Rating: 
Summary: Are we reading the same book?
Review: I don't see why everyone gave this book such a high rating, it is NOT that good. I just about gave this book 2 stars, but decided I'd give it 3. Only because I snuck read chapters at work because I wanted to know where it was going and how it finished. The plot was okay to a little less than good. The thing I didn't like the most (much of the reason for the low rating) was the author's writing style. I did not care for it. Many odd one-liners and thoughts. My mother-in-law read it after I did and her describing words were, "See Pug run." That about sums a lot of it up. I can't say I would recommend this book. I doubt I would read this author again because of the style.
Rating: 
Summary: Captivating
Review: I found this book to be one of the best I have read. It was very suspenseful as well as satisfying. I couldn't put it down until I had read the last page. It truly is a one sitting book. IT keeps you guessing right up until the end. The characters are powerful and unique. "The Killing Game" was well worth the time. Great read!
Rating:
Summary: Once you start, you can't stop
Review: I love murder, mystry, fantacy types of books,they are usually quite boring at the start, but not this one, I was hooked right from the first chapter, The killing game was one of the best books I had ever read. It was very fast paced, cut straight to the chase, no dragging and I didn't had the feeling that I want to skip some pages.
The ending is very surprising, you never could've guess who was the killer, unlike some books which the endings were just a dead give-away. While being a story about murders, there were also heart-warming parts in the book, and the author didn't describe the scene to the point that it made you feel "yew, yuck". It was a very enjoyable read, I think if you in for a interesting read, you'll like this book,
Rating:
Summary: Enough already, no sequel please
Review: I was looking forward to reading the Killing Game, I believe it would tie the loose ends of Face of Deception. Eve is a woman that women love to hate, you just want to shake her. She's crazy, I can't image losing a child in the matter that she did, but as I read the book I kept on thinking this woman really needs a therapist. She a user, and can't see pass her obsession to bring her child's bones home. She doesn't care about anyone, and uses the excuse that she went thru a lot to cover her selfishness... The dialogue in this book is unbelievable... It is also unrealistic, the hero waits for the woman for 10 years, and is still waiting, WOW! The one good thing about this book is that it's a fast-pace book, a good read while on a plane. I used to like Iris Johansen, but since she wrote Ugly Ducking her books have pretty much the same premise. I feel that I'm reading the same story over and over with each of her books. Just the characters change a bit...
Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: I read this one after The Search (the 3rd one with Eve Duncan) and Faces of Deception (The 1st Eve Duncan book). It was great! I love all 3 of these books a lot, and I recommend reading them in the order they were written. The Search focuses more on Logan and Sarah than on Eve (The Search was also my most favorite of the 3).
Rating:
Summary: I'd give it a "C" for contradiction
Review: I gave this book three stars, because I figure it's about a "c" which would make it average. While the plot kept me interested, I did figure out who the killer was early on. Johansen's main character, Eve Duncan, is described by other characters in both books as independent. Yet, she is easily manipulated by the men in her life, doing pretty much whatever they tell her to do after arguing with them about it. She is also an easy target for mind games, which make her an easy victim for not only the villians she faces but also for her suitors, Logan and Joe. This is a major contradiction. As far as the forensic aspects of the book, I'd sooner recommend Kathy Reichs Temperance Brennan series, or Beverly Connor's series about character Lindsay Chamberlain. Johansen does explain the process of reconstruction on a skull, but it seems to be word for word the same in The Killing Game and in her previous story about Eve.
Rating: 
Summary: please don't make me read this again
Review: ok, i gave this book two stars because there was a surprise ending. all in all, this is not a very good book. there are some really cheesy lines that belong only on a poor man's network movie of the week. there are even some portions of the plot that i question. if you decide to buy this book, buy it from the bargain area. don't empty your wallet on this one--you've been warned.
Rating: 
Summary: Unusual style
Review: This author displays such a varied range. The reader is quickly drawn into the story. Caught up in a web of intrigue and consumed with a conflicting desire. As with any truly good book, the reader wants to end the torment and have all questions answered; on the other hand, the realization that the reader is right smack in the middle of a well crafted story lends one to procrastinate the consumation. Don't take my word for it. Experience it for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: The Killing Game
Review: I have not yet experienced Iris Johansen in her capacity as an historical novelist, but find her mystery-suspense books fascinating. Iris Johansen is talented and refreshingly unbiased about her characters and their capacities. There are no incompetent ninnies of either sex, just admirable and yet not unrealistic people who are fighting the great fight to cope with their demons and life in general. They appear to be doing fairly well at it when suddenly the illusion of normalicy is ripped asunder, and the demons come out to play. It is here that these reluctant heroes manage, with reasonable yet not silly reactions, to somehow contend with the dangerous situations they now face. Both sexes are well represented in strengths and weaknesses, and although proud, do not have the annoying tendancy of cutting off their noses to spite their faces with the regularity of some characters, whose only claim to fame is often just how bullheaded they can be. The theme in Johansen's books seems to be that when a person finds themself in a swamp filled with alligators it is natural that they will not be happy about it; they may even pout about it for a short period of time. However, their survival instincts are still very much intact and they tend to be reasonable enough to know when they are in over their heads. They eventually recognize that having a competent alligator wrestler on their side isn't such a bad deal, even if he wouldn't be their first pick for Man of the Year. In the Killing Game the topics of forensic sculpting, deadly obsessions, serial killers and dealing with loss are covered in a way that keeps the reader gripping their book long after they should have called it a night. This thriller is just that, and is not good boring "fall-asleep" fare. If you are fascinated by how normal people cope with abnormal situations, Iris Johansen is for you. She also manages to put a face to evil, something that is rare and hard to do without being trite or painting the world black and white. I have read many great authors, including Patricia Cornwell, whose ongoing characters delve deeply into the question of evil. Iris Johansen stands with the best of them, with realistic but fascinating plots, well-researched material, and characters you can relate to and care about, as well as some you can despise. What makes her stand out is that she is not content to just make you loathe the antagonist, but also makes you curious enough to want to know more about him/her, and what makes "them" tick. She is not a bleeding heart who wants monsters to escape justice, but she recognizes that monsters are made, and that understanding them is the key to stopping them. She also manages to create such character identification that you are truly anxious to see her "regular-Jane/Joe" characters come out of that swamp safely. She will leave you biting your fingernails till the very end.
Rating:
Summary: I'm hooked!
Review: This was my first Iris Johansen, and I am hooked! The day I finished this book I ran to the local store and picked up three more copies, and I've read them all already. This is literally a book that you can't put down. Each chapter is a cliffhanger in its own right, and you want to keep reading just to find out what happens next. There are definitely parts of this where I was quite breathless, hoping that one of the characters (all of who are likeable and real) would survive whatever predicament they were in. At one point, I thought I had figured out who the killer was, and my suspicions were almost confirmed, but then a plot twist I didn't even see coming changed everything, and made this book an even more thrilling mystery. I can't wait to read even more of her books!
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