Face of Deception

Rating:
Summary: Lethal Weapon
Review: Fast-paced with good dialogue, it moves you right along from one narrow escape to another. You don't have a chance to get bored, but you never get attached to the characters. My first Johansen, not my last.

Rating:
Summary: Liked Author Better As Romance Novelist!
Review: For some reason, Johansen decided to write suspense-thriller books instead of romance books, her prior career. Apparently, she has been very successful commercially in this new guise. I find her a disappointment. Everything she once knew about relationships is gone. Now she just draws the broad strokes of a billionaire hero (what else?) and a heroine who is a forensic sculptor who is chronically grieving over her murdered daughter. The daughter is mentioned in virtually every paragraph of the book and after awhile you could just scream when she's mentioned yet again. The woman's career in this novel is the best part about it and the only reason I finished it. I loved seeing her reconstruct identities in sculpting full faces, using only a skull (see cover image)as her model. If Johansen had made the heroine a police detective though, I would have had to give this one star. As a story about serial killers, governmental deceit, and mystery, this was a real yawn. Read Thomas Harris or Anne Rule or David Baldacci or Joe McGinnis (or even the Starr Report) if that is the kind of novel or true crime book you are needing. I am rarely totally misled by the front cover image of a book. This one depicted her career accurately but not the whole thrust of the novel. The cover is of one of the heroine's forensic sculptures. You will read about her doing a few of them and it will make you want MORE of those instead of what is here. This was my 2nd chance for Johansen in this suspense/thriller genre, after reading her UGLY DUCKLING, her 1st chance with me in this other genre. That one I couldn't even finish and it met an untimely end with my outside dumpster. Read this author's backlist of romance novels, if you want to read her when she was pretty good.

Rating:
Summary: Good but could be better.
Review: This book was a pleasant diversion. It was easy to follow, the plot was good, if a bit contrived, and the characters were well drawn for the most part. I only wish Ms. Johansen had developed more of the aspects of Eve Duncan's profession, forensic sculptor. I found this premise very intriguing, but it really wasn't given all that much attention in the book. It needed more detail. Of course, this story required a suspension of belief, but isn't that what a good suspense novel should do? I will read the sequel, "The Killing Game," hoping that the forensic anthropology subject is given more detail in the story. All in all, good but could be better, but not bad in any case!

Rating:
Summary: A Terrific Premise Is Not Enough!
Review: I thought the idea of a female forensic sculptor who could identify decedents by sculpting their faces back onto their bare bones skulls was terrific. That she got into this line of work due to her own daughter's supposed death and unrecovered body due to a serial killer only added to the idea. However, once into the book, I found myself into a rather standard chase thriller with the good guys trying to remain ahead of the bad guys, all of the characters being such a cliche as to never raise my interest level. This author was much better when she was writing about relationships and emotions way back when in the romance genre instead of the thriller genre. The cover really really fooled me on this one. It is a knockout job of a sculpted head in strips by Alan Ayers/Bantam and it totally pulled me into the forensic premise of this novel. Too bad the novel didn't deliver on its cover promise!

Rating:
Summary: A must read!
Review: This was my first book by this author and I finished the book dying to begin its sequel (which was equally wonderful)! The characters are well defined and the situations, while not entirely plausible - at least I hope not, were written well enough to keep me guessing. I will certainly be reading more of Johansen's work in the future!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful...an intruiging and suspensful story
Review: This is the second book of IJ's that I have read, and I found it totally awesome. The intrigue that she kept going throughout the entire book, made me not want to put it down. She came up with events and scenarios that I would have never dreamed would happen in the course of the book that I thought were wonderful. Also, the twists that she put in at the end to tie in to her second Eve Duncan book, The Killing Game, were a perfect lure to get you to read the next book.

Rating:
Summary: What happened to the romance?
Review: I know I shouldn't begin a book with preconceived notions, ideas, etc., but when you've been reading IJ for as long as I have (and I've been with her for many years), you come to expect something from her. In this case, I was expecting strong characters with a heroine who doesn't always depend on a man to take care of her; a good, solid plot; and a romance--a hot, steamy romance that, IMHO, has become IJ's trademark ever since her historical romance days. I think I got about 1.5 out of 3. Notably lacking was the romance--some sort of...likeable relationship between Eve and one of the two male protagonists. Needless to say, I was disappointed with the ending. I still can't understand how or why Eve ends up living with Logan on his tropical island! I'm still not sure they really like each other. Was IJ just throwing that in as some sort of bone for her old readers? The same readers who made her so famous and successful today? How disappointed am I? I don't think I'll be buying her books as soon as they're released anymore. I think I can wait to sign out a copy of her future novels at the public library. In the meantime, I think I'll get my IJ fix by rereading her historical romances.

Rating:
Summary: Shawna Woods review of Iris Johansens The Face of Deception
Review: The Face of Deception by Iris Johansen is a great thriller,it's suspensful,and has terifing murders. It is a fast-paced book which jumps from one idea to another. While reading it it will keep the readers on the edge of her/his seat. The thrilling fear of Eve and the other's connects with the reader. Which he/she can really feel the fear and the tension that the characters are experiencing. The murders are terifing exspeciallly since they are done in strange ways. Bumps and rocky roads is what readers go down while reading The Face of Deception. When the readers read they realize how fast-paced the book is when it jumps from idea's and places. Complex characters make the book interesting and keeps readers wanting to read it.So as future readers read The Face of Deception watch for the twists and turns the book brangs, as for the terifing murders and great suspense.

Rating:
Summary: Kept me reading but had its flaws...
Review: For some reason it took me a while to get into the story, but about halfway through it picked up. I like the fact that there isn't much description- it usually just weighs the book down and makes for slower reading. And even if the characters aren't completely likeable or easy to identify with, that doesn't make it a bad book. You can't always identify with everyone. I definitely want to order the sequel and find out where Bonnie is. I think it will make good pool side reading this summer :-)

Rating:
Summary: FACE OF DECEPTION ABSOLUTELY A MUST TO READ!
Review: If anyone out there loves suspense thriller novels as I do, really needs to read this book. This is my first Iris Johansen book and I already ordered "The Killing Game". I can't wait to get it. What can I say? Well, for one thing just when you think the plot has thickened, Johansen thickens it even more, page by page to the very last page. A reader can't ask for more. Buy this book and curl up, you won't be disappointed.