Smokescreen is the 26th installment of the Eve Duncan series. Eve, a forensic pathologist, is manipulated to go to Africa by a pushy journalist, Jill Cassidy, to do the skulls of children who were victims of a massacre. But when she gets there, she finds that Cassidy has an alternate agenda and gets involved in political violence that is happening there. Eve is in danger, as well as her husband who travels there to be with her and help solve the problems the country is having.

Although Johansen does a good job of developing the characters, they aren’t all that likeable. They aren’t nice to each other and they don’t interact well together. In fact, readers may find that they don’t really care what happens to them. Johansen is known for her excellent storytelling abilities, but in this novel, they are non-existent. The story doesn’t flow, and readers may find that they don’t really care. Even though Eve Duncan is the official protagonist, she is mostly in the background and Jill Cassidy seems to be the main character here.

The novel contains quite a bit of sex and sexual innuendo, as well as descriptions of horrific violence, enough, that it may turn off readers who prefer the bestselling suspense authors who choose to leave those things out. And while there are twists and turns, and building suspense, it certainly won’t keep readers on the edges of their seats. Even though Johansen has a reputation for writing excellent novels, this isn’t one of them, and Eve Duncan aficionados will most likely be the only ones who enjoy it. Most readers will probably want to skip this one; it really isn’t that great and since there are so many good novels out there that are spellbinding, they should choose an alternative.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A gritty, real, and addictive thriller which will keep you at the edge of your seat.

SMOKESCREEN is one of those books that grabs you from the beginning and throws you up against the wall. Johansen masterfully weaves a tale that pulled at my heartstrings, kept me anxiously flipping through the pages, and allowed me to see the deeper message about good and evil in human nature.

Truth time. This is the first Eve Duncan book I have read. Though I know starting a series this late in the game may not be the best idea, I wasn’t lost with the story. Of course, having more background on the characters would have been good, but this story held up on its own.

I love the way the author brings to light the darkness and depravity in life, but still manages moments of hope and love. It grants the reader a breather with some of the heavier scenes. The balancing act of the grit with compassion as well as the action with the calmer moments is where the beauty of the author’s storytelling shines.

SMOKESCREEN may have been my first Eve Duncan novel, but I can tell you it will not be my last. I may even start from the beginning.

Eve Duncan forensic sculptor is in an African village reconstructing the faces of skeletal remains of children. This highly suspenseful tale is packed with Iris Johansen style. A must read 5-star Suspense.

Manipulated to do the reconstructions of children of a mass murder leads Eve to be caught in the midst of a deadly game between two deadly players! Once again the Eve Duncan series does not disappoint! Excellent characters that have been fully fleshed out enhance a twisted and vicious plot that entertains and keeps you on the edge of your seat! This series continues to be a top choice of must reads!

Smokescreen was a thrill! It was action packed and full of twists that had me on the edge of my seat! This was the first book for me from this series, and I’m hooked.

*Thank you netgalley and publisher for the gifted copy

4.5 stars

Eve Duncan, forensic sculptor, has a passion for reconstructing skulls of murdered children so that they can be identified and give closure to their families. Though she is known as one of the very best in her field, she tries to keep a low profile and enjoy privacy with her husband, Joe, and son, Michael. A very persistent journalist, Jill Cassidy, finally wears Eve down, and they schedule a meeting where Eve will be interviewed. Jill has an ulterior motive – she has spent the last two years in strife torn Maldara, in Africa. After a bitter civil war, President Zahra Kiyani is trying to rebuild her nation. The president wants the world to see her as a queen dedicated to her country, when, in truth, she is a delusional narcissist who is in a partnership with a notorious terrorist who is responsible for the butchering of many innocents, including children. This terrorist, Nils Varak, is reputed to have been killed, but Jill believes he is still alive, and wants Eve to reconstruct his skull to definitively determine the truth.

Eve has always been stubborn and headstrong, and against Joe’s wishes, she agrees to go to Maldara, under the pretext of reconstructing the murdered children’s skulls. Jill is already on the president’s radar, and has suffered greatly for trying to uncover the truth. Soon Eve becomes persona non grata, and when she ignores the suggestions that she leave the country, she becomes a target, as well. Soon her husband, Joe, an ex-seal, and CIA agent Jed Novak, along with enigmatic millionaire Sam Gideon, are all involved in the plot to expose the corruption and the truth. Hopefully, they will all live long enough to complete their task successfully.

SMOKESCREEN has all the trademark action, twists, and excitement of previous novels in the Eve Duncan series. As always, I sometimes want to throttle Eve for the actions she chooses, but I can’t stop reading. I’m in love with her husband, the heroic Joe, whose courage, commitment, and strength are the stuff that makes up a genuine hero. The supporting cast of Jill, Jed, Sam, and, surprisingly, Zahra’s personal slave, are fascinating characters who add substantially to the story. I particularly admire Jill’s strength in overcoming what she endured, and her ability to begin a steamy romance with Jed, the focused CIA agent who wants to bring down this crooked regime as much as she does. This page turner has a very satisfying conclusion, and I recommend SMOKESCREEN for readers enjoying thrilling suspense novels.

