Thank you Hachette Audio for the ALC and @NovelSuspects & Grand Central Publishing, #partner, for the finished copy of A Face to Die For in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: June 14, 2022
Summary:
Eve Duncan attempts to unearth one of history’s most intriguing lost secrets in this adventure ripped from the pages of Greek mythology, by number one New York Times best-selling author Iris Johansen.
Archaeologist Riley Smith has been obsessed with Helen of Troy since she was a small girl, trailing her professor father all over the world in search of the tomb of the world’s most beautiful woman. Professor Smith put his life on the line to prove that, instead of a myth, Helen had been a living, breathing queen.
Riley seeks the help of forensic sculptor Eve Duncan, who has the unusual skills necessary to recreate the face that launched a thousand ships—revealing Helen’s true appearance for the first time in history. But convincing Eve to take on the challenge will be difficult because her efforts could come at great personal risk to her and her family….
Tomb raiders have murdered Riley’s father, and now she is more determined than ever to reach the burial site first, avenge his death, and enlist Eve’s aid. Also on hand to help is dashing fixer and treasure hunter Michael Cade, but could he have his own secret agenda when it comes to finding Helen?
Now both Riley and Eve are in danger and in a race across one of the most remote parts of the world. All they have is their trust in each other and their belief in a dream as they hunt for Helen.
My thoughts:
Iris Johansen’s Eve Duncan series is one of my all-time favorite series. I love that it is still going strong at book 28 – yes, this is the 28th book in this series – and while I have definitely loved some more than others, I am so glad I have stuck with it because I just enjoy these books so much! I still remember when I first discovered this series…little did I know what a love affair it would turn out to be!
These books are so action-packed and this one is no exception! But what I truly love, and what made me fall in love with this series in the first place, is seeing Eve do her job as a forensic sculptor. Some of the previous books had gotten a bit away from that and we didn’t really see her in action, and I really missed that aspect, but as in the previous book and this one, we see her back doing what she loves to do and I just find it so incredibly fascinating.
I always love the characters that Iris Johansen creates, especially the female ones. She gives us such strong, independent women that aren’t afraid to go after what they want and we see that with Riley. I loved the dynamic between her and Eve – they were a good pair, once Riley convinced Eve to help her with her mission. Might we see more of Riley in the future? It’s not out of the question, as some characters from previous books have ended up getting their own series – Catherine Ling, Kendra Michaels – I would definitely read a series featuring Riley and her adventures in archaeology! I was quite fascinating with the Helen of Troy story here and can only imagine what new stories Iris Johansen could create if given the chance.
I love these books. I love that they keep me on my toes with all the twists and turns they take and that familiar characters show up from time to time. I love the dynamics between the characters and the way they work to get the bad guys, which in this case involved some pretty surprising people!
I can’t wait to see what comes next in this series…because I just know this isn’t the end yet! In fact, there is another new book due out in September, featuring Jane McGuire, Eve’s daughter…and you know I’ve already added it to my tbr!
Audio thoughts:
With June being Audiobook Appreciation Month and the fact that Elisabeth Rodgers was once again narrating this book, I just knew I had to listen to it. She has narrated many, if not all, of Iris Johansen’s books and is so consistent with the voices. No matter how long it has been since I’ve last picked up one of Johansen’s books, it’s like no time has passed – that’s how consistent she is with her voices. I don’t know how she does it, but I love it! She makes listening to these books so fun and I usually end up listening to them in a day.
