I always get more than I expect from Iris Johansen. I love every book and this one did not disappoint me!

High adventure as the characters challenge a butual criminal in the rain forest of Bolivia. Margaret was once held capitive by this man and watched him. Murder her friend..Lassiter. Finds her and wants to exchange her for his friend Patric being held in prison deep in the forest.
The author brings her character Eve Duncan into the story and the reader finished the book wondering if they won't meet in the next book. Good red.

Margret has a gift that Nico's wants back, she can talk to animals and can be useful in his drug trade. She escaped from him 3 years ago only to be brought back into her nightmare thru Lassiter. Lassiter has been hunting Margret for over a year to use her as a pawn to break into Nico's fortress and save his friend Patrick who is being held captive and tortured. Now, Lassiter has come to understand Margret is more than he bargained for. A tenacious young woman who will do what she can to bring Nico down. The ending will have you wanting to know more about this amazing woman and her talents. It did me!

Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read "No Easy Target". At first, I had trouble getting into the book, but after a few chapters I was hooked. I like stories involving strong woman and Margret definitely fits the catagory. And Lassiter is a man who finishes what he starts. I like the cover you have chosen. A woman with her dog and backs to us leave a level of mystery!

Margaret Douglas has worked hard to put her painful past behind her. Raised off the grid in an abusive home, her only escape was the nearby forest where she sought refuge whenever she could. There, in the peaceful woods, she discovered a strange gift: the ability to understand animals and to communicate with them. And so those creatures became her only friends, her only joy during a desolate childhood. Now Margaret wants nothing more than to live a quiet life, close to the animals and under the radar. But her abilities have not gone unnoticed and there are those who would use them for their own purposes. Determined not to be a pawn in anyone’s game, every time someone gets too close, Margaret uproots her life and outruns them.

When John Lassiter breaks into Margaret’s apartment, she vanishes again, but Lassiter has good reason to be persistent. As a CIA operative, he owes his life to his men , one of whom is being held captive by an unrelenting enemy—an enemy who has set his sights on Margaret. Which means that Lassiter must control her to use her as bait.

With danger in hot pursuit, Margaret finds herself matching wits with a man who refuses to stop or be stopped. Turning from the hunted to the hunter, Margaret must use everything she has ever learned to not only survive, but to defeat a great evil. And to prove once and for all that she’s no easy target.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let me just start this off by saying that I LOVE me some Iris Johansen. But this one, it was just more of a miss. I was so excited to see a book that was going to revolve around Margaret, she's one of my favorite side characters from the Eve Duncan books and I just fell a little out of love with her here. I'm used to Iris Johansen's characters being fierce, brave, and strong women; I just didn't connect with Margaret. I felt like she was supposed to be in her late 20s and was more so in her late teens. She felt SO young to me in this book that her yet-to-happen relationship with Lassiter just felt wrong to me (and I'm not prude, I enjoy the heck out of the sexual tension and romance between Jane Macguire and Seth Caleb) On top of that, the so young vibe I kept getting from her, didn't jive with all the things she could have possibly gone through. It just didn't mesh for me.

That being said, thank you thank you thank you Netgalley. For an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to her next book!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1827980307

This was a well written suspense novel with a strong, and unusual heroine. I love that this author is known for her strong, intelligent female characters. A fast paced adventure with great interaction and plot twists, It felt like I was there in the rain forest and on the island with them. Literally couldn't put it down,

Suspenseful, macabre and entertaining!

This is an intense, often disturbing, romantic thriller that reminds us of the dark, despicable evil that exists in the criminal underworld and takes us on a journey into the jungles of Colombia and a world filled with sadism, violence, murder, revenge, lust and a little supernatural.

The writing is good. The main character, Margaret, is intelligent, determined, and unique, and the other characters are a mix of despicable villains, a handsome hero and an adorable dog.

Fans of Johansen will not be disappointed with this latest outing which utilizes her trademark strong, female protagonist and straightforward storyline and will be excited to finally get a better understanding of the Margaret Douglas character we’ve often seen a glimpse of in the Eve Duncan series.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and Goodreads Giveaways for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Abandon hope of a realistic plot all ye who enter here. But then this is Johansen, and this is what makes her different series fun. Private planes and yachts, island hideaways and Colombian torture camps all in one story?

