Blood Game: An Eve Duncan Forensics Thriller

Reading the other reviews, the flurry of mixed responses gave me insight into this author, whom I have limited acquaintance with just a few books. I find her style engaging with a good pace, however, this book had some notable gaps in areas that left the reader with a big question mark? Did Jelak kill Bonnie or not? The main character is opaque at best, several critics referenced her "cameo" appearances, quite accurate for this story. I do recall Eve Duncan's other stories involved a great deal more emphasis on the facial 3D reconstructions and this one had very little. Lots of confusion with the real characters' superficial depth and not much background on the missing boy, Matt. What i did like was the fast pace of cat and mouse chases, the insertion of paranormal and metaphysical forces, and how to feel comfortable being haunted. This book provided the ease of escaping into light reading...routinely called a "beach read." It is entertaining! Johansen made a wise choice to jump on the vampire bandwagon, even though her psychopathic serial killer is just "plain nuts." Plenty of room to segue into new books...hopefully with a bit more character depth. Overall, likeable and pleasant as an easy read.

Iris Johansen is a past master at this psychic mystery novel and the bittersweet tale of Eve Duncan and her missing daughter Bonnie. Eve is a forensic sculpter and she has made it her life's work to recreate faces of children dead and buried often for years. She does this and yearns to find the body of Bonnie, who has been missing for years. Quinn, a police officer who has been with her a long time assists in the search for Bonnie's body. There is a large backstory that accompanies this book but it is well written enough that you can pick up this mystery and enjoy the story even though you may not know the history of all of the characters. Now I may have omitted that Bonnie comes to her mother in dreams and quiet moments talking of their love and her mother's search for her. During this novel Quinn has his first psychic experienc directed totally at him and he experiences some new emotions and some difficulty accepting and comprehending what has happened. This is one of the highlights of the novel watching Quinn work through this astonishing revelation. Certainly makes for good reading and you won't be putting this one down soon.

BLOOD GAMES: An Eve Duncan Forensics Thriller by Iris Johansen is a nice diversion from her regular fare, mixing suspense, the occult, and a touch of vampiric overtones.

Forensic pathologist Eve Duncan lost her daughter, Bonnie, years ago to a serial killer, never knowing where he buried her. Kevin Jelak, the serial killer, was never caught, yet is still enamored with Duncan. Tied up with a mystical 14th century cult, Jelak fancies himself some sort of god-like man, needing "kills" in order to complete his "resurrection." He sets his sites on Eve because he believes strong women like her enhance his powers.

While a bit of a departure from Johansen's other novels, it's an entertaining and interesting diversion for anyone interested in vampiric thrillers.

Iris Johansen has done it again...

I made the mistake of opening this book when I knew I was working under a project deadline...it sucked me right in!

I was already a Johansen fan and especially an Eve Duncan (forensic sculptor) fan. What really interested me about this book was the more adult treatment of the "vampire" and "paranormal" phenomenon. Between the Twilight series and the new "True Blood" TV series it appears the paranormal is here to stay.

I like the concept of a mortal to vampire resurrection...and I especially like the thought out means to this end that Johansen devises.

Joe Quinn (long time boyfriend) the hard boiled detective is the perfect person to bestow with psychic abilities as he is the first to scoff at them and their use in police work.

The pace is good - the characters well developed (I have to say I loved the old world charm of Seth Caleb) - the paranormal scenes well done and not tied into teen angst and romance.

Overall - it is nice to see the genre aimed at a mature audience.

Like many other readers, I had grown tired of all this "Eve worship". I found it difficult to like a character that not only did truly stupid things that put those she claimed to love in danger, but I could not see what all the fuss about Eve was. This was a great read because it was mostly about Joe: his feelings, his beliefs, his needs...he even got his own ghost!

But the real treat was the introduction of a new (anti?)hero that isn't (that's right, is NOT in love with Eve.) Caleb is sexy as all get out, cool, intelligent, mysterious, and extremely dangerous. He sits on the edge of good and evil; a law unto himself, where the reader doesn't quite know if he's the good guy or not.

I didn't give this book 5 stars because Caleb didn't appear until about a third of the book...and once he did, he didn't take up enough of it! Oh well, it WILL bring me back to read the follow up.

