Shattered Mirror: An Eve Duncan Novel

Another great Eve Duncan book. A skull is left for Eva to do what she does best as a forensic sculpture. Turns out the skull is the sister of Cara, Eve' s adopted daughter, roommate. I love how the writer brings characters in from other books and makes them richer. Very well written

Eve Duncan receives a package on her porch, a burned skull that she feels compelled to restore. But dark forces are operating not far from her home and soon everyone she loves is under the threat of a mad killer seeking revenge. This is by far the best Eve Duncan book that I have ever read! The characters are realistic and portrayed with great emotion and detail. The man who is trying to destroy Eve and her family is diabolical and so twisted that you want him to get caught and punished...soon, before he does more harm. Kaskov, Cara’s Russian grandfather, is a featured part of the story, and instead of being villainous, he is actually helpful. The new character introduced is Darcy, Cara’s friend from school. She is like comic relief with a twist because her life is threatened, also. This book was a book that will knock you out of your chair with its twists and turns and action that does not stop from page one until the conclusion. Iris Johansen has given the reader a book that will be hard to put down and will also make you think afterwards about all you hold dear and how one moment in time can change everything.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

5 stars

Joe and his son Michael return home. Joe tells Michael to wait in the pickup while he goes in and speaks to Eve about Michael’s getting beat up again by a school bully. Michael gets out of the pickup and waits on the porch. While there, he senses something in the woods. When the whole family goes outside to investigate the “bear” in the woods, they notice a box on the seat of the pickup. When they look in the box, they notice a broken mirror inside, along with a burnt skull.

Eve is determined to keep it to do a reconstruction. She allows Joe to call the forensics team though. She will begin the reconstruction on the female skull in the morning.

When Eve talks to Cara, her “adopted” daughter on the telephone, Cara tells her she is worried about Jock who is a close friend of hers. She hasn’t heard from him. One her way to a concert, she is stunned to see Jock in the lobby of her dorm. They ride to the concert together and Jock tells Cara that she is being followed and that her room was bugged.

When Cara is attacked in her room, Jock convinces her to go home a day early. On a whim, she asks Darcy to go with her. Together the two young women travel to Eve and Joe’s cabin. Eve is absolutely stunned when she sees Darcy. It’s her twin sister Sylvie.

The plot thickens when the attack seems to be about Darcy and not Cara. But wait, there’s more…A series of murders and deaths has Joe, Jock and Eve in motion. Eve is so angry, scared and desperate after being called by the killer that she calls Koskov, Cara’s crime boss grandfather for help.

This is a very well written and plotted novel. I am embarrassed to say that this is my first Iris Johansen novel. Boy, have I missed a lot. I went immediately to the store and took a look at her other Eve Duncan novels. The suspense in the story begins immediately and continues at a high level throughout the story. I swear I was almost biting my nails at times. There is sufficient information given about the main characters to flesh them out and make them believably human but not so much as to detract from the story. Even for a first time reader like me. I liked Eve, Cara, Michael and Joe, they are great characters. I liked the relationship between the family members.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for forwarding to me a copy of this astoundingly great book to read and enjoy.

This story begins with a burnt skull with a bullet hole wrapped in a nice package with and including a two-sided mirror being left on Eve Duncan's front porch. Because her fey and precocious six-year-old Michael encourages her to restore the skull so that the victim can find her way home, Eve begins something that will lead to incredible danger.

Then the story switches to Cara at school with her new roommate former child star Darcy Nichols. Cara is wishing to visit Eve, Joe and Michael and angsting over her relationship with Jock Gavin who has been out of touch for some months. Cara is also planning her usual month with her Russian mafia grandfather Sergei Kaskov which makes Jock and her family uneasy. When her rooms are broken into in New York, she takes Darcy and goes back to stay with Eve for a while leaving Jock to investigate.

Cara's relationship with Jock is changing. She's eighteen now and not the traumatized eleven-year-old that Jock rescued. They've had years of being best friends but now she is starting to feel grown-up feeling around him. Jock is a former assassin who feels that Cara can do better and he's been waiting for years to find some more appropriate for her to love.

