Stalemate

Poorly written -- spotty editing w/poor word choices -- fast read.

I got a Great Story and a Good dose of Forensic Science!

My good friend told me about this book, since she knew I got "hooked" on the field of forensic medicine after watching a certain tv show. Tv is fine, but for me nothing is better than a good novel that can weave a story around a subject that I'm interested in. Anyway I thought "Stalemate" was a fantastic novel and the forensic professor Eve Duncan was just the character I was looking for to keep me hooked on the field of forensic science. I was thrilled with the author's detailed descriptions of this field and way she just pulled me into this fascinating story. In summary, I really enjoyed Iris Johansen book. ( )

Awesome book! I couldn't put it down. Of course, I love all the books in this series, but this one in particular was fantastic. There were some really unexpected turns and twists in this one regarding Eve's story line and I am really excited to know that she is getting close to solving her mystery and that makes me want to get started on her 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. ( )

Eve is no closer to locating Bonnie than ever, and her missing daughter continues to haunt her. When a South American arms dealer offers her a dangerous bargain - identify a skull for him and he'll track down Bonnie's killer for her - she can't resist the lure. But Eve has more hostages to fate than her lost daughter. This time her obsession with bringing Bonnie home may just cost her the life of someone close to her.

It's been a while since I read the preceding novels, but Johansen deftly handles backstory details, and the story takes off fairly quickly. That said, while the tension continues to build, there isn't a great amount of action. The supporting characters are wooden and fairly one-dimensional, and the premise is a bit of a stretch. Eve's tendency to threaten violence toward anyone who endangers her loved ones gets a bit tired by the third or fourth repetition. It's a solid enough series entry, but Johansen's capable of better. ( )