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Eve Duncan Books in Order

Part ofIris Johansen Books in Order

Read the Eve Duncan series by Iris Johansen in order, with short summaries and background on the forensic sculptor, her loved ones, and the mysteries she faces.

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Eve Duncan books in publication order

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32 books

1

The Face of Deception

by Iris Johansen

1998

Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan reconstructs faces from skull fragments to identify the missing and murdered. When billionaire John Logan asks her to rebuild an unidentified skull, the emerging face draws Eve into a lethal conspiracy determined to keep its secrets buried.

2

The Killing Game

by Iris Johansen

1999

A killer exploits forensic sculptor Eve Duncan’s unresolved grief over her missing daughter, Bonnie, after nine skeletons are unearthed near Talladega Falls. Convinced Eve will search for answers, he engineers a cruel cat-and-mouse game that makes her his intended victim.

3

The Search

by Iris Johansen

2000

Search-and-rescue specialist Sarah Patrick and her golden retriever, Monty, are forced to join billionaire John Logan’s hunt for a kidnapped survivor. As they pursue the aftermath of a sabotaged secret project, a killer’s revenge turns the mission into a deadly race.

4

Body of Lies

by Iris Johansen

2002

A new DNA report forces forensic sculptor Eve Duncan to confront the possibility that a child’s grave is not her daughter Bonnie’s. Leaving Atlanta for a Louisiana identification job, Eve enters a dangerous political conspiracy while threats close in on the people she loves.

5

Blind Alley

by Iris Johansen

2004

While reconstructing the face of a murdered Jane Doe, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan discovers that the victim closely resembles her adopted daughter, Jane. The investigation links an international killer to an ancient Herculaneum woman, turning Jane into both a target and a key to the case.

6

Countdown

by Iris Johansen

2005

Harvard student and artist Jane MacGuire is ambushed as a new threat revives the deadly mystery surrounding Cira, the ancient woman she resembles. With criminals pursuing Cira’s lost treasure, Mark Trevor returns to protect Jane as the danger escalates.

7

Stalemate

by Iris Johansen

2006

Colombian arms dealer Luis Montalvo offers Eve Duncan information about her missing daughter, Bonnie, if she reconstructs the face of a skull he believes belongs to his late wife. Eve accepts and is drawn into a violent jungle conflict between Montalvo and a drug lord.

8

Quicksand

by Iris Johansen

2008

When Joe Quinn follows child predator Henry Kistle to Illinois, a violent chain of events draws Eve Duncan and psychic physician Megan Blair into the hunt. Kistle’s claim to know what happened to Eve’s daughter leads them toward a perilous confrontation in the Okefenokee swamp.

9

Blood Game

by Iris Johansen

2009

A senator’s daughter is found drained of blood, and a blood-filled goblet appears in Eve Duncan’s refrigerator. With Joe Quinn receiving unsettling visions from the dead, Eve must confront a serial killer whose vampire obsession has made her and her family his next targets.

10

Chasing the Night

by Iris Johansen

2010

CIA agent Catherine Ling refuses to abandon hope that her abducted son is alive, and turns to Eve Duncan for help. Using age progression and forensic expertise, Eve joins Catherine’s search while both women are pursued by a killer and Eve’s unresolved past resurfaces.

11

Eight Days to Live

by Iris Johansen

2010

Jane MacGuire’s unsettling portrait provokes the attention of a murderous religious cult after it is displayed in Paris. As threats mount, Jane and her protectors cross Europe to uncover her connection to the cult and the religious artifact it is seeking.

12

Bonnie

by Iris Johansen

2011

Eve Duncan and Joe Quinn pursue fresh leads in the long-unsolved disappearance of Eve’s daughter, Bonnie. With CIA agent Catherine Ling and Bonnie’s father, John Gallo, drawn into the search, the investigation moves from Louisiana to Georgia and exposes a dangerous new suspect.

