I loved this story of intrigue and thrills and science. I love Kendra. I loved getting to know Lynch better. I recommend reading the first book in this series so you understand Kendra better. I did not want to put the book down.

I do enjoy Johansen's writing! This is a few books into the series about Kendra Michaels and I think it can be read fine as a stand alone. That being said, you do catch some things having read previous books that you may not catch if you haven't read them. Kendra was born blind so her other senses developed more to compensate. Because of a new proceedure, she can now see but still has the hightened senses.

This makes her a great investigator. When the doctor that gave her sight back to her disappears, she is going to find him. Kendra will stop at nothing and contact people she normally wouldn't to help this man. I really like her and how awesome she is. There is action and suspense a plenty.

It was a 5/5 for me.



Thank you for the review copy of this book (via netgalley). I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Sometimes, what you can’t see will kill you…
Born blind, Kendra Michaels spent the first twenty years of her life living in the darkness. Then, thanks to a revolutionary medical procedure developed by England’s Night Watch Project, she was given the gift of sight. Her highly-developed senses (honed during her years in the dark), combined with her new found vision, have made her a remarkable investigator, sought after by law-enforcement agencies all over the country. But her newest case becomes deeply personal as she uncovers the truth about the shadowy organization that has given her so much.
Kendra is surprised when she is visited by Dr. Charles Waldridge, the researcher who gave her sight. All is not well with the brilliant surgeon; he’s troubled by something he can’t discuss with Kendra. When Waldridge disappears the very night he visits her, Kendra is on the case, recruiting government agent-for-hire Adam Lynch to join her on a trail that leads to the snow-packed California mountains. There they make a gruesome discovery: the corpse of one of Dr. Waldridge’s associates. But it’s only the first casualty in a white-knuckle confrontation with a deadly enemy who will push Kendra to the limits of her abilities. Soon she must fight for her very survival as she tries to stop the killing…and unearth the shocking secret of Night Watch.

This is the fourth book in the Kendra Michaels series of thrillers by Iris & Roy Johansen. I haven't read any of the previous books...but that didn't seem to matter as there is enough backstory to help get the reader up to speed.

Kendra is a fasciniating character - born blind, she honed her other senses to such a degree she is almost Sherlock-ian in her abilities to work out puzzles and clues. She has since regained her sight and now is almost the "ultimate" investigator. Aside from those things, she is tough and intelligent - the kinds of things I like from my main characters. She was quite the highlight of this book.
The other characters were good but seemed to fill a space around Kendra, as opposed to being fully-fledged characters of their own. The relationship between Kendra and Adam was fun and a great counterpoint to the seriousness of the story. It is both charming and awkward in equal measures.

As for the story, well, it was very good. Piecing together the reasons behind the disappearance of her doctor as well as the action sequences make this quite an enjoyable read. The reader gets to tag along on the investigation which adds some real depth to the experience.

Aside from the secondary characters, the only real let down for me was the "Hollywood" ending - if you have read any Iris Johansen's novels, you will understand what I mean...

All in all, a very strong story with a fascinating main character. I am going to go back and read the rest of this series...


Paul
ARH

I am a big fan of the Kendra Michaels series, I read all the books as soon as they come out, or before, with the case of NetGalley. :)

We meet Kendra in the Eve Duncan series and I hoped right away that we'd get a series for her, and was so glad when we did. Kendra was born blind, then received sight years later. She uses her heightened senses to help out cops and the FBI solve crimes. The books usually start with someone new meeting Kendra and being skeptical about her until she "proves" her powers of observation. You'd think this would get old, and while it is repetitive, it's always entertaining how she puts people in their place. Kendra isn't a people person, and she's very much in your face. Not everyone likes that, but I love that in her character, I think it makes her even more unique.

This was not my favorite of the series, though it was still really good. I just found the storyline of this one to be a little slower and it didn't keep my attention as much as the others have. But still, a bad Kendra book is still better than many other books, so enjoyable overall. I'd highly recommend the series to any fans of murder mysteries with a strong female lead character.

Setting = A
Plot = B
Conflict = B
Characters = A+
Theme = B

Unfortunately Iris Johansen's books (whether written alone or in conjunction with her son) are no longer the intriguing and well written books they used to be. Night Watch is a cookie cutter novel that I couldn't even finish.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and I also received a complimentary copy with a previous book from the publisher.

Hands down, the best Kendra Michaels book yet! 4.5 stars! I loved that we learned so much about Kendra's past. Kendra's friend and previous doctor, Dr. Charles Waldridge goes missing. Of course being the amazing investigator she is, Kendra goes looking for him. Throughout the book we get flashbacks of Kendra's life as she searches for Dr. Waldridge. It is an interesting way to get information to the reader. In the process, we learn about the Night Watch Project, which gave Kendra her vision back. The book is filled with non stop action. The relationship between Kendra and Adam Lynch even gets better in my opinion. I usually find it forced, but not so in this read. I am excited to see what happens as this book leaves you with questions......

