Stalemate

Stalemate (2007) by Iris Johansen
Bantam / ISBN: 9780553586541 / Condition: Used (emotionally tense, physically creased)

Welcome to Stalemate, the book where world-shaking danger, high-stakes negotiations, and life-or-death suspense all hinge on the one thing truly worth killing for: art. Specifically, the ability of Eve Duncan—resident forensic sculptor, professional trauma magnet—to reconstruct faces from skulls and thereby upset absolutely everyone’s plans.

In true Iris Johansen fashion, this is not a quiet little mystery. This is:

• international intrigue,

• ruthless villains,

• morally complicated allies,

• and at least three people who say “You don’t know what you’re getting into” while the plot cheerfully proves them right.

This particular copy has bravely made its way to you via Crappy Old Books, which means it has already survived at least one round of suspense-induced page-turning. Possibly two. It is, therefore, Used—or as we like to call it, “field-tested.”

Inside the story, you’ll find:

• Eve Duncan, who just wants to do her job bringing faces back to the nameless dead, and instead keeps being dragged into situations where heavily armed people have Opinions about her schedule.

• A mysterious request from a powerful figure who wants Eve’s skills for reasons that are definitely not going to be simple, safe, or emotionally healthy.

• A jungle setting where absolutely nothing good ever happens after dark.

• Snipers, traps, negotiations, and tense stand-offs where everyone is trying to control the board—and Eve, naturally, ends up being the queen piece nobody accounted for properly.

Inside this used copy, curated with minimal reverence by Crappy Old Books, you may also discover:

• A gently creased spine, like a stress fracture acquired during a particularly intense confrontation.

• Softened corners that suggest it has been shoved into bags, read on trains, and possibly abandoned on a coffee table mid-cliffhanger.

• Pages that have upgraded from “freshly printed white” to “slightly aged thriller beige,” the signature patina of books that have Seen Some Things.

• Maybe even a faint smudge or mystery mark on one page—interpret this as “authentic reader panic residue” rather than “someone had a biscuit.”

This is not a delicate literary meditation on feelings and wallpaper. This is crime–suspense–thriller mode, featuring:

• villains with too much money and not enough conscience,

• good people making questionable choices under pressure,

• and the recurring theme “Why is Eve always in the middle of international diplomatic nightmares when she technically just works with skulls?”

Perfect for:

• Fans of Iris Johansen who know that if Eve Duncan is involved, things will get personal and explodey.

• Readers who enjoy strong, stubborn heroines surrounded by dangerous men who underestimate them at their own risk.

• People who think a thriller should be fast, tense, and just melodramatic enough to justify staying up way past a sensible bedtime.

• Anyone who prefers their paperbacks slightly worn, because nothing says “worth reading” like a book that clearly already has been.

Is this copy mint? Absolutely not. You’re shopping at Crappy Old Books, where “mint condition” is treated with the same suspicion as a charming villain promising “no hidden agenda.” What you are getting is a perfectly readable, comfortably battered paperback that’s already survived one set of sweaty hands and is ready for round two.

Adopt this used copy of Stalemate. Place it on your nightstand, tell yourself you’ll “just read a few pages,” and then enjoy discovering what a true stalemate looks like when everyone on the board is armed, dangerous, and very, very bad at walking away.

Keep browsing: See more Fiction books Other books by Iris Johansen