And Then You Die

The plot involves Bess "falling in love" (my words) with an infant and risking her life (and the lives of others) for this random child. Yes, no civilized person wants innocent babies to die but Bess felt it was OK for others to die to save the baby. Is this what real women do, Iris? Is this what real caring human beings do? It was simply absurd. One scene made me laugh (so as not to cry) out loud. Bess, a prisoner in a hospital where she's been strapped to her bed, manages to find herself free from her bonds. Her evil captor is in the room. Bad guys lurk on every floor. What does she do? She jumps out of bed and smacks him with a bedpan (twice, for good measure). Of course, she doesn't kill him and of course, his minions grab her and show more strap her to the bed again. Wow. Awesome plan. Good thinking, Bess. I sneered and laughed and then realized Bess's solution had all the qualities of an impulsive toddler - uncontrolled emotions and very short range planning. I think that is when I lost all hope and started truly despising this character. Then, it got really bad...

Hope if you still want to suffer through this, that I didn't give away too much of the plot. I can't remember ever reading a book that I truely loathed, but this was it. show less

So, started out pretty cheesy and a bit choppy, but got better. I've read it twice now, so that is a pretty good sign... I think?

In this novel, photographer Bess Grady is vacationing in the Mexican town of Tenajo, in which the story’s villain is testing out a new form of Anthrax. The bio weapon wipes out the entire town except for Bess and an infant. Kaldak, a CIA agent, gets her out of dodge while killing the bad guys in the process. Bess then becomes valuable to the CDC, since they are hoping to use her to create a vaccine for the virus. Meanwhile, Kaldak uses Bess, with her blessing, to lure out the bad guys into the open.

The story moves along at a nice pace, and there is plenty of action, but there are still some groaning moments created by overly large plot holes. The general believability of the story is also quite low. The characters, on the other hand, show more were fairly well developed and likeable. All of this creates a solid but unspectacular reading, that’s worth a read but not with high expectations.

Carl Alves – author of Blood Street show less

A very fast read and my first introduction to the author, Iris Johansen. I could not put it down. She establishes her principle character, Elizabeth (Bess) Grady, 29, divorced and photo-journalist, quickly as a strong, independent woman. A photo shoot, for a series of articles, on undiscovered destinations in Mexico, brings her to Tenajo, a small Mexican village. Her sister, Dr Emily Corelli, 36, Pediatric Surgeon in Detroit, married and one child, age ten, persuaded Bess to bring her along. On arrival, they discover everyone has died except for a baby. Colonel Rafael Esteban, of the Mexican Army, using his position, is working for his own benefit. Bess is caught up in his plan as the only living witness to what really happened in show more Tenajo. What ensues keeps you clued to the pages as you find out how a biological agent is to be deployed in the United States. show less

I really liked this book. It's a topic that is so out there, that you can't help but get sucked in to find out what the outcome will be. Plus, the fact that Bess falls for her bad boy savior, is intriguing. Bess is all black and white, right and wrong. Well, Kaldak is anything but. He takes care of himself no matter where that takes him on the side of right and wrong. Bess at first isn't sure that she can trust him, but once that's sorted out, she puts all her trust in him alone.

Bess is selfless, brave and determined. I loved her character and thought the photography aspect was perfect for this story. I also enjoyed the part that Josie played, and everything that Bess and Emily did for her.

Overall, this one ranks toward the top of my show more favorites from this author. If you haven't picked her up, I'd suggest others before this one, but this would definitely make the list. show less

Bess Grady is a photojournalist traveling in Mexico with her sister Emily. They reach the town on Tejano and find everyone except for an infant dead. The sisters are seperated and the mysterious figure of Kaldak appears to Bess. A decent thriller. There wasn't a ton of character development and Bess was really annoying at times.

Like Iris Johansen's books very much and this one does not disappoint. It has action, a bit of romance and a whole lot of suspense.