Iris Johansen has written an entertaining, complex tale about a lost Pharoah Queen Folashade, who for centuries has lain in an undiscovered tomb high in the inhospitable jungles in Africa. When an African chieftain locates the tomb, he and his ruthless mercenary kidnap Eve's son to force her to create the queen's death mask. Will Joe Quinn and Alex Dominic, a wealthy man with unlimited resources, locate Eve, her son and the woman chosen to model the death mask before they become the Pharoah Queen's ultimate sacrifice?
This author holds nothing back. Her writing skills are unsurpassed as she weaves a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat novel that draws the readers into an old tale of avarice and greed. The Death Mask is Iris Johansen's latest foray into the world of Eve Duncan and she brings back all the beloved characters: Eve, her husband Joe Quinn, her daughter Jane, the son-in-law Seth Caleb and her son Michael. Even Jane's daughter Cira makes an appearance!
Without any hesitation, I rate this book 5 stars.

2.5 stars

Eve Duncan and team are back again with a new adventure! Her skills as a forensic sculptor are called into play to recreate a death mask of an ancient queen, as well as another kidnapping of a family member! Eve & Joe must once again race against the clock to avert disaster.

I was sucked into the world of Eve Duncan and devoured the first half of the series in a year. However, I think it may be time to give Eve a real rest - the plot and characters seem recycled and uninspiring.

Advanced reader copy provided by Grand Central Publishing. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this Iris Johansen book. I like how Joe and Eve are going strong after all this time and how now Michael is part of their journeys.
I like how Michael has grown so much and is still so smart and has that ability to know certain things.
I would love to see more of Celine in the future.
I would recommend it.

A intriguing story about Eve finding the priceless gold in King Tutankhamen’s tomb
As usual, the story Iris Johansen shared with us is full of intense action, extreme adventures and alpha female characters.
Definitely recommend reading the previous books in the series.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Eve Duncan has always been a favorite character of mine.. and this book is like setting foot in a familiar world. I loved how the story unfolds — it was thrilling and intense, you just can’t go wrong!! A must add to your summer TBR!

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Eve Duncan is back on a new suspense thriller dealing with another reconstruction and a host of truly awful villains who aren’t above killing whole villages of innocent people. Eve just wanted to spend time with her husband Joe and her son Michael after being away from them so long. But being a forensic sculptor their always someone who will exploit her talent. So when she refuses both to do a reconstruction on a death mask of an ancient queen the villains of this tale Caldwell and the crazy delusional Zakira kidnap Eve and Joe’s son Michael! Once again Eve is under the gun but this time so is her son Michael! Joe is breathing fire and is getting help from mercenary Alex Dominic and the young model/ surgeon Celine both who have dealt with Caldwell and the awful things he’s done. This is a steady paced storyline with great characters new and old. With a surprise appearance of the amazing Catherine Ling and the dangerous Caleb!! Loved it. I’ve read Iris Johansen books for years! And her Eve Duncan series is still one of my favorite. Until next time Luv’s😉💋

Who would have thought another “Eve” book! I was pleasantly surprised by this author. I LOVED this series of renowned forensic sculpture, Eve Duncan. Eve, along with Celine, who resembles Nefertiti, are swept up in a diabolical plot that threatens their very existence. When the bad guys involves Eve and Joe’s 11 year old son, the gloves come off. I was taken for a jungle adventure in Africa where the chase is coming from all directions! Provided by NetGalley.

Instead of reading the arc,I decided to listen to this book because I have listened to several other Eve Duncan books and enjoy them tremendously. This is another in the Eve Duncan series, a forensic sculptor,who brings the dead to life through her recreations. Most of the time, she is given a skull and helps police figure out who it is with her sculptures which I have always found so interesting. In this book, there is a chiefdom in Africa and they found a 4000 year old queen buried in a cave. In order to get Eve to come to Africa to make her sculpture, they (the bad guys) kidnap Eve’s son, Michael from his school in Scotland, knowing that she would come. As usual in these stories, we have bad guys who are always after Eve or her family, and we have to wait til they can be taken care of. Intriguing mysteries, good vs evil, and the personality of Eve and her family always make this a fun read.

A heinous character has discovered a valuable tomb in Africa and wants forensic sculptor Even Duncan to make the death mask for the woman whose tomb it is. He has chosen beautiful Bostonian Celine to serve as the model for it and enlists evil characters to “persuade” both women to participate. It is up to Eve’s husband, detective Joe Quinn and Alex Dominic, a wealthy mercenary, to save them and all they hold dear.

For me, this was a poor choice. I should not have picked up a novel that was the 31st in a series, knowing nothing about it. However, I did want to read something by a new to me author and Iris Johansen is a prolific and popular writer. I wasn’t familiar with the characters, their relationships, or their histories. The synopsis did not provide a lot of information and because of that, I realized it was not a book that I would typically select.