When they get to Eve's, they are all surprised and upset to find that the skull belongs to Darcy's secret twin sister. She was brain-damaged at birth and Darcy's mother blackmailed Darcy to work in show business to earn the money to provide her sister with the kind of care she needed while forbidding her to visit her. However, they do have a twin mental communication which they could use to get around their mother's rules. Only, the twin Sylvie dropped off Darcy's mental radar a couple of months before and now Darcy knows why.

The villain has set up a complex plot to get revenge on Eve, Cara, and Cara's grandfather leaving Darcy as collateral damage. It will be up to Eve, Joe, Jock, and Kaskov with Cara, Michael and Darcy's help to defeat the villain before he can complete his plot.

This was well-written. I enjoyed the fast pace of the story and the relationships between the characters. I like that Cara is part of a family formed by love rather than blood relationships. I liked her growing and changing relationship with Jock.

Another great Eve Duncan book. A skull is left for Eva to do what she does best as a forensic sculpture. Turns out the skull is the sister of Cara, Eve' s adopted daughter, roommate. I love how the writer brings characters in from other books and makes them richer. Very well written

Eve Duncan receives a package on her porch, a burned skull that she feels compelled to restore. But dark forces are operating not far from her home and soon everyone she loves is under the threat of a mad killer seeking revenge. This is by far the best Eve Duncan book that I have ever read! The characters are realistic and portrayed with great emotion and detail. The man who is trying to destroy Eve and her family is diabolical and so twisted that you want him to get caught and punished...soon, before he does more harm. Kaskov, Cara’s Russian grandfather, is a featured part of the story, and instead of being villainous, he is actually helpful. The new character introduced is Darcy, Cara’s friend from school. She is like comic relief with a twist because her life is threatened, also. This book was a book that will knock you out of your chair with its twists and turns and action that does not stop from page one until the conclusion. Iris Johansen has given the reader a book that will be hard to put down and will also make you think afterwards about all you hold dear and how one moment in time can change everything.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

5 stars

Joe and his son Michael return home. Joe tells Michael to wait in the pickup while he goes in and speaks to Eve about Michael’s getting beat up again by a school bully. Michael gets out of the pickup and waits on the porch. While there, he senses something in the woods. When the whole family goes outside to investigate the “bear” in the woods, they notice a box on the seat of the pickup. When they look in the box, they notice a broken mirror inside, along with a burnt skull.

Eve is determined to keep it to do a reconstruction. She allows Joe to call the forensics team though. She will begin the reconstruction on the female skull in the morning.

When Eve talks to Cara, her “adopted” daughter on the telephone, Cara tells her she is worried about Jock who is a close friend of hers. She hasn’t heard from him. One her way to a concert, she is stunned to see Jock in the lobby of her dorm. They ride to the concert together and Jock tells Cara that she is being followed and that her room was bugged.

When Cara is attacked in her room, Jock convinces her to go home a day early. On a whim, she asks Darcy to go with her. Together the two young women travel to Eve and Joe’s cabin. Eve is absolutely stunned when she sees Darcy. It’s her twin sister Sylvie.

The plot thickens when the attack seems to be about Darcy and not Cara. But wait, there’s more…A series of murders and deaths has Joe, Jock and Eve in motion. Eve is so angry, scared and desperate after being called by the killer that she calls Koskov, Cara’s crime boss grandfather for help.

This is a very well written and plotted novel. I am embarrassed to say that this is my first Iris Johansen novel. Boy, have I missed a lot. I went immediately to the store and took a look at her other Eve Duncan novels. The suspense in the story begins immediately and continues at a high level throughout the story. I swear I was almost biting my nails at times. There is sufficient information given about the main characters to flesh them out and make them believably human but not so much as to detract from the story. Even for a first time reader like me. I liked Eve, Cara, Michael and Joe, they are great characters. I liked the relationship between the family members.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for forwarding to me a copy of this astoundingly great book to read and enjoy.

