Author: Iris Johansen

Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her 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 lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.

#BookReview High Stakes by Iris Johansen @Iris_Johansen @GrandCentralPub @HBGCanada #HighStakes #IrisJohansen #GrandCentralPub

#BookReview High Stakes by Iris Johansen @Iris_Johansen @GrandCentralPub @HBGCanada #HighStakes #IrisJohansen #GrandCentralPub Title: High Stakes

Author: Iris Johansen

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Sep. 7, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 400

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

All bets are off as #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen introduces gambler Logan Tanner, a man with a secret past that’s about to come back to haunt him.

Logan Tanner lives the exhilarating life of a professional gambler, taking risks with nerves of steel. From casinos in Macau to Monte Carlo to Milan, he’s racked up a fortune and become a living legend. But all the glitz and glamor hide a dark and violent past as an extractor—a world that comes rushing back to him when the beautiful and innocent Lara Balkon enters his life.

Soon Logan is drawn into the conflict between two Russian mafia bosses over Lara, whose life now hangs in the balance. Logan has been offered something more valuable to him than money—information he desperately needs—in exchange for getting Lara out of Russia and to safety. Once together, Tanner discovers that Lara is a force to be reckoned with in her own right. Tanner’s search for the truth leads them to the bright lights of Las Vegas. Where the person who was hunting Lara now lies in wait for them.

With the stakes climbing with each deadly confrontation, Logan and Lara are soon catapulted into a game against pure evil. The odds are stacked against them, but it’s a game they know they must play…even if it may cost them their lives.


Review:

Tense, twisty, and suspenseful!

High Stakes is a well-executed, menacing tale that features professional gambler, sometimes extractor Logan Tanner, as he heads out on a special mission to extract the talented pianist, Lara Balkon, and her mother Maria from the clutches of the ruthless, depraved Russian mafia in return for a nice paycheck and some sought after intel on someone very special to him who has been missing for some time.

The prose is crisp and precise. The characters are hot-tempered, callous, talented, and resourceful. And the plot is a fast-paced, cat-and-mouse game full of twists, turns, action, intrigue, power, corruption, duplicity, immorality, manipulation, danger, terror, and murder.

Iris Johansen is an award-winning, best-selling author, and with this new release, it’s easy to see why. High Stakes is a sinister, edgy, action-packed page-turner that is intricate, entertaining, and undoubtedly extremely satisfying.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

           

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Iris Johansen

Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her 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 lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.

#BookReview The Bullet (Eve Duncan #27) by Iris Johansen @Iris_Johansen @GrandCentralPub #TheBullet #IrisJohansen #GrandCentralPub

#BookReview The Bullet (Eve Duncan #27) by Iris Johansen @Iris_Johansen @GrandCentralPub #TheBullet #IrisJohansen #GrandCentralPub Title: The Bullet

Author: Iris Johansen

Series: Eve Duncan #27

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Jun. 8, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 400

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

Eve Duncan and Joe Quinn must protect the life of a brilliant scientist so that she can live long enough to bring her discovery to the world, in this fast-paced thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen.
 
Diane Connors is a dedicated doctor with the world’s biggest secret, a discovery that could have shocking global ramifications.  But while conducting private research trials, word has gotten out. The wrong people have heard the news and now want to hide Diane’s achievement for their own ends.

With nowhere else to turn, Diane finds herself on the doorstep of the last man she wants to ask for help: her ex-husband, Joe Quinn. Joe has remarried, and he and his wife, Eve Duncan, seem blissfully happy in their quiet, rural life until they are faced with the challenge of risking it all—even their marriage itself—for the greater good …

Now Eve is trapped in a web of murder and deceit as powerful enemies rush to cover up the truth, determined that Diane’s discovery goes with her to the grave—even if Eve and Joe get buried with her.


Review:

Suspenseful, turbulent, and action-packed!

The Bullet is an ominous, intense thrill ride that introduces us to Joe Quinn’s first wife, Diane Connors, a scientist in need of a little help and protection when her discovery and research into a medicinal plant that can cure practically any ailment makes her a prime target for Joshua Nalan, a ruthless billionaire willing to go to whatever lengths necessary to secure Diane’s research for himself.

