Rutabaga's Reads 2014: Part 4

This trilogy by Iris Johansen was released in 2013. I waited to read these books until the third book was issued in mass market paperback in January of this year.

Taking Eve (Apr. 16, 2013).

The Talking Dead? I sure hope not. Since well before the mystery of her daughter’s abduction was solved, Eve Duncan made it her life’s mission to bring closure to families by becoming a leading forensic sculptor. She has no equal, and Jim Doane knows this. He carries with him the burned skull of his son, Kevin. Kevin had a very seedy past, but in Jim’s eyes, his son was a beacon of light, not of evil. He communes with his son’s skull and perhaps even in dreams (hence the talking dead thing). Is Doane a father so grieved that he believes in his special connection to his son beyond the grave? Or is something sinister afoot?

            Whatever the case, Eve is most certainly in trouble. Doane has abducted her, and he is in a wooded area she’s unfamiliar with. He expects her to do a reconstruction on Kevin’s skull and threatens those she loves if she’s uncooperative. Who will he go after first? Eve’s long-time significant other Joe Quinn? Or her adopted daughter Jane MacGuire? As she worries about them, they worry just as much about her, and there are others to help them. There’s Seth Caleb and Mark Trevor and newcomer Margaret Douglas. Lee Zander is a yet-unknown-factor in the overall picture.

            Johansen writes her tale of suspense in her signature way. Sometimes the dialogue seems redundant, for you read versions of the lines in every book (“I’m going to know everything you know … or I’ll make you pay.”). Sometimes even the characters seem redundant. I’m not talking about the characters we’ve come to know. I’m talking about the new ones, that no matter what their back story is, they always tend to be stubborn/temperamental/tough. I’m not discounting tough characters, but same old, same old sometimes gets a little, well, old. That said, I did enjoy the fast-moving pace of the novel and felt it moved along faster than a couple others of hers I’ve read in the last couple years.

Hunting Eve (July 16, 2013).

Just because Doane is unbalanced doesn’t mean Eve is going to cower meekly in a corner. She’s going to fight and try to escape. Which she does. Right into unfamiliar mountains in Colorado. She’s alone, unarmed and not dressed for the cool-weather elements. But she has escaped, and now she needs all the gumption, verve and intelligence she has to stay ahead of Doane. He’s been trained to track and is familiar with the mountain region they’re in. He has the advantage, but he’ll find that Eve’s survival instinct is strong enough to make his capture of her quite difficult. Can Eve dodge the madman long enough for help to arrive? Because help is trying to locate her, even if their agendas don’t center right on Eve. Joe and Jane are out of their minds with worry; Jane’s even dreaming about Eve, and she’s not much of a dreamer. Margaret is in the picture more often, and Kendra Michaels has been called upon to help in the rescue effort. Venable and his contacts from the CIA and elsewhere are ready to make a move if only they knew where they were going. And Lee Zander. What will he decide to do?

            Despite the redundant lines, this remained a fast-paced read. This trilogy is bringing in multiple characters that have been introduced in other novels of Johansen’s, and it’s interesting to read of their dynamics. For example, the tension between Mark and Seth is so strong, it’s practically palpable. Light and dark. What would it be like to see them really clash? And Margaret is definitely a new character with a past. She also has a special ability that I wish we could see a little more. As for the cliffhanger ending, it’s definitely revving us up for the final book of this trilogy.

Silencing Eve (Oct. 1, 2013).

The CIA agent is angry enough to be violent, possibly even murderous. Catherine Ling has been informed that her friend, Eve, is dead, and she is stark raving mad that no one told her about Eve’s abduction sooner. She would’ve come right away, and boy, does she have words for Venable. Naturally, Eve’s loved ones have figured out that she is not dead, yet they have staged a very public memorial service with the hopes that it’ll make Doane think no one’s in pursuit of them any longer. Little does Doane know that the group has branched out into smaller units to track down potential leads. But Joe, Jane, Seth, Mark, Margaret, Kendra, Lee, Catherine and John Gallo (the father of Eve’s late biological daughter) are having a difficult time searching down any leads. Their search will eventually lead them to Doane’s ex-wife, who’s never been on Venable/the CIA’s radar, but was that a mistake? And on top of saving Eve, how are they going to find the two nuclear devices hidden in two different U.S. cities? How the plot thickens …

            “Silencing Eve” is the concluding book in this trilogy, which is also part of her Eve Duncan series. As with her other books in the series, this one is part thriller, part mystery, part adventure and part supernatural. The plot is multilayered, and the tension between some of the characters adds depth to the story. Johansen tends not to tie up her stories with a nice bow, and she certainly didn’t with this one. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say this, but the one abducted gets saved and the villains get their due … But remember, there’s no nice bow at the end.

Doesn't the trilogy look cool all lined up?