Dark Tribute

Dark Tribute: Iris Johansen

Competition and winning sometimes overtakes and leaves reasoning and fair play behind. Within this novel you will meet John Svardak, a psychopathic, schizophrenic deranged man who rationalizes his actions in order to pay tribute to the death of his sister. Anna Svardak was jealous of anyone who might stand in her way when hoping to win a competition among music students attending Juilliard. How far would someone go to get the prize? How far would someone go to eliminate the competition? Svadark aimed for several victims who dared to have some type of talent playing the violin. His sister made sure that the one person who was her competition, Cara’s grandfather, Sergai Kaskov who suffered at the hand of her father and brothers in gulag made sure he never played again. But, Kaskov waited and timed it just right and took out his whole family but he escaped. Kaskov lost the mobility in his fingers a bone and made sure no one was left in Svardak’s family to compete ever again. But Cara was playing, and he made sure he knew where and kidnapping her after she spent time with Jock the one man sworn to protect her, she finds herself in the wilds of West Virginia his captive. Laughing, taunting her and telling her of the fate of Marian Napier a violinist whose rendition of Mendelsohn he plays to taunt Cara’s ears, she learns that there are more victims and she is next, or shall I say the next Tribute to Anna.
Eve Duncan and Detective Joe Quinn are her guardians and have sworn to always be there for her including ten-year-old Michael their son. Michael is over protective of Eve, Joe, Cara and their other daughter Jane, and even Jock and is telepathic and even seems to sense danger. There are many who work for the grandfather who summons Jock in order to enlist his help to find Cara. Cara in the meantime is being held and injured by this deranged person never giving into his taunts and keeping herself in check hoping to take her own revenge on him. Both Joe and Jock go after him and hopefully they will free her but that is only the beginning as she vows to kill anyone close to her. The revenge is based on the deaths of his family but what about what he did to her grandfather? When his plans are ruined just how far will he go to recapture her? While Michael is placed with Catherine Ling and her son Luke to learn more about Hu Chang.

Eve does not want anything sugar coated and demands to see the photos of the other victims hoping they will help her understand them better and find his next one. Jock and Joe are teaming up and Jock vows he will hunt this man down at all costs.

Cara summons her grandfather and although Eve wants her home, she manages to convince her to remain at the hotel and at times she seems reckless in her thoughts and judgments, she wants to take this man down and Jock and Joe might be casualties if she is not stopped before more damage is done. With the killer looking for help and no one safe in his presence once again author Iris Johansen takes us deep inside the mind of a young girl determined to take out the villain and yet is, she prepared for the result. Thinking she has it under control she might have sacrificed someone in the end. Lives are at stake and impulsive decisions can take more and the outcome has yet to be revealed as once again the author leaves readers with heart stopping scenes and death threats that could destroy even in their wake.

The violin is her love, the hope of being the best has most likely occurred, her grandfather’s only love and her anger rages in every scene that she is in, will the music take over and ever calm her down and will she finally rationalize her decisions?

An intricate plan to keep everyone alive as Joe was taken by this madman and the bait to free him is Cara. With Jock and Eve hoping to get him free why does Cara make a bargain with her grandfather.

Michael senses that Joe is in trouble and the author creates scenes that are heart stopping, revelations are made as we learn more about the child who can sense the pain of someone close to him and works using his telepathic senses and powers to hopefully save Joe’s life. Disregarding his mother and enlisting the help of someone close to Kaskov, a phone call is taped, the voices heard, and the result seems like a betrayal.

Using Cara as bait and Svardak hoping to make her his most graphic and best tribute, the ending will reveal just how far Jock, Eve, Cara and Michael will go to save the life of someone close to them and hopefully bring down a killer that’s been alive too long. Betrayals, deceptions, lies, manipulations, as whatever this man has planned and what came down to one specific moment would prove who wins and who loses. While Michael defies everything he promised to mother he would not do, knowing and thinking he is the only that can find where Joe was taken the author creates a child that is more than perceptive, astute and smart but someone that sees things with his eyes that only he can see and understand as he creates a picture worth more than a thousand words.

Greed, power, anger, retribution, hate, resentment and the struggle to decide just how to take down this arrogant young girl who would never let anyone think she would let them win, Cara Delaney is a force to be dealt with as Jock finds himself at a loss at times and having to face the fact that her rules and her way of thinking might differ from his but in the end what will their fate and destiny be?

The ending lets readers know that Kaskov might still have a hold on Cara but what will their relationship be? Will she owe him for what he did for her? The best laid plans sometimes backfire, and did he care of her, was she just some amusement or are they so much alike? Love is strong and the ties that bind Joe, Eve, Michael and Cara are tight but how much more can they withstand before they disintegrate?
An ending that lets readers know that Michael is just beginning to become a force that both Eve and Joe might not be able to control and handle in the future. Cara and Jock, will they become one, will the friction between them ever stop or will the electricity blow up and the smoke settles in different directions as two strong personalities collide?

A tribute often in kin that someone gives to another as a sign of respect or submission or allegiance as Svardak plans to use Cara as his final submission or allegiance to his sister, Anna but just what will the outcome of his plans be, and will he fulfill his DARK TRIBUTE?