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The Ugly Duckling (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "Tanek wasn't please..." (more)
Key Phrases: milk snake, Nell Calder, Joel Lieber, Nicholas Tanek (more...)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (101 customer reviews)
Price: $7.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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  Hardcover, March 31, 1996 -- $23.44 $0.01
  Mass Market Paperback, November 30, 1996 $7.99 $1.35 $0.01
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Frequently Bought Together

The Ugly Duckling + Long After Midnight + And Then You Die
Price For All Three: $23.97

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  • This item: The Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansen

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A woman seeks revenge on the drug cartel that maimed her and killed her husband and child.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal

When a hit man murders her daughter, the only thing that keeps Nell Calder alive is her thirst for revenge. Armed with a stunning new face and a body to match, she sets out to kill. What she doesn't count on is that her quest for vengeance will also result in her gaining a new reason to go on living. A forceful, enigmatic hero with a dangerous past and a mission of his own; a focused, determined, and refreshingly creative heroine who develops quite nicely; and a few interesting secondary characters join forces in a well-executed story that deftly provides chilling suspense without sacrificing a warm romance. Johansen is a seasoned romance writer particularly noted for her historicals (Dark Rider, Bantam, 1995). This is her first hardcover.?KR
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam; later printing edition (December 1, 1996)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0553569910
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553569919
  • Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (101 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #429,189 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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More About the Author

Iris Johansen
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Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Tanek wasn't please. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
milk snake
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Nell Calder, Joel Lieber, Nicholas Tanek, Nigel Simpson, Tania Vlados, Helen of Troy, Phil Johnson, Eve Billings, Hong Kong, Jamie Reardon, New York, Philippe Gardeaux, Panama City, Thank God, Continental Trust, Elise Gueray, Madame Dumoit, Martin Brenden, Paul Henreid, Paul Maritz, Sally Brenden, Joe Kabler, Monte Carlo, Ramon Sandequez, Richard Calder
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This book cites 8 books:
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Ugly Duckling
76% buy the item featured on this page:
The Ugly Duckling 4.2 out of 5 stars (101)
$7.99
Long After Midnight
7% buy
Long After Midnight 4.1 out of 5 stars (59)
$7.99
Final Target
6% buy
Final Target 2.7 out of 5 stars (75)
$7.99
Dead Aim
6% buy
Dead Aim 3.0 out of 5 stars (48)
$7.99
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Customer Reviews

101 Reviews
5 star:
 (64)
4 star:
 (16)
3 star:
 (8)
2 star:
 (7)
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 (6)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (101 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An ugly duckling turns into a beautiful killer swan, March 5, 2002
By Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)      
The back cover of "The Ugly Duckling" asks: "If fate suddenly made you more beautiful than you ever dreamed possible, would it be the beginning of a fairy tale, or your worst nightmare...?" However, that rhetorical question does not even come close to scratching the surface on this thriller by Iris Johansen because by the time Nell Calder is transformed into a beautiful swan she is already living a horrible nightmare. As a little girl it was pounded into Nell's head by her mother than she was never going to be the swan, always the ugly duckling. As an adult Nell is married to a handsome executive and has a four-year old daughter, but the doubts are always there. Then there is an attack on a party at which her husband and child are killed and Nell is horribly scarred. Yes, she emerges as a stunning beauty, but inside is that creature of doubt, transformed not so much by the amazing surgery but by the brutality of events.

If this is a fairy tale then Johansen is clearly writing a very grim fairy tale. Because Nell was not just an innocent bystander, she was a target of the attack and the killer is still after her. As much as Nell would like to know why this is still happening to her, the more primal part of her sees the opportunity not just to fight back but to claim revenge for her loved ones and finally get back at those nagging voices her mother put inside her brain. With her new face, Nell has effectively disappeared from the killer's radar. But then she figures out that the only way to catch the killer is to let him think he has caught her.

