Book Review: DARK SUMMER by Iris Johansen

Dr. Devon Brady is a veterinarian who has pieced her life together after an abusive marriage. In addition to the animals in her care, her passion includes international search and rescue missions.

It’s on a mission to a Caribbean island that she meets Jude Marrock when his black Lab, Ned, is shot and wounded.

Her heart for Ned and his medical care lands her in the middle of a world she never would have chosen. A world involving secrets and greed, a challenging man and an old Indian shaman. But through it all, Devon finds her strength, her passion and her purpose.

Johansen has gifted us with an incredible story filled with strong characters and a compelling plot. As ephemeral as a perfect summer day, we see the storm clouds in our peripheral vision and begin to believe that nothing is as it seems.

If you love dogs, action, suspense, romance, and a bit of the supernatural, you will love Dark Summer. It's as fast paced as you can get. I read it . . . mostly yesterday.

Do not miss this book.

Highly recommended.



CR: I haven't decided what's next. But I'm thoroughly enjoying (and chuckling through) King's On Writing. Reminds me of Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird which I loved.

It's all better with friends.

Book Review: SILENT THUNDER by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen

Marine architect Hannah Bryson is on top of her game when she's contracted to inspect the Soviet submarine, Silent Thunder, which has recently been acquired by a U.S. maritime museum. Her task is to ready the nuclear attack sub for public exhibition. Hannah's brother and frequent partner, joins her on the project.

It's a simple stop-gap job meant to fill a couple of weeks before she moves on to something else. Simple. Until it goes horribly wrong when Silent Thunder and all souls aboard suffer a deadly attack.

Determined to discover the identity and deal with whoever is responsible, Hannah finds herself straddling a fine line between Russian connections and the CIA, wondering who she can trust.

The mother-son Johansen team has put together an engrossing read. Detail and action, together with a solid plot, bring this well written co-effort together into a story that will absorb you. A few wonderful twists keep the forward propulsion working, and the interaction between Hannah and a dangerous, drive man with no compulsion to follow the rules, keeps the reader wondering.

Silent Thunder should be on everyone's reading list. It's sure to be on the New York Time's.

Highly recommended.




Currently Reading: Dead Famous by Carol O'Connell

It's all better with friends.