The prose is tight and brisk. The characters are well informed, vigilant, and reliable. And the plot is a well-paced, menacing tale full of tension, desperation, obsession, adventure, cruelty, violence, murder, and a touch of the paranormal.

Overall, The Bullet is another sinister, complex, solid addition to the Eve Duncan series by Johansen that I would have to say is not my favourite novel in this long-running series but is still definitely a highly satisfying one.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

           

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Iris Johansen

Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her 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 lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.

#BookReview Blink of an Eye (Kendra Michaels #8) by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen @Iris_Johansen @royjohansen @GrandCentralPub #BlinkofanEye #KendraMichaelsSeries #GrandCentralPub

#BookReview Blink of an Eye (Kendra Michaels #8) by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen @Iris_Johansen @royjohansen @GrandCentralPub #BlinkofanEye #KendraMichaelsSeries #GrandCentralPub Title: Blink of an Eye

Author: Iris Johansen, Roy Johansen

Series: Kendra Michaels #8

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 343

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

A #1 New York Times bestselling author and an Edgar Award winner team up to deliver this gripping new novel featuring investigator Kendra Michaels—whose observational skills are worthy of a modern-day Sherlock Holmes.

Delilah Winter is one of the hottest pop stars on the planet, so how in the world was she kidnapped right in the middle of a show at the famous Hollywood Bowl? If anyone can figure it out, it’s Dr. Kendra Michaels, who works with local and federal authorities on only the most impossible cases. Blind for the first twenty years of her life until a revolutionary surgical procedure allowed her to regain her sight, Kendra uses her powers of observation—honed during her years in the dark—to detect what other investigators don’t. She agrees to lead the race to rescue the young singer before time runs out.

Joined by Jessie Mercado, the singer’s former bodyguard and a military hero, Kendra closes in on the hideout location but not before casualties mount up. Desperate for leads, Kendra must set aside her personal feelings when agent-for-hire Adam Lynch also volunteers his special skills to aid in the search.

But as the abductor’s true purpose becomes clear, the trio uncover a plot they never could have imagined—leading to a showdown they won’t soon forget.


Review:

Tight, propulsive, and sinister!

Blink of an Eye is an ominous, charged, pacey thriller that sees FBI consultant Kendra Michaels teaming up with her friend and former security advisor, Jessie Mercado, along with DOJ Special Agent Adam Lynch to investigate and hopefully negotiate the safe return of famous popstar, Deliah Winter after she is ruthlessly kidnapped during a live performance at the Hollywood Bowl.

The writing is meticulous and crisp. The characters are multilayered, talented, and resourceful. And the plot is a compelling web of clues, deduction, lies, obsession, manipulation, violence, and murder.

Overall, Blink of an Eye is another action-packed, suspenseful, fast-paced addition to the Kendra Michaels series by Johansen and Johansen that has just the right amount of mystery, intensity, and intrigue to keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish and leave fans of the series more than satisfied.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

           

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Iris Johansen

Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her 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 lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.

About Roy Johansen

Roy Johansen is a New York Times-bestselling mystery/suspense author and screenwriter.

He was awarded the Edgar Allen Poe award from the Mystery Writers of America in the Best Television Miniseries or Movie category for his original screenplay "Murder 101". He continues to write screenplays for Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Disney, and MGM.

He has written several mystery/suspense novels on his own, but Roy Johansen also collaborates with his mother, Iris Johansen, on several best-selling mystery novels, including Storm Cycle, The Hannah Bryson series, and The Kendra Michaels series.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

#BookReview Chaos by Iris Johansen @Iris_Johansen @GrandCentralPub #Chaos #IrisJohansen #GrandCentralPub

#BookReview Chaos by Iris Johansen @Iris_Johansen @GrandCentralPub #Chaos #IrisJohansen #GrandCentralPub Title: Chaos

Author: Iris Johansen

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Sep. 1, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 624

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 9/10

The #1 New York Times bestselling author introduces CIA agent Alisa Flynn, who is willing to go rogue if it means catching the most heartless band of criminals she’s ever encountered.

When CIA agent Alisa Flynn flaunts the rules by breaking into a mansion in the middle of the night, she skillfully circumvents alarms and outwits guards only to find herself standing in billionaire Gabe Korgan’s study . . . busted by Korgan himself. This could cost her her job unless, in a split second, she can turn the tables and try to convince him to join her on the most important mission of her life.

