REVIEW: Flashback by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen

Veena’s review of Flashback (Kendra Michaels, Book 11) by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen
Romantic Suspense published by Grand Central Publishing 25 Jun 24 

Sisters Sloane and Chloe’s mother was a victim of a serial killer called the Bayside Strangler.  After a spate of killings, they suddenly stopped and the police and FBI, etc. all stopped hunting for the killer, but the sisters never forgot and never stopped. Now they’ve disappeared and the Bayside Strangler is back. Coincidence?

Kendra Michaels is approached by one of the original lead detectives on the case to help find the sisters. Before she can decide if she wants to take the case, the detective is murdered and her house is tossed. Now Kendra’s instincts are humming and there’s no way she’s walking away, especially since she’s targeted next in her garage. Sometime lover/sometime partner Adam Lynch is on assignment across the world, but he flies back posthaste to be by Kendra’s side.

As they follow the clues and interview people, the murder count mounts, and both San Diego PD and FBI are on the case. Then Adam and Kendra are approached by a biggity bigwig from Washington to seize and desist. It turns out the killer is a covert operative sanctioned by Washington. Through a series of clever sleuthing, Adam and Kendra locate the sisters and have a big showdown with all the bad guys.

This is a well-written police procedural with a touch of government conspiracy.  Plus, of course, it’s great to catch up with the cast and characters from the earlier books in the series. Kendra’s friend Olivia is still blind and is seeking to find a revolutionary procedure that will restore her sight.  I wish her all the luck and can’t wait to hear what happens in future books.  The ending here is hilarious with Kendra requesting Adam to turn his expensive swimming pool into an aquarium for seals. What next?

Grade: A

Summary:

Kendra Michaels uses her heightened powers of deduction to draw out a serial killer who has not been seen or heard from in over fifteen years. Chloe and Sloane Morgan were only children when their mother was the second victim of the Bayside Strangler. Now, after spending fifteen years trying to discover his identity, the sisters have suddenly vanished. Were they getting too close to the truth? The police consider their interest in the crime to be just a coincidence and have little motivation to pursue the cold case.

Armed with the box of photos, videos, police reports, and notes gathered by the sisters over the years—plus the extraordinary senses from being blind before recovering her sight via a revolutionary surgical procedure—Kendra follows the sisters’ trail of clues.  Little does she realize that her search is about to unleash a long-dormant killer on San Diego.  With help from government agent-for-hire Adam Lynch and private eye Jessie Mercado, Kendra must race to discover the identity of an infamous killer, not only to save the lives of the two sisters but also untold others.

Read an excerpt.