I haven't read anything by this author before, so I have no other works to compare this one to. I bought this because I love suspense/police fiction, and have finished all the Lisa Gardner, Dennis Lehane and Michael Connelly books. I know Johansen has written a lot of books, but frankly I was astonished at the amateur quality of this one. First, the writing. She misuses words--"persevere" isn't a synonym for "prevail"--and she's an adverb addict. "She said, dryly...tersely...shyly, regretfully." But mostly, it's very very poorly plotted. She gets all the main characters into one house--in a pretty unbelievable way, and they TALK. And talk and talk. Occasionally the talking is interrupted by a call from the villain, who threatens dire, comic-book villainous things. I mean, this guy is like something from a Batman movie. "Your son is dead. No, he's not. Yes, he is. Come here and let me kill you..." And the tough, Angelina-lookalike CIA operative invariably melts, in exactly the same way, every time she takes one of these calls. Talk about phoning it in! This book is a perfect example of how not to write. About a third through the book I'm skimming, trying to get through the morass of boring dialogue and repetitive threats. I was like, yeah, let him kill you! Right now! Put this dull story out of its misery. I frankly can't believe this author has published so many books, and that she has any kind of following. I have to hope some of the early ones were better, but I won't be wasting my money to find out.
Wondering about the two stars? I thought the premise of the book was interesting--digital aging, facial reconstruction. Intriguing idea. Too bad Johansen can't write worth a damn. Show, Iris, don't tell. Stop using the same tired sentimental tropes, like the dead girl who comforts her mom every time she goes for a walk and needs a pep talk. I have no objection to wise ghosts, or anything, but this one didn't move the plot, or even affect character development, at all.
What's sad, it seems to me, is that I'm sure there are a ton of good writers out there who can't even get a publisher to look at their stuff. And people like me, who love to read, are left desperately searching for good, engrossing fiction. Take it from me, gentle reader, this isn't it. Save your money, and your time.