Night Watch is the fourth book in the Kendra Michaels series by the mother-son authors, Iris and Roy Johansen. Despite that I think it can be read as a stand alone and it does concentrate more on the mystery to be solved rather than just the leads personal life. This review is based solely on this books merits rather than comparing it with the previous books in the series (of which I have not read) or those other series from the same author. As a mystery suspense it does keep the reader guessing what really is going on. Although the main character of Kendra Michaels appears to be super human in terms of her ability to detect clues that on first pass would be missed by seasoned law enforcers, it doesn't defy reality. In other words if the characters had no special ability, they would still be able to pick up the clues later on. So the pacing of the story in terms of the timeline is fast but the tone and pacing of events unfolding is steady. And they do unfold gradually which for some readers would be not enough action. There are a lot of main stay secondary characters, there is also some potential romance between Kendra and her charming but equally dangerous partner in crime, Adam. There bantering is more friendly and definitely lighthearted but there are moments of sexual tension brief but intense maybe hinting that it could progress to something later on (or not). I did enjoy reading this because it did make me curious on where the plot is going on and what the eventual reveal would be. As a romance, Ms. Johansen has surprised and sometimes annoyed me before since I could never really expect that her female lead would end up with a character I liked or disliked. Therefore I would definitely put the romance in this series on the back burner and just wait and see. I may pick up another Kendra Michaels book in the near future because of Night Watch.

3.5★

This may be more fun for people who’ve already come to admire Kendra Michaels and her Sherlock-like ability to detect subtle nuances in her surroundings. Born blind, and presumably blind for her first three adventures (which I haven't read), I met her as a sighted woman whose been enjoying life to the fullest.

She was apparently trotted out for lectures and TED talks with her doctor, Charles Wallbridge, to show off the world-first procedure (stem cells to repair eyes), until she grew weary of being a celebrity figure and bowed out of the tours.

She’s bumped into her doctor at a forum where she was presenting a paper about music and aging, her current work. She’s happily surprised to see him – he’s become a father-figure to her – and they go out to dinner, after which, he mysteriously disappears.

Meanwhile, we readers have already witnessed a snowy murder, and when Kendra checks out where Wallbridge was staying, even we can put two and two together and figure there’s going to be a connection.

She notices all kinds of tiny details – smells, scratches, mud – that the rest of us would overlook. Sometimes it’s because she uses her other senses, but she says she was so delighted to gain sight, that she probably uses it more carefully than others do.

She reluctantly calls the man she knows can best help, Adam Lynch. It’s obvious to even the newest reader that this is one of those deliciously tortured will-she-won’t-she relationships between two smart, stubborn people.

“ Lynch’s gaze was searching her face. He leaned closer. ‘So I think you’d better tell me about it.’

She hesitated. This was why she had come, wasn’t it? But if she drew Lynch into this it would be a commitment. A commitment she’d been avoiding for months. Because she never knew where that commitment would lead.

He was looking into her eyes. He said softly, ‘Tell me.’

Do it, before she changed her mind. "

It’s ‘that’ kind of relationship. (Be still, my foolish heart.)

She introduces Lynch (always called by his last name) to her mother, who says there’s something about him that frightens her. (Ooo goody! Just the kind of thing to make a daughter stay clear . . . NOT.)

“Kendra . . . He’s a dangerous man. Just in your experience with him, you know that. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone he thinks might be a threat . . . The man comes on strong like a Mack truck. That kind of force practically demands a forceful response. I just don’t want you standing next to him when that response comes.’

‘I can take care of myself.’ ”

Famous last words. Fun, some action, some selfish rich people trying to take advantage of well-meaning scientists, and Jessie, a colourful young woman on a motorbike who’s a two-tours-of-Afghanistan veteran who sets herself up as another protector.

It’s all Kendra Michaels can do to keep all her helpers from tripping over each other, let alone escape the criminals chasing them.

No surprises, really, but diverting and entertaining.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the review copy from which I've quoted. I'm sure her fans will love it!

