A serial killer is on the loose, on a rampage destroying the faces of women who all curiously enough, bear some resemblance to forensic sculptor Eve Duncan and Detective Joe Quinn’s adopted seventeen-year old daughter, Jane. As the killer gets closer to their area, the worried couple together with Jane isolate themselves at Quinn’s lakeside cottage with protective cops dogging their every step. But despite their thorough investigations, the psychotic killer proves greatly elusive and remains unknown.

Caring deeply for her parents and as protective of them as they are of her, Jane refuses to disturb them further and keeps to herself details of the disturbing nightmares that have begun to plague her every night, which Jane feels has some connection to the murders. Even more terrifyingly, the dreams appear to be portents of a terrible disaster - whether in the past or in the future is the million-dollar question. The entrance of Mark Trevor, a handsome and suave man claiming to be a Scotland Yard detective with pertinent information, only further complicates this already deadly equation.

Iris Johansen makes yet another addition to her popular Eve Duncan series with the complex and intriguing story of Blind Alley, which seems to mark a shift in the direction in which this series is headed. While Eve's continued obsession of finding her dead daughter and Joe's love for this difficult woman and the ever-shifting dynamics of their relationship remain interesting, it’s young Jane who takes the center stage. With her courage, resilience and determination, this oddly mature young woman makes a worthy opponent for an unstoppable killer motivated by a driving thirst for revenge. This story also marks the entrance of Mark Trevor, a fascinating new character whom it is difficult to classify as either a good guy or bad, and this adds to the prevailing atmosphere of heightened tension and uneasiness. With her usual consummate skill, Johansen sets about weaving a complex plot that delves deep into the past of an ancient culture, as well as utilizes modern science, and the result is a suspenseful story that’s as mysterious as it is terrifying and will certainly hold the readers engrossed up until the very end.