In a ripped-from-the-headlines plot, schoolgirls in Africa have been kidnapped, and Alisa knows that Korgan has the courage, financial means, and high-tech weaponry to help rescue them. With so many innocent lives hanging in the balance, what she doesn’t reveal is that one of those schoolgirls is like a little sister to her. But when the truth gets out, the stakes grow even higher.

Calling in additional assistance from renowned horse whisperer Margaret Douglas, Alisa and Gabe lay their plans, only to see them descend into chaos as the line between right and wrong wavers before them like a mirage. Every path is strewn with pitfalls, each likely to get them — or the hostages — killed. But with the help of a brave team and a horse with the heart of a warrior, they might just get out of this alive.


Review:

Adrenaline-pumping, fast-paced, and suspenseful!

In this first instalment in the Alisa Flynn series, Chaos, Johansen has written an action-packed thrill ride that introduces the highly intelligent CIA Special Operative Flynn who with the help of her friend, the animal whisperer, Margaret Douglas, and the billionaire inventor, Gabe Korgan, is on the hunt for a group of mercenaries who have kidnapped a group of rich, young girls, a stable full of thoroughbred horses, and Alisa’s ward, Sasha Lawrence from the St. Eldon’s Academy with disturbingly nefarious purposes in mind.

The writing is edgy and crisp. The characters are persistent, ruthless, and unique. And the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish as it submerges you in a menacing, chilling tale full of violence, deception, corruption, mayhem, danger, control, power, murder, and a sliver of the supernatural.

Overall, Chaos is a tortuous, pacey, exciting mystery that’s sure to be a new fan favourite with its creative, well-drawn characterization, heightened sense of urgency, and thrilling conclusion.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

           

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Iris Johansen

Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her 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 lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.

#BookReview #Giveaway The Persuasion (Eve Duncan #26) by Iris Johansen @Iris_Johansen @GrandCentralPub #ThePersuasion #GrandCentralPub

#BookReview #Giveaway The Persuasion (Eve Duncan #26) by Iris Johansen @Iris_Johansen @GrandCentralPub #ThePersuasion #GrandCentralPub Title: The Persuasion

Author: Iris Johansen

Series: Eve Duncan #26

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Jun. 2, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 464

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 7.5/10

When Eve Duncan’s daughter, Jane MacGuire, becomes a madman’s target, Jane must team up with longtime love interest Seth Caleb in this suspense novel from the #1 bestselling author of Smokescreen.
Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan and ex-Navy Seal Joe Quinn are about to give Seth Caleb their trust for the most important duty of his life: keeping their daughter, Jane MacGuire, safe at any cost. Because Jane’s talent as an artist has brought her to the attention of a madman.
Seth, Jane’s longtime ally and fierce protector, is determined to keep her out of danger, but that becomes nearly impossible when Jane is forced to take matters into her own hands and confronts the man who wants her for himself…and wants Seth Caleb dead.
As Jane and Seth chase down their blood-thirsty adversary, they finally commit to one another — in the culmination of the love story that fans have been waiting for. As the two come face-to-face with danger, one thing is made clear: it will take both of them working together to confront and defeat this evil.


Review:

Fast-paced, sinister, and intense!

In this latest novel by Johansen, The Persuasion, Eve and Joe’s daughter, Jane MacGuire finds herself the target of a ruthless killer obsessed with owning the priceless Cira’s treasure, and begrudgingly in need of some assistance from her ex-lover Seth Caleb, a man of many special talents and a secretive past of his own.

The prose is ominous and tight. The characters are multilayered, unique, and resourceful. And the plot is a suspenseful tale full of familial drama, tension, obsession, death, kidnapping, cruelty, desperation, violence, and murder, all interwoven with a sliver of the supernatural.

Overall, The Persuasion won’t disappoint fans of Johansen and the Eve Duncan series who’ve come to expect and love her menacing tales, action-packed plots, and smidges of heat.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

           

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

GIVEAWAY!

 

I’m giving two people a chance to win a copy of The Persuasion. To enter please visit my Instagram page HERE

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for sponsoring the giveaway! All giveaway information can be found in the Instagram Giveaway Post. Books will be mailed by the publisher to the randomly chosen winners. Good luck!