Surely this book is in development somewhere off in Tinsel Town with actresses fighting over the role and trying to figure out how they will make themselves look like the "before" Nell. I like a story of revenge as much as the next person and this one delivers just desserts to all of the characters. "The Ugly Duckling" is not great fiction, but it is a first class, fast moving thriller where the psychological dimensions of survival are given as much play as the physical. Of course, if you stop and think about it, most fairy tales have their nightmarish aspects, so maybe that back cover blurb was not off as much as we might have thought.

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVED THIS BOOK!, July 26, 2001
By Rachael Almond (Cave Creek, AZ) - See all my reviews
Iris Johansen is becomming one of my favorite authors. I didn't want to put it down! It is a book I wanted to read again right after I finished it. The characters were such strong people in the book. This book really keeps you on the edge of your seat. I am normally a fan of historical romance, but this book is now my favorite book. Nell Calder is an incredible character with such stength and bravery. Being a mother myself, losing a child would be the worst, and Iris Johansen depicts Nell's feelings of loss well. I like the description of Nocholas Tanek being compared to Arnold Schwarzenegger, then finding out more about him and his ranch. Nell's husband got what he deserved for how he treated Nell. This book has a little bit of everything. Even touching on corruption in the DEA. Iris Johansen is an amazing author. The details she puts into her books is outstanding!
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars MAGNIFICENT, AMAZING!!!!, October 29, 1998
By joana_kuok@yahoo.com (Macau (via Hong Kong)) - See all my reviews
I haven't heard of this author before reading this book. But one day, in the book store, I saw "The Ugly Duckling", the cover is very attracting, so I read a bit about the book, and I was hooked. I bought it and I couldn't put it down, I spent all my time that night to finish it. This book is amazing, the way Ms. Johansen describe the characters, so powerful, so real, the appearance of the characters, the details about the environment, the feelings of the characters. When you are reading the book, you can actually see the image running over your head. The way she developed the suspense, it really makes you hooked and just keep reading. This book has suspense, romance, everything. And I just keep recommending this book to all of my friends. Trust me, read this book, and you won't be disappointed.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Very confusing and complex, and hard to connect with characters
I liked the premise and characters of Johansen's Firestorm (Eve Duncan) better, but she took more time with relationship and character development in this one, which was good... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Peabody823

1.0 out of 5 stars Bad...just...Bad
This is the first book I read from this author. The begining of the story get's you turning page after page... up until the H/get's her new face, then all goes down hill. Read more
Published 14 months ago by San D

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic value and great reading!
I love this author, and having two of her books for this price was terrific for taking them on my vacation!
Published 19 months ago by K. Costello

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansen
This is absolutely, hands down, my FAVORITE book ever! Well-written, and certainly very imaginative. Her books are realistic in detail, and this one is true to form!
Published 22 months ago by Tracie Pusateri

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good one
I can't tell you the book is a thriller but it keeps going. I can't tell you that you won't be able to close it till you finish it but it'll keep you interested in the story. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Jorge Frid

4.0 out of 5 stars The Ugly Duckling
Nell Calder was shy and she wasn't pretty, but as the wife of an upwardly mobile financier, parties and dinner engagements were a given. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Elizabeth Jean Allen, The Week...

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE IT
I LOVE IRIS JOHANSEN!!!! ALL OF THE BOOKS I HAVE READ OF HERS ARE GREAT!!!!! READ THEM, YOU WON'T BE DISAPOINTED!
Published on March 9, 2007 by Kathryn M.

4.0 out of 5 stars Beauty isn't everything....but it helps!
Another great page-turner from Iris Johansen! Plain, timid, and overweight protagonist whips it into shape before setting off on her quest for revenge/closure. Read more
Published on October 3, 2006 by Bergsteigerin

5.0 out of 5 stars Great
This book along with Face of Deception is what hooked me to her books. Most of them are wonderful but there are a couple that turn out predictable.
Published on September 21, 2006 by Patricia Ortega

4.0 out of 5 stars Ugly Duckling is a Gander of a Read.
This was my first Iris Johansen book, and I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed it. Fast paced after the first two chapters, intriguing and suspenseful, this is a book you will... Read more
Published on July 9, 2006 by Reviews No More

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