Deadlock

February 23, 2009
An especially far-fetched plot and unconvincing dialogue mar this romantic thriller, set primarily in Afghanistan and Russia, from bestseller Johansen (Dark Summer
). Emily Hudson, a U.N. artifacts expert, is trying to track down a vicious criminal who may have stolen “Zelov's hammer.” Hidden inside the old mallet is a treasure map to the long-lost riches of Russia's assassinated Romanov family. Helping Hudson is a rough-and-ready CIA tracker, whose physical charms prove irresistible to the usually proud and independent Hudson. As is Johansen's wont, the romance competes head-to-head with the chase, with annoying effect. Love scenes and hokey romantic dialogue closely follow or precede those of perilous action. On one page, Hudson will be steely and adept, then, on the next, fragile and feeble. By the time the plot hits the homestretch, many readers will have a hard time taking it seriously. 650,000 first printing.

February 15, 2009
The incomparable treasures of the Romanovs continue to provide an irresistible lure to writers of action-adventure thrillers, and the prolific Johansen joins in, seekingfictional riches yet to be mined from the imperial familys massive and, in this instance, missing wealth. Charged with the mission of rescuing cultural artifacts from war zones, Emily Hudson and her crew of UN archaeologists are sent to Afghanistan to rescue Russian antiquities on loan to a local museum. Believing that a critical part of the czars legacy is included in the trove, a vicious gang of thugs ambushes the team. Led by the fiendishly malevolent Staunton, they hold Emily hostage while her best friend and colleague, Joel Levy, is tortured to death after failing to provide the information Staunton desires. About to be turned over to a sexually sadistic Afghani warlord, Emily is nick-o-time rescued by John Garrett, a dashing, James Bondian soldier of fortune who joins Emilys struggle to avenge Levys death, locate the Romanov cache, and end the cycle of murder its disappearance has wrought. Despite the lack of dimension demonstrated by Johansens otherwise taut cast of heroes and rogues, this suitably intricate tale of international and historic intrigue maintains a riveting electric tension right from its robust beginning.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)