WARNING RANT AHEADAfter tossing and turning all night, I decided that I would set my mind free and lower the rating to this book. The rational side of me decided to come out and point out everything that was wrong with this book and why giving this book a rating of 4 would be a horrible idea. Yes I'll admit my main problem with this book was the romance. Before you label me as a fool who pays more attention to the romance then to the actual mystery, listen (read). You see when I picked up this series, I picked it up with the hopes of not having to deal with a romance, of course a slight one wouldn't hurt, but I really did not want to deal with a romance. In the first book, things were in my favor, there was a hint of a romance but that was not the focus. In this book it became the life of the novel (for at least me). I think the main reason for this is that when I see a flaw, thats all I can think off. I cannot concentrate on anything else.Things were going well in the beginning, despite the fact that I thought Joe was acting like a pushover, but when he decided he didn't just want to be her friend anymore, things started going downhill.It's not because I didn't want them together, of course I did, I had been rooting for them since the first book, but the problem was that gone was the soft and caring yet badass Joe I cared for, in his place was an aggressive asshole. And all my mental detectors started beeping. I am sure an aggressive guy who will do anything for his girl is considered hot but I really cannot stand men like that. It's kind of demeaning. That wasn't all of it though, there was this part in the book (SPOILER ALERT) where he forced himself onto Eve. THAT WAS NOT COOL! She actually said no but he had to show her that she needed him. (excuse me while I take a minute to calm down).Okay back to Joe. That killed Joe for me, any feelings that I had left for him at that point evaporated. The next blow came when he told Eve why he married Diane. I could kill Joe. Poor Diane for having to deal with an asshole like him. I mean who marries someone so that they can give someone they actually love a girl friend? Oh wait... JOE DOES! My heart broke for Diane. I don't even know if I have words to explain how much that bothered me, it was enough for me to want to go punch Joe (not kill him of course, I am not that violent).Of course with everything I am saying, it may seem like I would have preferred Logan as a love interest, this however is not the case and this is also the main reason I won't be continuing this series. You see when I was first introduced to Logan I really wanted him to not be the stupid cliche billionaire who falls in love with a down to earth/broken girl. I wasn't looking to read a cliche. I wanted something different. When I finished this book, I was hoping that when I went into the next book I wouldn't have to deal with any of this romance shit since it had been sorted out but unfortunately I wasn't that fortunate (I am getting this all from the synopsis of the next book, I haven't actually read it). It turns out there is going to be a passionate romance between Logan and Sarah. I don't think I can read the rest of the series when I am so busy hating on the characters. Seriously, the only character I managed to like by the end of this book was little Mike and we barely saw anything of him. I am still giving this a three because I did enjoy it and it would be unfair to give it a 1 (despite of how much I want to give it that rating).
In this second book of the Eve Duncan series, the protagonist does very little facial reconstruction. Mostly she talks on her phone to a serial killer and takes unnecessary chances with her own and other's lives. (or others take unnecessary chances with their own lives). We first find Eve on a tropical island with John Logan where she has lived and worked for about a year. When remains of a young girl which could be Eve's daughter Bonnie surface (literally) after a storm ravages a remote park area, her best friend and "center", former Navy SEAL/former FBI agent/Atlanta PD cop, Joe Quinn goes to bring Eve home to do a reconstruction. Before she can even start, however, the skeleton disappears!Now, admittedly I've read the first four books out of order. I'm not sure I would have read more if I had read this one second because I think #4 (or was it #3? LOL) was better, but at least now I know how she got from her situation in book #1 to where she was in book #4. I definitely like how Johansen has progressed the Eve Duncan and Joe Quinn characters through the first few books.Eve has believed for ten years that she knew who killed her daughter Bonnie, but a serial killer enters her sphere claiming to have been Bonnie's attacker - that the self-confessed and executed Fraser merely claimed credit for his kills. Of course she has to know the truth - has to catch and confront this maniac who has killed for thirty years and whose kills are only now coming to light.Meanwhile the madman has his own agenda, which includes introducing Eve to ten-year-old, red-headed Jane MacGuire - a survivor of the foster care system in Eve's old stomping ground. He wants her to bond with the girl, so it will increase Eve's pain when he kills them both - nice guy, right? All the while he taunts Eve about Bonnie's death and burial location. Johansen has the knack for keeping the suspense up and for giving that last little twist at the end which makes you say, "Whoa!" or "Wow!" or something. Sometimes things drag here or there - or we get inside too many heads - but overall I've found all four Eve Duncan books enjoyable.I read this book in two evenings and it held my attention pretty well. I admit to glossing over some stuff. I likely will continue to read more of the series, but I do hope they focus more on Eve's work. This one introduced a neat character pair - trainer Sarah Patrick and her cadaver finding dog, Monty. These well-fleshed-out characters apparently show up in the next book (according to the teaser at the back of the book) as does recurring side character John Logan who was very prominent in one previous volume and instrumental (though less important) in this book. I like the interplay between Eve and Sarah as well as between Sarah/Jane/Monty and between Eve/John Logan/Joe Quinn.