Kendra had just delivered her latest research paper at a conference on aging. She had documented several success stories using music therapy to treat Alzheimer's patients. But there was still resistance in the medical community although not as much as a couple of years ago . then Kendra sees Dr. Charles Waldridge was in the room. It had been four maybe five years since Kendra had last since Dr. Waldridge. It had only been an accidental meeting at a conference. No one had changed Kendra’s life more. But why was Dr. Waldridge here? Kendra had been born blind and had spent twenty years in darkness but then Dr. Waldridge had an experimental stem cell procedure. Dr. Waldridge’s research had been part of the Night Watch Project. Her mother had browbeaten Dr. Waldridge as well as his staff into seeing Kendra and eventually get Kendra spot on their test group even though the slots had all been full when Kendra saw the doctor. It had been over nine years Kendra let Dr. Waldridge know she would never take her sight for granted. Dr. Waldridge told Kendra to call him Charles and offered to take Kendra out to dinner but Kendra said no she would take him out to dinner. Charles told Kendra how very proud he was of her. Charles wanted to apologize to her for the way he treated her the first couple of years when she got her procedure. He felt he had turned Kendra into a show horse - took her out for the media, medical; conferences, and fund raising dinners. Kendra said she had tried to cooperate but she had also been going through a lot. Kendra had been Charles’s first great success but Kendra’s reality had changed overnight to go from total blindness to twenty twenty vision. There had been several successes since but at the time Kendra had been the only one. Charles said Kendra had a fascinating sideline as a crime fighter. Kendra said she had consulted with the FBI and the local police department on a couple of cases. Charles asked Kendra if she was working on anything right now. Kendra told him no she was still recovering from the last case- a serial killer the worst she had ever came across. Kendra had spent months trying to find him. Then the same night Kendra had dinner with Charles he came up missing. Kendra is determined to do whatever she can to find the doctor. Kendra sees things others overlook and her other senses are also a lot keen as she had been blind for so long. Then one of Charles colleagues turns up dead. Kendra calls ex government agent Adam Lynch to help her find Charles and discover why the Night Watch Project is under attack. Kendra decides to use herself as bait and Adam will use all his skills and contacts legal and illegal to find Kendra and Dr. Waldridge. Kendra had already been attracted to Adam but doesn’t like to lose control so she had fought the attraction.
I loved this story it was great. There was a lot of action and i really liked that also.Even though the story dragged at times it still kept my interest all the way through the story. I loved Kendra’s character willing to sacrifice herself and use herself as bait for the doctor that had given her so much. Adam reminded me of a character I had read in another story but I still enjoyed his character and he was all in to find Kendra and the doctor. This was just an interesting story with the different kind of research and how Kendra helped the FBI and the local cops on some cases. It was just an all around good and interesting story as far as I am concerned. I loved the characters and the twists and turns of this story. I highly recommend.

Night Watch is book four of the Kendra Michaels series, although you really do not have to read the first four books to understand the history and plot behind this latest release. Kendra, blind for the first twenty years of her life before a scientific experiment made her see again, consults for the FBI utilizing her senses honed by the years she was blind. In this installment, the doctor who gave her sight again has been kidnapped and Kendra uses her FBI contacts to open an investigation into her benefactor’s disappearance. Not all is as it seems with Dr Charles Waldridge and Kendra is taken down memory lane as she rediscovers the man who “cured” her all those years ago.

Kendra’s search for Waldridge was a quick and easy read, complete with enough flashbacks to understand the intense relationship between doctor and patient as well as enough of a mystery to keep the reader guessing. The bad guys, although obvious from the start (think murky corporation with no morals), is one that is still “under cover” until well into the novel.
The sense of black and white begins to grey: bad guys are revealed to be characters who are only attempting to survive the long arm of a shady company.

I loved the elements of medicine sprinkled throughout this crime mystery. The whole premise of this novel is on the medical advancements that gave Kendra her sight, and the shady corporations who would do “bad’ with that knowledge. The concept that sometimes wanting to do the right thing can lead to doing the wrong thing in an effort to continue to do good is definitely prevalent throughout this plot.

Unfortunately, the only part of this book that seemed confusing and less than spectacular was the romance. I feel like without the history between Adam Lynch and Kendra Michaels, the “fiery” passion between the two main leads was a bit dramatic and rushed. The novel hints at a slow burn romance that, sadly, I missed out on by leaping into this novel so late in the series. To be honest, I didn’t really find Adam Lynch all that sexy either – he seemed a tad too “douche” for me..but that’s okay because not all men are for all women, right?

In the end, this book was okay and is a great starting point for readers who want to leap into the series without reading books 1-3. In addition, this makes a great standalone novel with plenty of explanations of Kendra’s history with each characters and an in depth look at Kendra’s experience as a blind woman. Interesting, fun and definitely a great beach read, Night Watch is worth a gander if you are looking for a novel with happy endings and a decent mystery.

This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy crime mysteries mixed with a hint of medical drama, novels with romance between “partners” in police settings, international intrigue and plucky characters.

Very good as usual fast reading you don't want to put it down. Kendra Michaels is visited by the researcher who gave her sight. He disappeared the night he visited her. Kendra gets involved in the case. Soon she is fighting for her life. I recommend this book highly.

Good thriller, but not my favorite by this author.