Product Description

When it reaches zero, you die.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen sets her readers’ pulses racing once again in this relentless psychological thriller of a young woman caught in a maze of secrets and stalked by a merciless killer. The countdown begins the moment you open this riveting novel that only grows more electrifying as the pages turn, more exciting as time runs out. . . .

“Don’t kill her. She’s no good to us dead.” These words haunt Jane MacGuire after a shocking attack shatters her world in an instant. Was it a random kidnapping attempt–or the countdown to something far more sinister?

Who is after her–and what do they want so badly they’ll kill anyone in their way? That’s what Jane is determined to find out, without the help of the police, the FBI, or her adoptive parents, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan and her husband, Joe Quinn, of the Atlanta PD–because whoever is after her won’t hesitate to hurt those she loves the most. Now Jane will go on the run with the only man who may be more dangerous than those who are pursuing her. A smuggler, a con man, and who knew what else, Mark Trevor had his own mysterious reasons for wanting to keep Jane safe and out of the hands of a killer obsessed with a two-thousand-year-old mystery that could rock the modern-day world.

Orphaned at an early age, Jane grew up the hard way, but she was given a new life, a loving family, and a chance to pursue her interest in one of the greatest archaeological finds ever unearthed. Now someone was trying to destroy that new life before it could even get started. The past is returning with the kind of vengeance that knows no mercy. The countdown has already begun, and it’s approaching zero faster than anyone thinks.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #693967 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-10
• Released on: 2005-05-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Prolific bestseller Johansen subjects gutsy Jane Maguire to more troubles in her latest thrill ride. Jane, the adopted daughter of forensic sculptor Eve Duncan, was threatened by one serial killer in 1999's The Killing Game and another in 2004's Blind Alley, so it's no surprise that she's in danger again. The once troubled adolescent is now a brilliant Harvard student and talented artist who spends her summers at far-off archeological digs in Pompeii and Herculaneum, but she's still haunted by her resemblance to Cira, a woman who lived 2,000 years ago in the latter city. Suddenly she's being ambushed in alleys. Does the attempted kidnapping have something to do with Blind Alley's climax, in which Eve; her husband, Joe Quinn of the Atlanta PD; soldier of fortune Mark Trevor; and Jane, the bait, triumphed over the psychopath who was killing women who looked like Cira? You bet it does, as Trevor turns up in Cambridge, enigmatic but still definitely magnetic, determined to protect Jane from danger due to new developments regarding Cira, "the femme fatale of the ancient world." Seems all kinds of notorious criminals are after Cira's lost gold, but some people have mass murder on their minds. Action, romance, castles, bomb plots and a booby-trapped hideaway in snowbound Idaho—what more could Johansen fans want? Agent, Andrea Cirillo at the Jane Rotrosen Agency. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The legend of Cira and her gold intrudes once again on Jane MacGuire's life. In Blind Alley [BKL Ag 04], the streetwise adopted daughter of forensic sculptor Eve Duncan and Atlanta detective Joe Quinn became a serial killer's pawn. Now she's a target for terrorists who believe she has the key to a lost treasure. When one of Jane's childhood friends is killed, she realizes that she must find out why, especially when, as before, Scotland Yard's handsome Mark Trevor becomes involved. He has tried to keep Jane out of his latest escapade, but he swoops in to the rescue, bringing her to Scotland to keep her safe. Never completely on the right side of the law, Jane questions Trevor's motives while trying to keep in check the sexual tension between them as they try to quell a deranged madman who is after Trevor and the lost treasure. Along the way, Jane discovers that many people are trying to find the truth about Cira, and that Jane herself is perceived as the reincarnation of that fabled Roman figure. Johansen delivers a top-notch sequel filled with great chases, original characters, and intricate plot twists, creating a unique supernatural twist on the classic thriller. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"[A] thrill ride.... Action, romance, castles, bomb plots and a booby-trapped hideaway in snowbound Idaho—what more could Johansen fans want?"—Publishers Weekly


From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews

Total Flop
I haven't read such a bad book in a while. The plot was far fetched, too fragmented, and unlikely. The characters - especially Jane - unsympathetic. The interaction between the characters is psychologically a stretch.

But what really bothered me was the repetitive writing style. "She stiffened", "he stiffened", "Trevor stiffened", "McDuff stiffened", there was a lot of stiffening going on - in lieu of interesting action, obviously.

Everyone is angry and constantly saying "dammit". Jane's gaze flies a lot. Her gaze flies to his face, flies to the action, flies here and there. And she whirls. "She whirled on him" - frequently. McDuff whirled a few times, too.

Between the stiffening, the whirling, the gazes flying and the dammits, the style was insipid to the point of torture. Needless to say, I do not recommend this book.

What a disappointment
I struggled through all 400 pages of this book because I'm a devoted Iris Johansen fan. I've read everything else she's written and agree that the last book "Blind Alley" started a downward trend that was sadly carried through to this book. I just couldn't stay interested. This is a far cry from her earlier novels. "Countdown" is basically a recap of "Blind Alley" in my opinion with some new characters thrown in. The story is very scattered with some plot lines given so little explanation that the reader is left wondering why they're even in there. The characters are still great, but since this is basically a repeat of the last book, I found myself bored. I wouldn't waste your money if you're thinking about buying it. Do what I did, check it out from the library. That way you won't feel jipped!

Countdown was a big Let Down
Let me start by saying that I generally love this author. But, this one was a huge letdown. I tried to read the story 2 times and ended up giving it to my sister to she if she likes it. I have to say this is probably 2 out of the thousands of books I have read that I just couldn't finish.

The book started out with promise but then it almost seemed like the author was trying to push the story and not let it develop. In addition I found that the main female character (Jane) who I have loved in all the other books lacked her normal brilliance and shine in this one. You felt sorry for her and at the same time I was annoyed by her actions, especially with the friend she has protected all these years.

I can't say if I liked the ending or if the book gets better because I never got there.

I gave the book 2 stars as I did like the initial start (first 20 pages or so) but that was being generous.