This story begins with a burnt skull with a bullet hole wrapped in a nice package with and including a two-sided mirror being left on Eve Duncan's front porch. Because her fey and precocious six-year-old Michael encourages her to restore the skull so that the victim can find her way home, Eve begins something that will lead to incredible danger.

Then the story switches to Cara at school with her new roommate former child star Darcy Nichols. Cara is wishing to visit Eve, Joe and Michael and angsting over her relationship with Jock Gavin who has been out of touch for some months. Cara is also planning her usual month with her Russian mafia grandfather Sergei Kaskov which makes Jock and her family uneasy. When her rooms are broken into in New York, she takes Darcy and goes back to stay with Eve for a while leaving Jock to investigate.

Cara's relationship with Jock is changing. She's eighteen now and not the traumatized eleven-year-old that Jock rescued. They've had years of being best friends but now she is starting to feel grown-up feeling around him. Jock is a former assassin who feels that Cara can do better and he's been waiting for years to find some more appropriate for her to love.

When they get to Eve's, they are all surprised and upset to find that the skull belongs to Darcy's secret twin sister. She was brain-damaged at birth and Darcy's mother blackmailed Darcy to work in show business to earn the money to provide her sister with the kind of care she needed while forbidding her to visit her. However, they do have a twin mental communication which they could use to get around their mother's rules. Only, the twin Sylvie dropped off Darcy's mental radar a couple of months before and now Darcy knows why.

The villain has set up a complex plot to get revenge on Eve, Cara, and Cara's grandfather leaving Darcy as collateral damage. It will be up to Eve, Joe, Jock, and Kaskov with Cara, Michael and Darcy's help to defeat the villain before he can complete his plot.

This was well-written. I enjoyed the fast pace of the story and the relationships between the characters. I like that Cara is part of a family formed by love rather than blood relationships. I liked her growing and changing relationship with Jock.