 

About Iris Johansen

Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her 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 lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.

#BookReview No Easy Target by Iris Johansen @Iris_Johansen @StMartinsPress

#BookReview No Easy Target by Iris Johansen @Iris_Johansen @StMartinsPress Title: No Easy Target

Author: Iris Johansen

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Apr. 25, 2017

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Romantic Suspense

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: St. Martin's Press, Goodreads Giveaways

Book Rating: 7/10

New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen returns with another thriller, No Easy Target

Margaret Douglas has worked hard to put her painful past behind her. Raised off the grid in an abusive home, her only escape was the nearby forest where she sought refuge whenever she could. There, in the peaceful woods, she discovered a strange gift: the ability to understand animals and to communicate with them. And so those creatures became her only friends, her only joy during a desolate childhood. Now Margaret wants nothing more than to live a quiet life, close to the animals and under the radar. But her abilities have not gone unnoticed and there are those who would use them for their own purposes. Determined not to be a pawn in anyone’s game, every time someone gets too close, Margaret uproots her life and outruns them.

When John Lassiter breaks into Margaret’s apartment, she vanishes again, but Lassiter has good reason to be persistent. As a CIA operative, he owes his life to his men , one of whom is being held captive by an unrelenting enemy—an enemy who has set his sights on Margaret. Which means that Lassiter must control her to use her as bait.

With danger in hot pursuit, Margaret finds herself matching wits with a man who refuses to stop or be stopped. Turning from the hunted to the hunter, Margaret must use everything she has ever learned to not only survive, but to defeat a great evil. And to prove once and for all that she’s no easy target.


Review:

Suspenseful, macabre and entertaining!

This is an intense, often disturbing, romantic thriller that reminds us of the dark, despicable evil that exists in the criminal underworld and takes us on a journey into the jungles of Colombia and a world filled with sadism, violence, murder, revenge, lust and a little supernatural.

The writing is good. The main character, Margaret, is intelligent, determined, and unique, and the other characters are a mix of despicable villains, a handsome hero and an adorable dog.

Fans of Johansen will not be disappointed with this latest outing which utilizes her trademark strong, female protagonist and straightforward storyline and will be excited to finally get a better understanding of the Margaret Douglas character we’ve often seen a glimpse of in the Eve Duncan series.

 

This book is due to be published on April 25, 2017.

Pick up a copy of this story from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                                          

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Goodreads Giveaways for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Iris Johansen

Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her 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 lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.

#BookReview Shadow Play by Iris Johansen

#BookReview Shadow Play by Iris Johansen Title: Shadow Play

Author: Iris Johansen

Series: Eve Duncan #19

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Sep. 29, 2015

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 332

Format: Paperback

Source: Borrowed

Book Rating: 6.5/10

An explosive new Eve Duncan thriller from the New York Times #1 bestselling author

Eve Duncan is the most sought-after artist in the field of forensic sculpting. Dedicated to her work ever since her daughter Bonnie was taken and killed at the age of seven, Eve feels a sense of duty to those whose lives were lost and whose bones are now in her hands. When a sheriff in California contacts her with a request for help on the reconstruction of the skull of a nine-year-old girl whose body has been buried for eight years, his intensity and investment in the case puzzle her. But when the ghost of the girl begins communicating with her, Eve finds herself wrapped up in the case more intensely than she could have ever imagined. Not since Bonnie has Eve had such an experience, and suddenly she finds herself determined to solve the murder and help the little girl find peace. Except that the killer is still out there, and he knows Eve is on the case. And he won’t rest until anything and anyone that could reveal his identity is eliminated… 


Review:

Unfortunately, this book didn’t really work for me.

I have read many of the other Eve Duncan books in the series, this is book #19, and really enjoyed them, but this one was a little disappointing.

The plot wasn’t that suspenseful. There was a supernatural element that seemed to make the story disjointed at times. And even though some of the usual characters were back, Eve and Joe, the other supporting characters were unrealistic and flat.

I usually like Iris Johansen’s work so I will definitely give her next book a try, but unless you are a die-hard fan of the Eve Duncan series, I’d give this one a miss.

 

About Iris Johansen

Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her 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 lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.