It's been awhile since I've read an Eve Duncan novel. This is #25 in the series. This story is action packed and could be read as a stand alone. Eve is asked to go to Africa and reconstruct skulls of children found in an abandoned school building, site of a massacre. Corrupt leaders, little money and fear have the villagers unwilling to help Eve and Jill, the journalist who asked Eve for help. A fine addition to the series,but a little more violent than I was in the mood for. Iris Johansen is one of my favorite authors and many of her non- Eve Duncan books are among my favorites. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It was a well-written book but I was frustrated that Eve Duncan can be so darn stupid and take risks that the outcome could be putting not only herself but others in danger also. She is all for the underdog but at what cost. I like the fact that the book was a little more like the first ones to me but all in all, I think Eve needs to retire.
I am giving this review of my own free will even though I received this book as an ARC

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC to read and give my honest opinion!

It's hard to believe that the Eve Duncan series has hit a 25th book mark but in another sense it's easy to believe because the books are just that good! Eve has come a long way but her skills make her an asset in some of the worst case scenarios. In this book she is guilted by a journalist to identify 27 young children slain by a machete wielding madman, so they can be properly buried. It's just enough to tug at your heart strings and angry enough to want justice for those children. As usual the author just grabs you and sweeps you away.

What did I like? I love all the characters....Jane, Eve, Joe. Gangs all here but Novak and Jill are new ones. I hope we get to see more books with them. The story really does just grab you and tugs at you. Given all the crap we see in the world and news lately it's not really far fetched to see innocent children die in the hands of madmen.

Would I buy this book? This is a particularly hard question since this author tends to sell in the 30$ range. I read this book in about two hours, so that price for me was a no. It is definitely worth reading but as usual I'm just against paying that much for any book. The kindle copy is about half price and to me that's still too high. If you only read a few books a year then it might not bother anyone else to pay that steep price. I'd wait for a paperback or a books a million overage copy on bargain. Or the Library!

Thoughts for the author? Loved the book! Would love to see more Jane books! Thanks for honoring me with a ARC.

After reading the last addition to the series, Dark Tribute, which I felt was a low point in the series, I was a bit hesitant in reading the latest release, Smoke Screen. Wow, what a 180 degree turnaround. Smoke Screen reminded me of the very early books in the series, where Eve’s profession as a forensic sculptor was a prominent feature and the characters seem a bit more normal.

Smoke Screen begins with journalist, Jill Cassidy, coercing Eve Duncan to come to the jungles of central Africa to do forensic sculpting on the skulls of young children killed in a massacre at the local school. After seeing the pictures of the destruction at the school, Eve couldn’t say no to the invitation. Little did Eve know is that Jill Cassidy had another motive in getting Eve to Africa and the results will put Eve in grave danger.

Normally, an Eve Duncan novel has at least one character with supernatural or superhuman abilities, such as being a ghost or being the greatest assassin known to mankind, but this novel is different. With the exception of Joe Quinn’s over the top ex-navy seal abilities and Eve’s young son Michael, who has super-empathic abilities and knew his mother was in great danger, all the other characters were relatively normal albeit possibly extremely evil. I found this rather refreshing. That’s not to say that Smoke Screen is Pulitzer Prize quality work, oh no, it is still very much beach read material. But then again, what else would anyone want to read while lounging on the beach?

I am so thankful and fortunate to receive this book as an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley and Grand Central Pub in exchange for an objective review of Smokescreen by Iris Johansen.

This is the first time I have read any books from Iris Johansen and I absolutely loved this as my first book. This is book 25 of Eve Duncan series. This is an amazingly well written book with a very well crafted story line that quite relates to what is happening in the war torn area of the Congo.
The characters in this series and the supporting casts are phenomenally well written and exciting to read.

This story follows the main character Eve Duncan who was called to Africa by journalist Jill Cassidy to reconstruct the skulls of murdered school children. The massacre is from a terrorist attack and Eve’s job as a forensic sculptor helps the family gain closure from this. Nothing is simple and something suspicious finds Eve in a dangerous situation.

This was such a fast-paced read for me that I truly enjoyed so much that I am going to pick up the rest of the series. I cannot get enough of Eve and the rest of the characters like Joe and Jed Novak. I am now a fan of this series.

