Review: Chasing the Night by Iris Johansen

Rating - 4

Catherine Ling is a top operative in the CIA, having been recruited as a child from the streets of Hong Kong. Almost 10 years ago, her 2 year old son was kidnapped by a Russian terrorist bent on seeking revenge on Catherine. Over the years, Rakovac has kept Luke alive, taunting Catherine about his whereabouts. Catherine finally has enough information to track Rakovac and find her son. She asks Eve Duncan, forensic sculptor, to do an age progression on a photo of Luke when he was 2 years old so she knows what he looks like now. Eve finds herself being drawn further into the search for Luke, and soon Eve and her partner, Joe, have put their lives on the line to help Catherine find her son and stop Rakovac before he not only kills Luke but unleashes a series of terrorist attacks on major cities in the world.

I've read the Eve Duncan series from the beginning, mostly because I'm fascinated by her work as a forensic sculptor. Some titles have been more interesting than others, but "Chasing the Night" is one of the best. After a slow start setting the stage and introducing the major characters, the story takes off at a furious pace, leaving readers breathless and unable to put the book down until the very last page. AND, the final paragraph opens the door to something that readers of the Eve Duncan series have been waiting for a long time.