Body of Lies (Eve Duncan) - Softcover

Johansen, Iris

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0553582143 ISBN 13: 9780553582147

Publisher: Bantam, 2003

Synopsis

Eve Duncan, the signature character of #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen, thought her past was long buried. Until she finds herself tracking a killer so deceptive he leaves no trace behind—except for his victims.
 
Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan has been summoned to Baton Rouge by a high-ranking government official to identify the remains of an unknown murder victim. Eve wants nothing to do with the project. She has finally found peace from her own tragic past, living a quiet life with Atlanta detective Joe Quinn and her adopted daughter, Jane. Then a stunning series of seemingly unrelated events turns Eve’s new world upside down.
 
Now, in a special government facility, she takes on the project of identifying the victim’s skeleton. But she hasn’t even begun when another death occurs. Someone totally ruthless, who can strike anywhere at any time and with seeming immunity, is determined to put a halt to her work, her life, and the lives of those she loves. Eve has stumbled onto a chilling conspiracy. There is only one person who can give her the devastating truth . . . and he’s already dead.

About this title

Review

Just as there are sculptors who insist they liberate forms imprisoned within marble and granite, Eve Duncan, the strong-willed heroine of Body of Lies, is a forensic sculptor driven by a need to liberate innocence from the shroud of death. Tops in her field, Eve obsesses over recreating the likenesses of faceless, decomposed murder victims, using only their bare skulls as a guide. It's a spooky career that began when Eve's own daughter, Bonnie, vanished and was later discovered, the girl's remains unrecognizable.

In Body of Lies, a killer uncovers a shocking truth about Bonnie, driving a rattled Eve to take a dangerous assignment in the darkest heart of bayou country. There, at the weird behest of a shady senator, Eve rebuilds the visage of the politician's late rival, a challenge that nearly results in her murder, strains her romance with a hard-bitten detective, and uncovers a fantastic global conspiracy over energy profits and much else. Wildly ambitious, Iris Johansen's Body of Lies inspires paranoia about the rich and powerful, though it gets unwieldy when Johansen's action writing and characters don't plausibly sustain the image of a secret society hell-bent on world domination. More effective are her bright supporting characters (especially Eve's Liverpudlian protector, Galen), bursts of descriptive wit, and insights into her wounded but dogged heroine. --Tom Keogh

From the Inside Flap

A past she thought buried...a murder she was driven to solve...
Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan has been summoned to Baton Rouge by a high-ranking government official to identify the remains of an unknown murder victim. Eve wants nothing to do with the project. She has finally found peace from her own tragic past, living a quiet life with Atlanta detective Joe Quinn and her adopted daughter, Jane. Then a stunning series of seemingly unrelated events turns Eve's new world upside down.
A killer so deceptive, he leaves nothing behind but his victims...
Now, in a special government facility, she takes on the project of identifying the victim's skeleton. But she hasn't even begun when the first death occurs. Someone totally ruthless, someone who can strike anywhere at any time and with seeming immunity, is determined to put a halt to her work, her life, and the lives of those she loves. Eve has stumbled onto a chilling conspiracy. There is only one person who can give her the devastating truth...and he is already dead.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bantam
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0553582143
• ISBN 13: 9780553582147
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 400