What do You think about The Killing Game (2000)?
(Bonnie Series #2) This book is about a killer coming after Eve, but in the process he's trying to kill a little girl named Jane too. Joe and Logan are back in action, fighting for Eve's affection and trying to keep both Eve and Jane safe. I enjoyed this book by Iris Johansen and especially the development of Jane's character.While there is still some use of God's name in vain, it didn't seem like there was nearly as much as there is in some of her other books. I wish I could rewrite the books and take all of that out!
—Liz
Title: The Killing GameAuthor: Iris JohansenLength: 384 pagesPublisher: BantamPublished: August 26, 2003Genres: Fiction; Mystery; Romantic SuspenseVisit my review/blog HERE!My Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮Synopsis:A merciless killer on the hunt...an innocent child in his sights...a woman driven to the edge to stop him...The killer knows Eve Duncan all too well. He knows the pain she feels for her murdered daughter, Bonnie, whose body has never been found. He knows that as one of the nation's top forensic sculptors she'll insist on identifying the nine skeletons unearthed on a bluff near Georgia's Talladega Falls. He knows she won't be able to resist the temptation of believing that one of those skeletons might be her daughter's. But that is only the beginning of the killer's sadistic game. He wants Eve one on one, and he'll use his ace in the hole to make sure she complies. And he won't stop playing until he claims the prize he wants most: Eve's life.My Review:I very quickly fell in love with the Eve Duncan series, and it didn't take much to make me feel like I couldn't live with more, more more of Iris Johansen! I loved The Killing Game just as much as The Face of Deception! I love the fact that the story is totally different from Book 1, however, still weaves together quite nicely! I also love the fact that this story is so totally different from any other story that I've ever read in the things that happened. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the story and the total, HOLY CRAP moment when I really figured out what was going on! I thought for sure I had figured it out so many times before, only to find that i was TOTALLY wrong each time! Johansen masterfully wrote this story, keeping the reader on the edge of his or her seat throughout the whole novel! She has amazing writing abilities and is one of the best in her genre!I was happy to learn more about Eve, and even Quinn! These are characters that I have come to know and love in this series, and look forward to continue to learn more and grow with them all throughout the remainder of the series! Eve is such an extraordinary strong woman, who isn't afraid to go after what she wants or to tell someone what she thinks! Quinn couldn't be more protective of Eve, as well as his friendship with her and that's admirable! Overall, I loved this book! I couldn't stop reading once I started it and can't wait to get The Search and get started with it! I'm sure that as with the last two books, it'll have impeccable mystery and suspense, and I can't wait for the Oh Crap moment to hit me, yet again, and practically be slapped in the face with the finale, like I have been with each book before!
—Andrea Corley
I actually picked this up out of order, so my first introduction to Eve, Joe and Logan was a little skewed. Nevertheless, I was so intrigued by Eve, her past and her line of work that I went out and bought The Face of Deception, read that, and then re-read this book (it all had to make sense, you know).I can't say I agree with Eve's attitude towards Joe, or her pig-headedness in some areas, but she so completely fits the mold of "heroine" that Johansen cut that it at least makes sense.Stubborn, strong, independent and yes, a little clueless, Eve is everything she was raised not to be (except maybe the "clueless" part). She struggled through childhood, coming out on top, only to find herself being manipulated by a psycho who wants to play.The action in this book was perfect, and the identity of this particular psycho at the end was a shock for me. Sara, Jane and Monty were also great characters who added something to the story.
—Jessica
