Summary and Reviews of The Killing Game by Iris Johansen

The Killing Game by Iris Johansen

The Killing Game

by Iris Johansen
  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Readers' Rating (10):
  • First Published:
  • Aug 1, 1999, 355 pages
  • Paperback:
  • May 2000, 352 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Book Summary

Takes us inside the twisted mind of a psychopath...and the heart of a woman who refuses to let him win.

A merciless killer on the hunt...

An innocent child in his sights...

A woman driven to the edge to stop him...

Iris Johansen, New York Times bestselling author of The Face of Deception and The Ugly Duckling, returns with the most daring, terrifying, and nerve-shattering novel of her career as she takes us inside the twisted mind of a psychopath...and the heart of a woman who refuses to let him win.

The killer knew Eve Duncan all too well. He knew the pain she felt for her murdered daughter, Bonnie, whose body was never found. He knew that as one of the nation's top forensic sculptors she would insist on identifying nine skeletons unearthed on a bluff near Georgia's Talladega Falls. And he knew that she wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of believing that one of those skeletons--the one belonging to a young girl--might be Bonnie's.

But that is only the beginning of the killer's sadistic game. Soon the calls begin to come. Sly, insinuating, chilling. Whoever is on the other end of the line is watching. He sees every move Eve makes. He savors her pain. He could strike at any time. But that's not what he wants--not yet.

In a heartbeat, Eve's world is turned upside down. Not even the two tough, powerful, and relentless men who would do anything to keep Eve safe can help her. Charismatic business magnate John Logan and hard-as-nails Atlanta detective Joe Quinn can't go where Eve must go. Because the killer wants her alone, and he'll use his ace in the hole to make sure Eve complies.

Now Eve Duncan must match wits with the most dangerous of psychopaths. A man for whom life and death is no more than a game. A killing game. And he won't stop playing until he's gotten the prize he wants most: Eve's life.

Talladega Falls, Georgia
January 20
6:35 A.M.

The skeleton had been in the ground for a long time. Joe Quinn had seen enough of them to recognize that. But how long? He turned to Sheriff Bosworth. "Who found it?"

"Two hikers. They stumbled on it late last night. Those rains the past few days washed it out of the ground. Hell, that storm slid half the mountain into the falls. A real gully washer." His gaze narrowed on Joe's face. "You must have hotfooted up here from Atlanta as soon as you heard about it."

"Yes."

"You think it's connected to one of the Atlanta PD's cases?"

"Maybe." He paused. "No. This is an adult."

"You're looking for a kid?"

"Yes." Every day. Every night. Always. He shrugged. "The initial report didn't say whether ...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Reviews

Media Reviews

Kirkus Reviews
The second of Johansen’s suspensers starring Eve Duncan (The Face of Deception, 1998), a forensic sculptor who shapes human faces from the skulls of murder victims.... Johansen creates some nonconformist women characters along with heroes as devoted to them as golden retrievers.

Publishers Weekly
Johansen is at the top of her game with this sinuous thriller

Publishers Weekly
Johansen is at the top of her game with this sinuous thriller

Reader Reviews

Christina

Suspensful and Fasinating!
I loved this book from the second I picked it up. I was stunned at what happened to Dom(Spiro) at the end. I really could not believe it. Throughout the book I did not have the slightest suspicion. And I had been completely fascinated by the mind of ...   Read More
Jessica

This book is great, i couldn't put it down. Not for a minute. and when i wasn't reading it i was thinking about it!
Lauren-Ashley

This book is awesome. I never like to read and it is so hard when i have to read books for school, a teacher recomended Iris Johansen as being a swell writer. She was right, I was into the book since page one, and never lost intrest, Ive read several...   Read More
Erika

this book is the best. I love murder mystery. Iris johanson sure knows what i like in a book. wow i advise for all too read this novel.

Write your own review!

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked The Killing Game, try these:

Read-Alikes are one of the many benefits of membership. Join free to see the complete list of recommendations.
More books by Iris Johansen
Search read-alikes
How we choose read-alikes
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    How to Kill a Crime Writer
    by Sarah Lotz
    A young woman joins forces with her late mother's fictional heroine to solve her murder.
  • Book Jacket
    Merry-Go-Round Broke Down
    by David Woo, Margalit Shinar
    Nine linked stories reveal how globalization sparks life-changing consequences across continents.
  • Book Jacket
    The Cloak and Dagger Club
    by Jackie McMahon
    Inspired by Agatha Christie's Detection Club, a murder mystery and second-chance romance collide.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket
    Henry Tudor Must Die
    by Jillian Laine
    One exiled. One condemned. Two queens unite for revenge against Henry VIII.
  • Book Jacket
    An Infinite Love Story
    by Chanel Cleeton
    “A tender, romantic drama that soars as high as it’s astronauts.” —Kate Quinn
  • Book Jacket
    Summer of Love
    by Kerri Maher
    Three women reshape their family's Napa Valley winery after the 1967 Summer of Love.
  • Book Jacket
    Tenderness
    by Rowan Beaird
    A 1970s island wedding is threatened when a bride's sinister former cult resurfaces.
Who Said...

Not doing more than the average is what keeps the average down.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Book
Trivia
  • Book Trivia

    Can you name the title?

    Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

Y C T an O D N T

and be entered to win..