Book Review for High Stakes by Iris Johansen

 High Stakes by Iris Johansen 

Hardcover, 400 pages

Published September 7th 2021 by Grand Central Publishing

Genre:  Mystery Thriller, Romantic Suspense, Crime

 

From Goodreads: #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen enters the world of high-stakes gambling in her latest gripping novel.

Logan Tanner lives the exhilarating life of a professional gambler, taking risks with nerves of steel. From casinos in Macau to Monte Carlo to Milan, he’s racked up a fortune and become a living legend. But all the glitz and glamor hide a dark and violent past as an extractor—a world that comes rushing back to him when the beautiful and innocent Lara Balkon enters his life.

Soon Logan is drawn into the conflict between two Russian mafia bosses over Lara, whose life now hangs in the balance. Logan has been offered something more valuable to him than money—information he desperately needs—in exchange for getting Lara out of Russia and to safety. Once together, Tanner discovers that Lara is a force to be reckoned with in her own right. Tanner’s search for the truth leads them to the bright lights of Las Vegas. Where the person who was hunting Lara now lies in wait for them.

With the stakes climbing with each deadly confrontation, Logan and Lara are soon catapulted into a game against pure evil. The odds are stacked against them, but it’s a game they know they must play…even if it may cost them their lives.

My Thoughts:  Oh, Iris… you did it again. You wrote a book that I could not put down. I loved every word, I loved the characters, I loved the different settings, and I loved the storyline. I could feel the fear for what was going to happen, the strength in facing the Trials coming, and the respect that some of the characters developed for each other.

Lara was a young woman who had been put through so much by her own father. The strength she showed in allowing Logan Tanner to earn her freedom while also gaining the knowledge he desired was amazing. The idea that she could learn to trust Logan after being treated as a possession for so long made my heart sing. I enjoyed watching her come into her own, while protecting Maria, and learning how to trust and love someone else. I also enjoyed seeing Maria try to keep Lara safe. She knew that in the past she did not have the ability to protect Lara from potential danger but with Logan involved she was able to have more say in what was happening in Lara’s life.

The stakes are so high in this book for Lara, for Maria, and for Logan. I was sure that they would all three come out as winners, but it would be a tough journey to get there.  High Stakes is a wonderful, thriller of a story.  

**Thank you Ann-Marie Nieves at GetRedPR for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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Meet Iris Johansen; (from Iris’s Website) IRIS JOHANSEN is The New York Times bestselling author of Your Next Breath, The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn't Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing The Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora's Daughter, Quicksand,Killer Dreams, On The Run, Countdown, Firestorm, Fatal Tide, Dead Aim, and more. And with her son Roy Johansen, she has coauthored The Naked Eye, Sight Unseen, Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle, and Silent Thunder.

Johansen began writing after her children left home for college. She first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, Johansen began writing suspense historical romance novels, starting with the publication of The Wind Dancer. In 1996 Johansen switched genres, turning to crime fiction, with which she has had great success. She now has over 30 consecutive New York Times bestsellers.

Johansen divides her time between Florida and Georgia.  Her son (and frequent collaborator) Roy Johansen is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.