Iris Johansen is one of my favorite authors, so I was pleased to have an opportunity to read and review Blood Game, her next Eve Duncan Forensics Thriller due out in October! We get to continue enjoying Eve's activities, but a new exciting twist has been added and it's a "doozy!" If you are already a Johansen fan, you should be sure to get her latest! If you are not a fan, but enjoy forensics suspense at its finest, Blood Game will ensure you immediately place Johansen on your must-read author list!

Kevin Jelak is playing a game--a Blood Game. If he drinks a sufficient amount of high-quality blood of strong women, he will become invisible, immortal and all-powerful! Jelak plans for Eve Duncan's blood to close out the game soon! And to prepare her to look for him, he places a small gold container of blood in her home refrigerator!

Nancy Jo Norris had been just 19 when Jelak had killed her. While she had been selected quite randomly, it turned out that she was the very intelligent, strong daughter of a Senator who demanded that they put the best man on tracking her murderer. That man was Joe Quinn, Eve's long-time friend and lover.

But Eve notices that there is something wrong--Joe is avoiding her and refuses to share that anything is wrong. He escapes from the house quickly when he is called out to go where they had found Nancy Jo. They found a small gold container of blood near her body! As Joe goes through his routine, he meets a young girl who is able to help him, explaining that Nancy Jo had been in the parking garage at the Perimeter Mall when she had been attacked! Soon he discovers that the tip is a good one and his investigation moves steadily forward. Did I mention that the young girl was Nancy's ghost?

And then Seth Caleb arrives in town. He has learned of the gold containers; he has been searching for this monster for many years, since Jelak first killed a dearly loved relative of his. Caleb has the ability to help Joe and Eve in many ways that are not normally available. But, he is "hunting;" and Joe is not quite sure that he can agree to Caleb's plan!

Blood Game by Iris Johansen has much more magic and mystery. It is a new and exciting expansion of the Eve Duncan series that should bring Joe Quinn into the story even more than in the past. I, for one, hope this change continues! It has the potential to lead toward many alternative paths down which this loving couple can travel. In fact, I'd also like to see Seth Caleb stay as a permanent character as well.

I'm already looking forward to Johansen's next book. In the meantime, if you haven't read Blood Game, get it soon for a weekend of thrilling drama!

G. A. Bixler

This is my second Iris Johansen book; the first being Deadlock (which I gave two stars). I thought I would give Blood Game a chance since Johansen is apparently a bestseller and has flocks of fans. Needless to say, this will be my last Johansen book.

My first gripe (and this is more of my lack of previous Eve Duncan reading) is that there was nothing to suggest that there is paranormal psychic hoopla from the book synopsis. Paranormal stuff is not bad per say (I love urban fantasy and others); but Johansen does not have a knack for it. The characters are so one dimensional it is ridiculous. We have the cop boyfriend who is headstrong and does not believe in the psychic "mumbo jumbo" and is worried about how others will perceive him if they found out he is hallucinating. One of the most classic parts at the beginning of the book is when Joe is talking to the psychic, and she has him "convinced" that he is now a medium-like individual, and he says he still thinks it is a load of bologna but she can come along anyway to help him read the signs, just in case.

The plot is so juvenile and the storytelling is weak; but, I guess I should not expect deep and engaging stories when the author pumps out three and four books a year.

Good reading,

J.Stoner

This time Eve Duncan is pitted against the most evil mind she has met up with. Kevin Jelak is the second on a list of three suspects who might know something about her missing daughter, Bonnie. Jelak is a vampire wannabe. His plan is to kill and feed on the blood of a dozen people and so he can become a resurrected god-man. Eve is number 12 on his list. I've enjoyed all of Iris Johansen's Eve Duncan novels but this one is chocked full of the paranormal. I'll continue to be a fan of the Eve Duncan series but I hope the next one has a bit more realism. Blood Game shows us ample blood, but more attention to Jelak than to Eve and her human relationships. As always, the book has much suspense and great characterization. This is the novel for anyone who enjoys vampire thinking, blood and suspense.

Forensic sculpture Eve Duncan goes home after a complex mentally draining case that featured the murders of several children (see QUICKSAND). She opens her refrigerator to find a goblet with blood stains inside. It looks identical to a goblet found by the corpse of nineteen year old Nancy Jo Norris; the blood had been drained from the U.S. senator's daughter.