NIcos, Salva and Brukman, the worst villains evah. John Lassiter, Silicon Valley rich guy and his merry band of assassins and former special forces military men who are trying to rescue a comrade. The woman Lassiter plans to use as his dangle, Margaret Douglas, an animal communicator and empath.

Actually being an animal communicator and an empath might seem the hardest to swallow, but are maybe the most realistic aspects of the story. Although I've never heard of someone being both and I've only known dog communicators.

Minor quibbles. Only one character per book should be able to twist his lips, and then only once. (Just like a character can only smirk once per book) I think Johansen should have a better update on the political situation in Columbia-confusing as it might seem at times. "Do you want to have sex?" is neither sexy nor romantic even when spoken by an earth child/woman.

If this is the beginning of a series I would certainly read others. Entertaining, moves right along, original-even if highly unrealistic-plot and characters you care about are all part of this book. I even shed a tear or two over Margaret.

Oh, and that ending! I kept thinking three problems, three bullets. After all ya got that fine assassin along with you. But no, Johansen shows why she is a bestselling author and will remain so.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Not my favorite Johansen book but a good read. It kept my interest and followed her traditional ability to make a great mystery story with strong characters.

This book was awesome! Margaret was introduced as a peripheral character quite some time ago, but her story was never told. Now we finally get to read what her background really is that made her the woman we know and love today. I really enjoyed the development, and in typical Iris fashion I was unable to put the book down until I finished it all. I love the way she links all of the characters together to keep the bigger story going. I recommend it to all fans of a good suspense/murder book and of course if you are already an Iris fan like me you will have to read it just because. I give it 5/5 stars.

Iris Johansen is always a sure bet when it comes to a good read. No Easy Target is a suspense thriller with a little romance. Margaret is a free spirit that can talk to animals. She can get them to do what she suggests. She is on the run from a sadistic drug lord. Jong Lassiter tracks her down and captures her to trade to the drug lord that kidnapped and is torturing his friend. Margaret is much more than John anticipated. No Easy Target has many villains, interesting secondary characters and a dog that will melt your heart. A five star read. Loved it!

Kudos to Iris Johansen for another thrilling "special agents CIA" book. Great read from start to finish.

Totally fascinating! I was intrigued with the idea that Margaret could communicate with animals and influence their behavior. The action is fast-paced and kept me involved and guessing. I think No Easy Target will appeal to readers of all ages. I definitely would like to read a sequel.

"Freedom shouldn't have limits."

NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS

First of all this book had a title change. It is now called NO EASY TARGET; it started out as NO EASY PREY.

Eve Duncan, forensic sculptor, takes a backseat in this story to her friend Margaret Douglas. Eve is mentioned a few times along with her new baby but the story is really about Margaret.

Margaret has had a hard life. She ran away from her physically abusive father when she was young and lived by herself in the forest for three years. When she comes out of the forest she starts working around animals because did I happen to mention that Margaret can talk with animals? All is good until a terrible man kidnaps both her and a friend and isolates them on an island he owns.

I guess I'm having a hard time reviewing this book. All the pieces were in place to have this be a good story but it ended up being random pieces put together in kind of a jumble. It drew pictures rather than letting the reader figure things out on their own. I didn't feel any real chemistry between Margaret and the male protagonist. The one sex scene was mechanical and cold. And I usually love stories with animals but even their parts in the story felt forced.

So this was one Iris Johansen story I didn't enjoy. I kept reading, thinking it was going to get better but it actually ended worse than it started out.

I received this book from St. Martin's Press through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

I'd purchase a book by Ms. Johansen just for her name alone. While Eve has been the central character of a lot of books I enjoy her side trips with the characters who come into contact with Eve's world. Margaret has been an intriguing character with her psychic abilities and her talent of staying off the grid. We finally have a chance to learn who Margaret is and what makes her tick.

Margaret has definitely seen the worst of human behavior and when John Lassiter abducts her in his plan to use her as bait to rescue his friend I couldn't help but dislike John Lassiter. I found myself putting down the book because I could not like the mercenary lassiter and did not see anyone coming to rescue Margaret. Fortunately I picked up the book and once I got going read the story from cover to cover.