As the book progressed, I did learn some things about the repeating characters, but still had a lot of questions about them.

This will be a welcome addition for fans of this series. There is action, excitement, adventure, kick ass female characters. There are also some extremely despicable players who were a turn off for me. There will be a big audience for this book, but unfortunately, I am just not it.

Eager to spend time with her son Michael, who is returning home from school, Eve initially declines her request to create an Egyptian death mask. However, those who want her to make the mask pressure her into taking the job, which she initially resists. This task becomes even more urgent when Michael’s life is threatened. Meanwhile, Eve is concerned for her husband, Joe, who is away, but when danger approaches both Eve and their son Michael, he frantically searches for them.

I have been a fan of this series since its inception. While some of the stories are quite far-fetched, I still enjoy the dynamic between Eve, Joe, Michael, and their daughter Jane. I also enjoy the spinoff series, so when I read any of the newer books, I feel like I’m returning home.

I would love to see where the story takes us next, especially now that Jane has a daughter of her own. Additionally, I appreciate the fact that Michael is still a young boy, as I believe this contributes to the series’ potential for many future stories.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Iris Johansen has written another masterpiece, keeping this reader up through the wee hours of the night.
The Death Mask by Iris Johansen is an amazing story!
A well written suspense filled with twists that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
An intriguing story with characters who draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
The characters were all realistic and very well developed.

I've enjoyed this series over the years but I have just lost my interest in them. It is a very enjoyable series for the first 20 books but after that the excitement just died down for me.

The Death Mask by Iris Johansen is an Eve Duncan novel. Eve is the heroine of many of Johansen’s novels and is a forensic artists who has the ability to reconstruct a face, in this case, one of a dead mummy. She will then construct a death mask. When first approached about the job, she turned it down as she was expecting her family home for vacation. When a simple request didn’t work, a man name Caldwell gained her acquiescence by kidnapping her eleven-year-old son and holding him as surety. At the same time, an independent contractor living in Africa named, Alex Dominic, is searching his contacts for information on Caldwell, looking to take him down. Dominic had come upon an African village shortly after someone using weapons supplied by Caldwell, had massacred a village, including children. Meanwhile a young woman named Celine Kelly, in Boston, is brutally attacked by an unknown assailant. Turns out she knew how to protect herself and sent him home damaged and angry. You guessed it: Caldwell’s man. How these things will come together is the subject of this book.

This is a very complicated story taking place in the jungles near Egypt, where a long-lost queen’s tomb has been found, and raided, by the same man who massacred the village. He plans to bring Celine to his “temple” and sacrifice her during the ceremonies where the mummy/death mask are revealed. Any number of people think this is a bad idea, including Joe Quinn and their son-in-law, who is a brutal CIA operative. Things got violent when they arrived, as anything near Caldwell tended to. The characters are terrific, many of them reappearing throughout this series. The plot was far-fetched but not unbelievable. It was a riveting read with plenty of violence, plenty of love, and plenty of greed and lust for power.

I was invited to read The Death Mask by Grand Central Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #GradnCentralPublishing #IrisJohansen #TheDeathMask

Eve is a smart and talented forensic sculptor. She is asked to create a death mask by and when she refused her son is kidnapped. She is forced to travel to Africa to mold a priceless gold mask and her husband Joe is searching for a way to rescue their son…but their enemy is anything but predictable…

I am a fan of this series and was excited to see where Eve would end up next. There is a great sense of adventure and action and suspense throughout this story….and something else really sinister too…

The book dives into ancient Egyptian history and mixes it with modern forensics. Plus some creepy and unsettling tension and a sprinkle of the supernatural too.

I love how this book is full of strong female characters who are smart and strong and can carry their own weight!

✨What To Expect:
🔪Crime Thriller
💪Strong Female Characters
⁉️Suspense & Mystery
🗺️Action & Adventure
🏺Ancient Egyptian History

Once again danger and intrigue swirl around Eve Duncan, famous forensic sculptor.  While Eve is preparing for a nice vacation with her family, Ezra Caldwell, a master criminal is plotting to force Eve into sculpting a death mask for a newly discovered Egyptian queen by kidnapping her son Michael.
The author introduces a new character Celine Kell, beautiful surgical resident who is chosen to be the model the mask.  Celine however has a fierce will and strong desire to survive having been trained in martial arts by her military father.  Soon all the characters are on a collision course deep in jungle where the grave goods are stored in preparation for creating a museum and a worldwide launch. 
The story takes on the usual action adventure as Eve's husband Joe, accompanied by his son in law Caleb and a host of other guerilla type characters are assembled to help destroy the criminals and rescue the prisoners. 
Ms. Johansen is one of my favorite authors whose books I enjoy reading even as I recently find myself being far more selective of what I have time to read.  While this book delivers a good story that has enough action adventure to keep a reader engaged it seemed to fall a little short of being the superb fiction that I have grown to expect from the author.

