Shadow Zone [Hardcover]

Iris Johansen (Author), Roy Johansen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 20, 2010

The #1 New York Times bestselling author teams up once again with her Edgar award-winning son to bring us a new heart-pounding thriller involving the search for a mysterious Atlantean city

While mapping the ancient underwater city of Marinth in the Atlantic Ocean, submersible designer Hannah Bryson makes a shocking discovery: she may have finally uncovered the truth about the once-glorious city’s mysterious demise. Long ago it was a thriving metropolis bursting with culture and life—Marinth’s sudden disappearance has plagued scientists for years. But now, with her unexpected new findings, Hannah realizes that the ancient city’s explosive secret could have dire consequences for the modern-day world.

But Hannah isn’t the only one who realizes it. When her key artifact is hijacked en route to a research lab, she is thrust into an adventure in which she must match wits against a terrifying enemy who will kill anyone who stands in his way. And when Hannah becomes his target, she knows that her best hope for survival lies with Kirov, a mysterious and deadly man from her past. Together they will race to unravel Marinth’s last great secret in order to prevent a catastrophe of global proportions. Before the lethal game is over, however, Hannah will realize that no one is above suspicion.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This disappointing sequel to the Johansens' Silent Thunder (2008) centers on the ancient city of Marinth, submerged in a massive tsunami 4,000 years ago and lying a quarter mile beneath the Atlantic Ocean. The secret that doomed Marinth's civilization to decline before the killer wave is still present and could in the wrong hands be a threat to hundreds of millions of people. As malevolent armsmerchant Vincent Gadiare and his femme-fatale lover, Anna Devareau, maneuver to get their hands on Marinth's secret, Hannah Bryson, world-class submarine designer, gathers her own legion of experts, including her love interest, enigmatic assassin Nicholas Kirov. Entertaining action scenes compensate in part for two-dimensional characters and trite romances. Informed readers may have trouble with the book's lack of verisimilitude. Submarines behave suspiciously similar to aircraft, and photosynthetic plants thrive in the water well below the photic zone.
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From Booklist

A lost underwater civilization, deadly algae, and hordes of attack dolphins roil the seas and threaten a fragile peace in the latest international thriller from the Johansens, a tale that reunites characters from their best-selling Silent Thunder (2009). As Hannah Bryson concludes her research at the deep-sea archaeological site of the doomed colony of Marinth, scientists are on the brink of discovering what caused Marinth's downfall. The answer may lie in the panels of an intricate trellis that Hannah manages to bring to the surface, only to have it fall into the hands of Gadaire, a ruthless sociopath who wants to use it to bring about an environmental Armageddon. Only one person has the cunning and desire to stop Gadaire: Kirov, the Russian agent who came to Hannah's aid once before. While Hannah struggles with the “spy-who-loved-me” aspects of working closely with the inscrutable Kirov, her impetuous 12-year-old nephew, Ronnie, insinuates himself into the middle of the investigation. In this adrenalin-accelerating tale of a high-stakes, high-seas conspiracy, the Johansens adeptly juggle multiple points of intrigue, smoothly balancing the prerequisite whirlwind pacing with plausible, even restrained, personal relationships. And Hannah emerges as a prepossessing, determined heroine who is more than capable of sustaining this absorbing series. --Carol Haggas

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1 edition (July 20, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312611609
• ISBN-13: 978-0312611606
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #576,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Iris Johansen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Pandora's Daughter, Stalemate, Killer Dreams, On the Run, and many more. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than I expected, July 30, 2010

By 

J. A. Lynn - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shadow Zone (Kindle Edition)

I had read some less than glowing reviews on Shadow Zone. After zipping through it for a first read I could not understand the negativity. The story of Hannah and Kirov grew in relationship here.Love the mysterious use of the dolphins. Look forward to see Eugenia and Charlie soon to wrap up Anna's line. Talk about evil!

Kindle priced too high, went with standard edition.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I wanted that 12 year old kid to drown, August 27, 2010

By 

exasperanto - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow Zone (MP3 CD)

I like fast-paced brain candy as much as anybody else, but a pretty okay, kind of promising story line here is tragically marred by terrible cardboard characters (okay, the supernatural dolphins were a bit much too). I couldn't actually decide which of the protagonists I liked the least, but finally concluded that the patronizing, control-freak 12 year old nephew was one of the most awful fiction characters I've run across in a while. Maybe he'll grow up to be a baddie in a future novel, because he'd be just right as a dimwitted yet narcissist stalker.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars All That Salt Water, All Those Dolphins: Beach Read, November 14, 2011

By 

Stephanie DePue (Carolina Beach, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadow Zone (Hardcover)

"Shadow Zone" is a new mystery/thriller from Iris Johansen, a popular, #1 New York Times Bestselling author, and her son, Roy Johansen, also a New York Times bestselling author.

Underwater archaeologist/submersible designer Hannah Bryson makes a surprising discovery while mapping the pre-historic underwater city of Marinth, possibly the model for the legendary city of Atlantis, mentioned by various ancient Greek scribes. At any rate, Hannah thinks she may have finally uncovered the truth about the once-glamorous city's mysterious demise, as; long ago it was a thriving metropolis bursting with culture and life. And Marinth's sudden disappearance has puzzled scientists for years. But now, with her unexpected new findings, Hannah realizes that the ancient city's secret could still have negative effects on the modern world. And, unfortunately, certified bad guys Vincent Gadaire and his girlfriend Anna Deveare also realize it. So, Hannah, with the aid of her beautiful millionaire friend Melis Nemid, Marinth expert and close friend of dolphins Pete and Susie; and Nicholas Kirov, former Russian submarine captain, fights to save the world.

For the authors to fashion a modern-day mystery around the legendary city of Atlantis struck me as a really good idea. But unfortunately, the execution of the story was extremely disappointing. The plot is same old same old paint by numbers generic chick lit romance/mystery, down to Anna Deveare, dragon lady, though at least the character isn't Asian. And if you will remember what outstanding Anglo-American film director Alfred Hitchcock used to call the mcguffin - that which all the hooh-ha is about in a thriller, then this book has one of the silliest mcguffins I've seen in a long time. The plot is linear. The writing is flat; characters are thin, ambiance of place and time wanting, thrills lacking: this is much more romance than mystery, despite the possible contributions of Roy Johansen.

Iris Johansen has published many bestsellers. Her son Roy has won an Edgar award, and published several well-received mysteries including Deadly Visions, Beyond Belief, and The Answer Man. Mother and son have written together this submarine series, starting with Storm Cycle and Silent Thunder. Oh well, what with all the salt water and the dolphins, guess I could recommend this as a beach read.