Bonnie

Eve Duncan, Book 14

By: Iris Johansen

Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck

Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

When Eve Duncan gave birth to her daughter, she experienced a love she never knew existed. Nothing would stand in the way of giving Bonnie a wonderful life - until the unthinkable happened and the seven-year-old vanished into thin air. Eve found herself in the throes of a nightmare from which there was no escape. But a new Eve emerged: a woman who would use her remarkable talent as a forensic sculptor to help others find closure in the face of tragedy. Now with the help of her beloved Joe Quinn and CIA agent Catherine Ling, Eve has come closer than ever to the truth. But the deeper she digs, the more she realizes that Bonnie’s father is a key player in solving this monstrous puzzle. And that Bonnie’s disappearance was not as random as everyone had always believed...

©2011 Iris Johansen (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Johansen’s trilogy takes the reader on an action-packed journey.” ( Booklist)

Years of story closed with grace and passion.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have and will again recommend the entire Eve Duncan series by Ms. Johansen. I began reading her, but her stories lend themselves particularly well to audio and Jennifer Van Dyke has the perfect sense of drama, and character style in her rendition of the books.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I don't know what this book would be like for someone not familiar with the works preceding this conclusion to the mystery of Bonnie yet I think that the characters and plot are definitely enhanced with the background of the full Eve Duncan series. If I were to recommend just a few books to reach this Bonnie novel, it would begin with Chasing The Night, then Eve, followed by Quinn, and then Bonnie. Though it would be a shame to miss the beautiful intricacies of the earlier novels to understand the desperate passions of each of the characters in Bonnie.

Great conclusion to a great book!!

This book was great from start to finish. Started reading/listening to this series in the last year. Its a great conclusion for little Bonnie, while explaining things to listeners that may not have read/listened to the whole series. I love Iris Johasen's books. They keep you guessing to the very end!! I really do hope she keeps writing with Eve and Joe as charactors. We dont want this to be the end of them also!!

All The Loose Ends Tied Up

What made the experience of listening to Bonnie the most enjoyable?

Beautifully written, managing to tie up all the loose ends of the series while crafting an intrigueing story all its own.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bonnie's father, John Gallow, has previously been seen as a crazy man probably responsible for her murder. In this book a deeper side of John is sensitively unfolded and draws the emotions of the listener into reevaluating their previous take on John Gallow.

Have you listened to any of Jennifer Van Dyck’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I love listening to Jennifer Van Dyck, her character portrayals and subtle inflections really bring the storylines to life. This book is no exception and has greatly benefited from Jennifer's talents.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definately, and did so. I challenge anyone to switch off in the middle of this one.

Any additional comments?

The valiant story of Eve Duncan deserved a great conclusion, and this gives this series an appropriate end.

Long time coming

I’m glad the mystery of Bonnie’s death is finally revealed. I agree with others who commented that there was too much repetition in this book. I can think of no reason why an author would write, verbatim, things that had been covered in a previous book. A trilogy is just that. Volume one, two and three. If someone picks up volume two first, a little background is all that is needed to bring them up to speed. Not repetition. Add to that the fact that the only descriptions used to describe the emotions of the characters relates to their lips, and now we’ve got a combination that made we want to quit. But I had to know what happened to Bonnie so I kept going. The supernatural thing didn’t bother me. This is fiction so whatever happens is fine. That being said, I think I will take a break from Eve Duncan and listen to some good old fashioned murder mysteries!

Great!

I don’t like leaving reviews. I just want to keep listening to more of these!

painful

What disappointed you about Bonnie?

I found this story incredibly difficult to listen to. I waded through (as I did with the last two IJ books) just so that I would know what had happened to Bonnie. and could say a final goodbye to anything written by Iris Johansen. I don't know whether I have matured as a reader or if Iris has just given up / passed her books on to be ghost written. The habit of using

What do you think your next listen will be?

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

What three words best describe Jennifer Van Dyck???s performance?

solid, articulate, really, as good as possible given the material

What character would you cut from Bonnie?

i have no idea. i don't think additional characters are the issue.

Story is decent, but writing is over-blown...

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably not. The story was decent - I listened to the trilogy (Eve, Quinn and Bonnie), but the three books should have only been one. There is a lot of repetition. Further, the dialogue is wooden and overly dramatic and I found myself rolling my eyes every time one of the female characters "felt her breasts growing taut" with sexual tension. It got to the point that it was making me laugh, which clearly was not the intent. Narrator does a decent job with mediocre material. There are a lot better novels in the mystery/thriller/suspense genre and I won't be getting anything else by this author.

Disappointing

What disappointed you about Bonnie?

This isn't what Audible advertised. NOT satisfying conclusion to Steig Larsen's 'Girl with...' books. Narrator's voice is agitating.

Has Bonnie turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes. I won't listen to any of other books by this author. I will avoid books narrated by the same woman.

How could the performance have been better?

Slower pace, less saccrine child's voice performance. Lousy story. Poorly written.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Simply too sweet.

tedious

What would have made Bonnie better?

I've followed the bonnie story. unfortunately, some of the dialogue and story lines are drawn out and tedious. this happens through johansen's books occassionally and is very tedious in this book.

What was most disappointing about Iris Johansen’s story?

repetetive dialogue

outlandish

What would have made Bonnie better?

to be believable. This author has had good books in the pas.

What could Iris Johansen have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Not be so "other worldly"

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jennifer Van Dyck?

n/a

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

"how riduculous"