Eve's lover FBI agent Joe Quinn apparently can now see dead people; at least two that is: Nancy Jo and Eve's daughter Bonnie. He assumes that he somehow obtained this paranormal skill from psychic Megan Blair (see QUICKSAND and PANDORA'S DAUGHTER). The ghosts thirst for blood so assist the human sleuths on a search for a wannabe Dracula copy cat killer.

This is an exciting Eve Duncan serial killer thriller that increases dramatically the paranormal elements. Eve remains restless, but Joe has proven to be a comfort for her as Bonnie haunts her emotionally and haunts him directly. The story line is fast-paced as Eve and Joe with help from beyond hunt a vampire killer, but gothic overtones detract from the suspense as the lead couple is too well known by fans for the pair to be overly melodramatic. Still BLOOD GAME is a fascinating Duncan investigative tale.

Harriet Klausner

Eve Duncan is one of Johansen's strongest characters who has a touch of mystery/paranormal because of her connection to her deceased daughter Bonnie. One of the best features of these novels has been the realism her partner Joe Quinn brings to the novels to maintain a balance between real and surreal. While I enjoyed the evolution of their relationship from perfection to some obstacles; Joe is changed in a fundamental way that essentially changes how the reader relates to the character. While I felt the dialogue worked, I was bothered by the departure from the plot elements that make the Eve Duncan books work such as leaving the sculpting of a lost child unresolved, something the character would normally not tolerate. A minor character, Norris became more realistic to me than Quinn or Caleb. I wish Johanson had written a quasi-vampire paranormal novel with new characters rather than evolve the Eve Duncan series this way. All that being said, the writing held me at the end and the beginning and I like how their adopted daughter Jane has progressed as a character. I'm hoping for a more realistic approach to the next entry in this series but you need to read this one to follow along.

Eve Duncan is one of the more interesting characters in this type of fiction. A renowned forensic sculpture specializing in children, she almost insures a good story. Even better is the bridge between her last appearance and this book and the inclusion of Megan and Rinata. They add a touch of the supernatural with physic powers to a solid "catch me if you can" story. Who is not in question, the story is the process of capturing him. The author builds very well defined believable characters that we can identify with and care about. The continuing thread of looking for her daughter Bonnie is present and used to good effect here. This is a good solid Eve Duncan story that remains true to overall picture. The author is very readable and enjoyable. While continuing the story, this standalone book does not require you reading the prior books to enjoy it.

Jennifer Van Dyck seems to narrate most of Iris Johansen's books. I've had to quit listening to them. Jennifer Van Dyck who is a well-respected actress, is not a good narrator for audiobooks. She makes all the books the same--uber-dramatic, doomsday, nothing good is going to come of this, etc. She so DRAMATIC and sounds so much the same regardless of book or character that, as much a I like Iris Johansen books, I'm going to have to return to books in print vs audiobooks. Van Dyck should stick to movies. Maybe. Or find another job.

I second Tory's review! Awful, awful, awful! What is the matter with best selling authors these days!! So many of them seem to be losing their initial ability to tell a riveting tale and are morphing into thoughtless trivial discourse. Got half way through this book and could stand no more. I wish I could give this dreadful writing no stars!!! Johansen's definitely off my favorite author list from now on and I will read no more of her novels. Boo!

Five years ago, the author set up two books, Blind Alley and Stalemate setting up a grand romance for Jane McGuire and Mark Trevor. This relationship seems gone in the last several books, until a three sentence mention that Jane does not want a complicated relationship. Are you freaking kidding me? A three senetence mention is how Johansen wraps up a relationship so she can insert Seth Caleb into the mix...You spend two books setting these two up and then break them up because jane does not want to get emotionally involved? LAME! We deserved better.

How do you feel about psychics, ghosts, vampires, and mind control? If it seems too far fetched to you that the supernatural could be used to catch a killer...even in a fictional thriller...you won't like Blood Game. My initial reaction when it became clear that the key events in Blood Game were going to have a supernatural twist was...booooo hiss. But, Iris Johansen won me over...I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed the book. Still, even though I liked it, I can certainly understand how it could be a turn off for a reader that wants their "fiction" to be based to some extent in reality.