The dialog and relationship between Margaret and Lassiter reminded me of a lot of the earlier books in the author's career where she skillfully blends in the dry repartee with a brusque manner that denies all emotion letting the actions define the characters. The end is definitely abrupt and I look forward to seeing the threads between Lassiter and Margaret being picked up again at some future date bringing the story to a satisfactorily romantic conclusion.

Iris Johansen presents Margaret Douglas' story and oh is there a story to tell. Her past meets with her future when John Lassiter finally catches up to her and makes it necessary that she looks back and stops running. WIll she be the hunted as she has been, running from her past, or will she fight and be the hunter and resolve the frightening past she survived. The strength and maturity brought to this character as her story unfolds makes me hope Ms. Johansen brings her back many times over in future novels. Excellent!

I have always enjoyed the mystery\thrillers by this author so I had high hopes. Following the mystery of a women who can communicate with animals seemed cool. But the book was predictable, the characters were robotic. The romance was stilted and cold. The plot just repeated the same thoughts over and over. I would pass on this one

Margaret has a special talent that few people know about and those that do want to exploit. On the run for years, she has stayed one step ahead of the sadistic evil man who almost broke her once. Lassiter is on a mission and he needs Margaret, willing or not, to help him. Enjoyable romantic suspense.

This author has been recommended to me by many people over the years. When I read the blurb for this book I was excited to finally get to her work. A pet whisper who helps take down a killer/drug dealer. I'm a sucker for paranormal stories, add animals and I'm a happy reader. I was not a happy reader while reading this. I'm warning you I was feeling a bit rant-ish after finishing it.
What went wrong for me: Never ending telling and retelling, over explained everything down to the smallest little detail, repetitive explanations, cold mechanical sex, weird methodical dialog, silly goading, too many dialogs, one dimensional characters, conversations that I could not figure out who was speaking, the conversations with the animals were odd and didn't feel emotional like they were told to be. Yes, told, the book spent a lot of time telling me how it was to be felt. They talked/inner dialog/explained so much I just wanted them to shut up so I could read the story. The romance, sigh, what romance ? It was ridiculous, heated glares, glances, and "let's have sex" after you kidnapped me and plan on using me in a way that could get me tortured and killed. It was step A, step B, step C, done. Really, is that supposed to work ? The suspense, was so cheesy, the big bad guys so hollywood derived, I never felt it. The ending was, nothing, it went to nothing.
What did I like about the story ? When she rescued Juno, that was a good moment. Till the dog started talking, ugg ruined moment that lasts and lasts. I hope that I never get to talk with animals if they keep repeating themselves like Juno. My dog is looking at me now and I'm so grateful I can't hear a word, sorry pup.
Stubborn to the end I finished this book even when I knew at 10% in it wasn't working for me. I will not be reading more from this author her style does not work for me.

Well. The idea's certainly intriguing. An animal-whisperer and a former military/CIA got tangled in a sordid world of maniac arms/drugs kingpin. Toward to one third part of the book, the action even got interesting. But the overall delivery of the story just frustrated me and - I can't believe I'm gonna say this - there were too many bloody dialogues in this book it was off-putting!

I got exhausted following the protagonists argue-talked each other in any kind of situations. Heck, not only them, the villains also all talk talk talk goading their cronies and opponents. And I usually like lively conversations in books as they liven up the story. Just not this time!

Another thing that raised my eyebrows: is it normal to wave the "I used to be Special Forces slash CIA" credentials about? I mean, normally in a thriller I read, that part would be notorious aspect without the character bragging about them. And even with this supposed high-flying resume, the male protagonist didn't come across as badass to me. Also, I felt that the female character, with her gift to communicate with animals, didn't show her utmost capability in the story.

On the upside, the plot didn't force the protagonist to end the story with scene of them holding hand, promising to be together forever. There's a possibility of a future - though personally I'm not too taken with the supposed attraction between them, more like a Stockholm Syndrome effect to my liking - but nothing too rushed for a happily ever after.


Advanced copy of this book is kindly provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As always the characters are awesome. This book was a deeper look into Margaret. It was exciting and suspenseful.