Dead Aim

Rating:
Summary: Better than a tv miniseries
Review: Dead Aim is a fun read...hard to believe but it could happen.
Alex Graham, a photojournalist, is on location when a dam collapses in Colorado. The authorities believe it to be a natural disaster, but after several days of digging through the rubble to find survivors, Alex leaves the scene to try to get pictures from a better altitude. She becomes an unhappy witness to the destruction of the helicopter that is to pick her up and then overhears plans to cover up what has actually been a terrible sabatoge. The action picks up as her friend Sara Logan is wounded...We remember Sara and her rescue dog from previous Johansen thrillers. Sara is now married to a mega rich businessman with political connections all the way to the White House as well as contacts who are either CIA or former CIA operatives.

The characters in Dead Aim have been introduced in previous Johansen books, and while it is not necessary to have read them, it makes understanding Dead Aim easier. Alex is an unlikely hero,however, she does save the country in the end. It's a fun, quick and easy read and would make a good mini series.

Rating:
Summary: I liked it!!
Review: I have been reading some mixed reviews about this book with some people loving it and some people (mostly longtime Iris Johansen readers) finding it not up to par. I have read 2-3 books by Iris Johansen and find that this book is one of my favorites.

Dead Aim is about photographer Alex Graham who is taking pictures of what appears to be a natural disaster. She soon finds out otherwise--as she overhears the conspirators and witnesses them murder one of her friends. Alex is soon on the run from the killers and from the government, who mistakenly think she may have something to do with the disaster.

Judd Morgan is a loner who is persuaded to help, protect and guard Alex. He is a man with a complicated past and is also on the run from an assassin as well as the CIA. Helping them is Galen and billionaire John Logan.

I thought that the plot about conspiracy, terrorists and government was fast paced and well done. It is a suspenseful mystery as Alex and Judd find out who they can trust. Instead of focusing on international terrorism, the terrorists are actually working within the government...so no one is what they seem.

It was nice to revisit with old characters like John Logan, Galen/Elena and Sarah/monty the dog. The ending was exciting as Alex runs from the killer and they try to stop a terrorist plot. Dead Aim was a great read and one that will keep readers turning the page!

Rating:
Summary: Not a whole lot of substance here
Review: I like thrillers, I like political thrillers, I like romances. This book didn't succeed on any of those levels.

The skeleton of the story was fine but it didn't go anywhere. It wasn't that it was far fetched, it's not like we haven't seen the supposed good guys doing bad things. It was that there were a whole lot of words but not a whole lot of substance. I felt like I was just passing through the story, there was nothing to grab the reader.

Alex whined a lot (and we're supposed to believe she's this tough chick photojournalist but she whines an awful lot for a supposed tough chick), Judd brooded a lot, Logan (yes, we know he's a billionaire) ordered people around and said he'd do anything to save his wife a lot. There was panic, running and hiding, some action and mystery but it never fell into a cohesive and compelling storyline.

I haven't read Johansen before, this was a impulse, the book was on the "Your librarian likes" shelf and I took a chance. It wasn't awful or poorly written, it just wasn't anything one way or the other.