain she feels for her murdered daughter, Bonnie, whose body has never been found. He knows that as one of the nation's top forensic sculptors she'll insist on identifying the nine skeletons unearthed on a bluff near Georgia's Talladega Falls. He knows she won't be able to resist the temptation of believing that one of those skeletons might be her daughter's. But that is only the beginning of the killer's sadistic game. He wants Eve one on one, and he'll use his ace in the hole to make sure she complies. And he won't stop playing until he claims the prize he wants most: Eve's life.


MY THOUGHTS:

There is a brutal serial killer on the loose. After several bodies were unearthed, in his frustration that he may have finally made a mistake after years of killing, he sets his sights of renowned forensic sculptor Eve Duncan.

Years ago, Eve lost her precious daughter Bonnie to a serial killer. She has crafted her career structuring faces from skeletons and other means with hopes of providing closure to families who have lost their children. Eve, however, never had such closure. Bonnie's body was never found. Until now. Now? Quite possibly. Therefore, the investigation into the site where the bodies are found takes on an extremely personal edge.

In order to have Eve believe that one of the bodies discovered is actually Bonnie's, the killer begins a terrifying game of cat and mouse. To capture Eve's attention, the life of a ten-year-old child is suddenly at risk. Eve begins receiving clues as to the girl's danger, all while hoping to reconstruct the skeleton that just might be Bonnie's.

Before the discovery of the bodies, Eve took off with John Logan. Not only was she able to shake off her traumatic work for a time, she was able to fully regroup. Little did Eve know that close friend Joe Quinn had been looking for the perfect opportunity to snatch her back and to make her a part of his life. in a way she never expected or even dreamed could happen. Meanwhile, Joe is extremely concerned for Eve and knows that the identification of the skeleton might hurt Eve to the very core.

The Killing Game is a fast-moving book. Not only is Eve in danger, but also a young child. Meanwhile, there is a fair bit of romance in this story. Readers of the first book, The Face of Deception, might not be surprised, but perhaps as to the reasoning. Nonetheless, the course has been set and there are now 25 titles in this exciting series. I have already had the pleasure of reading a few more at the time of writing this review, The Search, Body of Lies and Dead Aim. Blind Alley is next in line for my greedy eyes.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

IRIS JOHANSEN is The New York Times bestselling author of Your Next Breath, The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn't Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve,Chasing The Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora's Daughter, Quicksand,Killer Dreams, On The Run, Countdown, Firestorm, Fatal Tide, Dead Aim, and more. And with her son Roy Johansen, she has coauthored The Naked Eye, Sight Unseen, Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle, and Silent Thunder.

Johansen began writing after her children left home for college. She first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, Johansen began writing suspense historical romance novels, starting with the publication of The Wind Dancer. In 1996 Johansen switched genres, turning to crime fiction, with which she has had great success. She had seventeen consecutive New York Times bestsellers as of November 2006.

Johansen lives near Atlanta, Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.


4 comments:

  1. Great review Robin I am really glad you are fully enjoying reading this book series so far. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.

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  2. Great review. The book sounds interesting.

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  3. This book sounds like a nail biting adventure. Lovely review!

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