Ms. Johansen and Eve Duncan have weathered a lot together and come out triumphant every time. I've explored and enjoyed my adventures with Eve and Joe and their extended family and now their beautiful angelic son. This one for some reason is not destined to be one of my favorites and not just because the story is quite dark.
Ace reporter Jill manipulates Eve to a war torn African country called Maldara to sculpt the burnt out skills of kids that were burned alive in their school by a psychopath. Even as Eve initially resists and resents she's soon as caught up as Jill and her FBI protector team in unveiling the truth that the new government in this war torn country wants to bury deep.
As you will soon discover there are plenty of secrets to go around that involve the simple burial of the village where Eve is now based and soon Joe makes his way to Eve's side despite Jill's strong pulling that got him called in to a much desired training at London's elite Scotland Yard.
Jill and Novak remind me of the caustic wit and cut and parry of many of Ms. Johannsen's protagonists who don't follow the conventional path to romance. However Jill is quite irritating in wanting to be center stage in everything even to the point of possibly endangering her mission or at least making it harder to complete. I will say however given the book ending I hope to see them again and in different circumstances.
All in all sometimes I miss the beautiful romances of the old days that featured Sedhikan though I there is something to be said about the excitement of suspense and intrigue and fencing with danger.

I will be very mature and say SMOKESCREEN is a double Wow! I have admired author Iris Johansen's Eve Duncan books since she began the series and I have followed many of her books with those enigmatic heroes (who might be just a little anti-hero if we are honest), and they have all only gotten better.

Annetta Sweetko, reviewer for Fresh Fiction

Complete review: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=68933

Eve is a freelance professional forensic sculptor. Jill, an investigative journalist, asks her to provide closure for parents of an attack on an African schoolhouse that killed 27 children. Though Eve suggests others and feels slightly manipulated, she agrees to go to the Congo. After she arrives, Eve discovers that the job is just a Smokescreen for Jill’s real motive in inviting her to the work site.

This is the 25th Eve Duncan mystery series that began in 1998 with The Face of Deception. I read the first book but I haven’t read any others in the series until this one. I didn’t have any problem catching up with Eve’s life so this novel can be read as a standalone. Smokescreen has a thrilling plot with lots of heart-breaking details about the mercenary tribes treatment of women and children in Africa. Some of those details are graphic and there is a rape scene. If those are triggers for you, you should avoid this book. Otherwise, it is an interesting look into another world that hopefully none of us will have to face in real life. 4 stars!

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Smokescreen by Iris Johansen that I read and reviewed.
This was an okay Eve Duncan book but it was not one of my favorites. It started out a bit slow for me but did eventually pick up.
I am giving Smokescreen four out of five stars.

I’ve enjoyed several Iris Johansen books in the past, including a few of the early Eve Duncan books. The Killing Game was a favorite of mine, so I was really looking forward to reading Smokescreen.

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t connect with Eve’s character this time. Yes, she had a reason to be mad, and yes, it’s great that she stands up for herself. But she was so unnecessarily rude/harsh while doing so - and on so many occasions - that reading her commentary started to feel like a chore. Negativity works for some characters, especially when they’re witty about it, but Eve mostly comes off as a cantankerous jerk this time around.

Apologies to Iris Johansen, but I can’t recommend this one. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Eve Duncan is pretty much bullied into taking on a new case when journalist Jill Cassidy implores her to come to Africa with her to help parents of children killed in a massacre. They need closure and Eve is just the right one to do so with her knowledge of forensic sculptor. But, Jill has another motive and soon Eve will find herself is quite a lot of danger...

FULL REVIEW TO BE POSTED ON PUB.DATE!

Sandy M’s review of Smokescreen (Eve Duncan, Book 26) by Iris Johansen
Mystery published by Grand Central Publishing 30 Jul 19

I’ve gotten away from the Eve Duncan series over the last number of years – not because I didn’t like the books or anything. Mostly just because there’s a million other books to read too. I have read one or three here and there since those first dozen or so I read in the beginning of the series, and that includes Smokescreen. I’ve read Iris Johansen for a long time now, so believe me when I say it hurts a bit that this book didn’t work all that well for me.


While I was reading, I kept thinking to myself maybe there’s been just too many books about Eve and Joe. Twenty-six books is a lot for a series. For me, what happens is an author becomes repetitive with certain things in their writing after so long. Of course, Ms. Johansen doesn’t do this nearly as much as others out there, but when every character in this book “twisted” their lips time and again, to say it distracted me is an understatement. If that had been an idiosyncrasy of just one character, it probably wouldn’t have bothered me, but everyone does it.

Then there’s the over-independence of Jill Cassidy, star reporter and second to Eve in this book. She quite cleverly manipulates Eve to the African village of Maldara, a war-torn country that was the target of an evil bastard, who supposedly died during his own massacre of his countrymen. He targeted children to lure adults into his sights, and there are young skulls on display by the country’s president, under the guise of solidarity, that Jill wants Eve to do her magic on. It’s once Eve arrives that she learns, bit by bit, how Jill orchestrated her own agenda concerning the story’s villain and to gain Eve’s assistance.

