Editorial Content for Hide Away: An Eve Duncan Novel

Iris Johansen gets right to the point in the opening chapter of her latest Eve Duncan thriller, HIDE AWAY. Eleven-year-old Cara Delaney lies in a hospital bed recovering from injuries sustained when Eve rescued her from a brutal killer. Eve herself has suffered a concussion as a result. Cara’s long-time nanny and best friend, Elena, is dead after trying to protect Cara, whose family history is not a pretty one. The only surviving daughter of dangerous Mexican drug cartel kingpin Juan Castino and kidnapped by rival cartel boss Alfredo Salazar, Cara remains in fear of her life. Eve has vowed to protect her from her father, who is no better than Salazar.

Eve’s involvement in Cara’s case began when she was given the job of the skull reconstruction of a dead girl found in northern California. The reconstruction matched Cara’s dead sister, Jenny, who was killed eight years previously. Salazar stole the skull from Eve, who is determined to retrieve it. She has identified Jenny, and searches for Cara and Elena, but is able to save only Cara. Salazar puts his second attack dog onto the scene, Ramon Franco, a young, ambitious cartel killer whose goal is to run the operation.

"HIDE AWAY is well written and full of surprises. Fans will appreciate the strong emotions, both love and hate, towards Johansen’s characters."

Johansen rallies Eve’s family and friends around her when her soul mate, Joe Quinn, insists that both she and Cara be taken from their lake home to a place where Franco cannot touch them. His concern is magnified when Eve and Cara go to the local church to pray for Elena and Jenny. Franco is spotted outside the church, having planted a bomb on the undercarriage of Eve’s Toyota. Joe disarms it, exchanges vehicles with them and rigs the timed bomb to go off when they are safely outside the perimeter. He calls Jane MacGuire, Eve’s adopted daughter in London, for help. Jane has been invited to search for buried treasure in Scotland for months but has declined. Still in shock and mourning over her dead fiancée, Jane has been reluctant to do so. Now, knowing that she can help Eve and Cara to safety, she arranges for them all to make the trip with an archaeologist friend, John MacDuff.

Like the previous books in this series, HIDE AWAY brings together characters from Eve’s past, as well as Jane’s, to shelter and safeguard Eve and the little girl. The handsome and mysterious Seth Caleb joins the expedition with the purpose of combative protection, but triggers raw emotion in Jane that she can’t deny. The party leaves Edinburgh for the far reaches of a castle site in the ancient moorlands. Cara becomes attached to a young helper, Jock, who returns her friendship while looking out for her.

Meanwhile, Joe has gone to Mexico to dig up additional information about the cartel bosses’ agendas. Both Salazar and Castino, along with Cara’s mother, play into the search for Eve and Cara. The woman says she wants her daughter back, but her actions invoke a number of questions. Joe has given Eve more information about her hospital stay and findings that will endanger her further. Franco eventually makes his way to Scotland, heightening the tension.

HIDE AWAY is well written and full of surprises. Fans will appreciate the strong emotions, both love and hate, towards Johansen’s characters. Family dynamics and strengthening relationships while others tear apart lead Eve and Joe to a new understanding of one another. Their deep devotion is to be admired.