The Killing Game by Iris Johansen

Title: The Killing Game
Author: Iris Johansen
Series: Eve Duncan #2
Release Date: May 2nd, 2000
Publisher: Bantam
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

A MERCILESS KILLER ON THE HUNT ... AN INNOCENT CHILD IN HIS SIGHTS ... A WOMAN DRIVEN TO THE EDGE TO STOP HIM ...

The killer knows Eve Duncan all too well. He knows the pain she feels for her murdered daughter, Bonnie, whose body has never been found. He knows that as one of the nation's top forensic sculptors she'll insist on identifying the nine skeletons unearthed on a bluff near Georgia's Talladega Falls. He knows she won't be able to resist the temptation of believing that one of those skeletons might be her daughter's. But that is only the beginning of the killer's sadistic game. He wants Eve one on one, and he'll use his ace in the hole to make sure she complies. And he won't stop playing until he claims the prize he wants most: Eve's life.

WARNING RANT AHEAD

After tossing and turning all night, I decided that I would set my mind free and lower the rating to this book. The rational side of me decided to come out and point out everything that was wrong with this book and why giving this book a rating of 4 would be a horrible idea. 

Yes I'll admit my main problem with this book was the romance. Before you label me as a fool who pays more attention to the romance then to the actual mystery, listen (read). You see when I picked up this series, I picked it up with the hopes of not having to deal with a romance, of course a slight one wouldn't hurt, but I really did not want to deal with a romance. In the first book, things were in my favor, there was a hint of a romance but that was not the focus. In this book it became the life of the novel (for at least me). I think the main reason for this is that when I see a flaw, thats all I can think off. I cannot concentrate on anything else.

Things were going well in the beginning, despite the fact that I thought Joe was acting like a pushover, but when he decided he didn't just want to be her friend anymore, things started going downhill.

It's not because I didn't want them together, of course I did, I had been rooting for them since the first book, but the problem was that gone was the soft and caring yet badass Joe I cared for, in his place was an aggressive asshole. 

And all my mental detectors started beeping. I am sure an aggressive guy who will do anything for his girl is considered hot but I really cannot stand men like that. It's kind of demeaning. That wasn't all of it though, there was this part in the book (SPOILER ALERT) where he forced himself onto Eve. THAT WAS NOT COOL! She actually said no but he had to show her that she needed him. (excuse me while I take a minute to calm down).

Okay back to Joe. That killed Joe for me, any feelings that I had left for him at that point evaporated. The next blow came when he told Eve why he married Diane. I could kill Joe. Poor Diane for having to deal with an asshole like him. I mean who marries someone so that they can give someone they actually love a girl friend? Oh wait... JOE DOES! My heart broke for Diane. I don't even know if I have words to explain how much that bothered me, it was enough for me to want to go punch Joe (not kill him of course, I am not that violent).

Of course with everything I am saying, it may seem like I would have preferred Logan as a love interest, this however is not the case and this is also the main reason I won't be continuing this series. 

You see when I was first introduced to Logan I really wanted him to not be the stupid cliche billionaire who falls in love with a down to earth/broken girl. I wasn't looking to read a cliche. I wanted something different. 

When I finished this book, I was hoping that when I went into the next book I wouldn't have to deal with any of this romance shit since it had been sorted out but unfortunately I wasn't that fortunate (I am getting this all from the synopsis of the next book, I haven't actually read it). It turns out there is going to be a passionate romance between Logan and Sarah. I don't think I can read the rest of the series when I am so busy hating on the characters. Seriously, the only character I managed to like by the end of this book was little Mike and we barely saw anything of him. 

I am still giving this a three because I did enjoy it and it would be unfair to give it a 1 (despite of how much I want to give it that rating).