Rating: 
Summary: Main character is too negative and one dimensional
Review: Although Iris Johanson is a good writer with an interesting storyline, she fails to make the main character very likeable. Eve Duncan is sarcastic, bitter and quite negative. I would have enjoyed the book more if Eve had shown a kind side to her personality. She is very one dimensional and this makes the story less interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: A New Series
Review: After losing her daughter to a serial killer, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan survives by throwing herself into her work. The best in her field at rebuilding faces from bare skull bones, Eve specializes in identifying missing children. Billionaire John Logan requests her help in identifying an adult skull. Eve tells Logan that she isn't interested but when he volunteers to donate a large sum of money to a charity for missing children in exchange for her time, Eve reluctantly agrees. Logan neglects to tell her that there are powerful people who are determined to keep the skull's true identity a secret at any cost. Soon Eve's life is in danger and she isn't very happy about it. She calls Logan dirty names almost from their first meeting until the end of the book. I may not have been in the mood for this type book and that's why it didn't get five stars.
Rating:
Summary: too many loose ends
Review: This is the second book I've read from Iris Johansen, and I believe I would have been better off just sticking to "The Search". "The Face of Deception" has a few of the same characters as The Search, but they are not nearly as likeable in this story.I felt the story incorporated too many people, and too many different perspectives. It was hard to keep track of who was who and who was doing what and who was where. Furthermore, at times it would seem as though you were just getting started on a certain point of view, then it would be changed to a different person/place/time, halting the fluidity of the story. While this does keep the reader reading, it becomes a bit confusing. I also felt there wasn't closure. This book *does* have a sequel or two, but when I was done reading this book, I didn't feel that there was any closure to the two or three other subplots that were brewing -- just the one glaringly obvious one. Maybe it's a ploy to get readers to read the following stories, but when I began the next book, I found that there was no explanation in the first several chapters, even when there was the perfect opportunity to explain, and then I was merely frustrated to the point of disinterest. As it stands, I would not really recomment this book unless you're a big Iris Johansen fan. If you're just looking for a good book, try "The Search" by the same author. While it is a big more mushy the suspenseful, it's still a good read and has a better sense of closure.
Rating: 
Summary: The Face of Deception
Review: Iris Johansen is a master of the suspense and thriller genre. What makes her so good is that she can take an idea that might well seem preposterous in another's hands, and make it not only possible, but horribly plausible. I admire her protagonists as having a decent balance of strengths and weaknesses. There are no Superman S's on their chests, but they have the courage not to run like rabbits from the challenge at hand. Of course, the time for running is short, and they are soon very neatly cornered, both by the antagonists, and by their own values and integrity. In a sense, that is what this tale is about. This story is set in the political arena, but it is the age old story of man coping with good intentions gone horribly wrong, deceptively easy ways out, and the truth about short cuts. Don't worry, this is not Plato, but neither is it unintelligent. Johansen makes sure that the action is never lacking, the suspense is palpable, and the dilemmas are very real. You will not want to put this book down. And you may well do a double take the next time you see a face you think you know.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a Romance
Review: A well written book with only two problems. There is no romance at all in this book (nor sex for that matter), and the murder mystery is a little shallow. Character wise, you have an insane woman who just might trade herself, her mother and her best friend's lives in exchange for the chance of recovering the bones of her murdered daughter. The two male characters are an over controlling rich man that seems incredibly incompetent and a married cop who seems to have an obsession for the crazy woman. Still the author is such a good writer she can even carry a poorly conceived story with bad characterization. The sequel (The Killing Game) is much better. If you haven't read this author, don't judge her by this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Waste of Six Bucks.
Review: Plot implausible. Whiney main character spends most of the book telling the love interest to "get out of here, I'm working." Why would anyone be interested in this cranky woman? I give Iris one star for what could be an interesting character, a forensic sculptor, but I'll never know because I don't plan to read another.
Rating:
Summary: This book needs to be read
Review: This book is great, I really connected to the characters. The main character is Eve Duncan, who is an forensic sculptor, she is a really confidant woman who doesn't take anyone's crap basically. She meets a billionaire who makes her an offer she can't refuse. Well anyway she uncovers this shocking secret (which by the way is a little too unrealistic but it would be awesome if it did happen) that gets her chased by all the top killers. You really admire her for her courage and her determination. One of the hired hitmen, Fiske, you will hate him throughout the whole book because Iris makes him really cocky and evil. But enough about that, this book is really great, it kept me up reading it. And you had better believe I am going to read the 2nd part to it...
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Not a very interesting plot or characters. A slow reader, slow paced book. Took a while to get interesting and when it does, it's only momentary. Would not recommend this one unless you have a long weekend with nothing else to do.
Rating:
Summary: a real page turner....
Review: i'll admit, once i found out the real plot of the novel half way through the book, i thought it was very far fetched BUT i couldn't put it down because i had to find out how they were going to get out of it. the characters are interesting and a very interesting combination. if you like this one, be sure to read the next book 'the killing game.'
Rating:
Summary: Good book...
Review: This is my first book by Johansen - it was a very good book. The main character, Eve, was strong and well developed. The plot was quick, had a lot of twists and kept me interested through the entire book.
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