Iris Johansenl Shattered Mirror

Shattered Mirror: Iris Johansen

Fear is a powerful weapon when creating discord and unraveling a family’s security. Revenge can have its on place but when someone decides to create a powerful strategy and take down someone he feels wronged him by just saying no to something he wanted done you have a diabolical plot that will know no boundaries and won’t end until the final coffin is placed six feet below the ground. Iris Johansen allows readers to hear and witness the convoluted, diabolical and torturous well thought out plan of a man that would haunt Eve Duncan’s mind, body and soul until he finds his way six feet under.

Rory Korwalk is a sick and sadistic killer who wants to get back at Eve for not doing a reconstruction on a skull belonging to someone close to him. Rather than face her squarely in person he has the skull sent to her in a gold box. This would start a chain of events that will stupefy and horrify Eve and Joe endangering everyone close to them and possibly costing someone’s life within their own family circle.

Not wanting her to do the reconstruction she manages to convince the police to allow her to work on her but why does her son Michael, want to call the skull Sylvie?
Cara Delaney is Eve and Joe’s ward or adopted daughter who attends a prestigious music conservatory or school in New York and has been placed with Darcy Nichols as a roommate. Both have relationship issues and yet they manage to bond. Jock Gavin is someone who adores and protects Cara at all costs and when dealing with him he’s no match for her tenacious and persistent attitude. Cara and Darcy are both in the music field. Cara is a virtuoso on the violin and Darcy a singer and actress. Each one dealing with her own specialty. But, Cara is related to a mafia king who happens to be her grandfather and this is where things get interesting and dangerous.

Vulnerability is something that both Joe and Eve never realize when Joe tells Michael to remain in the pickup trust while speaking to Eve about a bully named Gary who seems bent on tormenting Michael. But, Michael is curious and decides to venture out on the porch. Perceptive, astute and smart he realizes that there is something in the woods and it’s presumed to be a bear. In reality it’s the box with the skull and a broken mirror has been placed inside with a skull that is completely burned. The reconstruction is completed and Cara is set to come home and Jock is concerned about her safety with a visit to her Grandfather coming up the next month. Going to a concert and seeing him in her dorm Cara did not realize that she is being followed. Added to that her room is bugged and then she’s attacked when entering the room alone. Jock is in a rage and with the insistence of Eve and Joe she is forced to leave before her next performance and takes Darcy along with her to meet her new family. Kaskov is the name she calls the killer and her grandfather is linked to her attack and the murders to follow. The shocks start to reverberate when Eve meets Darcy and she comes face to face with the same face as Sylvie. When the shock wears off Eve and Darcy talk about what happened to Sylvie and the ramifications of what is about happen next as they realize that there is much more to this than both of them being twins

Darcy’s reaction is quite remarkable and when she explains that she is a twin and that the face staring up at everyone is her sister things take on a different turn. Learning about her childhood, her mother who cared for her and placed Sylvie as second, did not change the fact that Darcy adored her sister. Hard to believe that their mother Felicity was close to Norwalk and would bring her sister to someone in order to have her killed but why? The answer is in the word TWIN and the truth will be revealed as you the reader and Eve Duncan hears the voice of this sadistic killer explain what he has planned for her, her family and anyone that gets in his way. So, why does she enlist the help of Kaslov and why are they all moving to his compound? Jock is the catalyst in this along with Joe Quinn who seems to have it all under control but Eve loses it at all times and seems unhinged when Cara and Michael are involved . Mirrors offer reflections of us so that we can see clearer picture of who we are when looking straightforward at our reflection. But, when both Darcy and Cara look what exactly did they see? What is the significance of the two-sided mirror?

Listening to Kaslov extend his terms, learning more about Nikolai and his role we also realize that Jock is quite capable of breaching his security measures, showing up in the compound and using his skills to let Kaslov know that he’s vulnerable. When Joe enters the compound he and Kaslov have an interesting faceoff.

A plan comes into place as Darcy feels the need to help with their plans to take down Norwalk as she blames herself because of her sister when in reality it was her mother who brought her sister to her death but did she really know what she was doing? When Jock and Joe contact different members of their team for information they are informed that Norwalk has eliminated quite a few more including one of Kaslov’s guards. With Jock dealing with security and Norwalk demanding that Eve fall prey to his plan to destroy her, author Iris Johansen creates a plot to take down a killer what will bring not only Eve to her knees in danger but Cara, Michael, Joe and Darcy too. The ending is terrifying and the final outcome will blow your mind as Eve takes on a killer and Darcy uses her skills in a way you won’t believe as truths, lies, betrayals, hate, revenge and family loyalties and friendships are tested when Cara and Michael are face to face with a killer and a 6 year old boy refuses to become a victim when the final shot is fired who remains alive? Twins have a special sense and almost read each other’s minds even when apart as Darcy realizes that Sylvie is always there for her and the faces in the mirror will always be the same and even though the glass is broken and the chards are inside the golden box no one can ever really take away the true images in the SHATTERED MIRROR!

Fran Lewis: Just reviews/MJ magazine