13

Eve

by Iris Johansen

2011

Eve Duncan, aided by CIA agent Catherine Ling and detective Joe Quinn, renews her search for the man who abducted and killed her daughter, Bonnie. Their investigation brings Eve’s former lover John Gallo, Bonnie’s father, back into a mystery that has shaped her life.

14

Quinn

by Iris Johansen

2011

After Joe Quinn is gravely injured, Eve Duncan keeps vigil as the story returns to their first meeting during the investigation into Bonnie’s disappearance. Eve and Joe pursue clues to a string of missing children, while a present-day killer forces their past and present together.

15

Sleep No More

by Iris Johansen

2012

Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan learns that she has a half sister, Beth Avery, who has fled a California psychiatric hospital. Eve and Joe Quinn head west to find her, uncovering Beth’s link to a powerful family while a determined killer closes in.

16

Hunting Eve

by Iris Johansen

2013

Having escaped Jim Doane, Eve Duncan flees through Colorado’s remote wilderness while her captor tracks her. Joe Quinn, Jane MacGuire, and their allies follow the scattered clues, but other figures connected to Eve’s past are closing in as well.

17

Silencing Eve

by Iris Johansen

2013

After the Colorado confrontation, Jim Doane still holds Eve Duncan captive and uses her in a broader revenge scheme. Joe Quinn, Jane MacGuire, and their allies search for Eve while trying to stop a threat that could claim far more lives.

18

Taking Eve

by Iris Johansen

2013

A gunman threatens Eve Duncan’s family before Jim Doane abducts her and demands that she reconstruct the face of his dead son from a skull. As Eve plots an escape, Joe Quinn and Jane MacGuire race to uncover Doane’s motives and find her.

19

Shadow Play

by Iris Johansen

2015

Eve Duncan agrees to reconstruct the face of a girl who vanished years earlier, hoping to help a California sheriff identify the victim and her killer. When the skull is stolen, Eve and Joe Quinn travel west, where the case points toward a murderer still at work.

20

Hide Away

by Iris Johansen

2016

Eve Duncan and Joe Quinn are protecting Cara Delaney, a young girl caught between ruthless criminal forces. When the danger becomes too close, Eve takes Cara to the Scottish Highlands, where Jane MacGuire’s treasure hunt becomes entangled with their desperate flight.

21

Night and Day

by Iris Johansen

2016

Cara Delaney is abducted from her Highland refuge and taken to Moscow by her dangerous mother. Determined to bring her back, Eve Duncan joins Cara’s friend Jock Gavin in a rescue mission that leaves Eve confronting threats to her own life and family.

22

Mind Game

by Iris Johansen

2017

While treasure hunting in Scotland, artist Jane MacGuire is haunted by visions of an imprisoned young woman. The clues lead her to Seth Caleb’s sister and pull Jane and Caleb into a rescue effort that turns their dangerous past connection into a new target.

23

Shattered Mirror

by Iris Johansen

2018

An anonymous package containing a burned skull and a two-sided mirror sends forensic sculptor Eve Duncan searching for the victim’s identity. As the reconstructed face reveals links to people close to Eve, she and her family become targets in an escalating pursuit.

24

Vendetta

by Iris Johansen

2018

After terrorist Max Huber kills CIA officer Carl Venable, former Army Ranger Jude Brandon must protect Carl’s estranged daughter, Rachel. Pulled from her medical clinic in Guyana, Rachel becomes essential to stopping Huber’s vengeful plan before it devastates San Francisco.

25

Dark Tribute

by Iris Johansen

2019

Violin prodigy Cara Delaney is kidnapped by a man pursuing a deadly score against her family. Her guardians, Eve Duncan and Joe Quinn, join Jock Gavin in the search while Cara relies on her own resourcefulness to survive the danger closing around her.

26

Smokescreen

by Iris Johansen

2019

Journalist Jill Cassidy asks forensic sculptor Eve Duncan to identify victims of a massacre in a remote African village. Once Eve arrives, she realizes Jill may have brought her there for another purpose, leaving Eve isolated amid mounting violence and uncertain loyalties.

