Pandora's Daughter by Iris Johansen

Please pardon the break in our normally scheduled postings.  Rest assured that while the three of us have been thoroughly enjoying our summer vacation, we have managed to squeeze in time to keep up with our habit.  We may be busy buying houses, selling houses and vacationing together in beach houses but we have been reading.  I promise.  (We just haven't been writing).   We'll try to be better about that. 

This time I found my book at my mom's house.  Growing up, there was always a bookshelf at the top of the stairs. I would occasionally go there to find something different to read.  I knew I could always count on a new Robert Ludlum book my dad had just finished, an Andrew Greeley mystery my mom had just read or my personal favorite, a worn out copy of "5 Minute Mysteries" by Michael Avallone.  That bookshelf would never disappoint.

So when I was home this summer with nothing to read, I called upon the old girl again.  The same copies of Robert Ludlum and Andrew Greeley's works are still there (and thankfully, so is "5 Minute Mysteries), but I also found "Pandora's Daughter".  I had never read an Iris Johansen book before and this was as good a time as any.

The story revolves around Megan, a young doctor that did not have the best childhood.  Her mother was killed when she was young, leaving her to be raised by her guardian/uncle Phillip.  Normally, I don't like books about women with traumatic upbringings (I have reality TV for that), but this one had a twist which kept me interested.  It turns out Megan has psychic powers just like her mom and the same people that killed her mother are out to get her.  Throw in a slightly hunky but sensitive family friend and you have the makings of a great read. 

I'm a little disappointed I have never read one of Johansen's books before.  I was missing out on some fast-paced reading and some unsuspected plot twists.  This one especially kept me hooked with the element of the supernatural.  Normally I am not a fan of anything outside of my comfortable little murder mystery genre, but "Pandora's Daughter" did the trick.  And happily, it wasn't SO supernatural that it became unbelievable, either.  The book stayed just on the brink of life here without going over the edge into an unrealistic abyss.

I am excited to see what the bookshelf has in store for me the next time I am home. In the meantime, I'll definitely be looking in to another Iris Johansen pick.  Suggestions anyone?