Once again Iris Johansen has written a great book in the Eve Duncan Forensics series. Eve, her boyfriend Joe, and "adopted" daughter Jane, with the help of Seth Caleb, attempt to stop a serial killer who thinks that by drinking people's blood he will be an all powerful vampire.

I look forward to the next book in the series to see if Eve will ever find the body of her daughter, Bonnie, who was kidnapped years ago.

I should have looked at these reviews before taking this book out of the local library. Expecting a mystery, I found it filled with nonsense about vampires and paranormal experiences. The author should attend a fiction writing class and get back into gear. Meanwhile, I will look for the latest from Donna Leon.

If you have enjoyed the previous Eve Duncan novels, this one is for you. Here she continues the saga of the lost Bonnie and her attempts to deal with that loss. In this book she adds the "vampire" concept and more mind control angles. There is excitement and new revelations right up to the last page. A quick and engaging Johansen.

The premise of the series: Eve Duncan's young daughter was abducted years ago and no body was ever found. Haunted by her loss, she uses her skills as a forensic sculpter to solve murders and give closure to other families who have lost loved ones. Sounds good- there's a lot you can do with that, but this latest entry in the series takes it way too far. "Haunted" is taken literally as not only does Eve see her dead daughter but her husband is INTERACTING with ghosts of crime victims and using them to help solve murders. Please, if I wanted this, I could just watch Ghost Whisperer.

Seems like Iris Johansen just couldn't help trying to cash in abit on the Twilight craze for herself. Horrible book as far as IJ's books go. Expected more, also kind of a disgusting read. Thanks for disturbing me like no horror writer ever has.

This was my first Iris Johansen book. I picked it up because it was on a library display shelf and the cover identified her as a NY #1 best-seller. I couldn't believe this book got published. There is no depth to any aspect of the book. If an author is going to use dialogue as the vehicle for character and plot development then it has to have substance. The dialogue reminded me of grade school: "I'm going to do X and it's really going to hurt you!" "Oh yeah then I'm going to do Y and what do you think about that!" I could go on but the bottom line is I would not recommend this book!

Iris Johansen's books contain supernatural events, such as revelations through dreams, daytime appearances of the dead, and the like, and strong people, especially women. In this thriller, the focus is on Eve Duncan, whose daughter Bonnie disappeared in an earlier book, Eve knows Bonnie is dead because Bonnie visits her from time to time to calm her. It also has an ER physician with the unnatural power to cause people's potential psychic abilities to become active when they touch her. Thus when Joe Quinn, Eve's detective husband, who touched the physician, is investigating a murder, he is visited on the murder site by the dead victim.

Eve is pursued in this adventure by a crazed serial killer who is determined to draw her blood and add her to his gruesome list of victims. He feels that he needs Eve's blood because of her superior strength of character. Eve is helped by the previously-mentioned people, as well as her adopted daughter, the brilliant artist Jane MacGuire who is unusually protective of Eve, and the powerful criminal Montalvo, who has multiple connections, who is attracted to Eve, whose life Joe once saved, who wants to be Joe's best friend, and who causes Joe no end of anguish and jealousy. And, for the first time, we are introduced to Seth Caleb, probably the strongest of them all, a man who also has mysterious powers, who will appear in future Johansen books.

The killer breaches the security system in Eve's house while she is absent and leaves an ancient goblet filled with blood. He had just killed the lovely nineteen year old daughter of a US senator simply because he needed to relieve himself while waiting to draw Eve's blood. Eve is disturbed because of the death of the young woman, the threat to her own life, and her feeling that the killer was the one who killed Bonnie. He would know where Bonnie's body lies. She wants to "bring Bonnie's body home" and lay it to rest.

Although I have enjoyed Iris Johansen's books in the past, I am not very enthusiastic about this one. There is too much far fetched psychic/ghosts/paranormal stuff thrown in, and it even has a "vampire" serial killer. I am not thrilled with the way the ghostly stuff develops, and find it so utterly unbelievable that it is laughable. I also find the characters very similar to each other in their speech and mannerisms, and none of them act like real people, while the development of their characters is sorely lacking. This novel misses reality all the way around for me. Some of the characters, such as Montalvo (whoever he is, I missed the previous book, and I can't figure his role out at all)and Seth Caleb are just plain weird, and the whole thing is a bit of a nonsensical mess for me, although it is readable, because her style is easy and simple, but I would not recommend this particular book.