27

The Persuasion

by Iris Johansen

2020

Artist Jane MacGuire becomes the fixation of a violent psychopath, forcing her longtime protector Seth Caleb to keep her safe. When Jane refuses to stay out of the fight, she and Seth must pursue an adversary determined to claim her and destroy him.

28

The Bullet

by Iris Johansen

2021

Eve Duncan and Joe Quinn are drawn into protecting Diane Connors, a scientist whose discovery could transform lives worldwide. Pursued by forces determined to suppress it, Diane needs Eve’s help to stay alive, despite the painful history linking her to Joe.

29

A Face to Die For

by Iris Johansen

2022

Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan joins archaeologist Riley Smith after tomb raiders kill Riley’s father during his search for Helen of Troy’s burial place. Their hunt in Azerbaijan puts them in conflict with ruthless looters and powerful figures pursuing the same secret.

30

Captive

by Iris Johansen

2022

Artist Jane MacGuire’s peaceful life with Seth Caleb is shattered when Hugh Bohdan, a vengeful enemy from Seth’s intelligence work, targets her. While Jane investigates a possible link to a woman from the MacDuff family’s history, she and Seth must evade a deadly threat.

31

The Survivor

by Iris Johansen

2023

Archaeologist Riley Smith asks forensic sculptor Eve Duncan to help investigate a remote Southeast Asian island whose past is literally preserved. As Riley discovers the body of a female warrior, treasure hunters close in, and the search for its historical secret becomes a fight to escape alive.

32

Death Mask

by Iris Johansen

2025

Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan refuses to make an Egyptian death mask for a sinister client, until threats against those she loves force her to Africa. While Eve confronts an unpredictable captor, Joe Quinn and mercenary Alex Dominic pursue a dangerous rescue through the jungle.

Series background & context

Eve Duncan is a forensic sculptor who reconstructs faces from skulls, helping investigators identify people whose names have been lost. Iris Johansen builds the series around that careful work and the dangerous secrets it can expose. Eve's dedication has a deeply personal source: the disappearance of her daughter, Bonnie. Giving another family answers is a way of living with her own uncertainty, and that connection between grief and investigation stays at the heart of the books.

For Eve, an unidentified victim is never just another assignment.

The series begins with The Face of Deception. Eve accepts a job from billionaire John Logan, who wants her to reconstruct a particular skull. As the face emerges, she becomes caught in a struggle involving powerful people determined to conceal the truth. The setup establishes a recurring danger: Eve's skill can reveal something that someone else is willing to kill to keep hidden. Doing her work well may therefore place her closer to a threat rather than safely beyond it.

Joe Quinn is one of the central people in her life, a police detective whose connection to Eve reaches back to the investigation into Bonnie's disappearance. Her adopted daughter, Jane MacGuire, also becomes an important part of the recurring cast. Their relationships give the stories continuity beyond individual cases. Eve can be determined and resourceful, but the threats around her often extend to those she loves, turning a professional problem into an urgent personal one.

Atlanta and the surrounding area provide a home base, including the lakeside life Eve shares with Joe. Her assignments and the enemies they uncover can draw her far beyond that familiar setting. The contrast matters: the quiet place she wants to return to doesn't always remain separate from the violence of her work. In Taking Eve, for example, a man abducts her and demands that she reconstruct the face he believes belongs to his dead son. Her talent becomes the reason she is targeted.

The larger sequence includes shorter arcs, such as Eve, Quinn, and Bonnie, which concentrate on the mystery surrounding Eve's daughter. Other books follow new victims, recurring allies, and dangers involving Jane. There are also paranormal elements, including Eve's continuing connection with Bonnie. That gives the series an emotional and sometimes uncanny dimension alongside the forensic work, pursuits, and confrontations that drive its thriller plots.

These are suspense novels with action, close personal bonds, and an ongoing search for answers. Starting with The Face of Deception introduces Eve's profession, grief, and early relationships before the cast expands. Reading forward lets the family connections develop alongside the cases, while keeping the central concern in view: bringing a lost person home can require facing people who have every reason to stop the truth from emerging.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shape MRB and its growth.

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