Blind Alley

By: Iris Johansen

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

The New York Times best-selling author of Firestorm, Iris Johansen, returns with a psychological thriller so terrifying, so relentlessly paced, it won’t leave you time to catch your breath before the next shock comes.

A forensic sculptor is locked in a deadly duel with a serial killer determined to destroy her - one life at a time. Eve Duncan’s job is to put a face on the faceless victims of violent crimes. Her work not only comforts their survivors - but helps catch their killers. But there is another, more personal reason that Eve Duncan is driven to do the kind of work she does - a dark nightmare from a past she can never bury. And as she works on the skull of a newly discovered victim, that past is about to return all over again. The victim is a Jane Doe found murdered, her face erased beyond recognition. But whoever killed her wasn’t just trying to hide her identity. The plan was far more horrifying. For as the face forms under Eve’s skilled hands, she is about to get the shock of her life. The victim is someone she knows all too well. Someone who isn’t dead.

Yet, instantly Eve’s peaceful life is shattered. The sanctuary of the lakeside cottage she shares with Atlanta detective Joe Quinn and their adopted daughter Jane has been invaded by a killer who’s sent the grimmest of threats: the face of his next victim. To stop him, Eve must put her own life in the balance and question everything and everyone she trusts. Not even Quinn can go where Eve must go this time.

As the trail of faceless bodies leads to a chilling revelation, Eve finds herself trying to catch a master murderer whose grisly work is a testament to a mind warped by perversion and revenge. Now she must pit her skills against his in a showdown where the stakes are life itself - and where the unbearable cost of failure will make Eve’s own murder seem like a mercy killing.

©2004 Iris Johansen (P)2004 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"[An] expertly plotted, eminently entertaining novel." (Publishers Weekly)
"Johansen has become adept at mixing supernatural elements with intriguing suspense, and her new tale will please both fans and new converts with its unpredictable journey from Atlanta to the archaeological digs of Herculaneum in Italy." (Booklist)

Fun, ending doesnt work, might be better abridged

This was my first Iris Johansen book. Apparently, she writes psychological thrillers with a psychic angle. I found much of the book very engrossing, but it sort of petered out towards the end, and the ending was simply not satisfying. While I generally do not prefer the abridged versions, I thought this one might benefit from some abridgement. It got a little repetitive. I am interested, however, in listening to more of her work.

This was a pg rated book, only a few swear words, and those were near the end. No sex scenes. Would be ok for kids 12 and up; does have some gruesome scenes which make it unsuitable for younger listeners.

Fans of Eve Duncan will not be disappointed

Good plot, typical Johansen characters (including a new Sean Galen-esque character named Mark Trevor). Fans of Johansen's Eve Duncan series will not be disappointed. I'm glad this was available unabridged; it would have lost something in abridgement.

GREAT LISTEN

Where does Blind Alley rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

RANKS IN THE TOP OF THE BOOKS I HAVE LISTENED TO. I LISTEN TO A LOT OF BOOKS AND HAVE ENJOYED MOST OF THEM.

didn't like the narrator

start was good as is usual for iris johanson books however I didn't like hoe the narrator made eve sound whiney.

Can't Wait For Countdown Now

Have been listening to Iris Johansen Books for years. Eve didn't seem as strong in this book. It IS a Jane/Mark Trevor book with Eve and Joe in the side lines. Still enjoyed it. Makes us very anixous to start Countdown (the rest of Jane and Trevor's Story) Think Iris has taken Eve and Joe thru enough, Jane's turn.

Blind alley

As usual Iris Johansen didn't let me down with this story. Have been a fan of hers for a very long time. Her characters are very believable in a take me away escape for a while. Love books and stories where I can get into the story so much I can forget daily problems, she manages this with her Eve Duncan and Joe Quinn relationship...I think we all would like that relationship with another.

Great storyline

I’ve started the series over from the beginning. Different narrator for each book doesn’t help in a continuous series. Again, male characters should sound male. Trevor should have had a British accent not American. This narrator makes Eve sound like an “old crone.” I enjoy the Jane of these early books- tough, street savvy, confident, independent, and intelligent. Not sure when Iris’s Jane changes and so completely changes. I won’t describe the unappealing changes since I don’t want to ruin the stories for anyone else. I’m sure a lot of the concerns I have with the characters are related to narrator interpretation. Using a duet format with the same duo throughput would greatly improve my view. My first time through the series was in written format and MY interpretation definitely colors how I view the narrator’s interpretation. I do have problems with the timeline of each book. Jane seems to age quickly but not Eve nor Joe. This continues throughout the series. The age gap between Jane and her love interests and their future daughter’s love interest is also off-putting. This may all sound negative, but Iris did hook me on this series and,overall, I have enjoyed the storyline. If my first time through had been the audible version, I’m not so sure I would have been hooked.

A great dissapointment....

This is really a struggle to listen to. The plot is very weak and undeveloped, the characters annoying, and the performance of the reader uninspired. I did not even bother to finish the book, which is definitely a first for me!

couldn't wait to finish-dragged on & on,terrible

big disappointment.i don't read much fiction.however when i did,i've been lucky except for this one.read it because of publisher's weekly and booklist recommendation.large mistake.

Not her best work

I have read a number of the author's books and this one just fell flat for me. Maybe its my age, but a 17 year old girl as a chief protagonist is not as interesting as her other characters have been.