2009 # 61

Iris Johansen - Deadlock - Finished - 5/1/2009

591-LP A new one by Iris, with new characters as far as I can tell. Emily Hudson is an archeologist working for the UN rescuing artifacts from museums in danger of being looted or destroyed. She and here companion Joel Levy are in Afghanistan with a team packing up items from a small museum way up in the mountains. They are rushing to beat a impending storm and Emily sends the team in their truck ahead while she and Joel make one last check of the building. On the way down the mountain they come on the wreck of the first truck and find their teammates dead. Before they know it they are surrounded and carried off to an isolated village. Their captor, a non Afghani with an Australian accent begins asking about the whereabouts of a hammer. Emily denies any knowledge and soon Joel is slowly tortured as Emily repeats her ignorance (which is true) .

When Joel is finally killed and Emily is given to a native warlord for his enjoyment in an attempt to elicit the information, she is able to strike back and at the last minute is rescued by John Garrett, a smuggler and more who has been hired by the CIA to find her. Whetted your appetite? I hope so because the rest of the book will keep you stuck to your chair till you finish.

ISBN - 978-1-4104-1446-5, Suspense, Pages - 384, Print Size - L, Rating - 4.76