Thank you Hachette Audio for the ALC and Grand Central Publishing, #partner, for the finished copy of The Death Mask in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing / Hachette Audio
Published: June 24, 2025
Summary:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen comes a new thriller starring Eve Duncan as she races against time to protect her beloved family from a merciless killer.
World-renowned forensic sculptor Eve Duncan’s skills frequently make her a target. And in this epic adventure, they make her the first choice to create an Egyptian death mask for a nefarious potential client. But Eve cannot be bought, not for all the riches in a gold mine. Her would-be employer soon realizes that he must threaten the lives of those she holds dear to procure Eve’s services and force her to travel to Africa to mold the priceless mask.
Eve knows that her husband, Joe Quinn, is out there somewhere, searching tirelessly for a way to help. Joe has back-up from Alex Dominic, a mercenary for hire, but nothing will make it easier to set his emotions aside in order to navigate the impenetrable jungle and mastermind a breathtaking escape.
Against an unpredictable enemy, Eve and Joe must each focus on their own unique abilities to get out alive. The future of their love and their family depends upon it.
My thoughts:
Iris Johansen’s Eve Duncan series is one of my all-time favorite series. This is the 31st book in this series and I love the fact that it is still going strong! While I have definitely loved some more than others, I am so glad I have stuck with it because I just enjoy these books so much! I still remember when I first discovered this series…little did I know what a love affair it would turn out to be!
One of my favorite aspects of this series is that we always see strong women at the center of the stories in this series, as well as all the spin-offs that have happened with characters – women, of course! – we met through this series. In this latest installment, we have Eve, who has always been such a strong character since we first met her, as well as Celine and Kontara. That’s not to say that there aren’t men involved in the story and that they don’t have any protective tendencies, because we all know Joe, Eve’s husband is always there to do what he can to protect Eve and those she loves, but the way Johansen writes these women, they aren’t damsels in distress, and I love that.
I also love how each book allows for such unique and interesting settings. This time, we head to Egypt and the way the Egyptian history is woven into the story, along with all the action and intrigue, really kept things fresh and dynamic. I was as equally invested in the historical aspects of the story as I was with the action and had a hard time putting this one down.
I will just say that while this book can absolutely be read as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading the entire series. The character development that happens throughout the series really is remarkable and some secondary characters come and go quite often, yet their backstories continue to build.
I absolutely love this series and really enjoyed this latest installment. I look forward to reading the new one as soon as I hear about it. I don’t know when or if there will be more, but you can be sure I will be checking the author’s website for updates regularly!
Audio thoughts:
With June being Audiobook Appreciation Month and the fact that Elisabeth Rodgers was once again narrating this book, I just knew I had to listen to it. She has narrated many, if not all, of Iris Johansen’s books and is so consistent with the voices. No matter how long it has been since I’ve last picked up one of Johansen’s books, it’s like no time has passed – that’s how consistent she is with her voices. I don’t know how she does it, but I love it! She truly has become one of my favorite audiobook narrators and I hope that she will continue to narrate this series for as long as it goes on.
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