I like Jill. And I like Novak, the CIA operative who has been by her side when needed, wanting to attain the same goal. He, of course, is an alpha man who calls the shots on missions and wants to protect those who aren’t as strong. And this is where I got a little irritated with Jill. She insists on being part of every bit of the mission, even when it’s much too dangerous and distracting for Novak and his men. I’m never happy with heroines who go this far. And she’s as blunt as can be about it, telling Novak to “Go away, I don’t need you here” and the like. I got tired of hearing that.

Joe Quinn eventually shows up when he discovers the danger Eve is in. He’s as alpha as Novak, and I enjoyed the scenes with these two going head to head. Then there’s Zahra, the president, and she’s one piece of work, claiming to be descended from Cleopatra through her daughter and has possession of their golden treasure after hundreds of years. My favorite character has to be Gideon, rich man spy who wants to right the wrongs of the country. I’m actually hoping he gets his own book in the series.

Once Eve sculpts the skull she was dubiously brought to Maldara for, things really get action-packed, and that part of the series has not changed over the years. Ms. Johansen is a master at subterfuge and vengeance, and those scenes don’t let up until the smoke clears. I do enjoy the family aspects of the Quinns, especially their son Michael. It will be interesting to watch his character develop as the series goes on. I’m a tad confused at their adopted daughter Jane’s and Sean’s relationship being on the outs here. I believe the last book I read in the series was theirs, so I’m obviously missing something not having read the stories in between.

The dialogue here is somewhat over the top for Ms. Johansen. I read her Kendra Michaels series and there aren’t the semi-soliloquies some of these characters toss out. Jill and Novak do decide to explore what’s between them – Novak more than Jill, but she eventually concedes, though she still gives him trouble over it all.

All that being said, still a very good story from Iris Johansen. She’s one of the best, even when it doesn’t quite work, which doesn’t happen often. At least I’m hoping so, because it seems this series will still continue for a while.

Grade: B-

Smokescreen – Iris Johansen

I was fortunate to receive this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.

Eve Duncan is working on her latest child reconstruction, as husband Joe Quinn & son Michael are packing for a trip to England, Joe to attend a Scotland Yard seminar, and Michael will be joining Jane MacGuire for an archaeological dig at a Welsh castle. Eve is awaiting the arrival of Pulitzer prize winning journalist Jill Cassidy, who has expressed an interest in an interview.

As Eve and Jill begin to talk, Jill tells Eve of an attack on a schoolhouse that killed 27 children, and that she needs Eve to assist with reconstructions to bring all of the children home to their parents. Eve recommends other sculptors, until she learns of the circumstances – the killings took place in a war town area of the Congo, the children all killed by a mercenary named Nils Varak. As Eve declines the project and offers her information on other sculptors and programs, Jill leaves her with a packet – filled with biographies of the children - and asks her to read them.
As Eve reads the biographies and researches the civil unrest, she senses that she’s been manipulated by a master, but she’s also compelled to give her assistance, much to Joe’s dismay. With the assistance of Jed Novak, a CIA operative and friend of Jill’s, Eve makes her way to Maldara, to the city of Jokan, in Central Africa and sets up a makeshift studio for her work, she meets some bereaved parents in the small village, and begins the reconstruction of the first victim. It’s then she comes to learn the real reason she’s been brought to the country…to ensure that the killer is really dead…

As conflict arises, and Eve finds herself in danger, Joe leaves London and flies to her side. Soon, Eve, Joe, Jill & Novak find themselves pitted against a much greater evil – one they’re determined to stop for good – unless they are stopped first…

I cannot say enough about the Eve Duncan series and this book was no exception. With a well-crafted storyline and a great supportive cast, Eve again gets the job done, with the assistance of husband Joe, and as always, I could not put the book down!! I do miss Bonnie and her visits, but I love the way Eve’s character has evolved, and love the addition of Michael’s seeming empathic abilities too. This series just keeps getting better!

Gah!! Smokescreen was everything I love in an Eve Duncan story and more!!! I have been a huge fan of the Eve Duncan series since the beginning and was just as obsessed with her hunt for Bonnie as she was. But as the series evolved and developed, so did the characters, individual depth and their passion for justice. I absolutely loved Eve and Joe in this story and could not stop reading!

Called to an exotic location in Africa by journalist Jill Cassidy, Eve is asked to reconstruct the skulls of school children killed in a terrorist attack. But when Eve discovers a mystery there and uncovers a conspiracy, she can't help but get involved!

I absolutely loved this story! I loved Eve's passion and Joe's protective nature and the underlying suspense prevalent throughout the story. This was an amazing addition to the series and I cannot wait for more!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review! 5 stars! ~Ratula 

Full Review: http://bit.ly/2M5BuNJ