Shattered Mirror: Iris Johansen
Fear is a powerful weapon when creating discord and unraveling a family’s security. Revenge can have its on place but when someone decides to create a powerful strategy and take down someone he feels wronged him by just saying no to something he wanted done you have a diabolical plot that will know no boundaries and won’t end until the final coffin is placed six feet below the ground. Iris Johansen allows readers to hear and witness the convoluted, diabolical and torturous well thought out plan of a man that would haunt Eve Duncan’s mind, body and soul until he finds his way six feet under.
Rory Korwalk is a sick and sadistic killer who wants to get back at Eve for not doing a reconstruction on a skull belonging to someone close to him. Rather than face her squarely in person he has the skull sent to her in a gold box. This would start a chain of events that will stupefy and horrify Eve and Joe endangering everyone close to them and possibly costing someone’s life within their own family circle.
Not wanting her to do the reconstruction she manages to convince the police to allow her to work on her but why does her son Michael, want to call the skull Sylvie?
Cara Delaney is Eve and Joe’s ward or adopted daughter who attends a prestigious music conservatory or school in New York and has been placed with Darcy Nichols as a roommate. Both have relationship issues and yet they manage to bond. Jock Gavin is someone who adores and protects Cara at all costs and when dealing with him he’s no match for her tenacious and persistent attitude. Cara and Darcy are both in the music field. Cara is a virtuoso on the violin and Darcy a singer and actress. Each one dealing with her own specialty. But, Cara is related to a mafia king who happens to be her grandfather and this is where things get interesting and dangerous.
Vulnerability is something that both Joe and Eve never realize when Joe tells Michael to remain in the pickup trust while speaking to Eve about a bully named Gary who seems bent on tormenting Michael. But, Michael is curious and decides to venture out on the porch. Perceptive, astute and smart he realizes that there is something in the woods and it’s presumed to be a bear. In reality it’s the box with the skull and a broken mirror has been placed inside with a skull that is completely burned. The reconstruction is completed and Cara is set to come home and Jock is concerned about her safety with a visit to her Grandfather coming up the next month. Going to a concert and seeing him in her dorm Cara did not realize that she is being followed. Added to that her room is bugged and then she’s attacked when entering the room alone. Jock is in a rage and with the insistence of Eve and Joe she is forced to leave before her next performance and takes Darcy along with her to meet her new family. Kaskov is the name she calls the killer and her grandfather is linked to her attack and the murders to follow. The shocks start to reverberate when Eve meets Darcy and she comes face to face with the same face as Sylvie. When the shock wears off Eve and Darcy talk about what happened to Sylvie and the ramifications of what is about happen next as they realize that there is much more to this than both of them being twins
Darcy’s reaction is quite remarkable and when she explains that she is a twin and that the face staring up at everyone is her sister things take on a different turn. Learning about her childhood, her mother who cared for her and placed Sylvie as second, did not change the fact that Darcy adored her sister. Hard to believe that their mother Felicity was close to Norwalk and would bring her sister to someone in order to have her killed but why? The answer is in the word TWIN and the truth will be revealed as you the reader and Eve Duncan hears the voice of this sadistic killer explain what he has planned for her, her family and anyone that gets in his way. So, why does she enlist the help of Kaslov and why are they all moving to his compound? Jock is the catalyst in this along with Joe Quinn who seems to have it all under control but Eve loses it at all times and seems unhinged when Cara and Michael are involved . Mirrors offer reflections of us so that we can see clearer picture of who we are when looking straightforward at our reflection. But, when both Darcy and Cara look what exactly did they see? What is the significance of the two-sided mirror?
Listening to Kaslov extend his terms, learning more about Nikolai and his role we also realize that Jock is quite capable of breaching his security measures, showing up in the compound and using his skills to let Kaslov know that he’s vulnerable. When Joe enters the compound he and Kaslov have an interesting faceoff.
A plan comes into place as Darcy feels the need to help with their plans to take down Norwalk as she blames herself because of her sister when in reality it was her mother who brought her sister to her death but did she really know what she was doing? When Jock and Joe contact different members of their team for information they are informed that Norwalk has eliminated quite a few more including one of Kaslov’s guards. With Jock dealing with security and Norwalk demanding that Eve fall prey to his plan to destroy her, author Iris Johansen creates a plot to take down a killer what will bring not only Eve to her knees in danger but Cara, Michael, Joe and Darcy too. The ending is terrifying and the final outcome will blow your mind as Eve takes on a killer and Darcy uses her skills in a way you won’t believe as truths, lies, betrayals, hate, revenge and family loyalties and friendships are tested when Cara and Michael are face to face with a killer and a 6 year old boy refuses to become a victim when the final shot is fired who remains alive? Twins have a special sense and almost read each other’s minds even when apart as Darcy realizes that Sylvie is always there for her and the faces in the mirror will always be the same and even though the glass is broken and the chards are inside the golden box no one can ever really take away the true images in the SHATTERED MIRROR!

When someone leaves a box containing a skull—and two mirrors, one shattered and one complete—at Eve Duncan’s home, she knows she has a work to do. As a forensic sculptor, it’s her job to reconstruct the faces of the dead and bring closure. But this time, it’s personal.

With a killer watching every move as Eve tries to reconstruct the skull, the face of a beautiful woman emerges beneath her hands. A face with ties to Eve and her family. With everyone she loves in danger, Eve must find out who the killer is and stop him—before the unthinkable happens again.

What is there to say about an Eve Duncan book? I’ve read this series for years, and every single one is a solid read, full of mystery, intrigue, and danger. Confession: I’ve not read any of the Eve books since the 2013 series—no idea why not, just got busy, I suppose, so there were some surprises here for me. (Eve and Joe have a son? I have no memory of this…)

I enjoyed Shattered Mirror as I enjoyed Johansen’s other books and found it both compelling and unique. Considering how many books have been written in this series, that in itself is a fantastic accomplishment for the author.

(Galley provided by St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Shattered Mirror by Iris Johansen has strong family relationships, along with the mystery and suspense elements. What it does not have is Jane and her boyfriend from the last book in the series. This one centers on Eve, her husband, son and Cara while at home in Atlanta.