It wasn’t until I sat down to write a review for Iris Johansen’s latest book: The Death Mask, that it hit me that this was the 31st book in the series and that I’ve been reading Eve Duncan’s adventures for well over two decades now. I’m more than pleased to say even after all these years Eve’s adventures as are gripping as ever. Eve, is a forensic sculptor, and over the years she has been pulled into more than her fair share of wild and emotionally charged adventures. I love when books has a villain you can really despise, and that is the case here and he pretty much forces Eve to come work for him. (being intentional vague to avoid spoilers) I have to say this series has come a far way from its roots and yet still manages to entrain. For long time fans there will be plenty of familiar faces in addition to new characters as well. Worried about jumping into a long established series? Don’t be. Most of these can be read as standalone, though having knowledge of the previous books, or at least being familiar with some of the recurring characters, while not necessary, will definitely enhance your enjoyment. I’d like to thank Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Death Mask.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-death-mask-iris-johansen/1146385897?ean=9781538726334&bvnotificationId=db1ca68b-5140-11f0-a92e-0ef935c64edb&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/350352616

This one puts Eve and Joe to the test as they face a dangerous enemy. As always the action and suspense are intense. We meet some new characters that I would love to see more of. The writing is perfectly descriptive and makes you feel like you are right there in these amazing places. I really enjoyed the way it ended. I'm never disappointed when I pick up an Eve Duncan book!

A heinous character has discovered a valuable tomb in Africa and wants forensic sculptor Even Duncan to make the death mask for the woman whose tomb it is. He has chosen beautiful Bostonian Celine to serve as the model for it and enlists evil characters to “persuade” both women to participate. It is up to Eve’s husband, detective Joe Quinn and Alex Dominic, a wealthy mercenary, to save them and all they hold dear.

For me, this was a poor choice. I should not have picked up a novel that was the 31st in a series, knowing nothing about it. However, I did want to read something by a new to me author and Iris Johansen is a prolific and popular writer. I wasn’t familiar with the characters, their relationships, or their histories. The synopsis did not provide a lot of information and because of that, I realized it was not a book that I would typically select.

As the book progressed, I did learn some things about the repeating characters, but still had a lot of questions about them.

This will be a welcome addition for fans of this series. There is action, excitement, adventure, kick ass female characters. There are also some extremely despicable players who were a turn off for me. There will be a big audience for this book, but unfortunately, I am just not it.

Irish Johansen can never go wrong in my opinion with an Eve Duncan story and this one delivered!
Eve , a forensic sculptor who the brings the lost home, is asked to make a death mask for a recently discovered tomb on an Egyptian Queen.
As most Eve’s ventures, this is filled with twists and turns that keep you guessing till the end. I loved that not only did we get new characters in the book but also got to see some of our favorite’s return.
I’ll be grabbing a physical copy to add to the Eve Duncan section of my bookshelves.
I was able to read this as an eARC thanks to NetGally and Grand Central Publishing. Thank you!!

In The Death Mask, the 31st entry in Iris Johansen's long-running Eve Duncan series, the celebrated forensic sculptor is once again pulled into a high-stakes, globe-spanning adventure—this time against her will. When Eve refuses a mysterious offer to travel to Africa to sculpt a death mask of a newly unearthed Egyptian queen, her plans for a quiet summer with her family are shattered. Her son Michael is kidnapped by the sinister Ezra Caldwell, forcing Eve into a dangerous game that will take her deep into the heart of a jungle, where ancient secrets and modern atrocities collide.

Joining Eve is newcomer Celine Kelly, a surgical resident with a tragic past and a fierce will to survive. Chosen to serve as the living model for the long-dead queen, Celine brings a fresh dynamic to the story, and her partnership with Eve adds depth to the unfolding mystery.

Longtime fans will find the familiar Johansen trademarks: strong female leads, brooding alpha males, and a plot brimming with action, danger, and just enough romance. The African setting, the historical intrigue, and the dark motives of Caldwell and his partner, tribal chief Masini Zakira, all help maintain the tension.

However, while the story moves at a brisk pace and includes all the expected twists, The Death Mask doesn’t quite reach the heights of earlier entries in the series. For readers who have followed Eve's journey through countless close calls and emotional highs and lows, the formula is beginning to feel a little too familiar. The stakes are high, but the outcome feels predictable. Eve’s family once again becomes collateral damage, a plot device that, at this point, has been well-trodden in the series.

Still, Johansen’s ability to weave suspense with personal stakes keeps the book engaging enough to read through, and Celine’s introduction offers potential for future installments.

The Death Mask may not be the most groundbreaking of Eve’s adventures, but it delivers a serviceable thriller that fans of the series will appreciate—even if it doesn’t leave a lasting impression.
I want to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me access to The Death Mask in exchange for my honest review.