Fast paced, lots of twists and turns. Enjoyable. ( )

The first time I returned to where I thought I'd left off reading I thought perhaps I'd put my bookmark in the wrong place. I had to reread 20 or so pages to figure out what was going on. The second time the same thing occurred I thought I must have fallen asleep reading. By the 4th time I had to reread 20 pages to know what was going on it was pretty evident that this is a silly, poorly written book! The dialogue is horrible, repetitious, pointless, interchangeable among characters. And speaking of characters, who are they? There is no character development. It seems of late that many of my favorite authors, Johansen included, simply phone something in, publish it and wait to cash their checks. If you're a Johansen fan give this one a pass. If you are not, you won't be after reading this! ( )

First of all, I'm a huge Iris Johansen fan, so it's no surprise that I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of this new book. I read it quickly (3 days) but was not as impressed with this one as much as I have been with others by her.

While Emily is running for her life, she makes it her mission to kill the men who are responsible for killing her friend. She ends up having a helper with her mission and the two fall for each other. This part of the story was totally up my alley and I enjoyed it......until the end. I did not like how this book ended. The twist at the end in relation to the mystery and the plot didn't jive. It took on a whole new angle right at the end that wasn't really even hinted upon during the book, so I kind of felt like it was thrown in at the last minute. It just didn't work for me! I'd be interested to hear what anyone else thought of this ending.

This won't stop me from reading any of Johansen's other books, but it just wasn't what I had expected. ( )

Emily was captured by Staunton and forced to watch while her co-worker was tortured. The CIA could not rescue her, but Garret could. When Garret read about the kidnapped artifact expert, he felt drawn to her. He used his contacts and rescued Emily. Staunton would not let her go that easily and began stalking her. The only way to keep Emily safe was for Staunton to die. Garrett and Emily combine forces to stop Staunton. Their mission places everyone they care about in danger.
I think I have read every book Iris Johansen has written. Her latest book, Deadlock, is not the typical suspense, romance that fans have come to expect. Johansen takes the genre to a new level. Her characters are original. Garret has a dark side. He is very passionate and loving, but there is that certain something that tells you he is a man that will stop at nothing to protect the woman he loves. Emily is anything but a victim. She suffered through the hell Staunton prepared for her,and she survived. Irana had an inner strength and serenity. (Ms. Johansen, please give us a book with Irana as a lead). Deadlock is a combination of romance, suspense, and action. The plot is well developed and one I was easily caught up in. I give this book 5 stars and eagerly await Johansen’s next one. ( )

Quick read, but characters weren't quite as likeable as Iris Johansen's past characters. Something not quite as believable about Emily & John Garrett. Entertaining, nonetheless. ( )