Publishers Weekly
★ 06/03/2019
Early in this riveting standalone from bestseller Johansen (Vendetta), journalist Jill Cassidy, who has recently returned from Maldara, an African nation torn apart by civil war, arranges to see forensic sculptor Eve Duncan, the heroine of the author’s main series, at Eve’s home in Atlanta. Jill, who witnessed a massacre in the village of Robaku, Maldara, offers Eve the job of reconstructing the skulls of 27 schoolchildren killed by rebel soldiers. Moved by the stories of the victims, Eve agrees after some initial hesitation. Soon after arriving in Robaku, Eve discovers that Jill also wants her to reconstruct the skull of Nils Varak, the mercenary responsible for the uprising that caused the children’s deaths. Jill is convinced that the Maldara government is engaged in a cover-up claiming that Nils is dead, and that the body they assert belongs to him is not his. Readers will keep guessing about the complex characters’ underlying motivations as the plot races toward the stunning conclusion. Best known for her paranormal romantic suspense, Johansen should win new fans with this more realistic page-turner. Agent: Andrea Cirillo, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (July)
Booklist
Johansen keeps readers on the edge of their seats.
Suspense Magazine
Just by seeing the Iris Johansen name....you know [it] will be an explosive, unforgettable story.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag
Dive into the explosive world of Iris Johansen, where villains get exactly what they deserve and the good guys-eventually-win the day. That's a world I want to live in!
New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen
Supercharged, combustible, and totally addictive. There’s no one like Iris Johansen!”
New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni
A master storyteller, Iris Johansen brings characters to life like no other. A tension filled novel-her plot is intricate, her characters compelling. SMOKESCREEN is great fun.
From the Publisher
"Riveting... Readers will keep guessing about the complex characters' underlying motivations as the plot races toward the stunning conclusion."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"This is dangerous, riveting and extremely awesome-adjectives that also describe Iris Johansen to a 'T.'"—Suspense Magazine
"In SMOKESCREEN, Johansen's Eve Duncan must outwit a vicious psychopath in the middle of the jungle. I really enjoyed this rip-roaring thriller."—Catherine Coulter, New York Times bestselling author of Paradox
"Every element advances the plot to a heart-pounding conclusion. This novel is sure to appeal to Eve Duncan enthusiasts as well as new readers of the series."—Library Journal
"From thriller writer extraordinaire Iris Johansen comes a pulse-pounding excursion into a war torn nation, where forensic sculpture Eve Duncan heeds a journalist's call to assist in identifying a village's dead after a horrific massacre, only to discover more sinister plots may be lurking behind the journalist's call for assistance."—CrimeReads.com
"Propelled by a muscular narrative and elaborate subplots, Johansen's latest complex Eve Duncan thriller reliably pivots on the cerebral battle of wills among its robust characters."—Booklist
SMOKE SCREEN by Iris Johansen brings to life a realistic page-turner.—Crimespree magazine
"SMOKESCREEEN is supercharged, combustible and totally addictive. There's no one like Iris Johansen!"—Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author
"A master storyteller, Iris Johansen brings characters to life like no other. A tension filled novel...her plot is intricate, her characters compelling. SMOKESCREEN is great fun."—Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author
"Dive into the explosive world of Iris Johansen, where villains get exactly what they deserve and the good guys - eventually - win the day. That's a world I want to live in!"—Tami Hoag, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Johansen keeps readers on the edge of their seats."—Booklist
"Just by seeing the Iris Johansen name....you know [it] will be an explosive, unforgettable story."—Suspense Magazine
"Mega-star Johansen is a true master."—RT Book Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
2019-05-13
An emotional and highly deceptive plea entices forensic sculptor Eve Duncan from Atlanta to Africa, where all hell promptly breaks loose.
Journalist Jill Cassidy wants Eve to drop what she's doing and book passage to the fictional country of Maldara, where an attack by Botzan rebels on a village school has left 27 children dead. Eve can render the bereaved parents a priceless service, urges Jill, if she uses her matchless skills to reconstruct busts of the deceased from their skulls, and she plies Eve with enough sob-story details to overcome her resistance. But she doesn't tell Eve the truth, or at least not the whole truth. The real reason Jill and CIA agent Jed Novak want Eve to come is so she can determine that a 28th skull—that of mercenary Nils Varak—isn't really Varak's at all but another skull intended to make the world believe he's dead. Eve, already stung by Jill's deception, points out that the skull has tested positive for Varak's DNA; Jill counters that it must have been faked. While Jill and Novak try to come up with evidence that would support their theory and Eve begins her painstaking reconstructive work on the skulls, Zahra Kiyani, who accepted the presidency of Maldara after her father, the incumbent, was assassinated, seizes more and more greedily the power she thinks is due her as a descendant of Cleopatra's daughter Kiya and the country's rightful queen. She uses her sexual dominance over U.N. diplomat Edward Wyatt to wring concessions from the international community and holds terse exchanges with an unseen party over what to do about this interloping American. How can Eve and her ragtag allies possibly prevail against such entrenched and well-armed adversaries? Readers who take this last question seriously are clearly newcomers to Johansen's venerable franchise (Dark Tribute, 2019, etc.).
No matter how intense the action gets, the outcome, for better or worse, is never in doubt.
