The Search by Iris Johansen

Title: The Search

Author:  Iris Johansen
Publisher: Bantam
Publishing Date:  January 1st, 2000

Pages: 308
Genre: Adult Suspense Thriller

Series:  Eve Duncan #3
Source:  Audio

 

He strikes without warning.
He kills without mercy.
He's only just begun.

As part of an elite K-9 search and rescue team, Sarah Patrick and her golden retriever, Monty, have a gift for finding what no one else can. But their latest assignment is not like the others. This time Sarah is being forced to take part in a deadly mission ... by a man who knows enough about her past to ensure her cooperation.

Billionaire John Logan's top-secret venture has been sabotaged, its facilities destroyed, and its handpicked staff massacred. The sole survivor is being held for ransom. Logan knows that the only way to save the man -- and the secrets he holds -- is to find him as soon as possible.

Sarah is furious when she is strong-armed into joining Logan on his search. And once she takes the perilous assignment, not even Logan's promises that she and Monty will be safe may be enough to protect them. Because a killer is devising a sadistic vengeance ... and he may soon find use for Sarah.

I think this one is my favorite of the series so far. It might be for the simple fact there is a dog. A very wonderful dog.... or maybe because it just had Logan. Either way the story was good. It was exciting and suspenseful and all those things I love. 


John Logan has hired Sarah and her dog Monty for some help. He needs to locate someone for him. Sarah resists at first but Logan makes it pretty much impossible to say no. Which this leads for some tension between the two on assignment. What Sarah doesn't know is the person they are needing to find, the reason he was kidnapped, and the entire business that is going on.... it's way bigger than she could ever imagine and of course she finds herself in a lot of trouble. 

I really enjoyed this book. I feel it was still part of the series but not really. It could almost be a stand alone. Joe and Jane and Eve are in this book but very little. I did miss them a bit but having a book devoted to Sarah, Monty, and Logan was just so good. I love Logan so much... and Monty. So Sarah is pretty cool too. They make a great team together and the tension was just well intense. 

Logan and Sarah together. It's just perfect. Of course Logan is a hard person to deal with because he is a bit bossy and bit rough around the edges. He is used to getting what he wants and he makes sure he gets it. This of course leaves Sarah always at arms length... what she wasn't prepared for were Logan's really good traits, like his loyalty, his big heart, his gorgeous looks. He is just as yummy on the inside as he is on the outside. 

What Logan wasn't prepared for was how stubborn and dedicated Sarah is. She won't budge for any reason. She does not shy away from anything and she will do anything for a member of her pack.... just like Monty. The three of them together. Well it was beyond perfect and I relished in every single second of it. 

I really liked the story too, for one we see more of Logan's past and understand him just a tad bit better. I also love the search element and the great game of cat and mouse that was in the story. I enjoyed the bad guy and his motives and his evil. It was a very enjoyable read with lots of suspense, action, and mystery. There was so much story. There was two main plot lines that were followed and of course intertwined and then there were lots of little things to discover and love beyond the big story.

I think this was a very fast paced easy read to get through and I am ready for the next in the series. Bring it on please. 

Loved it!

 Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her writing after her children left home for college. She first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, Johansen began writing suspense historical romance novels, starting with the publication of The Wind Dancer. In 1996 Johansen switched genres, turning to crime fiction, with which she has had great success.
She lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.
IRIS JOHANSEN is The New York Times bestselling author of Night and Day, Hide Away, Shadow Play, Your Next Breath, The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn't Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing The Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora's Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On The Run, and more. And with her son, Roy Johansen, she has coauthored Night Watch, The Naked Eye, Sight Unseen, Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle, and Silent Thunder.http://www.irisjohansen.com

Review: Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Title: Storm Front

Author:  Jim Butcher
Publisher: ROC

Publishing Date:  April 1st, 2000

Pages: 311
Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy

Series:  Dresden Files #1
Source:  Audio

 

HARRY DRESDEN — WIZARD

Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the "everyday" world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a—well, whatever. There's just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks.

So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get interesting.

Magic - it can get a guy killed.

This was a re-read for me. I never did get past the first book in the series and I read this so so many years ago. One of my goals this year was to re-read series I started and never finished. So This was on the list. I enjoyed it more this time around I think that the last time. I think I caught more of what was going on. Or maybe I just didn't remember much of it...I did love this book though. Its a great start to a series. Funny, a little dark, great mystery, awesome characters. 

Harry Dresden is a wizard and a private detective. He lives in the city where werewolves, vampires, faeries, wizards, witches, and so many other things that go bump in the night exist. He has his own clients but he also works side by side with the local police detectives. He gets pulled in to two different cases, one with the local police, one with a private client. Trying to solve both cases, he has to enlist the help of other humans and mythical beings and of course, he gets himself in loads of trouble 

There are so many good things to say about this book. First I love the old detective vibe I get from this book. I love urban fantasy but it's hard for me to find them that focuses more on mystery and magic than on romance and lust. So to find those that really focuses on the mystery and adds that old-style detective vibe- I love it. 

The mystery was good too. I had no clue what was truly going on. I couldn't even start to piece it together. I was just in it for the ride and held on. I loved the magic too. There were lots of mythical creatures good and bad in this story. I love all the beings and the more the better. 

Harry Dresden himself as a character, Love Love Love. He is so funny in a dry sense of humor kind of way. He is a little okay a lot sarcastic. He is also very smart.. streetwise and book-wise. He is also caring. He doesn't let it out much, but he has a good heart. He also isn't afraid to break the rules. Yup, I am in love with this character. The only thing I didn't get to see was a sexy side to him... but I am sure that will come in future installments. I hope. I do need a little romance. 

The bad guys aren't always bad and the good guys aren't always good.... and magic is always somewhere in between. This book was pretty awesome and I can't wait to read more.  

Enjoyed it very much. Great start to a series.

Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resides mostly inside his own head, but his head can generally be found in his home town of Independence, Missouri.
Jim goes by the moniker Longshot in a number of online locales. He came by this name in the early 1990′s when he decided he would become a published author. Usually only 3 in 1000 who make such an attempt actually manage to become published; of those, only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. The sale of a second series was the breakthrough that let him beat the long odds against attaining a career as a novelist.
All the same, he refuses to change his nickname.