Bestselling author Iris Johansen entertains readers with the 27th installment of her series starring forensic sculptor Eve Duncan. In THE PERSUASION, Eve’s daughter, Jane MacGuire, becomes the target of a ruthless, psychotic killer named Luca. Seth Caleb, her love interest, ally and protector, promises to keep her safe, but he is unable to do so when she confronts the monster who is after her.

An up-and-coming artist with a real gift, Jane finds herself alone with Luca, who is using her as a pawn. This psycho is an art collector who wants Jane all to himself so she can paint exclusively for him. He also plans to use her as bait to draw in Seth so he can destroy him. Jane must find a way to extract herself from this explosive situation without putting others, particularly Seth, in danger.

"Fans will want to read THE PERSUASION to catch up on these characters’ lives and enjoy the thrill of the hunt as everyone works together to bring down Luca."

As in previous books in the series, Seth’s unique abilities play a major role in the storyline. He is able to change the blood flow of people he touches, which means he can either help them or kill them, depending on the circumstances. He also can alter a person’s perception of things with “the persuasion," a technique by which he enters a person’s mind and changes their memories to “persuade” them to do what he wants.

While this story focuses primarily on Jane, another prominent figure in the narrative is Eve’s son, 10-year-old Michael, who is learning how to utilize his own powers. He can communicate telepathically with others, even if they are a long distance away. This becomes an important skill when he is able to calm the fears of another young boy, who is being held captive by Luca.

Fans will want to read THE PERSUASION to catch up on these characters’ lives and enjoy the thrill of the hunt as everyone works together to bring down Luca. Although Johansen provides plenty of backstory for newcomers, it still would be a bit difficult to follow all the action without having read at least one other book in the series. I highly recommend you do so; you will be hooked in no time!