Look Behind You: A Novel

Iris Johansen · Roy Johansen

Jul 2017 · Kendra Michaels Book 5 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

#1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen and Edgar Award-winning author Roy Johansen are back with Look Behind You, a novel featuring Kendra Michaels—hired gun for both the CIA and FBI.

THE KILLER IS IN HER SIGHTS...AND ON HER TRAIL

A serial killer is on the loose in San Diego with a most unusual M.O. With each kill, the perpetrator leaves behind mystifying random objects. In this confusing array of unrelated evidence, the one thing that is clear is that the murders all have one characteristic in common: they all require the specific skills of Kendra Michaels, hired gun for both the CIA and FBI. Kendra, who was blind for the first twenty years of her life, gained her sight through a revolutionary surgical procedure and now uses her acute powers of observation to assist in cases all over the United States.

FBI investigators soon make a startling discovery: the left-behind objects are actually souvenirs of other unsolved serial murder cases from around the country. And the new crimes feature “holdback” characteristics never disclosed to the general public—meaning that one single killer was behind the nation’s most notorious serial murder cases and has now come to challenge and taunt Kendra.

The investigators—a “dream team” of profilers—join Kendra in the pursuit, but as the body count rises and the detectives themselves become the newest targets, Kendra must risk everything to defeat a psychopath whose terrifying plan is years in the making...

Ratings and reviews

Kendra Michaels was blind the first 20 years of her life. Thanks to revolutionary surgery, her eyesight was restored, leaving her with acute powers of observation. She uses these powers to help the FBI and CIA when needed. There is a serial killer loose in San Diego ... so far there have been 3 murders and they all have a common thread ... there are objects of previous murder victims left with the current victims. Once Kendra starts her own investigation, she is wholly astounded to find a total of 26 murders ...all committed by the same killer over a span of decades. Kendra is being specifically targeted by this killer for some unknown reason. And this killer is also going after anyone who is close to Kendra. So why has this killer come out from behind the woodwork after being hidden for so many years? As law enforcement puts together a dream team of profilers and those who were involved in the very first cases come together, it's Kendra who finds the missing link. Although 5th in this series, it does well as a stand alone. As always, I recommend starting at the beginning so as to not miss all those little nuggets of information so important to the story. I really like the character of Kendra and her friend, Special Agent Lynch. He's known as the Puppetmaster for his ability to manipulate people to get what he wants/needs. There is a lot of tension between the two, but I like how they relate to each other. She's strong and doesn't take his guff. He's stronger, but dials back his personality for Kendra. Olivia and Jessie, friends of Kendra's, play a huge part of the story. These ladies have terrific backstories and are quite interesting in themselves. There's a lot of action ... some violence ... a bit of romance. And a twist at the end that took my totally by surprise! Many thanks to the author / St. Martin's Press / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was the first book I read in the Kendra Michaels series. I enjoyed this book without reading the first 4 books in the series. However, my preference would be to read them all in order to get the full details on all the characters. The main character, Kendra Michaels, was well developed. I thought the author did a good job developing her unique investigative skills. I think I would have enjoyed her romance with Lynch if I had read the previous books. It was a fast paced book that held my attention until the end. The ending was a surprise. However, the end was not well developed or very believable. This book does contain graphic violence.

You never knew what would happen next. And then at the end breath taking.

About the author

Iris Johansen is the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Night, Blood Game, Eve, and Eight Days to Live, among others. She began writing after her children left home for college, and first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, she began writing suspense historical romance novels, and in 1996 she turned to crime fiction, with which she has had great success. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia.

Roy Johansen is an Edgar Award–winning author and the son of Iris Johansen. He has written many well-received mysteries, including Deadly Visions, Beyond Belief, and The Answer Man.