Fresh Meat: Silencing Eve by Iris Johansen

At long last, we’ve received the final book in the Eve Duncan trilogy.

***SPOILERS AHEAD, regarding earlier events in the trilogy, but if you're caught up, let's discuss the exciting conclusion!!!

In Taking Eve, the dastardly James Doane kidnapped Eve and forced her to reconstruct his dead son’s head. His son was the infamous serial killer, Kevin Relling, who killed several little girls.

In Hunting Eve, a full-scale search was on for Eve. She escaped, but to keep Doane from hurting someone else, she ran back toward Doane and was recaptured.

With the opening of Silencing Eve, we’re at the memorial service for Eve, who supposedly died in an explosion with Doane. It’s a ruse, of course, and the focus is on finding Eve while Doane believes the world thinks Eve is dead. We also learn Doane’s mission is much larger than Eve’s death, and boy, it’s a whopper.

While Doane works to carry out his plan, everyone searching for Eve is in high gear: Zander, the hit man joined by Eve’s friend, Catherine; Jane and her two former lovers, Trevor and Caleb along with the enigmatic Margaret; Joe and Bonnie’s father, John Gallo; and CIA agent Veneble, who they all believe is responsible for Doane resorting to the big explosion. They’re racing against time and the unknown.

Iris Johansen has done a masterful job of maintaining the suspense through three books. As Doane gets more insane, Eve holds harder onto her own clear thinking. She works continually to get away to keep her family and friends out of danger. Oh, yeah, Eve also has to save several million other people this time.

The other tension-filled part of the story is just as Eve can communicate with Bonnie, she is aware of the presence of Kevin’s malevolent spirit. He pushes to keep Bonnie from getting to Eve and providing comfort. This is compounded by Doane, who forces her to stare, hour after hour, at the reconstructed head of Kevin, which adds to the spirit’s strength.

All this makes for a fascinating story that keeps you turning pages to find what happens next.

Here’s a scene between Doane and Eve:

“I don’t have to lie to you. I don’t have to tell you anything.”

“But you like to tell me all your plans. It gives you some kind of cheap thrill.” She wrinkled her nose as she looked around the small room. It was dusty and smelled of mildew. The only furniture was a wooden table and simple kitchen chairs, a faded couch, an easy chair, and coffee table in front of a stone fireplace. “Your choice of prisons isn’t improving. This isn’t any better than that motel. How long do we have to be here?”

“Until I make arrangements.” He pushed her down in a chair at the table and tied her. “And I’m going to have to leave you for a while to do it.” He chuckled. “I see your eyes light up. Don’t be too eager. You’ll still have my full attention. But now that you’ve finished the reconstruction, you’re not going to be occupied. I’ll have to take care of that problem.”

“I can’t wait to learn how.”

“You won’t have to wait long.” He put the case containing Kevin’s skull on the table beside her. “And I’ll leave Kevin here to keep you company.” He opened the case and gently pulled the reconstruction from the box. “I know how much you like him to be close to you, to watch you.”

She didn’t look at the reconstruction. She knew every line, every curve of that face she’d rebuilt from the burned horror of the skull Doane had given her to recreate. It was a handsome face, but all she could see was the twisted soul beneath it. “If I get loose, the first thing I’ll do will be to light a fire in that fireplace and throw him into it. It’s where you should have left him instead of trying to resurrect him.”

Doane’s lips tightened. “And I’d throw you into the fire after him.”

“Would you? But then your plans to make Zander suffer by killing me would be ruined. Not that he would suffer anyway.” She looked at him. Questions. Find out as much as she could. “Where are you going?”

“I have to make sure that everything is ready and in place.”

As the story goes rolling to the end, it gains momentum like a snowball going down a hill. Will they get to Eve in time? Will Doane carry out Kevin’s plan for mass destruction? Can the good guys defeat the bad guys? It’s the age-old story, but it’s told with solid suspense and finesse.

Iris Johansen and Eve Duncan score again!

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Leigh Neely is a former journalist and editor who now writes fiction fulltime. She and her writing partner, Jan Powell, are anticipating the release of their novel, Second Nature by Neely Powell, soon. They’re currently working on the Connelly Witches Trilogy for Harlequin Digital. She also writes for the popular blogs Women of Mystery and at Neely Powell Storylines. Her short story “A Vampire in Brooklyn” is in the anthology Murder New York Style: Fresh Slices.