The psychic mystical element is prominent in this book, so it is far from realistic. That is not to say that it is not a pleasure to read. It also has so many twists and turns, with some very unexpected twists in the story. There is also the introduction of new characters when there is already plenty. For new readers to the series this might be confusing or perhaps not at all.

It is a plot that focuses on the intrigue and suspense more than the action. Having the twin revelation added the element of surprise in the plot, which I found to be fascinating. The evil and vile villain is not as easy for them to find and stop, making it a page-turner. Fan of psychological thrillers will love Shattered Mirror.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley.

This was another good Eve Duncan story. I like that Iris Johansen moves up the timelines in the next book. This one takes place 4 years after the last book. I am still not all for the whole Jock and Cara thing. I still find it weird and have for several books but as Cara gets older maybe I won't find it so weird. One thing that has been bugging me is the ages of Jane, Eve, Joe, Jock, Caleb and MacDuff, as the books that I have read never tell you it's hard to gauge their age and I think in my mind I'm putting them older than they are. Michael is Michael again in this book, if every child could be like him, I might have kids, haha. I was disappointed that we had no update on Jane or Caleb in this book, it would have been nice to know what they are up to 4 years later.

*Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this for my honest opinion*

Shattered Mirror – Iris Johansen
I received this novel as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.
Eve Duncan is back once more, as a mysterious gold wrapped box is left on the seat of Joe Quinn’s jeep. After carefully extracting the package and ensuring it’s not explosive, Joe opens the box to find a two faced mirror – with one side intact and the other broken. Beneath the mirror, there is a skull, charred from fire, but with a bullet hole evident. As he explores the property, he finds evidence that someone has been trespassing, and presumably surveilling the area.
As Eve starts to prep the skull for reconstruction, her son Michael, only six years old, but already displaying signs of a sixth sense intuition, suggests that the skull be named Sylvie.
Meanwhile, adopted prodigy Cara is in New York City, getting ready to head to Connecticut for a concert with roommate and best friend Darcy. Although very few know that she is the granddaughter of Sergei Kaskov, Jock Gavin comes back into her life to tell her she’s been shadowed, and he steps in to protect her. When she is attacked, and nearly killed, both she and room mate Darcy head to Atlanta to stay with Eve and Joe.
Meanwhile, Eve has just about completed the reconstruction of the skull, when Michael comes to look at it, and tells her that the eye color is wrong – they should be blue. And when Cara and Darcy arrive, Eve realizes that the skull is an exact duplicate of Darcy – and Darcy has a twin named Sylvia.
And so the next adventure in the Eve Duncan series begins, as Eve, Joe, Cara, Darcy and Jock search for answers in this seemingly complex puzzle, where lives are in danger, no one is safe, and uneasy alliances are made in an effort to save the lives of those they love.
From the lakes of Atlanta, to the bayous of Louisiana, this novel is packed with non-stop action! As usual when I’m reading an Eve Duncan novel, I could NOT put it down!

St. Martin's Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Shattered Mirror. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Yearning for normalcy as she and Joe raise their son Michael, Eve Duncan's carefully crafted world is shattered when a mysterious package appears in the family car. After it becomes increasingly apparent that something sinister is in the works, will Eve choose to align herself with one of her enemies for the sake of her loved ones?

The last few Eve Duncan books have declined in regards to the strength of the plot, with Shattered Mirror being no exception. As Eve finds herself, once again, directly in the path of a psychopath, both friend and foe come to her aid. I have grown tired of the characters in Eve's periphery, as they all have exceptional and unique abilities. This strains the legitimacy of the book, as it takes away from the realistic nature of some aspects of the plot. The author also chose to take her characters years into the future, which is too large of a span from the last novel. Both Michael and Cara are almost unrecognizable, as a large portion of their backgrounds were just omitted. The suspense and surprise has largely been taken out of the Eve Duncan novels, since it is almost guaranteed that the book will follow the same formula as the previous ones. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend Shattered Mirror to other readers.