ladyconsumer's Full Review: Iris Johansen - Quicksand
Quicksand by Iris Johansen is part of the Eve Duncan series.
By the time this book starts, Eve's daughter, Bonnie, has been dead for several years. But her remains have never been found, and the killer never caught. Thus Eve lives her life in a state of limbo, completely obsessed with trying to find Bonnie's body. Her obsession takes over her entire life, to the point where she neglects the living members of her family. Her husband, Joe, has just about had it with her, and I'm not even certain that Eve would really care, if Joe actually walked out on her. Because to Eve, finding Bonnie is pretty much all that matters.
So, when Eve receives a chilling phone call from one the suspects in the case, you can bet she's going to do whatever this man tells her to do. Because this could be the man who can tell Eve where Bonnie's body is. So, with no regard for her own safety, nor the safety of anyone else, Eve will do this man's bidding.
The rest of the book becomes a cat-and-mouse chase as Eve and her posse try to find this man, and catch him, while he dangles one clue at a time in front of them, always staying just one step ahead. They even bring in a "Listener" - a woman who claims she can hear the voices of others who have died after suffering deep anguish.
This book was "ok" but if you haven't read the prior books in the series you'll really feel like you walked into the middle of a conversation. While you're told a few details about what went on in the past, you're not given nearly enough to make an emotional connection with the characters. Sure, I felt bad for Eve. I can't imagine how awful it is to lose your child, and not even have the body to bury. But the author didn't really give me a reason to care a whole lot at this point. She paints Eve as an obsessed maniac when it comes to Bonnie. She's neglectful of her husband, and her other daughter. And she cares very little about the safety of herself, or of anyone around her. People are getting hurt, some are even getting killed, but she doesn't really take any time to worry about any of that. Only about finding Bonnie. While I sympathize with her plight, I found myself disliking her immensely.
Which leads me to scratch my head why despite being married, she has two other male suitors. Two men who would do anything to get her attention. And I kept asking myself "Why???". I didn't see anything particularly likable about her, yet these men are tripping all over themselves to get with her. At least one of the men, Miguel, was actually really sweet, and I liked him a lot. But the other man, Montalvo, was a complete idiot, disrespectful of Eve, and her marriage. Perhaps the previous books paint him in a different light, but in this book, without having read what comes before, all I see is someone I'd like to slap.
Then there's Megan, the "Listener". I don't want to sit here and judge her, in terms of her "abilities". Part of reading fiction is to be willing to accept certain premises. So, for the sake of this book, I'll assume that she really does have this "gift". And, I'll even accept that she not only hears the anguish of those who have suffered, but that she actually feels their pain. I even accept that going through this trauma is physically demanding on her, and causes her extreme grief. I accept all of that. But does she have to be nasty about it? Megan is not the least bit likable in this book. She is downright rude. Sure, she agrees to help Eve despite how stressful it will be on her. I give her credit for that. But her attitude leaves a lot to be desired. She was downright nasty to everyone around her. Particularly annoying was her insistence on not being touched. Ever. She won't even shake anybody's hand. And, for most of the book, she refuses to talk about why she won't touch anyone. It's fine, if that's your preference, but for goodness sake, tell me why, or at least don't be nasty about it. In the end, when we find out why she has this issue, it makes sense. But why couldn't she have explained it, in the first place? There was no reason for her to be so secretive about. It just made her come off as witchy. And I mean with a B.
Was there anything good about this book? Well, I liked the killer, actually. Meaning that he was pure evil, but smart as a whip. He knew exactly what buttons to push, that's for sure. And I actually liked the ending of the book. It was "different", in a good way.
But overall, I didn't love this book. The characters were just awful. Perhaps this book works, when read as part of the series, but as a stand-alone novel, it misses the mark.
#1 blockbuster bestselling author Iris Johansen returns with a novel of gut-wrenching intensity about a woman in a desperate race against time to brin...More at HotBookSale
Eve Duncan is still reeling from the disappearance of her daughter, Bonnie, and enlists the psychic abilities of Dr. Megan Blaire to find her. But is ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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